In this Act the postal monopoly of the East India Company was again laid down, and the three exceptions to that monopoly were legalized, namely (1) letters sent by a private friend to be delivered on his way or journey to a person, without any hire or reward for such service; (2) letters solely concerning the affairs of the sender or receiver thereof sent by a messenger on purpose; (3) letters solely concerning goods or other property sent by land or sea, to be delivered with such goods or property without any hire or reward for carrying the same. It was important to include these exceptions in the Act, as under the Post Office Act of 1837 there was nothing to prevent a man who sent a letter to his friend by messenger incurring a penalty of Rs.50, a fine to which both the messenger and recipient were equally liable. The great advance made in 1854 was the introduction of postage stamps and the fixing of postage rates for letters irrespective of distance. The rates were as follows:-- On every letter not exceeding ¼ tola in weight, 6 pies. On every letter exceeding ¼ tola and not exceeding ½ tola in weight, 1 anna. On every letter exceeding ½ tola and not exceeding 1 tola, 2 annas. On every letter exceeding 1 tola and not exceeding 1½ tolas in weight, 3 annas. On every letter exceeding 1½ tolas and not exceeding 2 tolas in weight, 4 annas. And for every tola in weight above 2 tolas, 2 additional annas. With respect to newspapers and engraved papers a distinction, similar to that laid down in the Act of 1837, was made between imported and locally produced matter. The former was charged with 2 annas for every 6 tolas or part thereof; the latter was charged at the following rates:-- Two annas for a weight not exceeding 3½ tolas. Four annas for a weight not exceeding 6 tolas, and 2 annas for every additional 3 tolas above 6 tolas. This difference in postage encouraged the circulation of newspapers and printed matter imported from England, but the high internal rates must have greatly hampered the postal circulation of journals printed in India. Reduced rates, but still varying with distance, were laid down for Bhangy Post according to the following scale:--