d Foreign Letter Offices. The question was
put to the House of Commons that the whole business be "recommitted to
the Council of State to take into consideration and present their
opinions to the Parliament how the same may be managed for the best
service of the State and ease of the people." The addition of the words
"by contract or otherwise" was suggested, and accepted by the House.[33]
The question was considered by a Committee, who, having found much
difficulty in dealing with the numerous claims in respect of the Foreign
and Inland Letter Offices, decided on the 7th November 1651, probably as
a way out of the difficulty, to recommend that the offices should be let
to farm. The matter was not hurriedly disposed of. On the 7th May
1653,[34] resolutions were passed by the House of Commons asserting the
State monopoly of the carriage of letters, and directing the Committee
appointed to consider the posts to fix rates for private letters, to
obtain tenders from persons for farming the carrying of letters, and to
recommend what annual sum in their opinion the State should require in
case it were thought well to let the posts to farm.

On the 30th June 1653 the Inland and Foreign Letter Offices were let to
John Manley at a rent of [L]10,000 a year,[35] and thus was instituted the
system of farming, which continued until 1677 as regards the main posts,
and until the late eighteenth century as regards the bye posts. The rent
continuously increased. Shortly after the Restoration it was raised to
[L]21,500 a year, and in 1667 to [L]43,000 a year.

The rate for a single letter, which had been raised by Prideaux to 6d.,
was in 1655 or 1656 reduced to 3d., owing to the efforts and competition
of Clement Oxenbridge and others, who established and maintained rival
services for the carriage of letters. These "interlopers" received scant
consideration from Prideaux, and the services which they had established
were suppressed.[36] In 1657 an Ordinance of the Commonwealth Parliament
further reduced the rate to 2d. for a single letter sent for distances
under 80 miles, and 3d. for distances over 80 miles. The rates were not,
however, as low as would appear at first sight. There is the difference
in the value of money to be allowed for; and there is the further
consideration that postage was not charged according to the direct
distance. All the post roads converged on London, and there were no
cross posts. All letters from towns on one