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1
435
Her Majesty's Mails
·
William Lewins
92
[38]
At
this
time,
and
for
some
years
subsequently,
the
mails
were
carried
on
horseback
in
charge
of
post-boys.
Some
of
these
post-boys
were
sad
rogues,
who,
besides
taking
advantage
of
confusion
in
the
two
posts,
were
accustomed
to
carry
letters
themselves
concealed
upon
them
and
for
charges
of
course
quite
unorthodox.
In
old
records
of
the
Post-Office,
principally
the
Surveyor's
Book,
referring
to
country
post-offices
from
the
year
1735,
there
are
long
complaints
from
the
surveyor
on
this
head.
The
following,
"exhibiting
more
malice
than
good
grammar,"
may
be
taken
as
a
specimen,
and
will
suffice
to
show
the
way
things
were
managed
at
that
date:--"At
this
place
(Salisbury)
found
the
post-boys
to
have
carried
on
vile
practices
in
taking
the
bye-letters,
delivering
them
in
this
cittye
and
taking
back
answers,
especially
the
Andover
riders.
On
the
15th
found
on
Richard
Kent,
one
of
the
Andover
riders,
5
bye-letters,
all
for
this
cittye.
Upon
examining
the
fellow,
he
confessed
he
had
made
it
a
practice,
and
persisted
to
continue
in
it,
saying
he
had
noe
wages
from
his
master.
I
took
the
fellow
before
the
Magistrate,
proved
the
facts,
and
he
was
committed,
but
pleading
to
have
no
money
or
friends,
desired
a
punishment
to
be
whipped,
which
accordingly
he
was
to
the
purpose.
Wrote
the
case
to
Andover
and
ordered
the
fellow
to
be
dismissed,
but
no
regard
was
had
thereto,
but
the
next
day
the
same
rider
came
post,
ran
about
the
cittye
for
letters
and
was
insolent.
Again
he
came
post
with
two
gentlemen,
made
it
his
business
to
take
up
letters;
the
fellow,
however,
instead
of
returning
to
Andover,
gets
two
idle
fellows
and
rides
off
with
three
horses,
which
was
a
return
for
his
master
not
obeying
my
instructions."
Our
shrewd
surveyor
thus
amply
got
his
revenge,
and
the
Post-Office
and
Mr.
Allen
suffer
no
more
from
the
delinquencies
of
Richard
Kent.--From
Mr.
Scudamore's
Notes.
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