l Records_.

[261] H. Joyce, _History of the Post Office_, p. 50.

[262] _Tenth Report of the Commissioners on Fees and Emoluments_, 1788,
p. 28.

"For Post Office purposes the kingdom was divided into six roads--the
North Road, the Chester or Holyhead Road, the Western Road, the Kent
Road, and the Roads to Bristol and to Yarmouth; and these roads were
presided over by a corresponding number of clerks in London, whose duty
it was to sort the letters and to tax them with the proper amount of
postage."--H. Joyce, ibid., p. 47; cf. _infra_, Appendix B, p. 404.

[263] _Eighteenth Report of Commissioners of Revenue Inquiry_, 1829,
Appx., p. 486.

[264] "That the six Clerks of the Road are also allowed to frank
newspapers from the London office.

"That the newspapers franked by them are not included in any of the
accounts of Deductions in respect of Franks. That the profits arising
from their franking newspapers may amount to [L]3,000 or [L]4,000 p.
ann., and that a considerable allowance is made thereout to the
Comptroller, Deputy-Comptroller, By Night Clerk and six assistants; all
of whom as well as the six Clerks of the Roads would without such
advantage be very insufficiently provided for."--Evidence of Anthony
Todd, Secretary to the Post Office. _Report of Committee appointed to
enquire into the several frauds and abuses in relation to the sending or
receiving of letters and parcels free from the Duty of Postage_
(_Commons Journal_, March 28, 1764).

"The Profits derived by the Clerks of the Road from the privilege of
sending Newspapers into the Country free of Postage, were so
considerable that they were not only able to make a good Provision for
their Families but also to pay thereout an Annual Sum of [L]1,300 to
Officers and Clerks in this Dept. in Aid of their Salaries, which on
that Account were proportionately small from the Public; and this
Situation of Clerk of the Roads was looked up to as the Reward of their
long and arduous Labour in the subordinate Stations of the Office.
Twenty years before, of the sum of [L]8,660 paid to the 39 Officers of
the Inland Dept., [L]2,060 was paid by the Public and [L]6,600 from the
profits on the circulation of newspapers."--_Tenth Report of the
Commissioners on Fees and Emoluments_, 1788, p. 28.

[265] 4 Geo. III, cap. 24.

[266] "The Produce of this Privilege has long been decreasing, and is
now reduced to one-third the above sum from the operation of an Act of
176