Illegal carrying of the mail. A caution

Whereas by the Act of Parliament of the 9th of Queen Anne, for establishing a General Post Office, it is amongst other things enacted, That no Person or Persons whatsoever shall have the carrying and delivering of any Letters whatsoever, unless such Persons only as shall be authorized thereunto by the Postmaster General, under the Penalty of Five Pounds for every several Offence against the Tenor of the said Act, one Moiety thereof to the King, and the other Moiety to the Person who shall sue for the same, with full Costs of Suit; Yet notwithstanding, it is found that Letters are frequently carried and delivered by Persons who are not authorized thereunto, but by some illegal Means possess themselves of Letters which should have passed through the General Post Office, and in particular Ship Letters, and to make an Advantage to themselves, demand Money for the Post of such Letters, and sometimes by counterfeiting the Marks of the Office exact more than the legal Post would come to had they been regularly taxed in the Office. To prevent therefore as much as possible this clandestine manner of carrying and delivering of Letters, which is very prejudicial to the Subject in many Respects, and also a Loss to His Majesty's Revenue,

It is ordered by the Postmaster General, That every Letter Carrier whose Walk is within London, Westminster, or Southwark, shall, as a Badge of his Employment, wear a Brass Ticket upon some (the most visible) Part of his Cloathing, with the King's Arms upon it, which Ticket he is always to wear whilst he is upon Duty.

And all Persons who shall discover any Letter Carrier, Porter, or other Person or Persons whatsoever, delivering Letters which should have passed through the General Post Office without such Badge or Ticket upon the most visible Part of their Cloathing, are desired to give Information thereof to the Postmaster General, that the Offenders may be prosecuted according to Law; and for such Information they shall meet with all fitting Encouragement.

JOS. GODMAN, Secretary.