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Post Office (Ireland) Act 1819
(59 Geo 3 c.108, 12th July 1819)

An Act to amend several Acts relating to the Post Office and Conveyance of Letters in Ireland.
[12th July 1819.]

WHEREAS by an Act passed in the Parliament of Ireland, in the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Years of His present Majesty's Reign, for establishing a Post Office there, it is enacted, that so often as any Deputy or Deputies, or other Person or Persons to be employed in receiving or collecting the Postage of Letters or Packets, or any of the Revenues of the Post Office, shall happen to be in arrear to His Majesty, His Heirs or Successors, in an Sum or Sums of Money not exceeding the Sum of Ten Pounds, it shall be lawful for His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, to sue for and recover such Arrears m a summary Way, by Process or Civil Bill, in Manner by the said Act directed: And whereas it will be advantageous to the said Revenue that such Mode of Recovery of Arrears should be extended to Sums not exceeding the Sum of fifty Pounds Irish Currency; 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 from and after the passing of this Act, so often as any Deputy or Letter Carrier, or other Person or Persons employed or to be employed in receiving or collecting the Postage of Letters or Packets, or any of the Revenues of the Post Office in Ireland, shall happen to be in arrear to His Majesty, His Heirs or Successors, in any Sum or Sums of Money not exceeding the Sum of Fifty Pounds Irish Currency, it shall and may be lawful to and for His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, to sue for and recover from such Deputy or Letter Carrier, or other Person or Persons, or from his, her, or their respective Surety or Sureties, in a summary Way, by Process or Civil Bill, before the Chairman or Assistant Barrister of any County, County of a City, or County of a Town; or before the Recorder of the City of Dublin, or Chairman of the Quarter Session in the County of Dublin, every such Sum and Sums of Money, not exceeding Fifty Pounds Irish Currency in the whole, together with the usual Costs upon serving such Deputy, Letter Carrier, or other Person or Persons, or his, her, or their Surety or Sureties, or any of them, with Process or Civil Bill, Eight clear Days at least before the First Day of any Quarter Sessions to be held for the Count , County of a City, or County of a Town, in which such Deputy, Letter Carrier, or other Person or Persons, or his, her, or their, Surety or Sureties, or any of them, shall reside at the Time of the Service of such Process or Civil Bill; and that if any such Deputy or Letter Carrier, or other Person or Persons, or his, her, or their Surety or Sureties, or any of them, shall appeal from any Decree to be made against him, her, or them, or any of them, and such Decree shall on the Hearing of such Appeal be affirmed, all and every Persons and Person against whom such Decree shall be affirmed, shall pay to His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, Double the Costs of such original Decree; and every such Affirmance of such Decree shall be binding and conclusive on all the Parties therein, in all Courts of Law and Equity, and shall not be questioned or set aside.

II. And whereas it will increase the Revenue of the said Post Office and accommodate the Public, if Charitable Institutions or Societies shall be permitted to send printed Notices and printed Letters, relating solely to the Business of such Institutions or Societies, by Post unsealed at reduced Rates of Postage; be it therefore enacted, That all Rates and Duties for the Portage and Conveyance of such printed Notices and printed Letters, sent by-the post-in Ireland, payable under any Act or Acts in force in Ireland, immediately before the passing of this Act, shall from and after the passing of this Act cease and determine; and that from and after the passing of this Act it shall and may be lawful to and for the Postmaster General of Ireland for the Time being, and his or their Deputy or Deputies, Servants and Agents, to and for the Use of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, to demand, have, receive, and take, for the Portage and Conveyance of all Notices or Letters, which shall be printed on a single Sheet of Paper, and shall relate solely to the Affairs or Business of any Charitable Institution or Society in Ireland, and which shall be delivered into any Post Office 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, or from the several Post Towns in Ireland to the General Post Office in Dublin, or by the Penny Post in the City of Dublin, or any other City or Town in Ireland, according to the Rates following; (that is to say), for the Port and Conveyance of Twelve, or any lesser Number of such Notices or Letters, the Sum of One Penny; for every additional complete Number of Twelve of such Notices or Letters, the further Sum of One Penny ; and for any Number of Letters less than Twelve, exceeding One or more complete Set or Sets, or Number or Numbers of Twelve, the further Sum of One Penny; which Sum or Postage shall be paid at the Post Office where such Notices or Letters shall be deposited for Conveyance, and previous to the same being dispatched by the Post.

III. And whereas Arrangements are making for the Portage and Conveyance of Mails and Bags of Letters by Coaches in Ireland with increased Expedition, and it may happen that by Change of Horses in the same Division of Road, an additional Toll may be charged and chargeable on such Coaches, to the Diminution of the Revenue of Postage in Ireland; be it therefore enacted, That from and after the passing of this Act, no Mail Coach, Mail Diligence, or Mail Cart, conveying or employed to carry any Mail or Bag of Letters in Ireland, shall be charged or chargeable with any Toll more than once in the same Division of Road in the same Day, calculating from Twelve o'Clock at Night till Twelve o'Clock the Succeeding Night; and that no Change of Horses shall subject any such Coach, Diligence, or Cart to any additional Toll at any Turnpike Gate whatsoever ; any Act or Acts to the contrary notwithstanding.

IV. And be it declared and enacted, That the Postmaster or Postmasters General of Ireland, shall cause an Account to be kept from Time to Time of all Tolls payable on Four-wheeled Carriages, conveying or employed to carry any Mail or Bag of Letters in Ireland, at the several and respective Turnpike Gates or Bars erected upon or at the Ends of any Bridges in Ireland through which such Carriages shall pass, and shall from Time to Time cause the Amount of such Tolls to be paid to the Treasurers of the said Bridges or Turnpike Gates or Bars, or other Persons to whom such Tolls are respectively payable, by Four Quarterly Payments, in like Manner to all Intents and Purposes as the said Postmaster or Postmasters General are required to do under the Directions of' an Act made in the Forty-third Year of His present Majesty's Reign, intituled, An Act for granting to His Majesty certain Rates and Duties upon Letters and Packets sent by the Post within Ireland, with respect to such Tolls payable at the several and respective Turnpike Gates in Ireland; and that the said Postmaster and Postmasters General of Ireland shall, within Three Calendar Months next after the passing of this Act, pay all Arrears of any such Tolls at any such Bridges as may be due at the Time of the passing of this Act; any Usage or Custom to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding.

V. And whereas Letters and Packets directed to or from Places in Ireland from or to any Part or Parts in Great Britain, or beyond the Seas, are now sent to and shipped from the Harbours or Packet Stations of Howth near Dublin, and Dunmore near Waterford; and Doubts have arisen whether any Rate of Postage is payable on such Letters between Dublin and Howth, and between Waterford and Dunmore; be it therefore enacted, That from and after the passing of this Act, no Letters or Packets directed from any Place in Ireland to any Part or Parts of Great Britain, or beyond the Seas, or received in Ireland from Great Britain, or any Part or Parts beyond the Seas, shall be subject or liable to be charged with or pay any Rate for their Portage and Conveyance to Dublin from Howth, or from Dublin to Howth, nor to Waterford from Dunmore, or from Waterford to Dunmore; any Construction or Usage to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding.

VI. And be it further enacted, That from and after the passing of this Act, it shall and may be lawful to and for the Postmaster General of Ireland for the Time being, by and with the Consent and Approbation of the Lord Lieutenant or other Chief Governor or Governors of Ireland for the Time being, to enlarge and extend the Limits of the Penny Post in the City of Dublin, and to appoint Offices to be called Receiving Houses for Penny Post Letters in the said City, or County of the said City, and in any Parts adjacent to the said City and Suburbs, within the Distance of Six Miles from the General Post Office in the said City, and to demand, have, receive, and take for the Portage and Conveyance of all Letters and Packets conveyed by such Penny Post, according to such Rates as are or may be payable by Law for Letters conveyed by the said Penny Post not more than Four Miles from the said Post Office, under or by virtue of any Act or Acts in force at the Time of the passing of this Act; and all the Provisions of all such Acts shall extend and be construed to extend to the said Distance of Six Miles, in like Manner as the same under any of the said Acts extend to the Distance of Four Miles, and as if the said Distance of Six Miles were mentioned in the said Acts and every of them, instead of the said Distance of Four Miles.