On the 10th of October 1763, a further improvement was made in the London Mail, by having it despatched five times a-week, instead of three as formerly. Previously it had travelled in so dilatory a manner, that in winter the letters which were sent from London on Tuesday night, for the most part, were not distributed in Edinburgh till Sunday, between sermons. In 1765, the Postage upon a single letter, carried only one stage, was reduced from 2d. to 1d.[34] In 1771, William Oliphant, Esq. of Rossie, was Deputy Postmaster-General. The Edinburgh establishment then consisted of ten persons, exclusive of letter-carriers, and there were 130 Post Towns in Scotland. A packet was despatched to Lerwick on the first Wednesday of each month, and returned about the 8th or 10th of the intervening month; the Postage upon a single letter to Lerwick was 6d.[35] In 1776, the modern Stage Coach was introduced into Scotland; the first coach arriving in Edinburgh on the 10th April. It performed the journey to London in 60 hours. And in the same year the first Penny Post in Scotland was established in Edinburgh by Peter Williamson, an eccentric native of Aberdeen, who, in consequence of keeping a coffee-shop in the hall of the Parliament House, was frequently employed by gentlemen attending the courts, to forward letters to different parts of the city. This kind of business increased so much, that he opened an office, and established a regular Penny Post delivery of letters throughout the city. He had hourly deliveries, and agents at various parts of the town to collect letters. The men who delivered, of whom there were four in uniform, also collected letters, and for this purpose they rang a bell as they proceeded on their rounds to give information of their approach. Williamson's success soon induced others to attempt a similar undertaking; but the authorities of the General Post Office, seeing the importance of this branch of business as a source of revenue, gave Williamson a pension for the good will of the business, and the Penny Post was then attached to the general establishment.[36] The Scottish Penny Posts were afterwards confirmed to the General Post, by an Act of Parliament, in the reign of George III.[37] In 1781, twenty-three persons, including six letter-carriers, were employed in the Edinburgh establishment, and the number of Post towns had increased to 140.[38] A direct Mail between London and Glasgow was not established before 1788, when, on the 7th July, the first Mail Coach from London arrived in Glasgow. Previously the correspondence between those cities passed through Edinburgh, where it was detained twelve hours to be sent with the Mail to Glasgow at night.[39] In 1791, the number of persons required to conduct the business of the Edinburgh Office was thirty-one, and the number of Post towns in Scotland 164.[40] In 1794, the Inland Office, including the letter-carrier's branch, consisted of twenty-one persons.