The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
James Wilson Hyde27[Illustration (facsimile): CAUTION to POST-BOYS. By the Act of 5th of Geo. III. If any Post-Boy, or Rider, having taken any of His Majesty's Mails, or Bags of Letters, under his Care, to convey to the next Post Town or Stage, shall suffer any other Person (except a Guard) to ride on the Horse or Carriage, or shall Loiter on the Road, and wilfully misspend his Time, so as to retard the Arrival of the said Mails, or Bags of Letters, at the next Post Town or Stage.--Every such Offender shall, on Conviction before One Justice, be committed to the House of Correction, and confined to hard Labour for one Month. All Post-Boys and Riders are therefore desired to take Notice of this, and are hereby cautioned not to fail in the regular Performance of their Duty, otherwise they will most assuredly be punished as the Law directs. And it is hoped and requested, for the Benefit of public Correspondence, that all Persons, who may observe any Post-Boy or Rider, offending as aforesaid, will give immediate Notice to Surveyor of the General Post-Office, Johnson Williamson (About 1792)] Many of the troubles which the Post-office had with its postboys may possibly be ascribed to the low rate of wages paid by the contractors for their services. This matter is referred to by the Solicitor to the Scotch Post-office, who was engaged upon an inquiry into the robbery of the mail on the stage between Dingwall and Tain in the year 1805. The distance between these places is about twenty-five miles, and five hours were occupied in making the journey. One of the postboys concerned stated in his declaration that his whole wages were 5s. a-week; and with reference to this, the solicitor in his report observes as follows: "Of course it may fairly be presumed that no respectable man will be got to perform this duty. Dismission to such a man for committing a fault is no punishment; and the safety of the conveyance of the mail, which the public have a right to require, seems to render some regulation in this respect necessary."