Note 27 — Chapter V · THE FIRST GLIMMER OF THE SAFETY-LAMP.

Mail-coaches were first set up at Bristol, Aug. 2, 1784, and at the end of 1785 they became general in England. This plan for the conveyance of letters was the invention of Mr. Palmer, at Bath. The mails had previously been conveyed by carts with a single horse, or by boys on horseback. From the establishment of mail-coaches the prosperity of the Post-office commenced. The year before their introduction the postal revenue was only £146,000, and it ultimately increased to £2,500,000.