00
grammes, and 100 to 250 grammes. The rate for the first was made 5 pf.,
for the latter it remained 10 pf. The increase of the maximum limit of
weight has led to practical difficulties.[490]

This traffic has attained large proportions. In 1910 the number of
packets of printed matter passing in the inland service was nearly a
thousand millions.[491]

* * * * *

(II) SAMPLES

UNITED KINGDOM

In England, letters containing samples and patterns were from the first
establishment of the Post Office charged with double postage. In 1753,
arising out of the general dissatisfaction with the Post Office felt at
that time by the trading public, the legality of the double charge was
contested. Merchants, while admitting that any letter containing a
pattern or sample which should weigh as much as an ounce must pay at the
ounce rate, contended that, if weighing less than an ounce, the letter
should be charged according to the number of sheets of paper, and that
the pattern which was enclosed should be ignored.[492] The Act of the
9th of Anne prescribed the postage on "every single letter or piece of
paper" not of the weight of one ounce, and prescribed that "a double
letter" should pay double rate.[493] The contention of the merchants
was that the enclosure of a pattern or sample did not convert a single
letter into a double letter, and that to constitute a double letter
there must be a second sheet of paper--a contention which is sound
enough if postage be regarded as a tax on communications and not as a
mere charge for the conveyance of a packet. At Bristol, Manchester, and
Gloucester, legal proceedings were taken against local postmasters for
demanding and receiving more than the legal postage. In each case a
special verdict, in almost identical terms, was given, and the
Postmasters-General were advised by the Attorney-General that the
decision was likely to go against the Crown if they brought up one of
the verdicts for argument. In their difficulty they resorted to
Parliament, and obtained specific statutory authority for an additional
charge in respect of patterns and samples.[494]

This state of affairs continued until 1795, when samples were given a
definite statutory privilege. Under an Act of that year it was provided
that a packet of patterns or samples might pass as a single letter on
condition that it did not exceed 1 ounce in weight, that it was open at
the sides, and that it