[Establishing Post Office in America.]

BY THE QUEEN.

A PROCLAMATION

For Enforcing the due Execution of the Act, Intituled, An Act for Establishing a General Post-Office for all Her Majesties Dominions, and for Settling a Weekly Sum out of the Revenues thereof, for the Service of the War, and other Her Majesties Occasions.

Anne R.

Whereas by an Act of Parliament made in the Last Session of Parliament, Intituled, An Act for Establishing a General Post-Office for all Her Majesties Dominions, and for Settling a Weekly Sum out of the Revenues thereof, for the Service of the War, and other Her Majesties Occasions,[1] It is Enacted, That from and after the First Day of this Instant June, there be One General Letter-Office and Post-Office Established in the City of London, from whence all Letters and Packets may be with speed and expedition sent into any Part of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, or to North-America, the West-Indies, or to any other of Our Dominions or Territories, or to any other Kingdom or Country beyond the Seas; at which said Office all Returns and Answers may be Received. And that One Master of the said General Letter-Office and Post-Office shall be appointed by Us, under Our Great Seal of Great Britain, by the Name and Stile of our Postmaster General: And that no Person or Persons whatsoever, in any Part of Our Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, or other Our Plantations or Colonies in the West-Indies and America, other than Our Postmaster General for the time being, and his Deputies, Servants, and Assigns, shall presume to Receive, Take up, Order, Dispatch, Convey, Carry, Recarry, or Deliver any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters, other than to and from any Town or Place to or from the next Post-Road or Stage appointed for that Purpose, above Six Miles from a General Office; and other than and except such Letters as shall respectively concern Goods sent by Common known Carriers of Goods, by Carts, Waggons, or Pack-Horses, and which shall be respectively Delivered with the Goods such Letters do concern, without Hire or Reward, or other Profit or Advantage for Receiving or Delivering such Letters; and except Letters of Merchants and Masters, Owners of any Ships, Barques, or Vessels of Merchandize, or any the Cargo or Lading therein, sent on Board such Ships, Barques, or Vessels of Merchandize, whereof such Merchants or Masters are Owners, and Delivered by any Masters of any such Ships, Barques, or Vessels of Merchandize, or by any other Person Employed by them for the Carriage of such Letters, according to their respective Directions, so as such Letters be Delivered to the respective Persons to whom they shall be Directed, without Paying or Receiving any Hire or Reward, Advantage or Profit for the same in anywise; and except Commissions or the Returns thereof, Affidavits, Writs, Process or Proceeding, or Returns thereof, Issuing out of any Court; and also any Letter or Letters to be sent by any Private Friend or Friends in their way of Journey or Travel, or by any Messenger or Messengers sent on purpose, for or concerning the private Affair of any Person or Persons; or make any Collection of Letters, or Set up or Employ any Foot-Post, Horse-Post, or Packet-Boat, or other Vessel or Boat, or other Person or Persons, Conveyance or Conveyances whatsoever, for the Receiving, Taking up, Ordering, Dispatching, Conveying, Carrying, Recarrying, or Delivering any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters, by Sea or by Land, or on any River within Our Dominions, or by means whereof any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters, shall be Collected, Received, Taken up, Ordered, Dispatched, Conveyed, Carried, Recarried, or Delivered, by Sea or Land, or on any River within Our Dominions (other than as before Excepted;) or shall presume to Keep, Provide or Maintain Horses or Furniture, for the Horsing of any Person or Persons Riding Post, (that is to say) Riding several Stages upon a Post-Road, and Changing Horses, or shall Lett to Hire, or Furnish any Person or Persons whatsoever with Horses or Furniture for Riding Post, as aforesaid, on any of the Post-Roads or Stages now or hereafter to be Appointed, with or without a Guide or Horn, for Hire or Reward, or on any Agreement or Promise of Reward, or whereby he or they may have any Profit or Advantage, on pain of Forfeiting the Sum of Five Pounds of British Money for every several Offence against the Tenor of the said Act, and also of the Sum of One hundred Pounds of like British Money for every Week that every Offender against the same Act shall Collect, Receive, Take up, Order, Dispatch, Convey, Carry, Recarry, or Deliver any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters, by Sea or Land, or on any River within Our Dominions (other than as before excepted;) or that shall presume to Set up, Continue, or Employ any Foot-Post, Horse-Post, or Packet-Boat, or other Vessel or Boat, or any other Person or Persons, Conveyance or Conveyances whatsoever, for the Receiving, Taking up, Ordering, Dispatching, Conveying, Carrying, Recarrying, or Delivering of any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters, by Sea or Land, or on any River within Our Dominions, as aforesaid; which said Penalties and Forfeitures are to be Sued for, and Recovered in such Courts, and to be Received and Divided in such manner, and for such Uses, as in the said Act is for that purpose mentioned, together with full Costs of Suit. But it is by the said Act Provided, That if the Postmaster doth not or cannot Furnish any Person Riding in Post, with sufficient Horses, within one Half Hour after Demand, then such Person is at Liberty to Provide himself as he can to the next Stage, and so at every Stage where he shall not be Furnished, as aforesaid; and the Person who shall Furnish such Horses shall therefore by [be] liable to any Penalty by reason thereof. And by a Proviso contained in the said Act, it is Declared, That nothing in the Exception above mentioned contained, shall be construed to extend to give any Licence or Authority to any Common known Carriers of Goods, by Carts, Waggons, or Pack-Horses, their Servants or Agents, to Receive, Collect or Deliver, with or without Hire, any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets of Letters whatsoever, that do not concern Goods in their Carts, Waggons, or on their Pack-Horses; nor to any Owners or Drivers of Stage-Coaches; nor to any Masters, Owners or Commanders of Boats called Passage-Boats, sailing between any Part of Great Britain or Ireland, and any Parts or Places beyond the Seas, or their Servants or Agents; nor to any Passenger or Passengers on Board such Boats or Vessels; nor to the Owners or Watermen on Board of any Boat, Barge, or Vessel, Passing or Repassing on any River or Rivers, to and from any Parts of Great Britain and Ireland, North-America, or the West-Indies, or other Our Dominions or Territories, although such Drivers of Stage-Coaches, Owners, Masters or Commanders of Boats called Passage-Boats, or Passengers therein, Owners or Watermen on Board of any such Boat, Barge, or Vessel, Passing or Repassing on any such River or Rivers, as aforesaid, do not receive any Hire or Reward, or other Advantage for the same; but that all such Carriers, Owners, and Drivers of Stage-Coaches, Owners, Masters or Commanders of Passage-Boats, and the Passengers therein, and all Owners and Watermen on Board of any Boat, Barge, or Vessel, Passing or Repassing on any River or Rivers, to or from any the Parts and Places aforesaid, Collecting and Delivering Letters, as aforesaid, though without Hire or Reward, shall be Deemed and Taken, and are thereby Declared to be Persons Offending against the said Act, and to Forfeit and Pay such Sum and Sums of Money, as Persons Collecting, Receiving, Taking up, Conveying, and Delivering of Letters for Hire, or Setting up, Employing and Maintaining any Posts contrary to the said Act, or that are or shall be concerned therein, are therein, as is herein before mentioned, Enacted to Forfeit and Pay. And by another Proviso in the said Act it is Declared, That nothing in the said Act contained should extend to give Licence to any Person or Persons whatsoever, to make Collection of Letters in or near the City of London, or Suburbs thereof, under Pretence of Conveying the same to any Part or Place in the said City or Suburbs, or to the General Post-Office of the said City, without the Licence and Leave of the Postmaster General for the time being; and that any Person or Persons Acting contrary thereunto, should Forfeit and Pay as Persons Collecting, Receiving, Carrying, Recarrying, and Delivering Letters contrary to the said Act, are thereby Enacted to Forfeit and Pay, and to be Recovered, as aforesaid, with full Costs of Suit. And by the said Act it is further Enacted, That all Letters and Packets, that by any Master of any Ship or Vessel, or any of his Company, or any Passengers therein, shall or may be brought to any Post-Town, or which shall arrive or touch at any Post belonging to any Post-Town within any of Our Dominions, or any the Members thereof, or which shall be on Board any Ship or Vessel that shall or doth touch or stay at any such Post-Town, (other than such Letters as are before excepted) shall by such Master, Passengers, or other Person or Persons, be forthwith delivered to the Deputy or Deputies only of such Postmaster General for the time being, by him appointed for such Place or Post-Town, and to be by such Deputy or Deputies sent Post unto the said General Post-Office, to be delivered according to the several and respective Directions of the same, upon pain of Forfeiting the Sum of Five Pounds of British Money for every several Offence against the Tenor of the said Act, to be Recovered in manner aforesaid, with full Costs of Suit. And for the Encouragement of all such Masters of Ships or Vessels, or such other Persons, on their Arrival at such Ports, as aforesaid, from any Parts beyond the Seas, to deliver unto the Deputy or Deputies of such Postmaster General for such Place or Post-Town at which they shall so touch or arrive, all such Letters and Packets as they shall respectively have on Board such Vessel or Vessels, every such Master or other Person, for every Letter or Packet of Letters he or they shall so deliver unto such Deputy or Deputies, shall receive the Sum of One Peny of such Deputy or Deputies, he or they Signing such Certificate as in the said Act is mentioned. And We being Willing and Desirous that Our Good Subjects should have Early and Sufficient Notice of the Penalties and Forfeitures before mentioned, to the end they may avoid Incurring the same, and that the Revenue granted by the said Act may be duly answered to Us, and all Frauds in Prejudice of the same prevented, have thought fit, and do by this Our Royal Proclamation (by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council) Notifie and Declare to all Our Loving Subjects the Purport and Tenor of the said several Parts of the said Act, hereby Requiring and Commanding all Persons concerned to conform themselves to the said Act.

Given at Our Court at Kensington, the Twenty third Day of June, 1711. In the Tenth Year of Our Reign.

God save the Queen.

London, Printed by the Assigns of Thomas Newcomb, and Henry Hills, deceas'd; Printers to the Queens most Excellent Majesty. 1711.

(Price Two Pence.)

1 p. folio. There are two issues varying in the cut of the royal arms. Copies in B. M. and P. R. O. Entered on Patent Rolls; entered in Privy Council Register, Anne, vol. 5, p. 260. Printed in "London Gazette," June 28, 1711.

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