rohibition, which foreshadowed the
monopoly of the carriage of all letters, whether for places within the
realm or to or from foreign countries, was alleged to be the redress of
disorders among the posts in general, and particularly to prevent
inconveniences both to the royal service and the lawful trade of honest
merchants.[22] A Proclamation of 1609 repeated this prohibition.[23]

In 1626 a legal struggle was in progress between Matthew de Quester and
Lord Stanhope, both of whom claimed to hold a King's Patent conferring
the right to carry foreign letters.[24] This litigation led to laxity
and omission in the conduct of the foreign service, so that merchants
trading abroad were put to great inconvenience. In consequence, in
November of that year, the King granted the Merchant Companies
permission to arrange for the conveyance of their foreign letters by
their own messengers. The high authorities were disturbed by the grant
of this permission,[25] and in October 1627 it was revoked "upon
weightie reasons of State." Only the Merchant Adventurers were still
permitted to use their own messengers, and they and all other merchants
were required in times of war and danger to the State to acquaint the
Secretaries of State from time to time with what letters they forwarded
abroad.

The foreign post continued in an unsatisfactory state, and a
reorganization in accordance with a proposition submitted by the Master
of the Foreign Posts, Thomas Witherings, was notified in orders issued
on the 28th January 1633. In consequence of complaints, both of
Ministers of State and merchants, it was decided to send no more letters
by the carriers, who came and went at pleasure, but, in conformity with
other nations, to erect "stafetti," or packet posts, at fit stages, to
run day and night without ceasing. Under this new system the Foreign
Postmaster of England undertook, with the consent of the foreign
Governments, to provide "stafetti" for the conveyance of foreign letters
on the Continent, e.g. he arranged the "stafetti" between Calais and
Antwerp.

For the inland posts the financial arrangements of 1603 remained some
thirty years undisturbed, and notwithstanding that the posts were used
by travellers, and for the general conveyance of private letters, they
remained a charge on the King's revenue. In 1633 the deficit was some
[L]3,400, and in that year Witherings submitted a plan for the complete
reorganization of the inland posts.[26]