LAKE & RIVER MAIL

On 30 October 1762 the Postmaster General introduced the service of a “Courier Boat” [barca corriera] on the Lake of Como managed by Franco Casnati who had signed an automatically renewable nine-year contract whereby the profits were to be shared in equal amounts with the Milanese Post Office. In later years this arrangement proved very profitable for the entrepreneur and the Milanese Posts unsuccessfully attempted to shorten the duration of the contract and re-negotiate the percentage of the profits share. [From Migliavacca’s Compendium of the History of the Posts in Italy – under copyright]