SHOW MENU

36 Geo 3 c.7
(Irish Parliament, 24th March 1796)

An Act to further explain and amend an Act passed in the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Years of His present Majesty's Reign, intituled An Act for establishing a Post Office within this Kingdom; and also to explain and amend an Act passed in the Twenty-eighth Year of His present Majesty's Reign, intituled An Act to explain and amend an Act passed in the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Years of His present Majesty's Reign, intituled 'An Act for establishing a Post Office within this Kingdom.'
[24th March 1796]

WHEREAS by an act passed in the twenty-third and twenty-fourth Years of his present Majesty's reign, entitled, An act for establishing a post-office within this kingdom, and also by an act passed in the twenty-eighth year of his said Majesty's reign, entitled, An act to explain and amend an act passed in the twenty-third and twenty-fourth years of his present Majesty's reign, entitled, An ad for establishing a post-office within this kingdom, or by one of said acts, it is enacted, that if any officer or other person whatsoever, in any wise acting under or by virtue of the said recited act of the twenty-third and twenty-fourth years of his present Majesty's reign, or under or by virtue of the said recited act of the twenty-eighth year of his said Majesty's reign, or under or by virtue of any other act passed in this kingdom relative to the post office, or any deputy, clerk, agent, letter-carrier, post-boy, or rider, or any other officer or person whatsoever, employed or to be hereafter employed in receiving, stamping, sorting, charging, carrying, conveying, or delivering letters or packets, or in any other business relating to the post-office, shall wilfully secrete, embezzle or destroy, or shall wilfully permit, or suffer any other person or persons wilfully to secrete, embezzle, or destroy, or if any other person or persons shall with or without the consent of any such clerk, deputy, agent, letter-carrier, post-boy or rider, or other officer or person whatsoever employed as aforesaid, wilfully secrete, embezzle, or destroy any letter or letters, packet or packets, bag or mail of letters with which any such deputy, clerk, agent, letter-carrier, post-boy or rider, or other officer, or person whatsoever, to be employed as aforesaid, shall and may be respectively entrusted, or which shall have come to his, her, or their hands or possession, which shall contain any of the vouchers, securities, papers, matters, or things therein mentioned, or any part of them, or of any of them, or shall steal or feloniously take out of any letter or packet that shall come to his, her, or their hands or possession, any of the vouchers, securities, papers, matters or things therein mentioned, or any part of them, or any of them, or any other security or securities, or matter, or paper, or thing whatsoever, or any part of them, or any of them, for the payment of money, or whereby or whereon any sum of money may be had, gotten, received or recovered, or shall steal, or feloniously take out of any letter or packet that shall come to his, her, or their hands or possession, any part of any of the vouchers, securities, papers, matters or things therein mentioned, or any part of any other security or securities, paper, matter or thing whatsoever, for the payment of money, whether money can be had, gotten, received or recovered thereby, or thereon, or not, every such offender or offenders being thereof convicted by due course of law, shall be deemed guilty of felony, and shall suffer death as a felon without benefit of clergy: and whereas doubts have arisen whether the said recited acts extend to persons receiving letters, packets, bags, or mails of letters so secreted or embezzled, or the vouchers, securities, papers, matters, or things therein contained, or which shall or may be stolen out of any letter, packet, bag or mail of letters as aforesaid, knowing the same to have been secreted, embezzled or stolen; 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 if any officer or other person whatsoever, in any wise acting under, or by virtue of the said recited act of the twenty-third and twenty-fourth years of his present Majesty's reign, or under or by virtue of the said recited act of the twenty-eighth year of his present Majesty's reign, or under or by virtue of this act, or under or by virtue of any other act passed or to be passed in this kingdom relative to the post-office, or any deputy, clerk, agent, letter-carrier, post-boy, or rider, or any other officer or person whatsoever employed, or to be hereafter employed in receiving, stamping, sorting, charging, carrying, conveying, or delivering letters or packets, or in any other business relating to the post-office, shall wilfully secrete, embezzle or destroy, or shall wilfully permit or suffer any other person or persons wilfully to secrete, embezzle, or destroy, or if any other person or persons shall, with or without the consent of any such clerk, deputy, agent, letter-carrier, post-boy or rider, or other officer or person whatsoever employed as aforesaid, wilfully secrete, embezzle, or destroy any letter or letters, packet or packets, bag or mail of letters with which any such deputy, clerk, agent, letter-carrier, post-boy, or rider, or other officer or person whatsoever, to be employed as aforesaid, shall and may be respectively entrusted, or which shall have come to his, her, or their hands or possession, which shall contain any bank note, bank post-bill, bill of exchange, treasury or exchequer bill, debenture or acquittance, South-sea, East India or city of Dublin bond, dividend, warrant of the bank of Ireland or England, South-sea, East-India or other company, society or corporation, navy or victualling, or transport bill, ordnance-debenture, seaman's ticket, Irish or British state lottery ticket, or share of any such ticket, bank, treasury or other receipt for payment of any public loan, note of assignment of stock in the Irish or British funds, letter of attorney for receiving annuities or dividends, or for selling stock in the funds of Ireland or Great Britain, or belonging to any company, society or corporation, goldsmith or bankers letter of credit, or note for or relating to the payment of money or bond, or warrant of attorney, draft, bill, or promissory note. or other security, or securities, or paper, voucher, or thing whatsoever, for the payment of money, or whereby, or whereon any sum of money may be had, gotten, received, or recovered, or which shall contain any part of the said several vouchers, securities, papers, matters, or things herein before mentioned, or of any of them; or shall steal, or feloniously take out of any letter or packet that shall come to his, her, or their hands or possession, any of the vouchers, securities, papers, matters, or things herein before mentioned, or any part of them, or of any of them, or any other security or securities, or matter, or paper, or thing whatsoever, or any part of them, or any of them, for the payment of money, whereby, or whereon any sum of money may be had, gotten, received, or recovered, or shall steal, or feloniously take out of any letter or packet that shall come to his, her, or their hands or possession, any part of any of the vouchers, securities, papers, matters or things, herein before mentioned, or any part of any other security or securities, paper, matter or thing whatsoever, for the payment of money, whether money can be had, gotten, received or recovered thereby or thereon or not; or if any person or persons shall receive any such letter or letters, packet or packets, bag or mail of letters, so as aforesaid secreted, or embezzled, or any of the vouchers, securities, papers, matters or things herein before mentioned, contained in such letter, or letters, packet or packets, bag or mail of letters, or any part of them, or any of them knowing the same to have been wilfully secreted, or embezzled as aforesaid, or if any person or persons shall receive any of the vouchers, securities, or papers, or any part of them, or any matter, article or thing, which shall have been feloniously taken out of any letter or letters, packet, or packets, bag, or mail of letters, knowing the same to have been stolen, or feloniously taken as aforesaid, every such offender or offenders being thereof convicted by due course of law, shall be deemed guilty of felony, and shall suffer death as a felon, without benefit of clergy.

II. And be it enacted, That every person so receiving any such letter or letters, packet or packets, bag, or mail of letters, so wilfully and feloniously secreted, or embezzled as aforesaid, or any matter, article, or thing therein contained, or which shall have been feloniously taken therefrom, or thereout, knowing the same to have been secreted or embezzled, or stolen, or feloniously taken as aforesaid, shall be deemed and taken to be a principal felon, and shall be triable for such offence, and being convicted thereof in due course of law, shall suffer death as a felon, without benefit of clergy, although the person or persons who shall have actually secreted, or embezzled such letter or letters, packet or packets, bag, or mail of letters, or who shall have feloniously taken any of the articles, matters, or things aforesaid therefrom, or thereout, shall not have been previously convicted, tried, or apprehended.