,
and that you will always find me your sincere friend.--JOHN PALMER,
Arno's Vale, Bristol, December 2, 1784."

December 16, 1784:--"Our mail carriage has, if possible, added to its
reputation from its extraordinary and ready exertions on the bad weather
setting in. It arrived here on Saturday an hour only after its time, and
this morning was within the limited time. The Salisbury mail, which
should have come in on Saturday by eight in the morning did not arrive
till Sunday morning."

January 20, 1785:--"The new regulation of our post turns out a peculiar
advantage to this city, in that letters can be sent from here in the
evening and answered in London next morning's mails, which enables
business people to stay here longer."

On February 22, 1785, the Town Council minutes contain the
following:--"Mr. May acquainted the members present that the inhabitants
of this city, as well as those of other places, having derived great
benefit from Mr. Palmer's plan lately adopted for the improvement of the
post, was the occasion of his calling them together to consider such
measures as might be thought proper for continuance and extension of the
said plan.... It was resolved that a memorial be sent to the Right Hon.
Wm. Pitt, representing the great benefits received from the plan, and
requesting a continuance of the same, together with the extension of the
same plan to other parts of the kingdom."

February 17, 1785:--"At a meeting of the Bristol Merchants' Society on
Saturday last, a vote of thanks was passed to Mr. John Palmer for the
advantages received from his postal plan."

February 24, 1785:--"Memorials appear to the Right Hon. Wm. Pitt for the
continuance and extension of Palmer's plan from the merchants,
tradesmen, shopkeepers in the city of Bristol, Common Council of the
city of Bristol, Mayor, Burgesses and Commonality of the city of
Bristol, Mayor, Aldermen and Common Councilmen of the city of Bristol."

On March 24, 1785, appeared the following letter:--"London, February 16,
1785. Sir,--Having both of us been engaged upon Committees of the House
of Commons, we have been unable to present the paper you transmitted to
us respecting Mr. Palmer's plan to Mr. Pitt till within these few days.
Mr. Pitt has desired us to acquaint Mr. Mayor and the Corporation that
he feels himself very happy to have assisted in giving such an
accommodation to the city of Bath as he always hoped that plan would
afford, and in which he i