se of
Ardchattan, and did not cross Shien till the following morning, losing
twelve hours to the Appin, Strontian, and Fort-William districts of
country; and I consider it an improvement of itself to remove such
private lodgings or accommodations out of the way of posts, which, as I
have been informed, is sometimes done for the sake of perusing
newspapers as well as answering or writing letters."

Exposed to the buffetings of the tempest, to the rigours of wintry
weather, and considering the rough unkept roads of the time, it is easy
to imagine how seductive would be the fireside of the country house; and
bearing in mind the desire on the part of the inmates to learn the
latest news, it is not surprising that the poor post-runner occasionally
departed from the strict line of duty.

But immediately prior to the introduction of mail-coaches, and for a
long time before that, the mails over the longer distances were
conveyed on horseback, the riders being known as "post-boys." These were
sometimes boys of fourteen or sixteen years of age, and sometimes old
men. Mr. Palmer, at whose instance mail-coaches were first put upon the
road, writing in 1783, thus describes the post-boy service. The picture
is not a very creditable one to the Post Office. "The post at present,"
says he, "instead of being the swiftest, is almost the slowest
conveyance in the country; and though, from the great improvement in our
roads, other carriers have proportionably mended their speed, the post
is as slow as ever. It is likewise very unsafe. The mails are generally
intrusted to some idle boy without character, and mounted on a worn-out
hack, and who, so far from being able to defend himself or escape from a
robber, is much more likely to be in league with him." There is perhaps
room for suspicion that Mr. Palmer was painting the post-boy service as
black as possible, for he was then advocating another method of
conveying the mails; but he was not alone in his adverse criticism. An
official in Scotland thus described the service in 1799: "It is
impossible to obtain any other contractors to ride the mails at 3d. out,
or 1 1/2d. per mile each way. On this account we are so much distressed
with mail riders that we have often to submit to the mails being
conveyed by mules and such species of horses as are a disgrace to any
service." This is evidence from within the Post Office itself. While
young boys were suited for the work in some respects, they we