Nothing, perhaps, exhibits more strikingly the wide difference between that time and the present, than the then defective state of _postage_, or letter-carriage, between this town and London. Had any one then foretold that we should ever have a mail-coach or mail-cart, or any other conveyance to bring letters from London, or carry them thither _daily_, it would have passed as an idle tale, no more credible or probable than bishop Wilkins’ notion or supposition of the probability of future intercourse between our world and the moon. The former fact, however, has been realized. But at the period of which we are speaking Letters used to arrive here from London or were conveyed thither from this town _once a week_, and that by a foot messenger. Accordingly we have the following article, or memorandum in the corporation books, No. 8. under the year 1638, 9—“Feb. 11th. Richard Harrison and Richard Smith are chosen to be two _foot posts_ for this town of Lynn to London interchangeably by turns every week, and to have 30_s._ each, from the town, per annum.” From the then mode of carrying on trade one may easily conceive that the intercourse between the two places was very small, and the letters conveyed to and fro very few, compared to what is the case at present. But the wages or salary of these postmen is not a little remarkable:—_sixty shillings_ a year for going afoot every week to London! Neither the generosity nor even the justice of the town seems to shine here. Who would undertake such a service now for _sixty guineas_ a year? Yet we are not sure that the _shilling_ of that time was altogether as valuable as our _guinea_. It must however have been pretty nearly so: and within our own memory, even in this best of reigns, the _guinea’s value_ has been reduced to _seven shillings_, if not lower. But on this subject we need not to enlarge. In 1642 a measure was adopted, in the _Hall_, which must needs be creditable to the memory of its then members. The affair is thus expressed in the corporation books, under that year, or rather in the _book of Extracts_ before mentioned—“October 9th. Ordered that the _Charters_ shall be read by the town-clerk, _in English_, that _those of this House_ may the _better understand what they are sworn to maintain_.” This seems very reasonable and very right, and indicates something like an earnest wish in the body corporate to avoid _perjury_, and to act conscientiously and honorably in their official capacities, or as municipal functionaries. How expedient it might be _at this present time_ to have a motion made in the Hall to the same effect, or to have a similar measure adopted there, it is not for us to determine. But we cannot help suspecting that some, if not the majority of our present corporate body are to the full as ignorant of the contents of their charters, and of what they are _sworn to maintain_, as ever their predecessors were, who adapted the measure, or passed the order in question.