Public Offices document.
Minutes (2), Other documents (1).
Tilley discusses Seymour’s proposed plan for compulsory prepayment for mail between the United Kingdom and British Columbia and refers to a previous letter from the Post Office, which explained why compulsory prepayment was not ideal for the Post Office. Cox’s minute discusses how to proceed following Tilley’s letter.
Tilley to Rogers (Permanent Under-Secretary)
General Post Office
11 February 1869
Sir,
I have laid before the Postmaster General your letter of the
6th instant, enclosing the copy of a despatch from the Governor
of British Columbia, dated 21st Decr last, on the subject of
the new postal arrangements between this country and British Columbia.
Mr Seymour refers to a communication lately made by this
Department to the Colonial Postmaster General, in which it is
stated that letters posted in England, whether paid or unpaid,
will be forwarded to British Columbia, and a suggestion is made
that the samecourse course should be followed in the Colony with
respect to letters for this Country; and he points out that the
system of compulsory prepayment, proposed in the Duke of
Montrose's letter to the Treasury of the 12th August 1867,
would be much more convenient to the Colony.
I am desired by the Marquis of Hartington to request that you
will inform Earl Granville that when the Governor's despatch of
the 21st Ultimo was written, he had evidently not received a
copy of the letter which I wrote to you on this subject on the
11th November last, explaining the reason why it would not be
expedient to make the prepaymentcompulsory compulsory upon letters between
this country and British Columbia.
On receipt of that letter the Governor will no doubt concur in
the arrangements proposed by this Office.