vant, a special messenger, or a friend, if he thought it cheaper or
safer. Dr. Franklin said that every Assembly encouraged the Post Office
in its infancy by grants of money; that they would not have done this if
they had thought the postage charge a tax, and as a matter of fact the
system was always regarded as supplying a great convenience (W. Cobbett,
_Parliamentary History of England_, vol. xvi. cols. 137-160).

[146] _Manifesto to the American People_, issued by Goddard, 2nd July
1774. Earlier in the manifesto it was remarked that "newspapers, those
necessary and important alarms in time of public danger, may be rendered
of little consequence for want of circulation."

[147] "It is not to be doubted but that the institution will be properly
regulated by the Continental Congress."--_Manifesto to the American
People_, 8th May 1774.

[148] _Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789_, pub.
Washington, 1904, vol. ii. p. 208.

[149] Resolution of 30th September 1775. Ibid., vol. iii. p. 267.

[150] _British Official Records_, 6th December 1780.

[151] "The officers of the American Army beg leave to inform their
friends and correspondents that the postage of all letters to and from
the Army is doubled: but as their pay is fully adequate to every
expense, they therefore request them to send all letters by the public
post, and not _through any [oe]conomical view_ by a private conveyance.

'Tis a pity that the Honourable Congress did not treble the postage for
Officers' letters, as a large annual sum by this means would be put into
the public Treasury.

The several printers of newspapers on the Continent are requested to
insert the above."--_Pennsylvania Packet_, 22nd June 1779.

[152] In all, no less a sum than $111,967 was advanced to the Post
Office during the year 1779.--_Journals of the Continental Congress_,
1774-1789, pub. Washington, 1904, vol. xv. pp. 1412 and 1436.

[153] Ibid., vol. xviii. p. 1142.

[154] The rates were given in pennyweights and grains of silver, each
pennyweight being estimated as equivalent to five-ninetieths of a
dollar.

[155] _Journals of Congress_, Philadelphia, 1781-2, vol. vii. p. 509.

[156] See pp. 12-14, _supra._

[157] Ibid., vol. xii. p. 11.

[158] Message to Congress, 25th October 1791.

[159] See _Debates and Proceedings in Congress_, 20th December 1791.
(Washington, 1849.)

[160] Ibid., 6th December 1791.

[161] See _Congressional Record_ (_House of Repr