^^o C. 10. Anno" nono Annje Reginae. A. D. 1710. ' forthwith difpatched by the fettled Pofls, and fometimes fiich Letters have been delivered by the Mafters ' or Paffengers of fuch Ships, to ignorant and loofc Hands that underftand not the Ways and Means of
- fpecdy Conveyance and Delivery of Letters, wheteby great Prejudice hath accrued to the Affairs of
' Merchants and others, as well by the Mifcarriage of many Letters fo brought, as oftentimes by the open- ' ing the fame, to the Difcovery of the Correfpondency and Secrets of die Merchants ;' Be it therefore At Port Towns further enabled by the Authority aforefaid. That all Letters and Packets, that by any M after of any Ship Deputy Poftma- or VefTel or any of his Company or any Paffengers therein, fliall or may be brought to any Port Town, iUr to receive all q^ which flial] arrive or touch at any Port belongi'-'g to any Port * Town, within any her Majefty's Do- ^"Jj'sj,™^^" minions or any the Members thereof, or which fhall be on board any Ship or Veflel, that (hall or do
- Perhaps p'oft touch or flay at any fuch Port Town ((Tther than fuch Letters as are before excepted, or may be fent by
Town. common known Carriers in Manner aforefaid, or by a Friend as aforefaia) fliall by fuch Malter, PalTen- ger or other Pcrfon or Perfons, be forthwith delivered unto the Deputy or Deputies only of fuch Poftmafter General for the Time being, Isy him appointed, for fuch Place or Port Town, and to be by fuch Depu- ty or Deputies fent Poft unto the faid General Poft Office, to be delivered according to the feveral and re- fpeftive Directions of the fame ; upon Pain of forfeiting the Sum of five Pounds oi Britijh Money, for every feveral Offence r.gainft the Tenor of this prefent Act. And to give the XVL And for the Encouragement of all fuch Mafters of Ships or VeiTels, or fuch other Perfons, on 3 toWf ^&c^""^ their Arrival at fuch Ports as aforefaid, from any Parts beyond the Seas, to deliver unto the Deputy or ■" ■ Deputies of fuch Poflm.after General for fuch Place or Port Town at which they fliall fo touch or arrive, all fuch Letters and Packets as they fhall refpe£tively have on board fuch Veflel or VefTels, every fuch Mafter or other Perfon, for every Letter or Packet of Letters he or they fhall fo deliver unto fuch Depu- ty or Deputies, fhall receive the Sum of one Penny, of fuch Deputy or Deputies, he or they figning a Certificate of the Number of Letters delivered, and by what Veffel they came, and of the Time when he or they delivered the fame to fuch Deputy or Deputies, and giving a Receipt for fuch Number of Pence as he or they fhall receive of fuch Deputy or Deputies ; which Certificate and Receipt fhall be by fuch Deputy by the next Poif returned to the faid Poftmafter General, together with the Letters fo delivered, who fhall have Credit on his Account for fo much Money as any fuch Deputy fhall pay on the Account. None to carry XVIL And be it further enafteJ by the Authority aforefaid, That no Perfon or Perfons whatfoever, or Letters, &c. but Body Politick or Corporate, in any Part of thefe Kingdoitis of Great Britain and Ireland, or other her the Poftmafter Majefty's Plantations and Colonies ia the Wcji Indies, and America, other than fuch Poftmafter General as Deputies'^ '^ fliall, from Time to Time, be nominated and appointed by her Majefty, her Heirs and Succeflbrs, and ' conftituted by Letters Patents under the Great Seal oi Great Britain as aforefaid, and his Deputy and De- puties or Afligns, fhall prefuihe to receive, take up, order, difpatch, convey, carry, recarry or deliver any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters (other than as before excepted) or make any Collec- tion of Letters, or fet up or employ any Foot Poft, Horfe Poft or Packet Boat, or other VefTel or Boat or other Perfon or Perfons, Conveyance orConveyances whatfoever for the receiving, taking up, ordering, dif- patching, conveying, carrying, recarrying or delivering any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters, by Sea or by Land or on any River, v^ithin her Majefty's Dominions or by Means whereof any Letter or Let- ters, Packet or Packets of Letters, fhall be colle£ted, received, taken up, ordered, difpatched, conveyed, car- j * ried, recarried or delivered, by Sea or Land, or on any River, within her Majefty's Dominions (other than orproviaeHorfes ^^ before excepted) cr fliall prefume to keep, provide and maintain Horfes, or Furniture for the horfingofany for riding Poft. Perfon Or Perfons riding Polf, that is to fay, riding feveral Stages upon a Poft Road, and changing Horfes, 15. or fhall let to hire, or furnifh any Perfon or Perfons whatfoever with Horfes or Furniture for riding Poll as aforefaid, on any of the Poft Roads or Stages now or hereafter to be appointed, with or without a Guide or Horn, for Hire or Reward, or on any Agreement or Promife of Reward, or whereby he or they may Penalty. have any Profit or Advantage; on Pain of forfeiting the Sum of five Pounds oi Britijh Money for every feveral Offence againft the Tenor of this prefent Act, and alfo of the Sum of one hundred Pounds of like Briiijh Money for every Week that any Offender againft this A£t fliall colledl, receive, take up, order, tdifpatch, convey, carry, recarry or deliver any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters, by Sea .or Land, or on any River, within her Majefty's Dominions (other than as before excepted) or that fhall prefume to fet up, fontinue or employ any Foot Poft, Horfe Poft or Packet Boat, or other Veffel or Boat, (Or any other Peifon or Perfons, Conveyance or Conveyances whatfoever, for the receiving, taking up, 1 .ordering, difpatching, conveying, carrying, recarrying or delivering of any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters, by Sea or Land, or on any P.iver, within her Majefty's Dominions as aforefaid. ' XVIIL And whereas divers deputy Poftmafters do collect great Quantities of Poft Letters called By ', or V/ay Letters, and by clandeftine and private Agreements arnongft themfelves, do convey the fame Poft in their refpeifive Mails, or By-Bags, according to tl.eir feveral Dire£tions, without accounting ' for the fame, or endorfing the fame on their Bills, to the great Detriment of her Majefty's Revenues :' For preventing whereof for the Time to come; be it enacted by the Authority aforefaid. That if at any fer'Ti^'account' Time hereafter, any Perfon or Perfons employed as a Deputy Poftmafter or otherwife, in thefe Kingdoms sZ'&'i^ut Way of ^reat Britain and Ireland, or in any of her Majefly's Dominions and Territories in the ll^cji Indies or in ^fitters. North America, fhall not duly anfwer and account to her Majefty, her Heirs and Succeffors, for all fuch By or Way Letters as fuch Deputy or Deputies, or any by his, her or their Order fhall receive the Port for, or that fliall not -on his or her Poff Bills exaftly mention all the By or Way Letters he, fhe or they fliall or do receive, or which fhall come to his, her or their Hand or Hands, Cuftody or Power, diftin- guifhing them feyeralJy whether fmgle, double, treble or Ounce Weight, or that fhall deftroyor embezil any fuch By Letter or By Letters, Packer or Packets of Letters ; every fuch Perfon fo offending iiall forfeit and pay for every fuch Offence, fuch Pen.alties and Forfeitures, as the Perfons herein before aiGfiO, 2. c. 2<;
