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1
435
Her Majesty's Mails
·
William Lewins
77
At
this
time,
it
was
only
a
secondary
consideration,
when
or
how
letters
should
be
delivered.
For
a
number
of
years
the
authorities
were
simply
bent
on
raising
revenue
out
of
the
Post-Office.
Thus,
about
the
period
of
which
we
are
speaking,
a
request
was
made
to
the
authorities
from
certain
inhabitants
of
Warwick,
that
the
London
letters
for
that
place
should
be
sent
direct
to
Warwick
and
not
through
Coventry,
by
which
latter
route
a
great
many
hours
were
lost.
A
decided
negative
was
returned
to
this
very
reasonable
request,
and
for
the
following
cogent
official
reason,
which
exhibits
well
the
exacting
tendencies
of
the
Government.
"From
London
to
Warwick,
through
Coventry,
is
more
than
eighty
miles,"
say
the
Postmasters-General;
"so
that
we
can
charge
6d.
per
letter
going
that
way,
whereas
we
could
only
charge
3d.
if
they
went
direct."
No
doubt
this
reply
is
given
to
the
Lords
of
the
Treasury,
through
whom
all
such
applications
as
the
foregoing
had
then,
and
still
have,
to
pass;
for
it
cannot
be
imagined
that
they
gave
this
reply
to
the
people
of
Warwick
themselves.
"Perhaps,
however,"
add
the
Post-Office
officials,
with
some
glimmering
idea
of
the
true
business
principle,
"we
might
get
more
letters
at
the
cheaper
rate."
Present
profits,
nevertheless,
could
not
be
sacrificed,
even
though
there
should
be
a
prospect
of
increased
future
revenue.
Another
instance
is
on
record,
proving
that
in
this
respect
the
Post-Office
authorities
of
the
period
were
wiser
than
the
executive
that
held
them
in
check.
The
Postmasters-General
apply
(fruitlessly
however)
to
the
Treasury
to
lower
the
rates
of
postage
in
a
particular
district,
and
in
urging
their
request,
state
that
"we
have,
indeed,
found
by
experience,
that
where
we
have
made
the
correspondence
more
easie
and
cheape,
the
number
of
letters
has
been
thereby
much
increased,
and
therefore
we
do
believe
such
a
settlement
may
be
attended
with
a
like
effect
in
these
parts."
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