Her Majesty's Mails: An Historical and Descriptive Account of the British Post-OfficeLewins, William
History
Her Majesty's Mails: An Historical and Descriptive Account of the British Post-Office
Lewins, William
Postal service -- Great Britain
2. Letters on the business of the Post-Office, relating to any of its
numerous branches, may be forwarded to the head offices of London,
Edinburgh, or Dublin, by the public, free of all postage. Letters for
the different departments of the Government in London may be prepaid, or
otherwise, at the option of the sender.
3. Letters addressed by the public to the district surveyors of the
Post-Office, on postal business, may also be sent without postage,
though all letters addressed to local postmasters should be prepaid by
stamps.
4. It is absolutely forbidden that information respecting letters
passing through the Post-Office should be given to any persons except
those to whom such letters are addressed. Post-Office officials are
strictly prohibited from making known official information of a private
character, or, in fact, any information on the private affairs of any
person which may be gathered from their correspondence.
5. Letters once posted cannot be returned to the writers under any
pretence whatever--not even to alter the address, or even the name, on a
letter. Further, postmasters have not the power to _delay forwarding_,
according to the address, any letter, even though a request to that
effect be made on the envelope, or to them personally, either orally or
in writing. Each letter, put into the Post-Office, is forwarded,
according to its address, by the _first mail_ leaving the place, unless,
indeed, it be posted "too late," when it is not forwarded till the next
succeeding mail.
6. Each postmaster is required to display a notice in the most
conspicuous position in his office, giving every necessary information
respecting the time of despatch and receipt of mails, delivery of
letters, hours of attendance, &c. &c.
7. On Sundays there is usually but one delivery of letters, viz. in the
morning, and two hours are allowed during which the public may purchase
postage-stamps, have letters registered, or pay foreign and colonial
letters, &c.; but for the rest of the day all other duties, so far as
the public are concerned, are wholly suspended. In the General
Post-Office in London no attendance is given to the public. In all the
towns of Scotland, and also in one or two towns in England, no delivery
of letters takes place from door to door, but the public may have them
by applying during the time fixed for attendance at the post-office.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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