Recommended way of preventing bank notes from being stolen

In order to prevent the future Robbing of the Mails for the sake of Bank of England Notes; it is by the Post-Master General, upon due Consideration had with the Governor and Directors of the Bank, thought proper to publish this Advertisement.

To recommend it to all Persons who shall hereafter have occasion to send any Bank Notes in their Letters, to write upon the Back side of every Note the Name of the Post-Town where they put in their Letters, with the Day of the Month at Length, and not in Figures, when they are put in; and also the Addition of these Words, viz. Per Post to _____ naming the Town to which they are sent.

As for Example; If from London to Chester, the Endorsement will be as follows, viz.

London, March the third, 1724. Per Post to Chester;

And from Chester to London,

Chester, March the third, 1724. Per Post to London.

So from Chester to any Town in the Neighbouring Counties, or to any Town in a remote County, when the Letter is to pass through London; as from Chester to Norwich, the Endorsement will be,

Chester, March the third, 1724. Per Post to Norwich.

So from any Town in England, to North-Britain or Ireland; and in the like manner from any Town in North-Britain, or Ireland, to any Town in England.

It is desired, That the first Endorsement upon any Note, be wrote at the uppermost part of the Note, that there may be sufficient Room for other subsequent Endorsements; for it is meant that the same Note may be sent several Times, as occasion shall require, without any Necessity of being brought to the Bank to be paid off, or exchanged for another Note.

And also that Care be taken that no one Endorsement be ever blotted out or defaced, though out of Date, by a subsequent Endorsement: If this Method be punctually follow'd by all Persons, it is not doubted but that it will have the desired Effect, and the Correspondence of the Kingdom be secure and undisturbed.

The same Method of Endorsements may be used by all Persons who have occasion to send Bankers, or other Notes in their Letters.

And for a further Cure of this Mischief of Robbing the Mails, repeated and strict Orders will be given to all Deputy Post-Masters in the Country, That upon no Account whatever, they at any time knowingly take in Letters, that have any Money or Things of Value in them, other than Paper.

Lastly, It is desired, that a Memorandum may be kept of every Note that is sent, that immediately upon Advice of a Robbery (which shall constantly be sent by Express throughout the Road where it happens, with a List of the Bags of the several Towns that are taken away) the Persons who have sent any Notes in those Bags may immediately send a Particular of them to the General Post Office in London, that by Publick Advertisement every Body, even the most unwary Persons, may be warned against the taking of them. And in the mean time, after any Robbery, a List shall be sent to the Bank with the Names of the Towns whose Bags of Letters are stolen, to prevent any possible Payment of the Notes which have been stolen, without a Discovery of the Thieves, or their Accomplices.

ED. CARTERET.
G. WALPOLE.