[32] _Journal of the Legislative Council_, I., pp. 136, 137, 138, 143.
[33] _Journal Legislative Council_, I., 186, 187, 189.
[34] _Journal of the Assembly_, pp. 154, 226, 227, 234.
[35] _Journal of the Assembly_, pp. 198, 200, 203.
Concerning the passage of this act Lord Cornbury wrote to the Lords of Trade that it was absolutely necessary; otherwise the post to Boston and Philadelphia would be lost.[36]
[36] _Colonial Documents of N. Y._, IV., pp. 1167-68.
At the meeting[37] of the first session of the eleventh Assembly at Fort Anne, August 20, 1708, Governor Cornbury in his opening speech said:[38] "I can't omit putting you in mind that Act for encouraging a Post Office is expired; that it is of so general Advantage that I hope you will revive it." The next month (September 3, 7, 10, 13, and 18, 1708) the act was considered and passed. At a meeting of the council in New York,[39] June 21, 1709, one of the members was ordered to go to the assembly and "desire them to provide for and settle a Post from Albany to Westfield for holding a Correspondence Between Boston and Albany for the service of the present Expedition the Province of Massachusetts Bay having already settled a Post from Boston to Westfield;" but action was not taken before 1715.
[37] _Journal of the Council_, I., p. 247.
[38] _Journal of the Assembly_, 219, 223, 224.
[39] _Journal of the Legislative Council_, I., p. 285.
The letters of this period throw light upon the condition of the post with regard to regularity and frequency.
The Earl of Bellomont writing from New York[40] to Secretary Popple in London, May 25, 1698, says: "The sure way of conveying letters to me is by way of Boston, whence the post comes every week to this place;" and Lord Cornbury writes to the Lords of Trade,[41] December 12, 1702: "But I entreat your Lords{ pps} to consider that but few ships goe directly from this port to England, So that I must depend upon the Boston and Philadelphia posts for conveying my letters to such ships as may be going to England; and sometimes both these Conveyances faile;" and again in a letter to the Lords of Trade, June 30, 1704:[42] "I beg your Lords{ pps} to consider likewise the difficulty I lye under, with respect to opportunity's of writing into England, which is thus--The post that goes through this place goes Eastward as far as Boston, but Westward he goes no further than Philadelphia and there is no other post upon all this Continent, so that I have any letters to send to Virginia or to Maryland I must either send an Express who is often retarded for want of boats to cross those great rivers they must go over or else for want of horses, or else I must send them by some passengers who are going thither. The least I have known any Express take to go from hence to Virginia, has been three weeks, so that very often, before I can hear from Coll: Nicholson what time the fleet will sail and send my packets, the fleet is sailed. I hope we shall find a way to remedy that shortly, for Coll: Nicholson and Coll: Seymour have wrote me word that they will be here in September, and I do then intend to propose to them the settling of a Post, to go through to Virginia.... I must further acquaint Your Lords{ pps} that our letters do not come safe by the way of Boston, I have had several letters by that way which have been broken open."