When Oliver Cromwell's decision to place the Post Office under the control of Parliament was ratified by Charles II in 1660, the main business of the Post Office was communication—transmission of the written word by letter. Since these days the Post Office has become responsible for many other services, either on its own account, or as an agent for other Government Departments; communication, however, is still its main business, although many new forms of it have been added during the last hundred years.