i. 242, 244, 255, 535;

postal revenue. See Post Office.

Ricardo, Mr. J. L., vol. ii. 83

Ricardo, Mr. Moses, vol. ii. 337

Rice, Mr. Spring (Lord Monteagle), vol. i. 218, 220, 267, 278, 289, 348, 365, 460, vol. ii. 188, 469; R. H.'s interview with, vol. i. 263, 265; includes Penny Postage in the budget, 348, 351, 355; described by Miss Martineau, 361

Richmond, Duke of, vol. i. 288

Rintoul, Mr., vol. i. 278

Robbery, Attempted, of a letter-carrier, vol. ii. 79; of a Western mail, 189. See also Letters.

Robinson, Mr. H. C., vol. i. 36

Robinson Crusoe, vol. i. 10, 51

Rochefoucauld, La, vol. i. 192

Roebuck, Mr. J. A., early friendship with R. H., vol. i. 214; on the Sunday question, vol. ii. 129; official franking, 351

Roman road, vol. i. 98

Romilly, Sir Samuel, his sole inheritance, vol. i. 2; effect of the French Revolution, 21; reform of the criminal law, vol. ii. 35

Romilly, Mr. Edward, vol. ii. 224

Rousseau, J. J., vol. i. 124

Roy, General, vol. i. 94

Royal Observatory, vol. i. 95

Royal Society, vol. ii. 359, 420

Rugby School, vol. i. 100, 115

Ruling Machine, vol. i. 53

Russell, Lord John (Earl Russell), vol. i. 278, 355, 400, vol. ii. 38, 98, 103, 171, 174; extract from his "Recollections," vol. i. 343; announces adoption of Penny Postage, 345; the Sunday question, vol. ii. 111, 118, 121, 127, 133, 135, 147, 156, 157, 159

Russia, vol. ii. 118; postal reforms, vol. ii. 13, 35, 252; number of letters (1855), 350

S.

Sabden, vol. i. 324

Salaries--demand for increase of, vol. i. 413, 450, vol. ii. 55, 63, 321, 326, 327; statistics for arriving at, vol. i. 414, 433, vol. ii. 65; scale of, vol. ii. 89, 245, 296; commission for revision of, vol. ii. 89, 184, 221, 246-249; salaries of higher officers, 333; of Postmaster-General and Secretary, 345; of officers generally, 345

Sargant, Mr. W. L., his account of Mr. T. W. Hill, vol. i. 15, 16; of Hazelwood School, 93, 123

Säve, Professor, vol. i. 173

Savings Banks, vol. ii. 331, 364-367, 383

Scholefield, Mr., vol. i. 339

School, opened at Hill Top, vol. i. 47; Hazelwood, built, 128; opened, 129; on fire, 151; "a sucker from it," 180; Bruce Castle opened, 181; Hazelwood, given up, 202; moral tone, 15; teaching, 15-18, 63, 65-67, 91-94, 127, 212; theatre, 77; surveying, 85, 94; system of government 87, 100-128; punctuality, 89, 120; "exhibitions," 91, 113, 127, 170; benevolent society, 109; band of music, 112, 122; "a little world," 113; magazine, 116, 171; "school fund," 119; described by Mr. Sargant, 15, 16, 93, 123; by Captain Basil Hall, 122; becomes famous, 130, 170-174, 178; its fame excessive, 174; number of pupils, 178

School Boards, vol. ii. 417

Schuster, Mr., vol. ii. 285

Scotland, charge on letters to, vol. i. 238, 249, 297, 381; Sunday labour, vol. ii. 109, 112, 148, 157; mails, 232-234, 273, 338; life insurances, 307; early history of Post Office, 352

Screw steamboat, vol. i. 84

Scudamore, Mr., vol. ii. 312, 333

Severn, the, vol. i. 131

Seymour, Lord (Duke of Somerset), vol. i. 268, 287, 327-330, vol. ii. 185

Shakespeare corrected, vol. i. 91

Shaw-Lefevre, Sir J., letter to R. H., vol. i. 209; South-Australian commissioner, 220; his account of Mr. Goulburn, 443

Shoemakers' Society, vol. i. 308

Short-hand, vol. i. 13

Shrewsbury, vol. i. 4, 131, 132, 140, 141

Sibthorpe, Colonel, vol. i. 352, 467, vol. ii. 98

Sikes, Mr. C. W., the originator of Post Office Savings Banks, vol. ii. 331, 364, 366; his disinterestedness, Mr. Gladstone's letter to him, 332

Small-pox, vol. i. 305

Smith, Adam, vol. i. 23, 198

Smith, Mr. Egerton, vol. i. 442

Smith, Mr. John, vol. i. 180

Smith, Mr. Robert, vol. i. 272, 385, vol. ii. 139, 258

Smith, Dr. Southwood, vol. i. 214, vol. ii. 76

Smith, Rev. Sydney, ridiculed Penny Postage, vol. i. 361; letter to R. H., vol. ii. 14

Smyth, Admiral, vol. i. 498

Social Community, scheme for a, vol. i. 207, 210

Society, Mutual Improvement, vol. i. 68, 72; literary improvement, 69; philosophical, 80; one founded by Sir J. Shaw-Lefevre and R. H., 209, 226

Society of Arts, vol. ii. 336, 400

Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, vol. i. 201, 219

Soldiers' letters and remittances, vol. ii. 253, 310, 316

South-Australian Association and Commission, vol. i 216, 219-224; vol. ii. 426; mail service, 289

Southey, Robert, hatred of Bonapartism, vol. i. 19; description of the Charter House, 101; Pantisocracy, 213

Spain, Postal reform in, vol. ii. 13, 35, 252; treaty with, 318

Spearman, Sir Alexander, vol. i. 228, vol. ii. 279, 333

_Spectator_, The, vol. i. 278

Spencer, Earl, advice on publication of correspondence with Treasury, vol. i. 474, 477

St. Germans, Earl of, vol. ii. 99

St. Priest, M., vol. ii. 93

Stamps--Newspaper stamps impressed at the Stamp Office, vol. i. 226; first suggested by Mr. Knight, 265; for letters proposed by R. H., 265, 270, 345; adhesive, 271, 346; stamped covers, 271, 383, 393; objection to use of stamps, 314, 316, 378, 382, 396, vol. ii. 86; devised in France, vol. i. 377; machinery for manufacture of, 392, 406-409; prepayment by stamps begins May 6th, 1840, 396; supply insufficient, 397; forgery and frauds, 399-401; obliteration, 399-404; number issued, 407; electrotype imitations, 426; introduced into Spain and Russia, vol. ii. 13

Stamps, general distribution of, by Post Office, vol. i. 429

Stamping, illegibility, vol. ii. 330; Mr. Pearson Hill's machine, 331

_Standard_, The, vol. ii. 120

Stanley of Alderley, Lord, vol. ii. 281; R. H. has not his confidence, 361, 362, 376, 378, 412; disapproves of contract system, 364; not deficient in courage, 368, 371; establishes pattern post, 368; letter to R. H. on his resignation, 384; R. H.'s answer, 385; letter to Treasury, 385; speech in House of Lords, 386

"State and Prospects of Penny Postage," vol. ii. 1, 13

"States," letters for Government, &c., vol. ii. 107

Stationers, deputation of, vol. i. 348

Statistics, Postal, vol. i. 414, 434, vol. ii. 55, 65

Steamboat, plan for working one by a screw, vol. i. 84; by the hydrogen of sea water, 210; R. H.'s first sight of, 135; run only in the summer, 160, 168

Stephen, Sir James, vol. i. 443, 481; R. H.'s opinion of, 482

Stephenson, George, vol. i. 242, vol. ii. 250

Stephenson, Robert, controversy with, vol. ii. 341

Sterling, life of, vol. i. xii., vol. ii. 411

Stonehenge, vol. i. 131, 146

Stourbridge, vol. i. 57, 133

Street nomenclature, vol. ii. 311

Sunday observance agitation, vol. ii. 107-161, 305, 446-456

Surveying, Land, vol. i. 85

Survey, Trigonometrical, vol. i. 94, 175, 221

Survey of mail-packets, Admiralty, vol. ii. 370

Surveyors, Meeting of Post Office, vol. ii. 140; reports from, 267

Sweden slow to adopt postal reform, vol. ii. 252

Swinford, vol. i. 413

Switzerland, vol. ii. 252, 406

Symonds family, the, vol. i. 1, 4, 141

Symonds, Mr. Arthur, vol. i. 210, 281

T.

Talma, vol. i. 144

Taxation, reduction of. See Revenue.

Telegraph brought to the Post Office, vol. ii. 83; Government purchase, 251, 418; pneumatic tube service, 340; female labour, 403

Testimonials to R. H. from Wolverhampton, vol. i. 363; Glasgow and Cupar-Fife, 442; Liverpool, 442, vol. ii. 400; Longton, 400; national, 27

Thayer, M., vol. ii. 94

Theatre, School, vol. i. 75, 77, 91

Theodolite, improved use of, vol. i. 95

Thiers, M., vol. i. 410

Thomas á Becket, vol. i. 136

Thompson, General, vol. i. 477, vol. ii. 139

Thornley, Mr., vol. i. 287, 327, vol. ii. 185, 198

Thornton, demanded wager of battle, vol. i. 86

Thrale, Mrs., vol. i. 54, 106

Tilley, Mr. (Sir John), vol. ii. 119, 122, 125, 134, 139, 181, 185, 193, 203, 331, 374, 453; his duties as assistant-secretary, 264; mentioned in Sir C. E. Trevelyan's letter, 301; interested in life assurance of officials, 304; gave R. H. earnest support up to 1860, 360; managed Savings Bank Department, 364

Timm, Mr., vol. i. 401

_Times_, The, vol. ii. 76; strong support to Penny Postage, vol. i. 331, 334, 340; Sunday agitation, vol. ii. 116, 117, 120, 132, 151; colonial postage, 242; competitive examinations, 249; attack on R. H., 344; reduction of postage on newspapers, 345-347; R. H.'s resignation, 389

Torrens, Colonel, chairman of South Australian Commission, vol. i. 220, 224; an intimate friend of R. H., vol. ii. 426; a gallant soldier, 427

Trafalgar, vol. i. 39

Travelling post office, vol. i. 205, 241, vol. ii. 137, 236

Tremenheere, Mr., vol. ii. 31

Trevelyan, Sir Charles, vol. i. 447; friendliness towards R. H., vol. i. 445, 457, vol. ii. 30; one of the Treasury Commission on salaries, vol. ii. 221, 301; letters from, 224, 301

Tripolitan Ambassador, vol. i. 172

Trollope, Mr. Anthony, vol. ii. 288

Truro, First Lord. See Sir T. Wilde.

Truro, Second Lord, vol. ii. 386

Tubular conveyance, vol. ii. 337-340, 402, 489

Tunis, Bey of, vol. ii. 350

Turner, J. M. W., vol. i. 135

U.

United States, Contraband letters to, vol. i. 303; postal reform in, 336, vol. ii. 27, 35, 93, 187, 319; negotiations with, 92, 244, 318; mail-packet charges, 310; unjustly blames England, 319

Uriconium, vol. i. 141

Uxbridge, vol. i. 282

V.

Vallance, Mr., vol. ii. 337

Valayer, M. de, vol. i. 377

Vaughan, Rev. Dr., vol. ii. 139, 144

Vernier pendulum, vol. i. 201, 517

Vickers, James, vol. ii. 312

Villiers, Mr. C. P., describes R. H.'s "great disinterestedness," vol. i. 263; a supporter of Penny Postage, 263, 467, vol. ii. 166; a member of the committee of 1838, vol. i. 287; present at the funeral, vol. ii. 431

"Violet" mail-packet, wreck of, vol. ii. 349

Voluntary work, vol. i. 116

Volunteer Corps, Post Office, vol. ii. 334

Von der Heydt, Mr., vol. ii. 252

W.

Waghorn, Lieutenant, vol. ii. 59

Wakefield, Mr. E. G., vol. i. 216, 219, 278

Wallace, Mr. Robert, vol. i. 272, 330, 331, 334, 337, 338, 360, 361, 436, 480; an early Postal Reformer, 245, 246, 257-260; national testimonial to, 260, 529, vol. ii. 147; moves for committee, vol. i. 278, 287; chairman of committee, 295; his casting vote carries uniform rate, 328; never claimed authorship of Penny Postage, 332, 344, 446, vol. ii. 493

Walliker, Mr., vol. ii. 178

Walsall, vol. i. 301

Warburton, Mr. Henry, a supporter of Postal Reform, vol. i. 263, 288, 299, 327, 477; writes report of committee of 1838, 333, 337; his house, 333; deputation to Lord Melbourne, 342; "a moral-force man," 358; presides at presentation of testimonial, vol. ii. 32; communicates with the Government about R. H.'s acceptance of office, vol. ii. 37, 43, 45, 56, 164, 166, 170, 198, 200, 206, 460; letters to R. H., vol. i. 343, 344, vol. ii. 38; R. H.'s letter to him, vol. ii. 457

Warwick, vol. i. 42, 150

Water-clock alarum, vol. i. 83

Water-wheel, vol. i. 44

Waterloo, illumination for, vol. i. 135

Watson, Mr., vol. i. 403

Watson, Sir Thomas, vol. ii. 377

Watt, James, vol. i. 23, vol. ii. 433

Wellington, Duke of, vol. ii. 25, 30, 250; letter to Mr. Moffatt, vol. i. 353; R. H.'s letter to, 354; votes for Penny Postage Bill, 359; urges adoption of R. H.'s plan as a whole, vol. i. 359, 362, vol. ii. 9; funeral, 261; maintains that soldiers are not given to letter-writing, 310

West, Benjamin, vol. i. 136

West Indies, packet service, vol. ii. 288; each Government manages its own Postal Service, 317

Westminster Abbey, vol. ii. 430

Weymouth, vol. ii. 87

Wheatley, Mr. Henry B., vol. ii. 29

Wheatstone, Professor, vol. i. 210

Whitmore, Mr., vol. i. 220

Wight, Isle of, vol. i. 145, 146, 168

Wilberforce, Mr., vol. i. 4, 172

Wilberforce, Bishop, vol. ii. 149

Wilde, Sir Thomas (Lord Truro), vol. i. 467; undertakes R. H.'s case before Parliament, 469, 480, 482, 483; moves for Select Committee, 487; congratulates R. H., vol. ii. 225

Wilkes, John, vol. i. 40

William the Third, vol. ii. 261

Williams, Mr., "a tradesman and a scholar," vol. i. 52

Williams, Mr. (door-keeper to the House of Commons), vol. i. 352

Wilson, Mr., vol. ii. 213, 280, 293

Wolseley, Sir Charles, vol. i. 149

Wolverhampton, vol. i. 34-8, 42, 46, 140, 282; testimonial from, 363

Wood, Sir Charles (Viscount Halifax), vol. ii. 37, 43, 57, 73, 75, 87, 113, 114, 118, 121, 142, 155, 156, 157, 173, 175, 176, 184, 213, 214, 215; question of R. H.'s promotion, 72, 97, 165, 166, 168, 194, 196, 197, 200; unreasonable demands, 100, 103, 104, 132

Wood, Mr. John, vol. i. 315, vol. ii. 214

Wrottesley, Lord, vol. ii. 244

Y.

Yatton, vol. i. 307

Yorke, Hon. and Rev. Grantham, vol. ii. 128

Yorkshire Penny Bank, vol. ii. 365

Young, Mr. Thomas, vol. ii. 96

FOOTNOTES:

[1] London: Charles Knight and Co., Ludgate Street, 1844.

[2] "State and Prospects," p. 3.

[3] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," question 24.

[4] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," question 25.

[5] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," question 72.

[6] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," question 72, p. 21.

[7] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," questions 78-82.

[8] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," question 85, p. 44.

[9] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," questions 84 and 85.

[10] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," question 1664.

[11] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," question 318.

[12] Question 1132.

[13] Question 1174.

[14] Question 1163.

[15] Question 1176.

[16] Question 1178.

[17] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," questions 407-421, 581-594.

[18] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," questions 563-570.

[19] I have since learnt that Mr. Allen had been in the Post Office.

[20] The plan was originally devised by a Mr. Murray, who, however, transferred it to Mr. Dockwra.

[21] "State and Prospects of Penny Postage," pp. 35, 36.

[22] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," questions 1803 and 1804.

[23] Question 2968.

[24] Vide _ante_, pp. 485, 486.

[25] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," questions 423-439.

[26] "Report of the Committee on Postage (1843)," p. 3.

[27] "State and Prospects of Penny Postage," p. 42.

[28] The following anecdote I find recorded by Sir R. Hill, "The Clayton tunnel, the longest one upon the London and Brighton Railway, bore for some time, though quite undeservedly, the reputation of being unsafe. One day when I was travelling through it, a man, addressing me said; 'Sir this tunnel does a power of good.' 'How so?' I asked. 'Why,' he replied, 'there are more prayers said in this tunnel than in all the churches in Brighton put together.'"--ED.

[29] An interesting account of this tract, by Mr. Henry B. Wheatley, will be found in "The Academy" of December 27th, 1879.--ED.

[30] Application of the same rule to the letters of the year 1868 would raise the amount of relief to nearly £17,000,000. [In 1878 the amount would be nearly £23,000,000.--ED.]

[31] "Hansard," Vol. LXXXVIII., p. 957.

[32] "Hansard," Vol. LXXXVIII., p. 959.

[33] Some months before his death Sir R. Hill sent to inform me of a circumstance that had been lately brought back to his memory, but which he had omitted, he said, to mention in the History of Penny Postage. At the time when it was proposed that he should return to the Post Office with a lower salary than Colonel Maberly's, and therefore in an inferior position, he himself was unwilling to do so. He foresaw the troubles that would arise. On mentioning this to some of his friends, he found that they considered that he was bound to return to the Post Office work, having received, as it were, a retaining fee in the public subscription. If it had not been for this he should, he said, have refused the place.--ED.

[34] "_February 24th, 1847._--I felt tempted to obtain returns, with a view of settling some of the disputed points between the Post Office and myself--the one as to the division of French postage between the two Governments, for instance--but refrained, from a desire to avoid all causes of irritation. Armstrong tells me that, in a statement of French postage which I have attacked in my pamphlet as being too high by about £30,000, an error of £32,000 was actually discovered in the Accountant's office."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[35] "February 13th.--I met a Committee of the Town Council ... encouraged them to communicate to me any carefully-considered improvements which might occur to them. The results of this meeting have satisfied me that it would be very useful to the Post Office to have similar means in every large town of learning the well-considered wishes of the inhabitants."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[36] See pp. 43-46.

[37] These vexations began to tell upon his health. Thus, in his Journal, I find the following entries:--May 8th, 1847. "I have more to do than I can accomplish satisfactorily; this produces headache and incapacity, which make the matter worse." On September 28th of the same year, after describing some fresh vexations, he writes: "I have been reading my evidence given ten years ago before the Commissioners of Post Office Enquiry.... There is a heartiness and freshness in my replies which I fear I should not now evince."--ED.

[38] "The origin of this strange anomaly is this: Many years ago the newspaper fees were the perquisite of certain officers, and they therefore took newspapers in as late as possible."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[39] The head of the Sorting Department.

[40] The Report (dated 1st January, 1847) was subsequently laid before a Parliamentary Committee, and is given _in extenso_ in the Fifth Report of the Select Committee on Railway and Canal Bills, Appendix, p. 246. (Par. Pro. 1853, No. 736.)

[41] This was written before 1871.--ED.

[42] Royal Commission on Railways, 1867.--Report from Sir Rowland Hill, K.C.B., F.R.S., one of the Commissioners.

[43] Sir Charles Wood (now Lord Halifax).--ED.

[44] It was one of the senior clerks. "Armstrong has told him that, if any obstacles are thrown in the way of improvement, it is my fixed determination to apply to the Postmaster-General to dismiss the offender, and that the higher his rank in the office, the more readily I shall take the step. ---- is greatly alarmed, and promises all sorts of things."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[45] "Maberly has contrived to make it appear very much his own act, talks of _his_ laying down rules for my guidance, interdicts me from punishing or even reprimanding anyone without the previous sanction of the Postmaster-General, and in various ways contrives to make the very act of extending my power the means of tying my hands."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[46] The following is an instance of one of these circulars:--

"The Heads of Departments and Officers of the Secretary's Office are requested, before acting on any papers forwarded by Mr. Hill to the Postmaster-General, to satisfy themselves that the minutes upon such papers have been entered in the books of the Secretary's Office, which can be easily ascertained by an observation of the number of the minutes endorsed in red ink on the back of the paper by the Minute Clerk. Charles Johnson, Chief Clerk, Oct. 26th, 1847."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[47] Under the same date I find the following entry in Sir R. Hill's Journal:--"I am obliged to consult Dr. Southwood Smith as to the state of my health, having for the last three weeks suffered from sleepless nights, and almost constant headache. Dr. Smith enquires whether I had not suffered from anxiety, or excessive labour, and I explained to him my real position."--ED.

[48] "In perfecting my printing machine we spent about £2000, and hitherto the saving now effected is the only advantageous result. Without the knowledge thus obtained I could not have overcome the difficulties as to printing."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[49] At the present rate of consumption (1869) the saving must amount to about £6000 a year.

[50] "May 15th, 1849.--The Treasury concurs in the arrangement for bringing the Electrical Telegraph to the Post Office. Under this arrangement, which was settled by Mr. J. L. Ricardo and myself, with the concurrence of the Postmaster-General, part of a spare passage will be given up to the Company at the Post Office, in return for which we are to have a right to transmit and receive messages at a low rate (one shilling for not more than ten words), the Company bearing all expenses. I am inclined to hope that the plan will prove mutually advantageous."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[51] The estimate for 1839 is founded on the ascertained number of letters for one week in the month of November, and strictly speaking it is for the year ending December 5th, at which time 4_d._ was made the maximum rate. The estimate for each subsequent year is founded on the ascertained number of letters for one week in each calendar month (_vide_ Return to the House of Commons, No. 586, 1847).

[52] This is exclusive of about 6-1/2 millions of franks.

[53] To make this clear, it may be necessary to mention that the gross postage includes all postage charged; and that, to arrive at the real postal revenue, there has, of course, to be deducted from this total so much as, owing to rejection of unpaid letters by addressees, or other similar causes, is never received.

[54] "June 8th, 1848.--I frequently detect some strange misuse of terms which has become habitual in the office--_e.g._, many clerks have applied for, and received, a fortnight's holiday; but I accidentally discovered the other day that one to whom I had granted the indulgence stayed away fourteen working days, and, on inquiry, I found that such was the interpretation invariably put on the term. In my own department I, of course, have put an end to this."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[55] "Mr. May is one of the few men I ever met with who, being improvers themselves, desire the help of other improvers."--Sir R. Hill's Journal. July 8th, 1848.--ED.

[56] See pp. 41 and 46.

[57] See Vol. 1., pp. 269 and 373.

[58] This anticipation was realised. See Return to House of Commons, No. 645 1850.

[59] Lord Clanricarde said, in his reply, "I could not send forward to the Treasury your letter of the 3rd of January without previously communicating with Colonel Maberly." On this Sir R. Hill thus remarks in his Journal:--"In saying that he could not forward, &c., he strangely forgets himself. He did send it forward as soon as he received it. Perhaps he means that he cannot send it forward officially or a second time; but this is unnecessary. I don't like the look of things at all. If I consent to these indefinite delays, the result will be that there will be a change of Ministry, and I shall be defrauded of my promised promotion."--ED.

[60] "Forward letters" are letters coming from one post town to a second, for despatch to a third.

[61] The Secretary to the Treasury. "Mr. Hayter and I think very much alike on Post Office matters, and we consequently get on swimmingly."--Sir R. Hill's Journal, Sept. 6, 1849.--ED.

[62] The following extracts from Sir R. Hill's Journal show how much the question had occupied his attention:--

"November 26th, 1847.--I advised the Postmaster-General steadily to oppose a delivery of letters in London on the Sunday, being convinced that the large majority is opposed thereto."

"May 23rd, 1848.--Suggested to the Postmaster-General the expediency of putting a stop to the agitation about the 'Lord's Day' by forthwith doing all that is desirable, viz., closing the Offices throughout the country for Money Order business, and for the receipt of money-paid letters, and at the same time arranging for the transit of the 'forward letters' through London on Sunday morning, adding that in my opinion the latter measure would tend on the whole to the observance of the Sabbath, as many letters would then be written and posted on the Saturday which are now written and posted on Sunday."

"Oct. 19th.--On my recommendation the Postmaster-General has decided, subject to the sanction of the Treasury, to put an end to the transaction of Money Order business on the Sunday throughout England and Wales."

"Nov. 23rd.--The Treasury has sanctioned the discontinuance of Money Order business on the Sunday, and I propose to commence with the new year."

"Dec. 7th.--The Postmaster-General has sanctioned a minute of mine proposing that the opinion of the Surveyors shall be taken as to the discontinuance of ordinary Post Office business from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Sunday, with the exception of the despatch and delivery of mails."

"Jan. 23rd, 1849.--I think I have fully established the position that to transmit the 'forward letters' through London on the Sunday will not only be a great convenience to the public, but will actually diminish Sunday work on the part of the public and on that of the department."

"Feb. 15th.--The Treasury assents to the proposed discontinuance of Money Order business on the Sunday in Ireland and Scotland, which was submitted for their sanction a short time since."--ED.

[63] "Oct. 26th.--Roebuck has written to the Postmaster-General accusing the postmaster at ---- of agitating against the measure, and enclosing a hand-bill signed by the postmaster which fully establishes the charge."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[64] "The custom of two religious societies for which he printed."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[65] "November 5th.--Told the Postmaster-General of anonymous letters which I had received, charging ---- and ---- with encouraging the opposition in the office. He says he has received a letter, not anonymous, making similar charges."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[66] See p. 122.

[67] "It is a notable fact that, while so much has been said by the London merchants and bankers against a delivery in London where their places of business are, of course, closed, not a word has been said against a delivery in the suburbs where they live."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[68] See "Report of Select Committee on Postage, 1843," p. 35.

[69] One or two anecdotes are still preserved in the Post Office of these meetings with the Surveyors. On one occasion Sir Rowland Hill had noticed a certain disposition to insubordination on the part of some of these gentlemen. "He rebuked them by reminding them that, according to the conventional conclusion of his letter, he was their obedient servant, 'whereas--I am nothing of the sort.'" On another occasion, when talking of a certain able official who was rather a bore, he said, "he is an excellent officer--at Edinburgh."--ED.

[70] On January 10th of the next year there is the following entry in Sir R. Hill's Journal:--

"This being the tenth anniversary of the adoption of Penny Postage, we had a family party to celebrate the event. My poor sister, however, was too much affected by the consideration that it would be the last meeting of the kind before her departure with her family for South Australia; and I fear the same consideration affected the spirits of all."--ED.

[71] Parliamentary Return, 1850, No. 185.

[72] Second Letter on the late Post Office Agitation, by Charles John Vaughan, D.D., p. 32.

[73] Feb. 21st, 1850.--"Professor Henslow has sent me an amusing reply to a letter from the Lord's Day Society, requesting him to procure from his parish a petition in favour of total abolition. Mr. Henslow tells them, 'Under the old dispensation I would willingly have joined you in such a petition, but as a Christian, I feel I ought not.'"--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[74] Par. Pro. 1850, No. 185, p. 46.

[75] For this speech, which, in justice to Mr. Wallace, I give at length, see Vol. I., Appendix G.

[76] Such inconsistency was not confined to Members of Parliament; the incumbent of a certain parish in which Sunday delivery had been suspended in consequence of a memorial, to which his own signature was attached, no sooner felt the inconvenience of the change than he wrote an indignant protest against it; naïvely declaring that he had never thought the petition would be granted.

[77] "June 14th, 1850.--The Postmaster-General tells me in confidence that the Queen was very much inclined to refuse compliance with the address."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[78] "July 9th.--At the House of Commons.... In the course of the evening ----, M.P. for ----, evinced a desire to renew acquaintance with me. For a time I avoided him, but when this was no longer possible, I told him very plainly my opinion as to the 'Lord's Day Society.' (He was one of the deputation which came to me last year.) He replied that he had always done me justice, and referred to what Lord Ashley had said in the House of Commons. On which I rejoined that neither Lord Ashley nor any one else had spoken out in a straightforward, manly way. He left me, apparently much nettled."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[79] "Hansard," Vol. CXII. pp. 1214, 1215.

[80] "Report of the Commissioners appointed to investigate the question of Sunday labour at the Post Office." 1850.

[81] "Sept. 2nd.--Monday.--Yesterday the Sunday arrangements were restored to exactly the same state as before Lord Ashley's motion."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[82] "July 4th, 1850.--At the Postmaster-General's ... I spoke of the absolute necessity of a change ... that my duties were too miscellaneous and too difficult for my present staff to afford me efficient aid, and that notwithstanding I paid £150 a year out of my own pocket [his salary was but £1,200 a year] for assistance out of the office, I had still more to do than my health would bear."

"July 17th.--Called on Mr. Hodgson to consult him on the state of my health, which makes me very uneasy. Hodgson strongly recommends rest--a week immediately, and two months as early as it can be got. A tendency of blood to the head, occasioned by severe mental exertion and anxiety, is my complaint. I have no hope of getting so much rest, but I must do the best I can."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[83] "December 20th.-- ... Cobden advises that to prevent jealousy on Hume's part he should at once be appealed to; the fact of his, Cobden's, having been consulted first being concealed."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[84] The Postmaster-General expressed great surprise--a surprise that almost amounted to incredulity--on being informed that Mr. Frederic Hill was willing to exchange the office which he already held for the post of Assistant-Secretary. The Inspectorship of Prisons he looked upon as the better appointment, as undoubtedly it was.--ED.

[85] "March 7th.--I spoke to the Postmaster-General on the subject, telling him 'it was exceedingly unjust of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to press me in this way, knowing as he does that I dare not attempt the amalgamation until he keeps his promise by giving me Maberly's place.' In this the Postmaster-General acquiesced."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[86] "June 20th.--Attended my dear father's funeral."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[87] I have thought it advisable to omit the description of some of these proceedings, which, though important in themselves, yet would have but little interest for the general reader.--ED.

[88] "Hansard," Vol. CXIV., p. 273.

[89] "June 13th, 1849.--The Postmaster-General has approved a proposal of mine to carry the night-mail between Oxford and the main line of the Great Western Railway by cart instead of by the branch railway. As the journey both ways is in the middle of the night nothing whatever is gained to Oxford by the [present] arrangement."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[90] A striking instance of this mal-arrangement was reported to me long afterwards. A very meritorious officer appointed by Colonel Maberly, and said to be the first ever admitted into the permanent staff save through political influence, had, during several years, while rated at a salary never exceeding £120, to superintend men whose salaries ranged up to £400.

[91] "Aug. 7th, 1849.--Summoned to the Treasury.... Explained to Mr. Hayter the abuses as to promotion, viz., that there is no correspondence between the rank of a clerk and his duties--that two clerks may be engaged in the same duties, the one a secretary at £300 a year, the other a junior at £70 a year. Of these facts Hayter was not aware, and thinks the practice is familiar to the Post Office."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[92] See Vol. I., pp. 461, 475, and 485; and Vol. II., p. 4.

[93] In effect California was the only State not reached at the lower rate.

[94] "April 27th, 1842.--The proceedings in an election committee to try the validity of the last return for Lichfield have brought to light a gross abuse of Post Office patronage in that city. One of the many clerks who have been appointed to secure votes is now in Newgate on a charge of Post Office robbery. These, and similar proceedings, account for the eagerness of the late Postmaster-General to create places, and for much of the inefficiency and dishonesty among the clerks."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[95] "January 8th, 1852.--I told him plainly that the Government has not kept faith with me--that if they meant, as now stated, that I should succeed Maberly merely in the event of a vacancy arising in the ordinary manner, they ought clearly to have stated as much, and not held out expectations of a different kind."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[96] "April 3rd, 1852.--In a minute of Maberly's on the custody of the Post Office the following sentence occurs:--'That every officer (including the housekeeper, &c.) within the building, except the Postmaster-General, the Secretary, Assistant-Secretary, and Chief Clerk, shall be considered as under the directions of the clerk-in-waiting for the time being, whilst the Chief Clerk is not on duty in the Office, and they shall take their instructions from that officer alone, in case of any emergency or accident.'

"The effect of this would, of course, be to place myself and Frederic under the direction of the 'clerk-in-waiting;' and the Postmaster-General having passed it unnoticed, I have for some time been uneasy on the subject; but on my pointing out the actual position of things to the Postmaster-General, he at once altered Maberly's minute, by adding an s in each case to the word 'secretary' (in accordance with his peculiar orthography)."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[97] "'Full dress' means, I find, that I am to play the fool in a Court dress with a cocked hat and sword."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[98] "I am to prepare a minute on the subject; but as no change can be made without the consent of the Queen, there is no chance of setting the matter right before the dinner. It is altogether a foolish business, but it would be unwise to let matters continue as they are."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[99] More than two years later I find the following entry in Sir R. Hill's Journal:--

"December 16th, 1854.--Lord Hardwicke, having taken exception to a statement by the Post Office Commission to the effect that it had been found impossible to define the separate duties of Colonel Maberly and myself, moved for a Return of a Minute in which he, according to his own account, had accomplished such definition. I felt tempted to give the Minute _literatim_ as well as _verbatim_, but, recollecting that Lord Hardwicke was really a good-natured man, refrained. The strength of the temptation will be seen by the accompanying copy of the Return, altered so as to show his Lordship's peculiar orthography." [Among other peculiarities his Lordship spelt _Secretaries_--_Secritarys_.]--ED.

[100] "June 12th, 1852.--Some of the present Ministers are jobbing in a very unprincipled manner, in order to influence the coming elections, I have had to advise on a letter from Lord ---- to the Postmaster-General, asking the latter to restore the second mail between ---- and ---- arranging the matter so as to enable him to announce the restoration when he next visits ---- for his election. That is to say, the country is to spend £800 or £900 a-year to promote his private interests. As Lord Hardwicke has sent the letter (a private one) to me, I suppose he cannot be fully alive to the dishonesty of the proposal. I shall, of course, prevent the job, if possible."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[101] The late Mr. Joseph Hodgson, sometime President of the Royal College of Surgeons; for nearly fifty years my medical adviser, and likewise my valued and intimate friend.

[102] "As this arrangement involves an immediate addition of £500 a-year to my salary, I may, perhaps, be allowed to remind your Lordship that emolument, simply as such, is not, and, indeed, never has been, my object; but I have had bitter experience of the truth of the remarks lately made in Parliament by Lord Palmerston to the effect that every man's salary is really taken as the index of his position and authority.

"As, however, the necessity for such stamp of my official rank will be greatly diminished whenever I become sole Secretary, I shall then readily submit to a modification in the scale of remuneration attached to the office, should your Lordship and the Treasury see fit to make any such change."--Mr. Rowland Hill to Lord Canning. August 16th, 1853.--ED.

[103] The eloquent words of Milton might have come into the thoughts of some of them when he says: "nihil esse in societate hominum magis vel Deo gratum, vel rationi consentaneum, esse in civitate nihil æquius, nihil utilius, quam potiri rerum dignissimum." "In the coalition of human Society," to use Johnson's rendering, "nothing is more pleasing to God, or more agreeable to reason, than that the highest mind should have the sovereign power."--ED.

[104] "I have in this chapter also struck out not a few passages describing matters that are not of permanent interest."--ED.

[105] "Fifth Report," pp. 175-191.

[106] "Fifth Report," p. 243.

[107] "Fifth Report," p. 246.

[108] "Fifth Report," p. 16.

[109] "July 26th, 1853.--Called at Euston Square and saw Huish and Bruyères on the subject of a swift mail to the North. My notion is to run a train with only one or two carriages in addition to those required for the mail, and to stop only once in about forty miles."

"July 28th.--Called again at Euston Square, and ... proposed forty miles an hour, including stoppages, thus reaching Edinburgh by 7 a.m."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[110] "It was said to old Bentley, upon the attacks against him, 'Why, they'll write you down.' 'No, Sir,' he replied; 'depend upon it, no man was ever written down but by himself.'"--"Boswell's Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides." 4th Edition, p. 280.--ED.

[111] See page 185.--ED.

[112] The newspaper stamp duty was finally abolished in 1870.--ED.

[113] About five weeks earlier I find the following entry in Sir R. Hill's Journal:--"May 30th, 1853.--Again pressed on the Postmaster-General the unfairness of transferring to the Post Office (as I fear is intended) the existing contracts for the Packet Service.... I fear the injustice will be committed nevertheless, Sir James Graham, who generally contrives to have his own way, having made up his mind to the thing with a view, I suspect, to give an appearance of retrenchment in the Admiralty expenditure."--ED.

[114] "Report," p. 4.

[115] Lord Hardwicke would seem to have had a strong dislike to the book-post, to judge from the following entry in Sir R. Hill's Journal:--

"June 15th, 1853.--Breakfasted with Chevalier Bunsen. He promises to urge on his Government the adoption of the Book-post. He told a characteristic anecdote of Lord Hardwicke. At the time Lord H. was Postmaster-General, Chevalier Bunsen met him at the Queen's Drawing Room, where, it seems, if people talk at all, it must be in a low tone of voice. Lord Hardwicke asked what Chevalier Bunsen thought of 'Hill's Book-post,' expressing his own dislike of the measure. Chevalier Bunsen defended it, on which Lord H. became excited, and talked so loud that the Queen despatched an attendant to point out to him that, if he wanted to converse, there was an adjoining room convenient for the purpose."--ED.

[116] A subsequent concession reduced the minimum to £120.

[117] See p. 184.--ED.

[118] Since the above was written, the error, for such I unhesitatingly pronounce it, has been aggravated by admission into the subjects for competitive examination of some quite foreign to the business of the office--as Latin and Greek.

[119] Sir R. Hill's foreboding has proved only too true. In our high telegraph rate we pay, and shall long pay, for the reckless extravagance with which the purchase of the telegraphs was made.--ED.

[120] Vol. v., p. 1, March 20, 1852.

[121] See Vol. I., p. 417.--ED.

[122] Macaulay's "History of England," Vol. v., p. 16 (edition in eight volumes.)--ED.

[123] "Sixth Report," p. 10.

[124] "Second Report," p. 10.

[125] See Vol. II., p. 100.

[126] "Second Report," p. 10.

[127] "Second Report," pp. 9, 41.

[128] "Fifth Report," p. 9.

[129] "Fourth Report," p. 8.

[130] "Third Report," p. 5; "Fourth Report," p. 9; "Sixth Report," p. 9.

[131] The following extract from the "Industrial History of Birmingham" supplies some evidence on this point:--

"The introduction of penny postage by Rowland Hill operated on this branch of trade materially [Birmingham manufactures in brass]. How it did so is strange but true. Immediately on its coming into effect came the demand for letter-weighing machines, which were made in immense quantities; and letter-box plates were introduced, made, and continue to be made, in very considerable numbers."

[132] "Sixth Report," p. 9.

[133] "Fourth Report," p. 10.

[134] It appears that the district system is now (1869) introduced into Calcutta. See "Greater Britain," by Sir C. Dilke, Vol. II., p. 263. (Second Edition).

[135] "Second Report," p. 12.

[136] "Third Report," p. 7.

[137] "Fifth Report," p. 11.

[138] 1853, No. 747.

[139] "Seventh Annual Report of the Postmaster-General," p. 7.

[140] "Seventh Annual Report of the Postmaster-General," p. 18.

[141] "Fifth Report," p. 12.

[142] Written before 1871.--ED.

[143] "Fourth Annual Report," p. 13. The bill _in extenso_, with explanatory remarks thereon, will be found at p. 46 of the same report.

[144] "Royal Commission on Railways. Report of the Commissioners, 1867."

[145] In 1878-79 the amount was more than twenty-seven millions. This was, however, a decrease on the preceding year, when the amount had been more than twenty-nine millions.--"Twenty-fifth Report," p. 45. The profits for 1878-79 were £39,000. In the preceding year, when a much larger business had been done, they were only £6,400.--"Twenty-fifth Report," p. 21.--ED.

[146] "Sixth Report," p. 17

[147] Mr. Frederic Hill succeeded in the end in getting his plan adopted. It works very well, I am informed, and has reduced the cost of "the window duty" by about one-half.--ED.

[148] "Sixth Report," p. 27.

[149] "Sixth Report," p. 30.

[150] Even with the great assistance of the railway to California, it is doubtful if the Western Route is the better for any colony except New Zealand. The advantage of a bi-monthly mail is of course a distinct question.

It is curious how inveterate is the mistake in question. Columbus expected to reach Cathay more quickly by sailing westward, but was stopped by the American continent. The projectors of the "Darien Scheme" hoped to enrich themselves by making their settlement a great _entrepôt_ between Europe and the East Indies; and Macaulay, in his interesting narrative of the enterprise ("History of England," Vol. v., p. 200), considers their mistake to consist mainly in the assumption that Spain would permit a settlement on its territory; but it seems not to have occurred to him that, in any event, the scheme was intrinsically hopeless, seeing that the old route by the Cape of Good Hope, besides avoiding the cost and delay of transhipment, surpasses the Darien route even in shortness. (October, 1872).

[151] "Fifth Report," p. 17.

[152] "Sixth Report," p. 22.

[153] "Fourth Report," p. 20.

[154] "Fourth Report," p. 22.

[155] "Parliamentary Return, 1868," No. 215.

[156] "First Report," p. 68.

[157] Ibid.

[158] "Fourth Report," p. 44.

[159] "Parliamentary Return, 1868," No. 215.

[160] "Sixth Report," pp. 32, 33.

[161] "Third Report," p. 28.

[162] "Second Report," pp. 27-29; "Third Report," pp. 24-29; "Fifth Report," p. 23; "Sixth Report," pp. 38, 39.

[163] O! si sic omnia.--ED.

[164] "Fifth Report," p. 35.

[165] "Fourth Report," p. 77.

[166] "Fourth Report," p. 32.

[167] "Fourth Report," p. 77.

[168] "Before 1871 the money accruing from unclaimed money orders had, for many years, been used in aiding officers of the department to insure their lives; but in that year the Lords of the Treasury gave directions for the discontinuance of the practice (except in regard to then existing recipients of the aid), and for the payment of this money into the Exchequer. In obedience to this order, the accumulated capital, together with the interest thereon (amounting to £20,707), was paid into the Exchequer. The actual amount of unclaimed money orders for 1871 was £3,390."--"Twenty-fifth Report," p. 65.--ED.

[169] "Fourth Report," p. 33.

[170] "Sixth Report," p. 43.

[171] "Sixth Report," p. 42.

[172] "Fifth Report," p. 25.

[173] "Sixth Report," p. 43.

[174] "Sixth Annual Report," p. 43.

[175] "First Report of the Postmaster-General," p. 7.

[176] See p. 92.--ED.

[177] "April 7, 1849.--Accounts of debts due by late Postmasters not yet discharged by the sureties (some many years old) show that, while the amount of revenue collected in Great Britain is about ten times as great as that collected in Ireland, the debts in Ireland more than double those in Great Britain."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[178] "First Annual Report," p. 71.

[179] "Sixth Annual Report of the Postmaster-General," p. 7.

[180] The number of such receptacles in 1878-79 was more than 25,000, of which nearly 12,000 were pillar-boxes.--"Twenty-fifth Report," p. 7.--ED.

[181] "Sixth Report," p. 9.

[182] "Sixth Report," p. 7.

[183] "First Report," p. 22.

[184] "Sixth Report," p. 14.

[185] For the numbers in 1878-79, see p. 382.--ED.

[186] "Second Report," p. 18.

[187] "Sixth Report," p. 15.

[188] "Fourth Report," p. 17.

[189] "Sixth Report," p. 15.

[190] "Sixth Report," p. 15.

[191] "Macaulay wrote to me at Harrow pretty constantly, sealing his letters with an amorphous mass of red wax, which, in defiance of post-office regulations, not unfrequently concealed a piece of gold."--"The Life and Letters of Lord Macaulay." Second edition. Vol. II., p. 426.--ED.

[192] "Third Report," p. 30.

[193] "Third Report," p. 12.

[194] "Sixth Report," p. 17.

[195] "Sixth Report," p. 18.

[196] "Third Report," p. 15.

[197] "Third Report," p. 17.

[198] "Fifth Report," p. 19.

[199] "Third Report," p. 18.

[200] "Sixth Report," p. 20.

[201] Since the above was written, a passage, though an erroneous one, in an interesting and popular work, has reminded me of another American labourer in the field of postal improvement. One of Miss Mitford's letters would seem to show that as early as 1832, or four years before my pamphlet was written, she went to hear Mr. Elihu Burritt lecture on ocean penny postage. A letter lately received from Mr. Burritt informs me that he never visited England before 1846, and never worked in the cause of postal reform but in sequence to myself. Explanation of the error may easily be found by reference to the difficulty which must have been encountered in piecing together, with even plausible correctness, the scraps of paper on which Miss Mitford's letters were habitually written.

[202] One curious question bearing on the letter-carriers' position, and which occupied some little attention at this time, I must here mention, as it is connected with a popular misconception, sometimes fruitful in trouble, viz., whether public gratuities, such as Christmas-boxes, should be taken into account in estimating a letter-carrier's emoluments or not. These Christmas-boxes, I may observe, average about £13 per letter-carrier, and amount in some cases, I am told, to as much as £50 or £60. At first sight it appears most ungenerous to include them, and yet a short statement will show that to some extent this is unavoidable. A letter-carrier, say, has attained the highest position open to him as such, and is offered admission to the class of sorters, where the minimum pay equals his present maximum, while the maximum is more than double what he is receiving. This offer he declines, because by accepting it he would cease to have direct intercourse with the public, and so lose all opportunity for gratuity. This, of course, he has a perfect right to do; but when he continues, while rejecting the higher rate, to point to the lower as ground of complaint, either the answer must explain the anomaly by referring to the addition to his salary thus made every Christmas, or a complaint really unfounded remains plausible, and obtains inconsiderate support.

[203] "Fifth Report," p. 40. In the admonitory address from which the above quotation is made, and which was afterwards published in the Annual Report, the position of a letter-carrier is distinctly set forth.

[204] Among some "miscellaneous anecdotes" recorded by Sir R. Hill I find the following: "I used at one time to walk to Camden Town, take an omnibus as far as the corner of Gray's Inn Lane and Holborn, and thence walk to St. Martin's Le Grand. One day, while sitting in the omnibus, I overheard one gentleman say to another, 'I understand that Mr. Rowland Hill often travels in these omnibuses.' 'Oh, yes,' replied the other, who chanced to sit nearly opposite me, 'I very often meet him--I know him quite well.' Of course I held my peace, not deeming it necessary to disconcert my familiar acquaintance."--ED.

[205] "Sixth Report," p. 9.

[206] Mr. Gladstone wrote to Mr. Sikes the following letter:--

"14, Downing Street, Whitehall, 30th November, 1859.

"DEAR SIR,--I have read with much interest your tract on Post Office Savings' Banks, and have discussed the subject with Sir A. Spearman, who has also had some communication with the Post Office authorities.

"The difficulties are very serious, chiefly in connection with the question of interest and the mode of account for it. "At the same time there is so much of promise in the plan on the face of it, that we are unwilling to let it drop without a most careful examination.

"If you are likely to be in London, or were disposed to come hither, personal communication on details might be of advantage. Sir A. Spearman would be most ready to see you for the purpose of entering into them fully, and I should be very desirous myself to give any aid in my power at the proper time.

"I remain, Dear Sir, yours very faithfully, "W. E. GLADSTONE.

"C. W. SIKES, Esq."

--ED.

[207] "Report of Select Committee on Postage (1843)," p. 41.

[208] For further information on this subject, see Appendix M.--"Pneumatic tubes for the conveyance of telegrams are in use," I am informed, "between the Central Telegraph Office in St. Martin's-le-Grand and many branch offices, the longest line of tube being that to the House of Parliament--upwards of two miles. They are also in use in Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham, Newcastle, and Dublin. In Berlin a costly tube service has been established for the distribution of _letters_ to the various parts of that city."--ED.

[209] More detailed information on this subject will be found in Appendix I.

[210] "Hansard," Vol. CLVIII., p. 1205.

[211] "Third Annual Report," p. 33.

[212] "Fourth Annual Report," p. 17.

[213] "Hansard," Vol. CLXVI., pp. 188, 189.

[214] Some of the old abuses of the franking system have re-appeared. Private letters are often sent under the Government frank; especially is this the case with private letters for the colonies.--ED.

[215] It is important to observe that the amount actually paid by Government for its postage before the abolition of franking was less, in proportion to the amount of its correspondence, than that paid after the abolition.

[216] The following note on Lord Canning was added by Sir Rowland Hill in June, 1876:--"In an able article in the last 'Edinburgh Review,' on Lord Mayo's Indian administration, the writer thus speaks of Lord Canning:--'And then we come to Earl Canning, who, almost without exception among English statesmen, presents the grandest picture of unswerving firmness, courage and magnanimity in the midst of the most appalling dangers; who, without losing hope and strong resolve, saw the fabric of an empire fading away from his vision like an iceberg in the Gulf Stream; who at the same time had to confront a native rebellion, the panic fear and disaffection of his countrymen, and the opinion at home which was the reverberation of the latter. He met the rebellion, and he put it down. He met the panic fear, and he triumphed over it. When blood and punishment and cruelty were preached, he stepped forward as a grand and magnanimous ruler, as the representative of British humanity and civilization, and with mild but absolute accent proclaimed, "This shall not be," and it was not. The greatness of the man who could so speak and so act, at such a time as the crisis of the mutiny and rebellion in India in 1857, is not to be measured by the ordinary deeds of war and peace, however grand in execution the former, however wise and beneficent the latter may be.' That such a man, after acquiring a thorough knowledge of myself, should have selected me for the difficult and responsible post of Secretary to the Post Office, and have continued throughout my attached friend, is to me a source of the highest gratification."--ED.

[217] "The trace of Marlborough's neglected education was seen to the last in his reluctance to write. 'Of all things,' he said to his wife, 'I do not love writing.' To pen a despatch, indeed, was a far greater trouble to him than to plan a campaign. But nature had given him qualities which in other men spring specially from culture. His capacity for business was immense."--"Green's Short History of the English People," p. 691.--ED.

[218] "Sixth Annual Report," pp. 38 and 39.

[219] "I must confess," wrote his eldest brother to one of his friends, "I must confess that the thought of that noble intellect paralyzed and all but extinguished, struck me with a grief of greater intensity than I ever felt before in all the bereavements which have been my lot."--ED.

[220] According to the Postmaster-General's Report for 1879, every transaction costs 7·55_d._ exclusive of postage; while "the Yorkshire Penny Bank (an old-established, widely-spread and very thriving institution) does its work (I am informed) at 2_d._ per transaction."--ED.

[221] The recent large reduction in cost is owing to the non-charge of postage.--Note by Sir R. Hill in October, 1872.

[222] "Eighth Annual Report," pp. 12-14.

[223] "Fifteenth Annual Report," p. 16.

[224] "Eighth Annual Report," p. 14.

[225] "Eighth Annual Report," p. 15. Any of my readers desirous of further information on this subject may refer with advantage to an interesting work on the "History of Savings Banks," by Mr. William Lewins, author of "Her Majesty's Mails." (Sampson Low and Co.)

[226] See Vol. I., p. 459.--ED.

[227] See Vol. II., p. 315.--ED.

[228] "Ninth Annual Report," p. 10.

[229] The following passage from Sir C. W. Dilke's valuable work "Greater Britain," published since the above was written, throws further light on the retrogressive course in question:--

"Writing for the Englishmen of Old England, it is not necessary for me to defend free trade by any arguments. As far as we in our island are concerned, it is so manifestly to the pocket-interest of almost all of us, and, at the same time, on account of the minuteness of our territory, so little dangerous, politically, that for Britain there can be no fear of a deliberate relapse into protection, although we have but little right to talk about free trade so long as we continue our enormous subsidies to the Cunard liners.

"The American argument in favour of prohibition is in the main, it will be seen, political; the economical objection being admitted, but outweighed. Our action in the matter of our postal contracts, and in the case of the Factory Acts, at all events shows that we are not ourselves invariably averse to distinguish between the political and the economical aspect of certain questions."--("Greater Britain," second edition, p. 69.)

[230] See my Letter of Appointment, Vol. II., p. 224.

[231] In a paper drawn up some years after this passage was written, Sir R. Hill has thus expressed himself as regards Mr. Gladstone:--"There are few public men with whom I have been on such intimate terms, from whom I have received so much kindness, and for whom I entertain so high a respect."--ED.

[232] When my plan was published, the lowest General Post rate was fourpence; but while the plan was under the consideration of Government the rate between post towns not more than eight miles asunder was reduced from fourpence to twopence.

[233] In this comparison of revenue, the mode of calculation in use before the adoption of Penny Postage has of course been retained--that is to say, the cost of the packets on the one hand, and the produce of the impressed newspaper stamps on the other, have been excluded. The amounts for 1863 are, to some extent, estimated, the accounts not having as yet been fully made up.

[234] In 1868 the letters had increased more than ten and a-half fold. In 1867 the gross revenue had increased by £2,202,000, and the net revenue by £467,000.

[235] In 1868 the amount transmitted had risen to £19,079,000, or more than sixty fold--("Fifteenth Report of the Postmaster-General," p. 4.) [In 1878-79 it had risen to £27,303,000. In the preceding year, however, it had been as high as £29,153,000. See Vol. II. p. 286.--ED.]

[236] In the _Morning Star_.--ED.

[237] See in correction of this mistake, p. 393 and Appendix N.

[238] In Sir R. Hill's Journal for June 23rd there is the following entry:--"Received a letter from Mr. Joseph Parkes, giving a brief account of the negociations with Government on the subject of the Parliamentary grant, in which he states that a Baronetcy, in lieu of the grant, was offered, but declined by my friends. This is the first intimation I have had of the kind. Wrote to say that I fully confirm the views taken by himself and Mr. Forster as to the Baronetcy."--ED.

[239] "Projectors see no difficulties, and critics see nothing else."--Edmund Burke. "Correspondence of Edmund Burke." Vol. II., p. 332.--ED.

[240] The above report is taken, with abridgments, from the _Times_ of June 15th, 1864.

[241] "June 9th, 1864.--Yesterday, received at Oxford the Honorary Degree of D.C.L. Undergraduates most enthusiastic."--Sir R. Hill's Journal.--ED.

[242] The following year Sir R. Hill dined at Marlborough House:--"The Prince of Wales," he wrote, "reminded me of the pleasure he had had, during the previous year, in presenting me with the Albert Medal, on which I told him that he really presented me with an empty box, and explained the cause, viz., that the successive blows required for obtaining high relief of the medal had broken the die before the work was completed. The interval being too short for the engraving of another die, the Council of the Society had judged it better not to delay matters; consequently the presentation took place 'in dummy.' The Prince laughed heartily at the story."--ED.

[243] See p. 336.

[244] I have lately learnt (1870) with much pleasure, that this improvement has been adopted in the new department of Telegraphy.

[245] In the Postal Union Mr. Frederic Hill's plan was at length brought to effect.--ED.

[246] In 1867, proceedings were taken against the Circular Delivery Company "for delivering letters contrary to the privilege of the Postmaster-General." This Company delivered circulars at a very low rate. "The proper mode of proceeding," Sir Rowland Hill recorded in his Journal, "would have been to adopt a plan which I long ago frequently discussed with the Assistant-Secretaries, and which has, I believe, been recently proposed in writing by my son, viz., to undertake the delivery of circulars at reduced rates (say a halfpenny), on certain conditions made with a view to the convenience of the Post-Office. * * * "_I do not like an enforcement of the monopoly. It covers mismanagement._"--ED.

[247] In Prussia this is effected by means similar to my plan of secondary distribution (see Vol. I., p. 251). The same means might be resorted to here.

[248] Carlyle's "Life of Sterling" (edition of 1857), p. 221.

[249] See Vol. II., p. 389.

[250] See Vol. I., p. 438.

[251] Johnson's "Life of Milton."

[252] See Vol. II., p. 283.

[253] It is foreign to my present purpose to describe the after administration of the Post Office. I would refer my readers to "The Edinburgh Review," Nos. 263 and 291, for articles on the Postal Telegraphs.

[254] The journal closes in the year 1869.

[255] The deputation consisted of Mr. Washington Lyon, mover of the resolution; Sir John Bennett, the seconder; Mr. Peter McKinlay, the Chairman of General Purposes Committee; Mr. Scott, F.R.A.S., the Chamberlain; and Mr. Monckton, F.S.A. (now Sir John Monckton), the Town Clerk.

[256] Before sending this letter Sir R. Hill read it to his eldest brother. "I remember," says one who was present at the time, "Mr. M. D. Hill saying, 'Mind, Rowland, if you send this, and if they do not do what you ask, you must resign.' Sir Rowland answered, 'I know that, and I am ready to resign.'"--ED.

[257] "Eighth Report of Postmaster-General," p. 31.

[258] "Eighth Report of Postmaster-General," p. 20.

[259] The number of free newspapers delivered in the United Kingdom, in 1861, was about 45,700,000.--_Vide_ "Eighth Report of Postmaster-General," p. 28.--But of these about 4-1/2 millions were newspapers from abroad.

[260] "Seventh Report of Postmaster-General," p. 12.

[261] It is true that some few newspapers exceed the limit of weight (4 ozs.) which is carried for one penny, and they are therefore charged higher rates; but, on the other hand, two or more of the lighter newspapers--the aggregate weight of which does not exceed the 4 ozs.--are frequently sent under the same cover, and only one penny is charged on the packet. The average postage of each newspaper, when prepaid with the postage stamp, will therefore, in all probability, not exceed one penny per transmission.

[262] "Report of Select Committee on Postage (1843)," Mr. R. Hill's evidence, p. 46.

[263] "Hansard"--Debate in Lords, June 21, 1842.

[264] Letter to Postmaster-General, 10th January, 1860.

[265] Pp. 20-22.

[266] "Second Report of Select Committee on Postage (1843)," question 11,070.

[267] "Eighth Report of Postmaster-General," p. 31.

[268] "Eighth Report of Postmaster-General," p. 31.

[269] The £45,000 and £110,000 charged for Government postage (exclusive of that of the Post Office itself) for the year 1838 and the present time, do not show the whole amounts received, the charges on the official foreign correspondence being omitted from the first amount, and that for the official bye and cross post letters from both. In the "Second Report of the Select Committee on Postage" (Appendix, p. 115) is a table showing with greater accuracy the amounts received for postage on the official _inland_ correspondence for each year from 1833 to 1837. The amounts given above, however, will suffice for comparison.

[270] "Report of Select Committee of Lords (1847)," question 352.

[271] "Railway Intelligence for the Period," ending 31st December, 1856. Published "under the Sanction of the Committee of the Stock Exchange."

[272] Now (1868) 6-1/2 days.

[273] This caveat is abundantly justified by information published in the "Journal of the Society of Arts" (October 28th, 1870), by which it appears that in North Germany, one of the countries pointed to for our example, newspapers are subject to a regular stamp duty, such as was formerly paid in England, but the amount of which is not easily stated, since it depends upon the size of the paper and other circumstances; and, further, that the compulsory stamp has not the franking power it possessed here, so that the postage constitutes an additional charge; and it is with the sum of these two charges that our postage should in fairness be compared. But the postage alone (2/3_d._ for rather less than 1-1/2 oz., with a proportionate increase for greater weights) is higher than that which was charged in this country on many papers of large circulation, _e.g._, the _Times_ (with its supplement of four pages, or, under the impressed stamp, with its supplement of eight pages), the _Spectator_, the _Economist_, and the _Athenæum_. While, besides exemption from stamp duty, other important advantages were enjoyed by the British, as compared with the North German, papers, _e.g._, under the adhesive stamp, permission to write upon them anything except a letter, and, with the like exception, to enclose with them either one or more additional newspapers, or other printed or written matter, on paying book postage according to the total weight; or again, under the impressed stamp, the power of repeated retransmission. But, above all, the right to resort to other and cheaper means of conveyance, a right barred in North Germany by postal monopoly. In short, all things considered, there can scarcely be a doubt, that even before the reductions of 1870, our much depreciated newspaper arrangements were more favourable, alike to publishers and the public, than those of North Germany, which are held up as our example. Further, that the North German Post Office, instead of having to pay, like the British Post Office, £600,000 a year for the railway conveyance of its mails, has the use of all railways without subjecting itself to any charge whatever, though its operations include parcels up to the individual weight of twenty pounds; lastly, that with all these advantages, and with a higher postage rate on the prevailing class of letters, the North German Post Office, though serving a population about equal to our own, yields in annual net revenue only about £60,000, while the British Post Office, with all its burdens and its lower rate of postage, yields, even if debited with the whole expense of the mail packet service, more than £1,400,000, of course relieving taxpayers to that extent.--_Vide_ Fifteenth Report of the Postmaster-General--the latest issued--p. 14).

[274] Full information of this subject may be found in a minute of mine dated 13th July, 1858, and included in a Parliamentary Return, No. 302, 1860.

[275] This was written at a time when, as yet, there were no halfpenny stamps.--ED.