Her Majesty's Mails

3. The roads are to be re-surveyed, under the arrangements laid down in Queen Anne's Act, for the purpose of settling the rates of postage afresh. 4. Letters to be charged according to the post-stages travelled, or shorter distances to be paid for; thus:-- s. d. For the conveyance of every single letter not exceeding 15 miles 0 1 " " double letter 0 2 " " ounce 0 4 " " single letter, 30 miles and under 40 miles 0 2 " " double letter 0 4 " " ounce 0 8 " " single letter, 40 miles and under 80 miles 0 3 " " double letter 0 6 " " ounce 1 0 And so on. These rates were again altered in the twenty-fourth year of the reign of George III. for the raising of revenue to defray his Majesty's expenses, the alteration, which took effect on the introduction of mail-coaches, consisting of the addition of one penny to every existing charge.[45] 5. Permission is given to settle penny post-offices in other towns in England, on the same basis as the London penny-post establishment. The permission thus granted was soon applied, and long before the establishment of uniform penny-postage, there were at least a thousand penny-posts in existence in different towns. The principle which guided the Department in establishing penny-posts was to select small towns and populous neighbourhoods not situated in the direct line of general post conveyances, which were desirous of obtaining extra facilities, and granting such posts provided that they did not afford the means for evading the general post. The only requisite was, that the authorities should have a reasonable hope that the proposed post would yield sufficient to pay for its maintenance--a thing considered settled if the receipts on its first establishment would pay two-thirds of the entire charges.