Post Office Act 1832
(2 Will 4 c.15, 24th March 1832)

An Act to enable His Majesty's Postmaster General to extend the Accommodation by Post, and to regulate the Privilege of Franking, in Ireland; and for other Purposes relating to the Post Office.
[ 24th March 1832 ]

WHEREAS an Act passed by the Parliament of the Kingdom of Ireland, in the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Years of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third, intituled An Act for establishing a Post Office within this Kingdom: And whereas an Act passed in the Fifty-ninth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third, intituled An Act to amend several Acts relating to the Post Office and Conveyance of Letters in Ireland: And whereas an Act passed in the First Year of the Reign of His present Majesty King William the Fourth, intituled An Act for enabling His Majesty to appoint a Postmaster General for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: And whereas by the Laws now in force the Postmaster General for the Time being is authorized to settle and establish an Office, to be called the Penny Post Office, in any City or Town, and the Suburbs thereof, and Places adjacent, within Great Britain, where such Post shall by the Postmaster General be adjudged necessary and convenient; and it is expedient that such Power or Authority should be extended to that Part of the United Kingdom called Ireland; be it therefore 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 after the passing of this Act His Majesty's Postmaster General for the Time being, and his Deputy and Deputies, Agent and Agents, by him thereunto sufficiently authorized, may settle and establish an Office to be called the Penny Post Office in any City, Town, or Village, and the Suburbs thereof, and Places adjacent, within Ireland aforesaid, where such Post shall by the Postmaster General be adjudged necessary and convenient, and may demand and take for the Postage and Conveyance of all Letters and Packets conveyed by such Penny Post the Sum of One Penny.

II. And be it further enacted, That all Letters and Packets which shall be sent to or delivered from any General Post Office by any Penny Post shall be chargeable with the Penny Post Rate aforesaid, over and above the Rates of Postage of such Letters or Packets by the General Post.

III. And be it further enacted, That the Monies to arise from the said Rate of One Penny shall, after defraying the Expences incurred, be deemed Part of the Revenue of the General Post Office in Ireland, and be applied in such Manner as the present Rates of Postage in Ireland are by Law applicable.

IV. And be it further enacted, That no Letter or Packet shall be forwarded by any Penny Post so to be established which shall exceed the Weight of Four Ounces, other than such as have first come by the General Post Office, or shall be passing by the Penny Post unto the General Post.

V. And be it further enacted, That when any such Penny Post Office shall be established as aforesaid, every Person who shall, for any Hire, Reward, or Emolument, collect or receive Letters or Packets for Delivery, or send or convey any Letters or Packets from or to any City, Town, Village, Suburb, or Place or Street within or near to any such Penny Post Office, without the Licence of the Postmaster General for the Time being, shall be subject to all the Penalties and Forfeitures in force relating to Persons collecting, receiving, sending, carrying, re-carrying, and delivering Letters contrary to any Act or Acts of Parliament in force as to the Post Office in Ireland.

VI. And be it further enacted, That after the passing of this Act His Majesty's Postmaster General for the Time being may undertake, at the Expence of the Revenue of the Post Office of Ireland, the Conveyance and Delivery of Letters and Packets directed to Persons abiding in Towns, Villages, and Places in Ireland, (not being Post Towns,) from the respective Post Towns to which such Letters shall be carried by the Post in the usual Manner, and also the Collection and Conveyance of Letters and Packets in and from such Towns, Villages, and Places, in order to be sent by the Post, and also the Collection, Conveyance, and Delivery of Letters and Packets in from, and to Towns, Villages, and Places in Ireland, (not being respectively Post Towns,) and to take such Sum and Sums of Money, for the Use of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, for such Services, as shall from Time to Time be mutually agreed upon between the Postmaster General and the Inhabitants of such Towns, Villages, and Places respectively.

VII. Provided always, and be it further enacted, That nothing herein-before contained shall extend or be construed to extend to hinder or prevent the Inhabitants of any such Towns, Villages, and Places respectively from carrying or re-carrying, or employing any Messenger, Servant, or other Person to carry or re-carry, any Letters or Packets to or from the Post Towns in such Manner as they have heretofore been accustomed and are by Law authorized.

VIII. And be it further enacted, That the Monies to arise and be received for such Services as last aforesaid shall, after paying the Expences incurred, be applied in such Manner as the present Rates of Postage in Ireland are by Law applicable.

IX. And be it further enacted, That after the passing of this Act His Majesty's Postmaster General for the Time being may, in his Discretion, enter into any Agreement or Agreements with, or take Security from, any Person or Persons applying to him for that Purpose, for indemnifying His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, in whole or in part, and for such Time as the Postmaster General may think necessary, against the Expences which shall or may be incurred beyond the Rates of Postage by extending the Conveyance of Letters and Packets by Post to or from any Place or Places in Ireland, where such Conveyance shall be extended at the Request of such Person or Persons, and it shall appear doubtful to the Postmaster General whether by extending the said Conveyance an additional Expence to the Revenue may not be incurred.

X. And be it further enacted, That His Majesty's Postmaster General for the Time being, and his Deputy and Deputies by him thereunto sufficiently authorized, may contract and agree for the Conveyance of Mails of Letters by any British Ships or Vessels to or from any Port or Place whatsoever, and to forward the same accordingly, and to demand and take, for the Use of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, for such Conveyance, the like Rates of Postage, and to exercise and enforce the like Powers for compelling Payment of the same, as if such Letters and Packets had been conveyed by regular Packet Boats.

XI. And be it further enacted, That every Person who shall steal or unlawfully take away any Bag or Mail of Letters sent or to be sent by any Ship or Vessel so to be employed for the Conveyance of Mails of Letters and Packets as last aforesaid, or shall steal or unlawfully take any Letter or Packet out of any such Bag or Mail, or shall unlawfully open any such Bag or Mail, shall, upon being convicted thereof, be adjudged guilty of Felony, and shall be liable, at the Discretion of the Court, to be transported beyond the Seas for any Term not exceeding Fourteen Years nor less than Seven Years, or to be imprisoned for any Term not exceeding Three Years; and when any such Felony shall be committed within the Jurisdiction of the Admiralty of England, the same shall be dealt with, inquired of, tried, and determined in the same Manner as any other Felony committed within that Jurisdiction.

XII. And be it further enacted, That after the passing of this Act no Person or Body Politic or Corporate in any Part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain or Ireland shall receive, take up, despatch, convey, carry, or deliver, or shall send, or cause to be sent or conveyed, or tender or deliver in order to be sent or conveyed, (otherwise than by the Post, or by and with the Authority and Consent of His Majesty's Postmaster General for the Time being, or his Deputy or Deputies,) any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets, by any Ship or Vessel by which His Majesty's Postmaster General for the Time being, or his Deputy or Deputies, shall contract or agree for the forwarding of any Mail or Mails of Letters, under or by virtue of the Authority herein contained, on pain of forfeiting for each and every Letter, whether such Letter shall be received, taken up, ordered, despatched, conveyed, carried, or delivered, or sent or caused to be sent or conveyed, or tendered or delivered in order to be sent or conveyed, separately or by itself, or together with any other Letter or Letters or other Matter or Thing whatsoever, the Sum of Five Pounds.

XIII. Provided always, and be it further enacted, That nothing lastly herein-before contained shall extend to subject any Person or Body Politic or Corporate to any such Penalty or Forfeiture in respect of any Letter or Letters which shall be sent with or shall relate to any Goods on board any such Ship or Vessel and entered on the Ship's Manifest.

XIV. And be it further enacted, That any Collector, Comptroller, or other Officer of His Majesty's Customs, at any Port or Place whatsoever, may and they are hereby authorized and required to search every Ship or Vessel in any Port or Place for Letters or Packets which may be on board contrary to the Provisions of this Act, and to seize and take all such Letters and Packets, and to forward the same to the Postmaster General or his Deputy at the Port or Place.

XV. And be it further enacted, That in all Cases of such Seizure the Penalty or Penalties imposed by this Act in respect of any such Letters or Packets which may be found on board any such Ships or Vessels contrary to the Provisions of this Act shall and may be recoverable from the Person or Persons writing or sending or carrying any such Letter or Packet, or from the Owner or Owners or Commander of any such Ship or Vessel, at the Option of the Person or Persons suing for the same; and in all Cases of such Seizure the Proof shall lie on the Person or Persons so proceeded against, that the Provisions of this Act have been complied with.

XVI. And be it further enacted, That one Moiety of the several pecuniary Penalties herein-before imposed shall be payable to the Use of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, and the other Moiety to the Use of the Person who shall inform or sue for the same, to be sued for and recovered, with full Costs of Suit, by any Person who shall and will inform and sue for the same, in any of His Majesty's Courts of Record at Westminster for Offences committed within that Part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, and in any of His Majesty's Courts of Record in Dublin for Offences committed in Ireland, and before the Sheriff or Steward Court of the Shire or Stewartry within which the Parties offending shall reside, or the Offence shall be committed, for Offences committed in Scotland.

XVII. And whereas an Act passed in the Fifty-third Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third, intituled An Act to repeal certain Rates and Duties upon Letters and Packets sent by the Post from or to Dublin to or from the several Post Towns in Ireland, and to grant other Rates and Duties in lieu thereof; and to make further Regulations for securing the Duties on Letters and Packets sent by the Post in Ireland: And whereas an Act passed in the Fifth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Fourth, intituled An Act to regulate the Conveyance of Packets containing re-issuable Country Bank Notes by the Post, and to charge Rates of Postage thereon; to prevent Letters and Packets being sent otherwise than by the Post; to punish Persons embezzling printed Proceedings in Parliament, or Newspapers; and to allow the President of the Commissioners of Revenue Inquiry to send and receive Letters and Packets free from the Duty of Postage: And whereas Doubts have arisen whether so much of the said Act passed in the Fifty-third Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third as relates to and imposes Penalties on Persons, not legally authorized, receiving, taking up, carrying or re-carrying, conveying, or delivering Letters or Packets, or setting up or employing any Foot, Horse, or other Post, or any Carriage or Vessel, for such Purpose, by Sea or Land, or on any River or Canal, or in any Stage Coach or Public Carriage, has not been virtually repealed by the said Act passed in the Fifth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Fourth; and it is expedient that such Doubts should be removed; be it therefore declared and enacted, That the said recited Act made and passed in the Fifth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Fourth, and the said Provisions and Penalties therein contained for the Protection of the Rates and Duties of Postage, shall not be deemed, construed, or adjudged to have in anywise revoked, altered, annulled, or varied, but that the same shall in all respects be in full force, virtue, and effect, in Ireland, as if the said recited Act passed in the Fifth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Fourth had not been passed; and that all and singular the Powers and Authorities by the said Act passed in the Fifty-third Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third given to or vested in the Postmaster General of Ireland nominated or appointed under the said Act passed by the Parliament of Ireland in the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Years of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third shall in all respects vest in and be exercisable by His Majesty's Postmaster General for the Time being appointed or to be appointed under or by virtue of the said Act passed in the First Year of the Reign of His present Majesty King William the Fourth.

XVIII. And be it further enacted, That in any Action, Suit, Bill, Plaint, or Information which shall at any Time after the passing of this Act be commenced, in Great Britain or Ireland, against any Person or Persons, for receiving, taking up, ordering, despatching, collecting, carrying, conveying, delivering, or sending, or causing to be sent or conveyed, or tendering or delivering in order to be sent or conveyed, otherwise than by the Post, any Letter or Packet, Letters or Packets, contrary to the Provisions in an Act made in the Ninth Year of the Reign of Her late Majesty Queen Anne, intituled An Act for establishing a General Post Office for all Her Majesty's Dominions, and for settling a weekly Sum out of the Revenue thereof for the Service of the War and other Her Majesty's Occasions, or contrary to the Provisions of the said recited Acts of the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Years of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third, or contrary to the Provisions contained in an Act passed in the Forty-second Year of the Reign of His said late Majesty King George the Third, intituled An Act for amending so much of an Act passed in the Seventh Year of the Reign of His Majesty as relates to the secreting, embezzling, or destroying any Letter or Packet sent by the Post, and for the better Protection of such Letters and Packets, and for more effectually preventing Letters and Packets being sent otherwise than by the Post, or contrary to the Provisions of the said recited Acts of the Fifty-third Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third and the Fifth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Fourth, or any or either of them, or contrary to the Provisions of any or either of the several Acts of Parliament in the said last-mentioned Acts recited or referred to, or contrary to the Provisions of this Act, the Proof that the Letter or Packet, Letters or Packets, was or were received, taken up, ordered, despatched, collected, carried, conveyed, delivered, or sent, or tendered, or delivered in order to be sent or conveyed, according to the Provisions contained in the said last-mentioned Acts or one of them, or according to the Provisions contained in this present Act, as the Case may require, shall lie on the Person or Persons against whom such Action, Suit, Bill, Plaint, or Information shall be brought for receiving, taking up, ordering, despatching, collecting, conveying, delivering, or sending, or tendering, or delivering the same.

XIX. And be it further enacted, That so much and such Parts of the said recited Act of the Fifty-ninth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third as relates to the Postage and Conveyance of printed Notices, Letters, and Papers by the Post, relating to the Affairs of any Charitable Institution or Society in Ireland, at reduced Rates of Postage, shall be and the same is and are hereby repealed.

XX. And whereas under and by virtue of divers Acts of Parliament the several Public Officers, Commissioners, and Persons in Ireland mentioned or referred to in and by the Schedule hereunto annexed (some of them under certain Regulations and Restrictions) have exercised the Privilege of sending and receiving Letters and Packets by the Post free from the Duty of Postage: And whereas it is expedient that the Privilege of Franking by Public Officers in Ireland should be placed under further Regulations; be it therefore enacted, That after the passing of this Act the Privilege of sending and receiving Letters and Packets by the Post free from the Duty of Postage heretofore granted to, and now or lately used and exercised by, the several and respective Public Officers, Commissioners, and Persons mentioned or referred to in the Schedule hereunto annexed, or any of them, shall be and the same is hereby repealed.

XXI. And be it further enacted, That His Majesty's Lieutenant General or other Chief Governor or Governors of Ireland, and his or their Chief Secretary, Under Secretary, and Private Secretary respectively, and the Secretary of His Majesty's Postmaster General, all within Ireland, for the Time being, may send and receive Letters and Packets by the General Post, free from the Duty of Postage, to and from Places within the United Kingdom.

XXII. And be it further enacted, That the Lord Chancellor of Ireland for the Time being, and the Surveyors of the Post Office in Ireland respectively for the Time being, may send and receive Letters and Packets by the General Post, to and from Places within Ireland, free from the Duty of Postage.

XXIII. Provided always, and be it further enacted, That no Letter or Packet whatsoever sent by any Public Officer to whom the Privilege of Franking is granted by this Act shall be exempt from the Payment of Postage unless the whole Superscription upon every such Letter or Packet so sent shall be of the Handwriting of the Officer or Person sending the same, and shall have indorsed thereon the Name of such Officer, together with the Name of the Post Town from which the same is intended to be sent, and the Day, Month, and Year upon which the same shall be to be put into the Post Office, the Day of the Month to be in Words at Length, and also unless every such Letter or Packet shall be put into the General Post Office or other Post Office, or into any Receiving House or Place appointed by His Majesty's Postmaster General for the Receipt of Letters and Packets, to be forwarded by the Post on the Day of the Date put upon such Letter or Packet, and unless the Officer whose Name shall be indorsed thereon shall actually be in the Post Town into the Post Office of which every such Letter or Packet shall be put, or within Twenty Miles of such Post Town, on the Day or on the Day before the Day on which such Letter or Packet shall be put into the Post Office.

XXIV. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the Chief Secretary of His Majesty's Lieutenant General or other Chief Governor or Governors of Ireland to authorize and direct One Person in the Office of such Chief Secretary in London (whose Name shall be from Time to Time transmitted by the said Chief Secretary to the Secretaries of the General Post Office in London and Dublin respectively) to send Letters and Packets by the General Post from London to Places within the United Kingdom free of Postage; provided that all such Letters and Packets shall relate solely and exclusively to the Business of the said Chief Secretary's Office, and shall be in Covers, with the Words ” On His Majesty's Service, Lord Lieutenant's Chief Secretary's Office, London, “ printed on the same, and be signed or subscribed on the Outside thereof, under such Words, with the Name of the Person so to be authorized as aforesaid, in his own Handwriting, and provided all such Letters and Packets shall be sealed with the Seal of the said Office; and the Person so to be authorized is hereby strictly forbidden so to subscribe and seal any Letter or Packet whatever except such only concerning which he shall receive the special Direction of his superior Officer, or which he shall himself know to relate solely and exclusively to the Business of his Office; and if such authorized Person or any other Person shall send, or cause or permit to be sent, under any such Cover, any Letter, Paper, or Writing, or any Enclosure, other than what shall relate to the Public Business of his Department, every Person so offending shall forfeit and pay the Sum of One hundred Pounds, and be dismissed from his Office.

XXV. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Forces in Ireland, the Vice Treasurer of Ireland, the Deputy Adjutant General of His Majesty's Forces, the Deputy Quartermaster General of His Majesty's Forces, the Chief Officer of His Majesty's Ordnance Survey, (all within Ireland, for the Time being respectively,) to authorize and direct One Person in each of their Departments respectively, and for His Majesty's Postmaster General to authorize and direct One Person in the General Post Office in Dublin, and for the Chief Secretary of His Majesty's Lieutenant General or other Chief Governor or Governors of Ireland to authorize and direct Two Persons, one in the Civil Department and the other in the Military Department of such Chief Secretary's Office in Dublin, the Name and Names of which said several and respective Persons shall be from Time to Time transmitted by the respective Officers aforesaid to the Secretary of the General Post Office in Dublin, to send Letters and Packets by the General Post from Dublin to Places within Ireland free Postage; provided all such Letters and Packets shall relate solely and exclusively to the Business of the said respective Departments, and shall be in Covers, with the Words, ” On His Majesty's Service, Commander in Chief s Office, ” ” Vice Treasurer's Office, ” ” Adjutant General's Office, ” ” Quartermaster General's Office, ” ” Ordnance Survey Office, ” ” General Post Office, ” ” Chief Secretary's Office, Civil Department, ” or ” Chief's Secretary's Office, Military Department, ” as the Case may be, printed on the same, and be signed or subscribed on the Outside thereof, under such Words, with the Names the Persons so to be authorized as aforesaid, in their own Handwriting, and provided all such Letters and Packets shall be sealed with the Seal of the said Offices respectively; and all the said Persons so to be authorized are hereby strictly forbidden so to subscribe and seal any Letter or Packet whatever, except such only concerning which they shall receive the special Direction of their superior Officer, or which they shall themselves know to relate solely and exclusively to the Business of their respective Departments; and if any such authorized Person or any other Person shall send, or cause or permit to be sent, under any such Cover, any Letter, Paper, or Writing, or any Enclosure, other than what shall relate to the Public Business of their respective Departments, every Person so offending shall forfeit and pay the Sum of One hundred Pounds, and be dismissed from his Office.

XXVI. And be it further enacted, That all Letters and Packets sent from any Places within Ireland by the General Post, addressed to the Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Forces, the Deputy Adjutant General of His Majesty's Forces, the Deputy Quartermaster General of His Majesty's Forces, the Military Secretary of His Majesty's Forces, the Superintendant of the Ordnance Survey, and the Vice Treasurer of Ireland, all within Ireland, for the Time being, the said Letters and Packets being on His Majesty's Service, and relating solely to the Business of their respective Departments, shall be delivered at their respective Offices in Dublin free from Postage.

XXVII. And be it further enacted, That if any Letter, Paper, or Thing shall be sent under Cover to any of the said last-mentioned Officers, the same not being actually and bona fide on His Majesty's Service, and relating exclusively to the Business of their respective Departments, the Officers to whom the same shall be so sent are hereby strictly required and enjoined to transmit the same forthwith to the Secretary of the Post Office in Dublin, with the Covers under which the same were sent, in order that the Contents thereof may be charged with the full Rates of Postage.

XXVIII. And be it further enacted, That all Letters and Packets sent from any Places within the United Kingdom by the General Post, addressed to the Chief Clerk in the Office in London of the said Chief Secretary of His Majesty's Lieutenant General or other Chief Governor or Governors of Ireland, the said Letters and Packets being all on His Majesty's Service, and relating solely to the Business of the said Chief Secretary's Office, shall be delivered at such Office free from Postage.

XXIX. And be it further enacted, That if any Letter, Paper, or Thing shall be sent under Cover to the said Chief Clerk, the same not being actually and bona fide on His Majesty's Service, and relating exclusively to the Business of the said Chief Secretary's Office, the said Chief Clerk is hereby strictly required and enjoined to transmit the same forthwith to the Secretary of the General Post Office in London, with the Covers under which the same were sent, in order that the Contents thereof may be charged with the full Rates of Postage.

XXX. And be it further enacted, That if any Person whatsoever shall forge or counterfeit the Handwriting of any Person whomsoever hereby authorized to frank any Letters or Packets, in the Superscription of any Letter or Packet to be sent by the Post, in order to avoid the Payment of the Duty of Postage, or shall forge, counterfeit, or alter, or shall procure to be forged, counterfeited, or altered, the Date of the Superscription of any such Letter or Packet, or shall write or send by the Post, or cause to be written or sent by the Post, any Letter or Packet the Superscription or Cover whereof shall be forged or counterfeited, or the Date upon such Superscription or Cover altered, in order to avoid the Payment of the Duty of Postage, knowing the same to be forged, counterfeited, or altered, every Person so offending, and being thereof convicted in due Form of Law, shall be deemed guilty of Felony, and shall be transported beyond the Seas for Seven Years.

XXXI. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful to and for the Postmaster General for the Time being, from Time to Time and at any Time during the Space of Two Years from and after the passing of this Act, to nominate and appoint all and every such Charitable Institutions or Societies in Ireland as the Postmaster General may in his Discretion deem it expedient should be permitted to send Letters and Packets relating solely to the Business of such Institutions or Societies, by Post, in Ireland, at a reduced Rate of Postage, with full Power for the Postmaster General for the Time being from Time to Time to revoke and annul any such Nomination or Appointment, and the Privilege thereby conferred.

XXXII. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful to and for the Postmaster General for the Time being, and his or their Deputy or Deputies, Servants or Agents, to and for the Use of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, to demand, have, receive, and take for the Postage and Conveyance of all Letters or Packets which shall relate solely and exclusively to the Affairs or Business of any such Charitable Institution or Society in Ireland so from Time to Time to be nominated or appointed by the Postmaster General for the Time being as aforesaid, and which shall at any Time within Two Years from and after the passing of this Act be delivered into any Post Office in Ireland, folded and directed, but without any Seal or Wafer or other Matter to close or fasten the same, and shall be carried, conveyed, or sent Post from the General Post Office in Dublin to the several Post Towns in Ireland, and from the several Post Towns in Ireland to the General Post Office in Dublin, at the Rate or Sum of Two-pence for every such Letter or Packet; provided all and every such Letters and Packets shall relate solely and exclusively to the Charitable Institution or Society by or from which the same shall be forwarded, and shall be superscribed on the Outside thereof in such Manner in all respects as the Postmaster General for the Time being may, in his Discretion, from Time to Time appoint; provided the said Letters or Packets shall contain no Cash, Bank Note, Bill of Exchange, Promissory Note, Draft, or Order for the Payment of Money, or other valuable Security, and shall contain no Writing, Communication, Matter, or Thing whatever other than on the Business of the Charitable Society or Institution by or from which the same shall be forwarded, and provided that no such Letter or Packet shall exceed the Weight of an Ounce.

XXXIII. And be it further enacted, That the Moneys to arise from the said Rate of Two-pence shall be deemed Part of the Revenue of the General Post Office in Ireland, and be applied in such Manner as the present Rates of Postage in Ireland are by Law applicable.

XXXIV. And be it further enacted, That all and every such Letters and Packets shall be delivered to the Postmaster General or his Deputy or Deputies in the General Post Office in Dublin at or between such Hours in the Day and under such Regulations in every respect as the Postmaster General for the Time being shall in his Discretion from Time to Time appoint; and such Letters and Packets shall also be delivered by the Deputy or Deputies of the Postmaster General in the Country under such Regulations and Restrictions as the Postmaster General for the Time being shall from Time to Time think fit to appoint.

XXXV. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful to and for the Postmaster General, and his Deputy and Deputies, Servants and Agents, to retain any such Letters or Packets for any Space of Time not exceeding Twenty-four Hours after such Letters or Packets would otherwise in due and regular Course have been forwarded or delivered, and to open, examine, and search the same; and in case upon Examination thereof it shall be discovered to contain any Cash, Bank Note, Bill of Exchange, Promissory Note, Draft, or Order for the Payment of Money, or other valuable Security, or any Writing, Communication, Matter, or Thing whatever, other than on the Business of the Charitable Society or Institution by or from which the same shall have been forwarded, or if any such Letter or Packet shall be found to exceed the Weight of an Ounce, then and in any such Case every such Letter or Packet shall be charged and chargeable with Double the Duty of Postage to which the same would be liable under any Act or Acts now or hereafter to be in force in Ireland; and if the Amount be not paid by the Person or Persons to whom any such Letter shall be directed, or if such Person or Persons cannot be found, then the Secretary of the Society or Institution by or from which the same shall have been forwarded shall be liable to and chargeable with the Payment thereof; and it shall and may be lawful to and for His Majesty's Postmaster General or his Deputy or Deputies to retain any such Letter or Packet until such Double Duty of Postage shall be paid or recovered.

XXXVI. And whereas it frequently happens that Bags or Mails sent and conveyed by the Post, which may have been stolen or accidentally lost, and afterwards found or picked up, are wilfully detained by the Persons finding the same, in the Expectation of Gain or Reward, to the great Inconvenience of divers of His Majesty's Subjects, and the Prejudice of Commerce; to remedy therefore the said Evil be it further enacted, That from and after the passing of this Act, if any Person or Persons in Ireland shall wilfully secrete, keep, or detain, or, being required to deliver up by any Deputy, Clerk, Agent, Letter Carrier, Postboy, Rider, Driver, or Guard of any Mail Coach, or any other Officer or Person whatsoever employed or to be employed in any Business relating to the Post Office, shall refuse or wilfully neglect to deliver up any Mail or Bag of Letters sent or conveyed, or made up in order to be sent or conveyed, by the Post, or any Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets sent or conveyed by the Post, or put for that Purpose into any Post Office or House or Place for the Receipt or Delivery of Letters or Packets sent or to be sent by the Post, and which Letter or Letters, Packet or Packets, Bag or Mail of Letters, shall have been found or picked up by the same or any other Person or Persons, or shall, by or through Accident or Mistake, have been left with or at the House of the same or any other Person or Persons, each and every Person and Persons so offending shall be deemed and taken to be guilty of a Misdemeanor, to be punished by Fine and Imprisonment.

XXXVII. And whereas it is expedient to prevent Obstructions opposite the General Post Offices in London and Dublin; be it therefore enacted, That no Hackney Carriage of any Description whatever shall at any Time hereafter stand or ply for Hire in front or opposite the General Post Office in Saint Martin's le Grand or the General Post Office in Sackville Street, Dublin, or either of them, or any Part thereof respectively; and also that no Hawker, Newsvender, or other Person or Persons whatsoever shall at any Time hereafter unnecessarily stop or loiter on the Flagway or Pavement in front of the said Post Offices or either of them, or any Part thereof respectively, any Law to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding; and in case the Driver or any Person or Persons having the Management of any Hackney Carriage shall permit the same to stand or ply for Hire in front of or opposite the General Post Office in Saint Martin's le Grand, London, or the General Post Office in Sackville Street, Dublin, or either of them, or any Part thereof, or in case any Hawker, Newsvender, or other idle or disorderly Person shall unnecessarily or purposely stop or loiter on the Flagway or Pavement in front of the said General Post Offices or either of them, or any Part thereof, the Person or Persons so offending shall for every such Offence, on Conviction thereof in a summary Way before a Justice of the Peace, forfeit and pay to the Informer any Sum not exceeding Five Pounds, with Costs, and if not paid, either immediately after the Conviction or within such Period as the Justice shall at the Time of the Conviction appoint, it shall be lawful for the convicting Justice to commit the Offender to the Common Gaol or House of Correction, there to be imprisoned for any Time not exceeding Two Calendar Months, the Commitment to be determinable on Payment of the Amount and Costs.

XXXVIII. And for the more effectual Prosecution of the said last-mentioned Offence, be it enacted, That where any Person shall be charged, on the Oath of a credible Witness, before any Justice of the Peace, with any such Offence, the Justice may summon the Person charged to appear at a Time and Place to be named in such Summons, and if he or she shall not appear accordingly, then (upon Proof of the due Service of the Summons upon such Person, by delivering the same to him or her personally, or by leaving the same at his or her usual Place of Abode,) the Justice may either proceed to hear and determine the Case ex parte, or issue his Warrant for apprehending such Person, and bringing him or her before himself or some other Justice of the Peace, or the Justice before whom the Charge shall be made may, (if he shall so think fit,) without any previous Summons, issue such Warrant, and the Justice before whom the Person charged shall appear or be brought shall proceed to hear and determine the Case.

XXXIX. And be it enacted, That every Carriage with Two or more Wheels which shall stand or ply for Hire in front of or opposite the General Post Office in Saint Martin's le Grand, London, or the General Post Office in Sackville Street, Dublin, or either of them, or any Part thereof, of whatever may be the Form or Construction of such Carriage, or the Number of Persons which the same shall be calculated to convey, or the Number of Horses by which the same shall be drawn, shall be deemed and taken to be a Hackney Carriage within the Meaning of this Act; and in all Proceedings at Law or otherwise, and upon all Occasions whatsoever, it shall be sufficient to describe any such Carriage as aforesaid by the Term Hackney Carriage, without further or otherwise describing the same.

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

The SCHEDULE to which this Act refers.

All within Ireland.

• His Majesty's Lieutenant General or other Chief Governor or Governors of Ireland.
• His or their Chief Secretary.
• His or their Secretary for the Provinces of Ulster and Munster in Ireland.
• The Under Secretary for the Law Department of the Chief Secretary's Office.
• The Under Secretary and First Clerk for the Military Department of the Chief Secretary's Office.
• The First Clerk in the Office in Ireland of the said Secretary for the Provinces of Ulster and Munster.
• The Lord High Treasurer or Commissioners of the Treasury.
• The Lord High Chancellor.
• The Chancellor of the Exchequer.
• The Vice Treasurer.
• The Secretary to the Treasury.
• The Secretary to the Postmaster General.
• The Adjutant General.
• The Quartermaster General.
• The Chief Commissioner of the Barrack Board.
• The Assistant Under Secretary for the Law Department of the Chief Secretary's Office.
• The First Clerk of the Civil Department of the Secretary's Office.
• The Treasurer or Receiver General of the Post Office.
• The Comptroller of the Sorting Office in the General Post Office.
• The Surveyors of the Post Office.
• The Registrar of Kilmainham Hospital.
• The Officers for taking the Population Returns.
• The Commissioners for the Assistance of Trade and Manufactures.
• The Secretary of such Commissioners.
• The Commissioners for the Issue of Exchequer Bills and Money out of the Consolidated Fund for the Encouragement of Public Works and Fisheries, and the Persons appointed by them to sign Letters on the Outside.
• The Secretary of such last-mentioned Commissioners.
• The Special Commissioners for receiving Applications for Relief in case of extreme Necessity, and their Secretary.
• The Commissioners for the Extension and Promotion of Public Works, and the Person appointed by them to sign Letters on the Outside.
• The Secretary of such last-mentioned Commissioners.
• The Commissioners for auditing Public Accounts.
• Divisional Justices.
• Charitable Institutions or Societies.