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Postage Act 1805
(45 Geo 3 c.11, 12th March 1805)

An Act for granting certain additional Rates and Duties in Great Britain, on the Conveyance of Letters.
[ 12th March 1805 ]

Most Gracious Sovereign,

WE, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal Subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled, being desirous of raising the necessary Supplies to defray Your Majesty's Public Expences, and of making a permanent Addition to the Public Revenue, have freely and voluntarily resolved to give and grant unto Your Majesty, the Additional Rates and Duties hereinafter mentioned; and do therefore most humbly beseech Your Majesty that it may be enacted; And be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That from and after the passing of this Act, it shall be lawful for His Majesty's Postmaster General and his Deputy and Deputies by him thereunto sufficiently authorized, for the Use of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, to demand, have, receive and take for the Port and Conveyance of all Letters and Packets, which he shall carry, convey or send Post in Manner hereinafter mentioned, the additional Rates and Duties hereinafter specified, the same being rated by the Letter or by the Ounce; videlicet,

For the Port and Conveyance of Letters by the Post within Great Britain, for every Single Letter One Penny; for every Double Letter Two Pence; for every Treble Letter or other Letter under an Ounce in Weight Three Pence; and for every Ounce in Weight, and for every Packet not exceeding an Ounce in Weight, Four Pence; and so on in Proportion for every other Letter or Packet of greater Weight than an Ounce:

For the Port and Conveyance of Letters by the Post from Great Britain to Ireland, and from Ireland to Great Britain, for every Single Letter One Penny; for every Double Letter Two Pence; for every Treble Letter or other Letter under an Ounce in Weight Three Pence; and for every Ounce in Weight, and for every Packet not exceeding an Ounce in Weight, Four Pence; and so in Proportion for every other Letter or Packet of greater Weight than an Ounce:

For the Port and Conveyance of every Packet or Cover, containing therein, or having affixed thereto, One or more Paper or Papers with Patterns, or One or more Pattern or Patterns of Cloth, Silk, Stuff or other Goods, or One or more Sample or Samples of any other Sort of Thing, not exceeding together One Ounce in Weight, sent agreeably to the Provisions of an Act of Parliament, passed in the Twenty sixth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Second, intituled An Act for the more effectually preventing the fraudulent Removal of Tobacco by Land or Water, and for the Ease of the fair Trader in Tobacco; and for ascertaining the Rates payable for the Postage of certain Letters; and for amending and explaining the Laws relating to the Sale of Spirituous Liquors by Retail; and of an Act, passed in the Thirty fifth Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, intituled An Act for further regulating the sending and receiving Letters free from the Duty of Postages; for allowing Noncommissioned Officers, Seamen and Private Men in the Army and Navy, whilst on Service, to send and receive Letters at a low Rate of Postage; and for permitting Patterns and Samples of Goods to be transmitted by the Post at an easier Rate than is now allowed by Law; the Sum of One Penny.

For the Port and Conveyance of every Letter, originally sent by the Post, now known by the Name of The Two Penny Post, and not first passing and afterwards to pass by the General Post, directed to or sent from Places beyond the Delivery of the General Post Letter Carriers, the Sum of One Penny:For the Port and Conveyance of every Letter, originally passing by the General Post, directed to Places beyond the Delivery of the General Post, and afterwards delivered by the Two Penny Post, the Sum of Two Pence:

For the Port and Conveyance of Letters by the Post, from and to Great Britain to and from Parts beyond the Seas, not within His Majesty's Dominions, for every Single Letter Two Pence; for every Double Letter Four Pence; for every Treble Letter or other Letter under an Ounce in Weight Six Pence; and for every Packet not exceeding an Ounce in Weight Eight Pence; and so on in Proportion for every other Letter or Packet of greater Weight than an Ounce:

For the Port and Conveyance of Letters sent by the Post from and to Great Britain to and from the British Dominions in America, to and from or passing through the Kingdom of Portugal, and to and from the Islands of Guernsey and Jersey and the Isle of Man, a Packet Postage for every Single Letter of One Penny; for every Double Letter Two Pence; for every Treble Letter or other Letter under an Ounce in Weight Three Pence; and for every Packet not exceeding an Ounce in Weight Four Pence; and so on in Proportion for every other Letter or Packet of greater Weight than an Ounce.

II. And be it further enacted, That over and above the Rates and Duties by this Act granted, all Letters and Packets passing from Great Britain to the British Dominions in America, to or through the Kingdom of Portugal, to the Islands of Guernsey and Jersey and the Isle of Man, and all Letters and Packets from those respective Countries to Great Britain, shall be charged with the Inland Rate of Postage hereby established, of One Penny for each Single Letter, and so in Proportion for Double and Treble Letters, and other Letters according to the Weight thereof, for their Inland Conveyance.

III. Provided always, and be it further enacted, That nothing herein contained shall increase or alter, or be construed to increase or alter, the Amount or Manner of charging the Rates of Postage upon Single Letters to be sent by the Post by or to Seamen or Privates employed in His Majesty's Navy, Army, Militia, Fencible Regiments, Artillery or Marines, upon their own private Concerns only, whilst such Seamen and Privates shall be employed in the Public Service as aforesaid, made payable by the said Act passed in the Thirty fifth Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, any thing hereinbefore contained to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding.

IV. Provided always, and be it enacted, That all printed Newspapers sent by the Post now known by the Name of the Two Penny Post, to Places beyond the Delivery of the General Post, shall be chargeable with a Duty of One Penny only; provided such Newspapers be sent in the Manner prescribed by an Act, passed in the Forty second Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, any Law to the contrary notwithstanding.

V. And be it further enacted, That all the Powers, Provisions, Privileges, Advantages, Disabilities, Penalties, Forfeitures and Distribution thereof, and all Clauses and other Matters and Things, contained in any Act or Acts of Parliament in force at the Time of passing this Act, relating to the Post Office, or any Rates or Duties payable on the Port or Conveyance of Letters or Packets, (and not repealed or altered by this Act), shall so far as the same are applicable, continue in force, and be applied and extended, and shall be construed to apply and extend to this present Act, and to the Rates and Duties hereby granted, as fully and effectually, to all Intents and Purposes, as if the same had been particularly repeated and re-enacted in the Body of this Act.

VI. And be it further enacted, That the several Rates and Duties hereinbefore granted, shall be paid from time to time into the Hands of the Receiver General for the time being of the Revenue of the Post Office, who shall pay the same (the necessary Charges for collecting, paying and accounting for the same being first deducted) into the Receipt of His Majesty's Exchequer, on such Days and Times and in such Manner as the present Rates and Duties are directed by Law to be paid; and the said Duties so to be paid into the said Receipt as aforesaid, shall be carried to and made Part of the Consolidated Fund of Great Britain.

VII. Provided always, and be it further enacted, That all the Monies arising and to arise by the said Rates and Duties, or any of them, shall be deemed an addition made to the Revenue, for the Purpose of defraying the increased Charge occasioned by any Loan made, or Stock created or to be created, by virtue of any Act or Acts passed or to be passed in this Session of Parliament; and that the said Monies shall, during the Space of Ten Years next ensuing, be paid into the Receipt of His Majesty's Exchequer at Westminster, distinctly and apart from all other Branches of the public Revenues; and that there shall be provided and kept in the Office of the Auditor of the said Receipt, during the said Period of Ten Years, a Book or Books in which all the Monies arising from the said Rates and Duties, and paid into the said Receipt, shall, together with the Monies arising from any Rates and Duties granted in this Session of Parliament, for the Purposes of defraying such increased Charge as aforesaid, be entered separate and apart from all other Monies paid or payable to His Majesty, His Heirs or Successors, upon any Account whatever.

VIII. And be it further enacted, That if any Person or Persons shall at any time or times be sued, molested or prosecuted for any thing by him, her or them done or executed in pursuance of this Act, or of any Clause, Matter or Thing herein contained, such Person and Persons shall and may plead the General Issue, and give the special Matter in Evidence, for his, her or their Defence; and if upon the Trial a Verdict shall pass for the Defendant or Defendants, or the Plaintiff or Plaintiffs shall become nonsuited, then such Defendant or Defendants shall have Treble Costs awarded to him, her or them, against such Plaintiff or Plaintiffs.

IX. And be it further enacted, That this Act may be altered, varied or repealed, by any Act or Acts to be made in this present Session of Parliament.