foot postn.¹

1578 T. Nicholas tr. F. Lopez de Gómara Pleasant Hist. Conquest W. India 356 Cortez hauing newes of their arriual by foote postes [Sp. postas] with two dayes.

1600 J. Pory tr. J. Leo Africanus Geogr. Hist. Afr. viii. 321 [They] were the Soldans foote-postes that carried letters from Cairo into Syria, and trauelled on foote threescore miles a day.

1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 111 The Pattamars, the only Foot-posts of this Country, who Run so many Courses every Morning.

1711 London Gaz. 26 June 1/1 Any Offender..that shall presume to..employ any Foot-Post, Horse-Post, or Packet-Boat.

1841 M. Elphinstone Hist. India II. viii. iii. 243 Foot posts, to a certain extent, must be coeval with village establishments.

1872 T. Hardy Under Greenwood Tree II. iv. vii. 160 Bearing his letter in his pocket, that he might post it at the town office, and obviate the loss of one day in its transmission that would have resulted had he left it for the foot-post.

1901 Ann. Rep. Postmaster Gen. (U.S. Post Office Dept.) 310/2 There are many short foot posts performed by auxiliary rural postmen.

1965 Amer. Hist. Rev. 70 888 The first four chapters encompass the..foot post, Maori runners, and a sort of pony express on mounted government troopers.

2003 Sc. Hist. Rev. 82 229 By 1708 there was a foot-post between Edinburgh and 34 postal towns.