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PENNY Well Beſtowed, Or a Brief Account of the New Deſign contrived for the great Increaſe of Trade, and Eaſe of Correſpondence, to the great Advantage of the Inhabitants of all ſorts, by Conveying of LETTERS or PACQUETS under a Pound Weight, to and from all parts within the Cities of London and Weſtminſter; and the Out Pariſhes within the VVeekly Bills of Mortality.
For One Penny. There is nothing tends more to the increaſe of Trade and Buſineſs than a Speedy, Cheap,and ſafe way of Intelligence, much being obſtructed and more retarded in all Places where that is wanting. For as Money, like the Blood in Natural Bodies,gives Life to Trade by its Circulation; ſo Correſpondence like the Vital Spirits, gives it Senſe and Motion; and the more that theſe abound in any Place, the more doth that Place increaſe in Riches, Strength, and Vigor.
But in this Age it is not to be expected that any New Deſign can be contrived for the Publick Good, without meeting many raſh Cenſures and Impediments, from the Fooliſh and Malicious; therefore 'twas not likely this ſhould eſcape that common Fate. Yet We hope to all the reaſonable and Candid, who are willing to underſtand their own Intereſt, this Paper may be Satisfactory.
For 'tis undertaken by the Methods of that Correſpondency ſettled, that any Perſon may promiſe himſelf his Letter or Pacquet ſhall ſafely come to any place directed to, lying within the Cities and Suburbs of London and VVeſtminſter, and all their contiguous Buildings; alſo to VVapping, Ratcliffe, Lyme-houſe, Poplar and Blackwall; to Redriffe, Southwark, and ſo to Newington and Lambeth; to Hackney, Iſlington; and all other places within the Weekly Bills of Mortality, be it farther or nearer, to and from any of the aforeſaid Places,
For One Penny. The times for iſſuing out of Letters to any of the aforeſaid Places, to be in the Summer time from Six in the Morning to Nine at Night,and at reaſonable hours agreeable to the Winter Seaſon.
To the moſt remote Places Letters ſhall be ſent at leaſt Five times a day.
To Places of quick Negotiation within the City, and in the Term time for ſervice of the Law Buſineſs, &c. at leaſt Fifteen times a day.
No Letters that come after Nine at Night, to be delivered till next Morning (except ſuch Letters as are for the Poſt-Office General.)
By this means all Perſons, as well Gentlemen, Lawyers, Shop-keepers, and Handicrafts Men, that make and deal in Commodities vended by Patterns and poor Priſoners, and all others, have that diſpatched for a Penny, which uſually coſts Three Pence, Six Pence, or a Shilling. Now to oblige Men to pay more when they can hereby be cheaper ſerved, were to impoſe an illegal Tax upon the Inhabitants without their Conſents.
Beſides many Journeys of Taylors, Weavers, and other poor Artificers, and their Servants, will be ſpared, who now conſume much time abroad in going to and fro, to the impoveriſhing of their Families, becauſe they cannot extravagantly pay a Porter for a Meſſage, or Carrying a Letter. But now their time will be imployed in their Callings at home, to the better Maintenance of their Charges.
And therefore all Gentlemen, Citizens and others, for their own ſakes, are obliged to encourage this Vndertaking, and diſcourage all thoſe who only for their private Intereſt, endeavour to interrupt the progreſs of it, to deprive them of ſo great a benefit.
For notwithſtanding the Objection that ſeems to ſway with the Vulgar, on the behalf of the Porters, whoſe Clamours and Riotous Proceedings is a great Scandal to their Society. There needs not much be ſaid in Anſwer.
But for Satisfaction to the well meaning among them, and all others, We Answer:
1. That moſt of the Imployment in this Vndertaking, had never been without it, by reaſon of the great Charge of Portridge,Meſſages being uſually diſpatch'd by the Maſters themſelves,their Apprentices or Servants, to the great loſs of their time.
2. More Buſineſs increaſing will occaſion much more Burthens (being their proper Imployments) to be carried, then their Loſs by Letters can amount to.
3. They have no Authority to Monopolize the Delivery of Letters to themſelves, it being by Law free for any Man.
4. Divers of the Ticket-Porters, and many poor Freemen, are imployed in this Vndertaking, who have been good Citizens, and deſerve more Encouragement tham moſt of thoſe that pretend to ſuffer by it.
5. But if no Man muſt be ſuffered whom the Porters apprehend injurious to them, then ſhould the Hackney-Coachmen, Carmen, and Watermen, be put out of their Callings, that the Porters may have the more Buſineſs; and every Shop-keeper for fear of diſpleaſing their Servants (the Porters) muſt ſpend more, and gain leſs, than they might to humour them;for what is by any Man ſaved by this Expedient, muſt infallibly again be ſpent amonſt the Tradeſmen.
Nor can it be eſteemed a wrong to any, none being compelled, prohibited, or reſtrained hereby, it being left free to all Persons either to imbrace the benefit of this Vndertaking, or to Imploy Porters at their Pleaſure; ſo that in good earneſt the Porters Quarrel is againſt the whole Body of the Inhabitants in theſe Cities.
For if they Imploy Porters and not make uſe of this Contrivance, then is there no ground of Complaint; but if they find a Benefit in Conveying their Letters, &c. this way, and do not ſend the Porters, then is their Quarrel really againſt the Inhabitants, and not the Vndertakers, who will have more cauſe to lament (if it miſcarries) than the Porters.
But if it were granted prejudicial to the Porters (which is not allowed) yet the Leſſer ought to yield to the Greater, and the Private to the Publick, ſeeing in all well-regulated Governments Publick Good was never forced to ſtoop to Private Conveniency; for if ſo, Printing and Guns muſt have been Suppreſſed for Writing-Clerks and Fletchers, Navigable Rivers for Carriers, Publick Water-Works for the ſake of Tankard-Bearers, and the Jack-Smiths of London put down to ſet up a new Generation of Turn-ſpitts; yet though theſe and other Laudable Inventions may damnify ſome ſorts of Callings, they ſeldom hurt the Perſons for we have hitherto ſeen they have found new ways of Living, for indeed they ſerve to heighten Induſtry, which is a great and Publick Good alſo. The ſame Objection (or greater) lies againſt the Poſt-Office General, and eſpecially againſt the Pettit Officers Imployed up and dowwn the Town to Carry their Letters, they not being Porters nor ſome of them Freemen of London; ſo that whatſoever is ſaid againſt this Vndertaking reflects upon that Publick Office.
Some of the Conveniences of this Undertaking are as follows: All Countrey Gentlemen,Traders,&c. can hereby give notice to Friends of their Arrival to Town.
Lawyers and Clyents correſpond about occceſſary Occurences in Law.
Much time ſaved in Solicitation for Moneys.
Eaſy notice given of all meetings between men of Buſineſs at a remote diſtance.
Parents may Converſe with their abſent Children at Boarding-Schooles &c.
Children with their Parents to the Improvement of their Hands, Stile, and Learning.
Mathematick, Muſick, Singing, Dancing-Maſters and Teachers of Languages, to give notice of all diſappointments to their Schollers.
The ſick Patients frequently to Correſpond with their Doctors and Apothecaries.
And many more profitable and pleaſant uſes may be made of this cheap way of Correſponddence, too many to ennumerate.
Therefore we ſhall leave all the Ingenious to find out wherein our Invention may be ſerviceable to them, and refer all people to be convinced by Time and Experience,
The True Touch-ſtone of all Deſigns.
