Chapter IV: Act XVII: of 1837, the earliest enactment establishing a proper

postal system in India, repealed Bombay Regulation XI of 1830 which declared all private dawks within the Bombay Presidency to be illegal. It conferred the exclusive right of carrying post for hire on the Governor-General in Council and fixed the penalty for evasion of this order at Rs.50 for each letter. The Bhangy Post was opened to the public with the condition that letters exceeding 12 tolas must be sent by bhangy wherever such a line existed. The Governor-General in Council was authorized to frame a scale of distances, according to which the rates for inland postage should be calculated and also to fix the rates for steamer and ship postage. Strict regulations were laid down compelling commanders of vessels to deliver all letters on board to the post office at each port of call, also to receive all letters handed over to them by the post office at any port. The commander of the vessel received one anna for each letter delivered or received.

We find the origin of the Dead Letter Office in Sections 25 to 27 of the Act. Unclaimed letters after lying for three months at any post office were to be sent to the General Post Office of the Presidency, and at intervals, not exceeding three months, lists of such unclaimed letters and packets were to be published in the Official Gazette, When letters and packets lay unclaimed for a period of eighteen months at the General Post Office, the Postmaster-General was authorized to open them and pay any valuable property found therein into the Government Treasury for the benefit of the party having a right to it. After a further period of twelve months unclaimed letters were to be destroyed.

The Governor-General in Council had the power to grant to any person the privilege of sending and receiving all letters and packets by letter post free of postage, and of sending and receiving letters and packets by bhangy on the public service free of postage. This privilege was granted to the following persons:--

His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State.
The President and Secretaries of the Board of Control.
The Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Directors of the East India Company.
The Secretary, Deputy Secretary and Assistant Secretary at the East
India House.
The Governor-General.
The Governors of Bengal, Madras and Bombay.
The Governor of Ceylon.
The Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Provinces.
The Chief Justices of Bengal, Madras and Bombay.
The Bishops of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.
The Members of the Supreme Council.
The Members of Council of Madras and Bombay.
The Puisne Judges of the Supreme Courts of Bengal, Madras and Bombay.
The Recorder of Prince of Wales' Island, Singapore and Malacca.
The Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty's Naval Forces.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Army in India.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Army at Madras and Bombay.

Postage was charged for letters according to the following schedules:--

_Distance_ _Postage for a letter not_
_in miles._ _exceeding 1 tola._

20 1 anna.
50 2 annas.
100 3 "
150 4 "
200 5 "
250 6 "
300 7 "
400 8 "
500 9 "
600 10 "
700 11 "
800 12 "
900 13 "
1000 14 "
1200 15 "
1400 1 rupee.

Single postage to be added for each additional tola or part thereof.

Special rates for distance were also fixed for:

(1) Law papers, Accounts and Vouchers attested as such, with the full
signature of the sender.

(2) Newspapers, Pamphlets and other printed or engrossed papers,
packed in short covers open at each end, imported matter being charged
at a cheaper rate than matter printed in India.

Parcels were limited to 600 tolas (15 lbs.) in weight, and the rate was 6 annas for 50 tolas (20 oz.) for 50 miles, then 3 annas for every additional 50 tolas or part thereof for every 50 miles up to 300 miles, after which 3 annas was charged for each 50 tolas for every additional 100 miles up to 1000 miles. For 1200 miles the rate was Rs.2 as.13 for every 50 tolas, and for 1400 miles and upwards Rs.3.

By Act XX of 1838 the weight of letters and packets which could be carried by a road on which there was no bhangy post was raised from 12 to 30 tolas, and the postmaster was allowed to use his discretion in forwarding packets exceeding 30 tolas. It was also enacted that "all fines incurred under Post Office Acts shall be demanded by notice from Postmasters-General or from any Postmaster, and if not paid shall be levied together with costs on goods and chattels. If no goods are forthcoming the offender may be committed to prison for twenty-two calendar months unless the fines, etc., are sooner paid." Postmasters were authorized to detain any letter in respect of which any party was liable to a fine.