necessary for the information of the home department, together with reports upon the efficiency of each postmaster, the revenues of his office, and the settlement of accounts which he made with him.

An extract or two from this journal may not be out of place. Finlay first went to Canada, and explored the country from Quebec to Falmouth, three hundred and ten miles, with reference to opening a post route through it. On the 21st of October, 1773, he begins his examination of post offices at Falmouth as follows:

Mr. Child, the deputy there, represents that no allowance has been made to him in lieu of the liberty of franking which was taken from him, and he got the promise of an equivalent, says that he advis'd the late Comptroller that he valued his postage at 40 sh. p. ann.

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He further represents that the employment is very troublesome to him, and of no manner of advantage, nay, that it is a loss to him, for he cannot withstand the earnest solicitations of in

digent people who have letters by the post, he delivers them, and never receives payment.

Every person who looks for a letter or a news paper freely enters his house, be it post day or not; he cannot afford to set apart a room in his house as an office; he is continually disturbed in his family, he therefore begs that some other person may be appointed in his stead, unless an office is allow'd him.

At Portsmouth, N. H., Eleazer Russell was postmaster. Finlay says:

His office is small and looks mean, his books are in good form and up to this day; he is a careful regular officer, he understands his business and seems to have the interest of the office at heart.

He continues :

One Stavers some years ago began to drive a stage coach between Portsmouth and Boston: his drivers hurt the office very much by carrying letters, and they were so artful that the post Master could not detect them; It was therefore Judged proper to take this Man into the pay of the office, and to give two mails weekly between Boston & Portsmouth. This was of no

disadvantage to the Post Office because the mails brought by the stage coach did rather more than pay £10 Str., Stavers's yearly Salary.

Salem, October 11th. Edward Norice, Depy., of whom Finlay says: "His books were not in good order, he follows the form, but they are dirty and not brought up regularly; he understands the business of a deputy. The office is kept in a small, mean-looking place.”

He teaches writing. He has no commission to act, he took charge of the office at the death of his Father; he reports that every other day the stage coach goes for Boston, the drivers take many letters, so that but few are forwarded by Post to or from his office. If an information were lodged (but an informer would get tar'd & Feather'd) no Jury would find the fact. It is deemed necessary, to hinder all acts of Parliament from taking effect in America they are, they say, to be govern'd by Laws of their own framing, and no other.

Finlay makes an elaborate report upon the Boston office, giving the number of

mails with the schedule of their arrival and departure.

Peter Mumford's ride from Boston to New Port is 80 miles passing thro' Providence Warren & Bristol, for which service he is obliged to keep three horses, & is paid £40 Str. p. ann : He avers that he is an expeditious rider and faithful to the office; publick report is against him; it is said that he carrys more letters for his own Private profit, than are sent from all the offices he stops at, to the office at Boston. He transacts a great deal of business on the road, loads his carriage wt. bundles, buys and sells on commission, and inshort but carrys the mail by the by as it helps to defray his expences.

Proceeding southward, Finlay reached "Charles Town" in South Carolina on the 14th of December; and thence by land and water to Savannah, where he finds the postmasters also complaining of the riders :

One Mackenfuss rides between Charles Town, and St. Augustine in East Florida; after the arrival of the packet boats in Charles Town he

sets out with the Mail for Savannah, Sunbury & St. Augustine and returns. This trip he takes twelve times in the year. On one of those trips he fell sick, and employed a man to ride for him, this man came to the office drunk, he delivered about 50 loose letters to Mr. Thompson, - the next day he returned to the office and demanded the letters as his own perquisite, saying that it had been the former practice & that he had been instructed to follow it. Thus was Mackenfuss charg'd with an unwarrantable practise, but when he was question'd on this matter, he denied that he had ever taken any money in this way.

Finlay recommends the establishment of a weekly post between Charleston and Savannah:

Now if a weekly post were here Established, it wou'd be proper to advertise it in the London Papers for sometime, and in the Carolina, Georgia & Florida Coffee houses to make the publick and especially the London Merchants trading to these parts acquainted with the despatch with which their letters can be conveyed from Charles Town to all parts Southward.