The Officina della Posta and its functionaries

Abstract

Attempts have been made in recent years to write the postal history of Malta. The results achieved so far may be termed substantial, especially when one considers the dearth of published material on the subject. Much, however, remains to be done and the study of the organisation of the Post Office is a case in point. With the advent of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in 1530, correspondence between Malta and other countries, whether official or otherwise, increased in volume and importance with every decade that passed (1). By 1587, the carriage of letters in the various countries of origin and destination was costing the Order about 2500 scudi per annum (2). A century later, the cost had reached 12,117.10.8 scudi on a total yearly expenditure of 482,636.5.1, that is 2.5% of what the Order was spending a year (3). [excerpt]