others, of the office of postmaster for foreign parts in reversion: and in 1631 the king strictly prohibited private persons from engaging in the business of forwarding letters to foreign countries, or receiving them from abroad for distribution in England. In 1635, the king issued a proclamation declaring that "whereas to this time there has been no certain intercourse between the kingdoms of England and Scotland, he now commands his postmaster of England for foreign parts, to settle a running post or two to run night and day, between Edinburgh and London, to go thither and come back again in six days: and to take with them all such letters as shall be directed to any post-towns in or near the road." By the same proclamation, posts were established to Westchester, Holyhead, and thence to Ireland: and also to Plymouth and Exeter. In the following year, Charles the first of England and Louis the thirteenth of France, both issued proclamations forbidding private persons from engaging in the business of letter carrying: but the operations of the public posts must, notwithstand ing, have been very limited, for in 1653, the whole establishment in England, Scotland, and Ireland, was farmed to John Manly, Esq. for ten thousand pounds yearly. At that time, members of parliament had not the privilege of franking letters. In 1656, Cromwell and his parliament established the post-office by law: the acts of this parliament being deemed illegal by the royalists, another act to the same effect was passed in 1660-61, after the restoration. In 1663, the revenues of the post-office, amounting to 21,500l. were settled on the Duke of York. In 1685, the obsequious parliament of James II. passed an act to make the revenue of the post-office the king of England's private estate for ever. In 1711, the former laws for establishing post-offices in Great Britain were repealed, and one postmaster-general was appointed for the kingdom. By the same act, general letter offices were established at Edinburgh, Dublin, New York, and in the West Indies. This is the first reference we find in British acts to post-offices in America: but the establishment of posts in our country was nearly coeval with the first settlement of at least some of the colonies. In July 1683, as we learn from Watson's Annals, William Penn established regular posts from Philadelphia to the Falls of Delaware, Chester, Newcastle, and Maryland; and ordered the time of departure to be carefully published on the meeting-house door, and other public places.". A regular act of assembly, for the establishment of a post-office at Philadelphia, was first passed in the year 1700. 66 Soon after this, Colonel John Hamilton, the son of Governor Andrew Hamilton, devised a postoffice scheme for British America. For this scheme he obtained a patent, and the profits accruing from the execution of the scheme were to be his own. But he afterwards sold his patent to the crown: and a member of parliament was appointed postmaster for North America, with power to appoint a deputy to reside at New York. By connivance, as is stated by Dr. Douglass, the deputy was permitted to reside in any part of the continent. The office was filled at one time by a gentleman of South Carolina; and, at another, by a gentleman of Virginia. In Dec. 1717, Jonathan Dickinson writes to his correspondent, "we have a settled post from Virginia and Maryland unto us, and goes through all our northern colonies, whereby advice from Boston unto Williamsburgh is completed in four weeks, from March to December, and in double that time in the other months of the year." Dr. Douglass, writing in 1747, says, "that from Portsmouth to Philadelphia there is a regular postage. From thence to Williamsburgh, in Virginia, is uncertain, because the post does not proceed till letters are lodged sufficient to pay the charges of the post-rider. From Williamsburgh, in Virginia, to Charleston, S. C., the post is still more uncertain.” In 1753, the post-office establishment of North America was confided to Dr. Franklin and another, with liberty to make out of it 600l. a year, “if they could." Then began the delivery of letters by the penny-post, and also the practice of advertising letters remaining in the office. Till that time, the northern mail went from Philadelphia and returned once a week in summer, and once a fortnight in winter, just as it had done twenty-five years before. But in 1754, the mail to New York began to run thrice a week in summer, and once a week in winter. In the next year Franklin gave notice, that the mail to New England, which used to start but once a fortnight in winter, should start once a week all the year round," whereby answers might be obtained to letters between Philadelphia and Boston in three weeks, which used to require six weeks." It was several years before Dr. Franklin and his co-partner got the 600l. per annum, which they were permitted to make for themselves, "if they could." Their expenditures for the improvement of the mail brought them in debt to the amount of 900l.: but the doctor states, that under this new system, the post-office of North America afterwards yielded a greater clear revenue to the crown than had ever been derived from the post-office of Ireland. Through a quarrel with the ministry he was deprived of his office of deputy, at a time when it would have yielded him a just compensation for his labour. In 1774, we read that " John Perkins engages to ride post to carry the mail once a week to Baltimore, and will take along, or bring back, led horses, or any parcels." From this it appears that, previous to the revolution, only the northern mail was regular in its arrival and departure. When a post-rider purposed starting to the south, notice was given of his intention by advertisement, some time in advance. On the 26th of July 1775, congress established a line of posts, under the direction of a postmastergeneral, from Falmouth in New England to Savannah in Georgia; and they authorised as many cross posts as that officer should think proper. In 1782, all the surplus income of the post-office was directed to be applied to the establishment of new post-offices and the support of packets, to render the post-office department as extensively useful as might be. In 1789, authority was given, under the new constitution, to appoint a postmastergeneral and other subordinate officers. The progress of the department, from that time to the end of the year 1830, may be seen in the table at the end of this article. From 1790 to 1800, the number of post-offices increased from 75 to 903. In 1810, they amounted to 2300: in 1820, to 4500: in 1830, to 8450. "The great increase of the number, and the extent of the post-roads in the United States," said Dr. Seybert, writing in 1817,"demonstrate the rapid improvement of our country. Besides the convenience which this establishment offers to individuals, much of the commercial prosperity of nations is owing to the dispatch and safety of a well regulated post-office establishment. In this respect, our progress has been equal to that of any of the nations of Europe: convenient roads now intersect every portion of the United States. Though we do not possess many routes that are equal to the most improved in England and France, our roads are more safe, more expeditious, and better regulated than those of any other nation in Europe. Even so late as 1750, the roads in Great Britain and France were in a wretched condition: they have done much within a few years to promote the intercourse in those states. In 1763, seventeen days were occupied in going from London to Edinburgh, in the stage-coach, the distance about four hundred miles. In 1816 you might go from the city of New York to Buffalo on lake Erie, four hundred and seventyfive miles, in one hundred hours from the time of departure, and be comfortably lodged every night: the time actually occupied in travelling was eighty hours. Our mail is now transported with uncommon rapidity through countries which continue to be inhabited by savages: our vehicles pass with more speed to towns, the sites of which twenty-five years ago were the theatres of savage barbarity, than do the public carriages in some of the most civilized and oldest countries in Europe. may go from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, in the stage, three hundred and ten miles, in five days and a half, and be lodged every night on the route. You "In 1812, in France, by the stage-coach, six days were required to go from Paris to Geneva, three hundred and ninety miles: six days from Paris to Strasburgh, three hundred and sixty-six miles." The mail now goes from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh in less than three days, traversing in this passage all the mountain chains of Pennsylvania. [The annexed table, obtained from the Post-Office Department, exhibits a concise view of the rapid increase in the post establishment of the United States from 1789 to Dec. 31, 1830.] TABLE LXV. number. of postage. tion to P. M. Post Of Table of the Post Office Establishment, from 1789 to 1830, December 31st. RECEIPTS, Years. fices in being total am't Compensa 1810 2300 1811 32,093 292,751 453,885 24,878 33,755 305,499 462,828 2,264 34,035 332,917 498,012 8,622 34,035 327,966 495,969 55,715 36,406 1812 2403 1813 1814 1815 3000 1816 3260 1821 4650 587,247 159,244 20,689 319,166 649,208 177,422 22,117 340,626 703,155 221,848 20,605 438,559 730,370 234,354 17,170 475,602 1,043,065 241,901 18,441 487,779 748,121 294,944 961,782 265,944 16,508 521,970 804,422 157,360 1817 3459 1,002,973 303,916 23,410 589,189 916,515 1818 3618 1,130,235 346,429 24,792 664,611 1,035,832 1819 4000 1,204,737 375,828 24,152 717,881 1,117,861 1820 4500 1,111,927 352,295 26,206 1,059,087 337,599 1822 4799 1,117,490 355,299 1,167,572 1823 5043 1,130,!15 360,462 29,069 767,464 1,156,995 1824 5182 1,197,758 383,804 35,276 768,939 1,188,019 1825 5677 1,306,525 411,183 32,214 785,646 1,229,043 77,482 1826 6150 1,447,703 447,727 33,885 885,100 1,366,712 80,991 1827 7003 1,524,633 486,411 40,203 1828 7651 1,664,759 548,858 55,873 1,086,312 1829 8050 1,773,990 575,165 1830 8450 1,919,300 615,476 VOL. XVIII.-PART II. 3 V* TABLE LXVI. Showing the Distance from Washington to the Capital or largest town of each State; also, the Distance from each Capital or largest town to each of the others. 365 Farmington Canal 393, 394 246 Chowan 390 394 257 rican, restrictions on their commerce 352 363 319 315 318 Fisheries of U. S., origin of 337 Independence of the British N. defeat the U. S. army 347 342 386 Jackson, Gen. defeats the British 349 343 343 346 between U. S. & Prussia 317 392 242 251 315 La Fayette, Gen., tour in U. S. 351-2 274 Lenos, Manuel Gayoso de, gov. 263 ment 333 Louisiana, acts of congress to carry into effect the agree- Gilpin, Thomas, his surveys for fixed by treaty 322 canal 273 315, 316 Gulf stream British army at Yorktown 339 admitted into the Union receded by Spain to France 324 of purchase from France 334 345 rocky mountains by Lewis Eton, Gen., operations in Africa 344 U. S. with tabular views and Clarke 345, invaded 358 Madison, James, instructions to 325 342 Maine, original settlement of 333 245 admitted into the Union 334, 350 230 Lackawaxen 275 Manufactures of the U. S. 381 to 387 New York 275, 280 Cayuga and Seneca 276 316, 339 Connecticut 276 Conewago canals loan negotiated in Massachusetts and Rhode Island 276, 277 Obio 277 Estaing, Count D', French Ad- 390 337 338 Illinois, original settlement of 333 her N. Am. colonies 367, 368 |