the coolness with which a man so well informed as the writer, and who had mixed so freely in the world, speaks of Egypt as a "new region," and of "civilisation " being shed from "Old Europe upon one of the oldest homes of civilisation in the world.

"February 11th, 1832.-The march of civilisation is progressing in Turkey-the Ottoman Monitor announces that the Government had established a high road from Scutari to Nicomede, with post horses and carriages, which travellers may obtain at a moderate price.

The result has proved so satisfactory to the Sultan that his highness has resolved upon repairing and enlarging the high roads throughout the whole Turkish Empire."

"Saturday, 7th April 1832.Civilisation still keeps on her march; ever barbarous Egypt feels the impulse, a stage-coach and harness has been shipped from hence (London) to run between Cairo and Alexandria. As old Europe decays and runs to seed, she scatters the means of fertility to new regions destined to succeed to her prosperity."

THE mail coach enjoyed in Britain about sixty years of undisputed sway, followed by ten years in which it struggled ineffectually to fight with its new foe, the railway. Then followed ten or fifteen years, in the course of which it absolutely disappeared as a recognised institution. The recent revival of "four-in-hand" coaches, though more correctly to be classed as belonging to the stage coach, is, in the build and general appointment of the vehicles, proper to be noticed under the head of mail coaches, though,lucus a non lucendo, they carry no mails. In the ninety-three years that have come and gone since Mr. Palmer proposed that coaches should carry

the mails, the mail coach has also come and gone; and while middleaged people may recall the brilliant equipage, the spanking horses, the gay uniforms, and the sounding horn which made the arrival of the mail the event of every town of even moderate size, the rising generation knows nothing of all this, and can only study as history what their parents may have enjoyed as a personal experience. Within the recollection of persons still young the mail coach has been driven gradually northward, till the recent opening of the Sutherland and Caithness Railway to Wickand Thurso finally extinguished and rendered historical the old mail coach. In the early years of such

66

a person in Edinburgh the acceleration of the London Mail to twenty-four hours, owing to the opening of the railway to Newcastle, was the marvel of the time. If the mails came in in time, the newspapers would publish a Second Edition," giving their town readers the gist of all that the south newspapers brought, and in the morning, in buying the paper (it was then fourpence halfpenny, and one was not got every day), he would probably be instructed to ask for this second edition. Then the railway crept farther north, and the quadriga, 1 not yet replaced by the steamhorse, only travelled from Berwick to Edinburgh. Then a stage farther was accomplished by the railway, and so on, stage after stage, till Perth, Inverness, Bonar Bridge, Golspie, and finally Greenland, Zembla, or who knows where, the coach, horses, guard, and passengers moving off into space! To understand all that the introduction of mail-coaches accomplished, it is necessary to have a good view of what the system of posts was before the reform accomplished in 1784. This can be best shown by a summary of the history of the Post Office service, as found in official documents.

1 The Currus, or Roman chariot, was a two-wheeled vehicle, open overhead, was commonly drawn by two horses, and then called biga, if with three horses trigo, and if with four horses quadriga. The post carriages, called carpentœ and rheda, were drawn by eight horses or mules.

HISTORY OF THE POST OFFICE.

The first establishment in this country of a postal service, we are told by the first report of the Postmaster-General (from which much of the following summary is drawn), is involved in some obscurity.

The letters both of private and public personages were originally sent by special messengers only, and more recently by common carriers, who began to ply regularly with their pack horses about the time of the wars of the Roses.

As these carriers travelled the journey through with the same horses, this mode of transmission must have been very slow, yet it was long the only conveyance available by the public.

With reference to the first, it is stated that records in the Close and Misa Rolls of payments to nuncii for carrying letters, etc., for the king, commence in the reign of King John, and are continued through many subsequent reigns; while it appears by the Records of the City of Bristol that the Corporation paid a penny to the carrier for carrying a letter to London. Shakspeare uses words "post" and "carrier" as synonymous. By 12 Car. II. c. 35 (1660), common carriers are excepted from the prohibition to interfere with the monopoly of carrying letters as created by that Act.

the

Government posts, that is relays of horses and men under control of the not Government, were established till two centuries after

:

John; but as early as the time of Edward II. horses were kept by private individuals for hire, so that a messenger might travel post, i.e. by relays and as "Haste, Post, Haste," is found written on the backs of private letters at the close of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth centuries, it may be inferred that the use of this mode of conveyance was not restricted to the correspondence of the Government.

In 1481, Edward IV., then at war with Scotland, is said to have established a system of relays of horses (probably from York to Edinburgh), the post stations being twenty miles apart, so that despatches were conveyed 200 miles in three days.

In the brief reign of Philip and Mary there was issued an ordinance on the subject of the cost and speed of post-horses and couriers, which is sufficiently curious to deserve reproduction entire :—

Phillipp Mary the quene. ORDOUNCES deuised by the King and Queenes Maties. for thordre of the Postes and Hacquenymen betweene London and Douor.

First it is ordayned that there shalbe ordonnairy postes laid at Dovor, Canterbury, Syttingborne, Rochester, Dartford, and London.

And forasmuch as the tide soe falleth many tymes, as many currors, taking the comoditie thereof, use to passe by the Ryver to Gravesend, It is ordeyned that there shalbe a Post there appointed to serve that Turne from thence to Rochester, and to Dartford from Gravesend, when need shalbe.

Every of the Postes shalbe bound to have alwaye the nomber of vi horses at the least, ij for the pacquett and iiij for goers and comers by post.

Thordonnary Posts abovesaid shall take for every horse delivered to runne post ijs iijd

Noe man shall ride post without a guide, which guide shall ever in his Jorney have his horne, which he shall blowe at the Townes end, where the poste is laid, and shalbe bound to carrie the Currors male, being of a reasonable waight.

Noe horses shalbe delivered to runne post, but to the places, and from place to place, where the Posts doe lye, unlesse it be by speciall appointment appearing by two of the Counsell's Lettres, or by the Master of the Postes.

In case Currors shall come so thick, or in such numbers as the Postes furniture will not serve, Then the hacquenyinen at th' appointment of thordonnary postes shall supplye the lack, and generally in all tymes of lacke, the hacquenymen shalbe ready to furnish in such sort as shalbe appointed unto them by the said ordinarie post, whose request

therein they shall in noe ease refuse receaving for such horses, as annie of them in this case shall deliver the self same some of money, that the said ordonary postes use to doe, when themselves do furnish, That is to saie ijs vjd for every horse.

Noe man shall deliver any horses to any Curror, or any other ryding in post but the ordonnary post, or by his appointment, under paine of emprisonment and arbitrary fyne. And in case any hiring horses to goe by Jorney, shall neverthelesse ronne the Gallopp with them by the waye, the same comyng to the postes knowledge next adjoyning to the place where the said horses were hyred, he shall cause the same to be staied, and arrested, and the partie shall not be suffered to have from thens any horse, either to ronne the poste, or to goe by Jorney, and the partie owing the horse shall have his accon against the hirer of him.

The guides shall bring all Currors to the dore of the ordinary post, where they shall both light from their horses and take newe

for the hire of such horses, he shall neither demaund or take above ijd for every mile under paynes of ymprisonment.

Thordonnary Postes shall have a horne alwaie hanging at their dores or some other painted signe, declaring that to be the Postes house.

The Poste of Gravesend shall take for every horse xvjd, and shall not be bound to the Conveyance of the pacquett To whome in case of lack all other hacquenymen there shalbe ready to furnishe horses, receiving for every horse soe appointed to ronne post xvjd Neither shall any of them deliver any horses to ronne post, but by his appointment, neither take for any horse they shall hire out to goe in Jorney pace above ijd at the most for the mile as is observed.

Phillip.

Mary the quene.

THIS agreeth with the original under the proper hand of King Phillipp and quene Mary.

tarium Publicum.

No

From the 2d volume of Proclama

shall bayte, where they may alsoe light from their horses.

Noe hacquenyman, unlesse he shalbe appointed by the ordonnary Poste, shall deliver any horse to any Curror or others riding post, but only to ride in Jorney, and

Antiquaries.

H. E.

So early as 1514, the Alien Merchants residing in London had established a Post Office of their own from London to the outports, appointing from time to