Council of State to (Serjeant Dendy and his
assistants?):--

"You are to repair to some post stage 20 miles from London on the road
towards York; seize the letter mail going outward, and all other letters
upon the rider, and present them by one of yourselves; the other shall
then ride to the next stage, and seize the mail coming inwards, and
bring the letters to Council, searching all persons that ride with the
mail, or any other that ride post without warrant, and bring them before
Council, or the Commissioners for Examinations. All officers civil and
military to be assistants. With note of like orders for Chester Road and
the western roads."--_Calendar of State Papers (Domestic Series_), 1650,
p. 223.

[29] _Commons Journal_, 7th September 1644, p. 621.

[30] Ibid., 21st March 1650, p. 385.

[31] Ibid.

[32] H. Joyce, _History of the Post Office_, London, 1893, p. 25.

[33] _Commons Journal_, 19th October, 1652, p. 192.

[34] _Register of Council of State_, 7th May 1653, vol. xvi. pp. 34-6.

[35] _Calendar of State Papers (Domestic Series)_, 1652-3, p. 455.

[36] "The case of the first undertakers for reducing letters to half the
former rates, viz. Clem. Oxenbridge, Rich. Blackwell, Fra. Thompson, and
Wm. Malyn. We observed that the postage of inland letters was long
continued at 6d. a letter, and that the whole benefit went into one
hand, to the grievance of many. Being encouraged by the votes of the
last Parliament (made in the time of their primitive, free, and public
actings, viz. 16 August 1642) that the taking of letters from and the
restraints and imprisonments of Gower, Chapman, Cotton, and Mackedral
were against the law and the liberty of the subject ... and that the
said secretaries and Witherings were delinquents, being also encouraged
by the opinion of the judges given in the House of Lords, that the
clause in Witherings' patent for restraint of carrying letters was void
and against law--we attempted to put the same in practice, but through
the interest of Mr. Prideaux, who for many years had enjoyed excessive
gains by the former high rates, we met with all the obstruction he could
make against us, by stopping our mails, abusing our servants, etc.,
though he always held forth that it was free for any to carry or send
letters as they pleased."--_Calendar of State Papers (Domestic Series)_,
1653/1654, p. 22. Cf. John Hill, _A Penny Post_, London, 1659.

[37] "Cross posts did not exist. Between tw