Note 24 — I THE RATE FOR LETTERS

The business of carrying foreign letters had been conducted by the holder of the general patent for carrying letters, although that patent covered only inland posts and foreign posts within the King's dominions. In 1620 a patent was issued to Matthew de Quester and his son, conferring on them the office of Postmaster of England for Foreign Parts. The holder of the patent for the Inland Posts, who had hitherto been conducting this service, attempted to resist this new grant, but without success; and for some time there was a sort of triple division of the posts, viz. the Inland Posts, the posts in parts beyond the seas within the King's dominions, and the posts for foreign parts out of the King's dominions. There was, nevertheless, no regular provision for the conveying of letters for places out of England. The foreign mails were conveyed by men who were engaged in other business, who bought their places in the posts, and were accused of delaying the mails through "more minding their own peddling traffic than the service of the State or merchants, omitting many passages, sometimes staying for the vending of their own commodities, many times through neglect by lying in tippling-houses."—See J. W. Hyde, The Post in Grant and Farm, London, 1894, p. 12.