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1
435
Her Majesty's Mails
·
William Lewins
204
During
the
Commonwealth,
of
course,
letter-opening
was
to
be
expected.
The
very
reason
which
Cromwell
gave
for
establishing
the
posts
was,
that
they
would
be
"the
best
means
of
discovering
and
preventing
many
wicked
designs
against
the
Commonwealth,
intelligence
whereof
cannot
well
be
communicated
but
by
letter
of
escript."
Foreign
and
home
letters
shared
an
equal
fate.
On
one
occasion,
the
Venetian
ambassador
remonstrated
openly
that
his
letters
had
been
delayed
and
read,
and
it
was
not
denied.
At
the
Restoration,
a
distinct
clause
in
the
"Post-Office
Charter"
provided
that
"no
one,
except
under
the
immediate
warrant
of
one
of
our
principal
Secretaries
of
State,
shall
presume
to
open
any
letters
or
pacquets
not
directed
unto
themselves."
Under
the
improved
Act
of
Queen
Anne,
1711,
it
is
again
stated
that
"no
person
or
persons
shall
presume
to
open,
detain,
or
delay
any
letter
or
letters,
after
the
same
is
or
shall
be
delivered
into
the
General
or
other
Post-Office,
and
before
delivery
to
the
persons
to
whom
they
are
addressed,
except
by
an
express
warrant
in
writing
under
the
hand
of
one
of
the
principal
Secretaries
of
State
for
every
such
opening,
detaining,
or
delaying."
This
Act
was
continued
under
all
the
Georges,
and
again
agreed
to
in
1837,
under
1
Vict.
c.
32.
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