Part 3 (1/2)
”The Stamp office at Edinburgh in Mr. William Law, Jeweller, his hands, off the Parliament close, down the market stairs, opposite to the Excise office.”
Here is another old-fas.h.i.+oned address, in which one must admit the spirit of filial regard with which it is inspired:--
”These for his honoured Mother, Mrs. Hester Stryp, widow, dwelling in Petticoat Lane, over against the Five Inkhorns, without Bishopgate, in London.”
Yet one more specimen, referring to the year 1702:--
”For Mr. Archibald Dunbarr of Thunderstoune, to be left at Capt. Dunbar's writing chamber at the Iron Revell, third storie below the cross, north end of the close at Edinburgh.”
Under the circ.u.mstances of the time it was necessary thus to define at length where letters should be delivered; and the same circ.u.mstances were no doubt the _raison-d'etre_ of the corps of caddies in Edinburgh, whose business it was to execute commissions of all sorts, and in whom the paramount qualification was to know everybody in the town, and where everybody lived.
All this is changed in our degenerate days, and it is now possible for any one to find any other person with the simple key of street and number.
The irregular way in which towns grew up in former times is brought out in an anecdote about Kilmarnock. Early in the present century the streets of that town were narrow, winding, and intricate. An English commercial traveller, having completed some business there, mounted his horse, and set out for another town. He was making for the outskirts of Kilmarnock, and reflecting upon its apparent size and importance, when he suddenly found himself back at the cross. In the surprise of the moment he was heard to exclaim that surely his ”sable eminence” must have had a hand in the building of it, for it was a town very easily got into, but there was no getting out of it.
A duty that the changed circ.u.mstances of the times now renders unnecessary was formerly imposed upon postmasters, of which there is hardly a recollection remaining among the officials carrying on the work of the post to-day. The duty is mentioned in an order of May 1824, to the following effect: ”An old instruction was renewed in 1812, that all postmasters should transmit to me (the Secretary), for the information of His Majesty's Postmaster-General, an immediate account of all remarkable occurrences within their districts, that the same may be communicated, if necessary, to His Majesty's princ.i.p.al Secretaries of State. This has not been invariably attended to, and I am commanded by His Lords.h.i.+p to say, that henceforward it will be expected of every Deputy.” This gathering of news from all quarters is now adequately provided for by the _Daily Press_, and no incident of any importance occurs which is not immediately distributed through that channel, or flashed by the telegraph, to every corner of the kingdom.
A custom, which would now be looked upon as a curiosity, and the origin of which would have to be sought for in the remote past, was in operation in the larger towns of the kingdom until about the year 1859.
The custom was that of ringing the town for letters to be despatched; certain of the postmen being authorised to go over apportioned districts, after the ordinary collections of letters from the receiving offices had been made, to gather in late letters for the mail. Until the year above mentioned the arrangement was thus carried out in Dublin. The letter-box at the chief office, and those at the receiving offices, closed two hours before the despatch of the night mail. Half an hour after this closing eleven postmen started to scour the town, collecting on their way letters and newspapers. Each man carried a locked leather wallet, into which, through an opening, letters and other articles were placed, the postmen receiving a fee of a penny on every letter, and a halfpenny on every newspaper. This was a personal fee to the men over and above the ordinary postage. To warn the public of the postman's approach each man carried a large bell, which he rang vigorously as he went his rounds. These men, besides taking up letters for the public, called also at the receiving offices for any letters left for them upon which the special fee had been paid, and the ”ringers” had to reach the chief office one hour before the despatch of the night mail. This custom seems to have yielded considerable emolument to the men concerned, for when it was abolished compensation was given for the loss of fees, the annual payments ranging from 10 8s., to 36 8s. Increased posting facilities, and the infusion of greater activity into the performance of post-office work, were no doubt the things which ”rang the parting knell” of these useful servants of the period.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE BELLMAN COLLECTING LETTERS FOR DESPATCH.]
The slow and infrequent conveyance of mails by the ordinary post in former times gave rise to the necessity for ”Expresses.” By this term is meant the despatch of a single letter by man and horse, to be pa.s.sed on from stage to stage without delay to its destination. In an official instruction of 1824 the speed to be observed was thus described: ”It is expected that all Expresses shall be conveyed at the rate of seven miles, at least, within the hour.” The charge made was 11d. per mile, arising as follows, viz.:--7d. per mile for the horse, 2d. per mile for the rider, and 1d. per mile for the post-horse duty. The postmaster who despatched the Express, and the postmaster who received it for delivery, were each ent.i.tled to 2s. 6d. for their trouble.
It will perhaps be convenient to look at the packet service apart from the land service, though progress is as remarkable in the one as in the other. During the wars of the latter half of the last century, the packets, small as they were, were armed packets. But we almost smile in recording the armaments carried. Here is an account of the arms of the _Roebuck_ packet as inventoried in 1791:--
2 Carriage guns.
4 Muskets and bayonets.
4 Bra.s.s Blunderbusses.
4 Cutla.s.ses.
4 Pair of Pistols.
3 old Cartouch-boxes.
In our own estuaries and seas the packets were not free from molestation, and were in danger of being taken. In 1779 the Carron Company were running vessels from the Forth to London, and the following notice was issued by them as an inducement to persons travelling between these places:--
”The Carron vessels are fitted out in the most complete manner for defence, at a very considerable expense, and are well provided with small arms. All mariners, recruiting parties, soldiers upon furlow, and all other steerage pa.s.sengers who have been accustomed to the use of firearms, and who will engage to a.s.sist in defending themselves, will be accommodated with their pa.s.sage to and from London upon satisfying the masters for their provisions, which in no instance shall exceed 10s. 6d.
sterling.” This was the year in which Paul Jones visited the Firth of Forth, and was spreading terror all round the coasts. The following was the service of the packets in the year 1780. Five packets were employed between Dover and Ostend and Calais, the despatches being made on Wednesdays and Sat.u.r.days. Between Harwich and Holland three were employed, the sailings in this case also taking place on Wednesdays and Sat.u.r.days. For New York and the West India Service twelve packets were engaged, sailing from Falmouth on the first Wednesday of every month.
Four packets performed the duty between Falmouth and Lisbon, sailing every Sat.u.r.day; and five packets kept up the Irish communication, sailing daily between Holyhead and Dublin. In the year 1798, a mail service seems to have been kept up by packets sailing from Yarmouth to Cuxhaven, at the mouth of the Elbe, respecting which the following particulars may be interesting. They are taken from an old letter-book.
”The pa.s.sage-money to the office is 12s. 6d. for whole pa.s.sengers, and 6s. 6d. for half pa.s.sengers, either to or from England; 6d. of which is to be paid to the Captain for small beer, which both the whole and half pa.s.sengers are to be informed of their being ent.i.tled to when they embark.
”1s. 6d. is allowed as a perquisite on each whole pa.s.senger, 1s. of which to the agent at Cuxhaven for every whole pa.s.senger embarking for England, and the other 6d. to the agent at Yarmouth; and in like manner 1s. to the agent at Yarmouth on every whole pa.s.senger embarking for the Continent, and 6d. to the agent at Cuxhaven; but no fee whatever is to be taken on half pa.s.sengers, so that 10s. 6d. must be accounted for to the Revenue on each whole pa.s.senger, and 6s. on each half pa.s.senger.”
Half pa.s.sengers were servants, young children, or persons in low circ.u.mstances.
While touching upon pa.s.sage-money, it may be noted that in 1811 the fare from Weymouth to Jersey or Guernsey, for cabin pa.s.sengers, was, to the captain, 15s. 6d. and to the office 10s. 6d.--or 1, 6s. in all.