POST-OFFICE. A public institution for the reception and delivery of letters. newspapers, books, and such other matter as may by law of the State be intrusted to the mails for convey ance. The post-office is frequently also charged with other duties than the handling, of mail. Thus in the United States it issues money orders designed to facilitate the transmission of money, and in European countries it conducts savings in stitutions and has a monopoly of the facilities for telegraphic communication. The postal service is at present in all civilized countries under the management and control of the Government. The name originated in the posts (from Lat. positum, placed, fixed) placed at intervals along the roads of the Ronan Empire where couriers were kept in readiness to bear dispatches and intelligence. The first letter-post seems to have been estab lished in the Hansa towns in the early part of the thirteenth century as a means of facilitating commercial intercourse. In England a system of posts for dispatching letters was early provided, Sir Brian Tuke being mentioned as the first Master of the Posts in the reign of Henry VIII. In the reign of Elizabeth a chief postmastership was established, Thomas Randolph being the first incumbent. With the accession of James I. to the throne of England and the consequent in creased intercourse between England and Scot land a marked improvement in the postal system followed. In the reign of Charles I. a monopoly of letter-carrying was established, the rates of postage being fixed at from 2d. to fid. for a single letter, according to distance, in England. Sd. to Scotland, and 9d. to Ireland. In 1680 a penny post was established for the conveyance of letters and parcels between different parts of London and its suburbs. In the reign of Anne the exist ing postal statutes were repealed and the post office establishment placed on a new basis. A general post-office was instituted at London for the British dominions, with chief offices at Edin burgh, Dublin. New York, and other places in America, while the whole system was placed under the control of a postmaster-general with power to appoint deputies for the chief offices. Near the end of the eighteenth century coaches were substituted for riders on horseback. With the development of the railway system came the carriage of letters by train instead of by mail coaches ; and one novelty which arose out of this change was the adoption of traveling post-offices, forming part of the mail-train, where letters are arranged during transit, and which sometimes receive and drop the letter-bags while the train is going at full speed.
In 1812 the rates of postage on letters were fixed at 4d, for 15 miles, with a regular increase up to 17d., which was the charge for any distance over 700 miles. In 1837 a plan of post-office re form was suggested by Air. (afterwards Sir) Rowland Hill, the adoption of which not only immensely increased the utility of the post-office, but changed its whole administration. Its prin cipal features were the adoption of a uniform and low rate of postage, a charge by weight, and prepayment. The new system came into full operation in 1S40. A penny was adopted as the uniform rate for every inland letter not above half an ounce in weight. Facilities for prepay ment were afforded by the introduction of post age stamps, and double postage was levied on letters not prepaid. Arrangements were made for the registration of letters; and the money-order office, by a reduction of the commission charged for orders, became available to an extent which it had never been before. The immediate result of these changes was an enormous increase in the amount of correspondence, arising in part from the cessation of the illicit traffic in letters, which bad so largely prevailed before; but for some years there was a deficit in the post-offiee revenue. Since 1897 the rates have been as follows when prepaid: Not exceeding 4 ounces, ld.; over 4 ounces and not exceeding 6 ounces, 13/4d.; over 6 ounces and not exceeding 8 ounces, 2d., and so on at the rate of one halfpenny for every additional two ounces. A letter posted unpaid is charged double postage. Letters insufficiently stamped are charged double the deficiency on delivery. Redirected letters are charged additional postage at the prepaid rate; and this may either be pre paid or charged on delivery. Letters for officers, soldiers. or seamen on actual service abroad are redirected without charge. The same privilege extends--with several restrictions—to such let ters redirected at home. By paying 3/4d. extra, let ters may be posted in the boxes attached to mail trains, in which sorting is performed.