Instructions sur les droits de messageries

This compact volume gathers the scattered decrees, circulars and ministerial rulings that shaped France’s early public‑transport system after the Revolution. It explains how the 1798 law of 9 Vendémiaire freed the carriage trade from a costly monopoly and handed the collection of messenger duties to the new Registry of Records. Readers will discover the practical tables that show the fixed and proportional fees applied to every type of horse‑drawn vehicle, from two‑seater hansoms to eight‑wheel coaches.

Beyond the fee schedule, the book walks a clerk or a cab‑owner through their specific obligations, clarifying who must pay, when, and how the revenue is supposed to flow back to the state. The authors also outline the duties of the various officials who enforce the system, offering short, precise explanations meant to cut through the bureaucratic jargon of the era. For anyone curious about the origins of modern transport regulation, these instructions provide a clear snapshot of early French fiscal policy and its impact on everyday travel.