f every kind
whatever by virtue of his office in 1784 (312 candles and a limited
allowance of stationery excepted), out of which he pays a person for
executing his duty as a letter-carrier, at the rate of 8s. a week, being
L20, 16s. per annum, and retains the remainder for his own use
entirely."

In a report made by a Commission which inquired into the state of the
Post Office in 1788, the following statement appears respecting abuses
existing in the department; and in reflecting upon that period the Post
Office servants of to-day might almost entertain feelings of regret that
they did not live in the happy days of feasts, coals, and candles. Here
is the statement of the Commissioners: "The custom of giving certain
annual feasts to the officers and clerks of this office (London) at the
public expense ought to be abolished; as also what is called the feast
and drink money; and, as the Inland Office now shuts at an early hour,
the allowances of lodging money to some of the officers, and of
apartments to others, ought to be discontinued." But of all allowances,
those of coals and candles are the most enormous; for, besides those
consumed in the official apartments, there are allowed to sundry
officers for their private use in town or country above three hundred
chaldrons of coals, and twenty thousand pounds of candles, which several
of them commute with the tradesmen for money or other articles; the
amount of the sums paid for these two articles in the year 1784 was
L4418, 4s. 1d.

In the year 1792 a payment was being made of L26 a year to a Mrs.
Collier, who was servant to the Bye and Cross Road Office in the London
Post Office; but she did not do the work herself. She employed a servant
to whom she paid L6, putting L20 into her own pocket.

What a splendid field this would have been for the Comptroller and
Auditor General, and for questioners in the Houses of Parliament!

An abuse that had its origin no doubt in the fact that the nation was
not represented at large,[1] but by Members of Parliament who were
returned by a very limited class, and who could not understand or
reflect the views of the masses, was that of the franking privilege.

The privilege of franking letters enjoyed by Members of Parliament was a
sad burden upon the Revenue of the Post Office, and it continued in
vigour down to the establishment of the Penny Post. Some idea of the
magnitude of this arrangement, which would now be called a gross abuse,