Title: The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the History of Penny Postage, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Author: Sir Rowland Hill
George Birkbeck Norman Hill
Release date: August 3, 2014 [eBook #46498]
Most recently updated: October 24, 2024
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Adrian Mastronardi, The Philatelic Digital
Library Project at http://www.tpdlp.net and the Online
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BY
SIR ROWLAND HILL
AND
HIS NEPHEW
GEORGE BIRKBECK HILL, D.C.L.
AUTHOR OF
“DR. JOHNSON: HIS FRIENDS AND HIS CRITICS,” ETC.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
LONDON:
THOS. DE LA RUE & CO.
110, BUNHILL ROW.
1880
(The right of Translation and Reproduction is reserved.)
PRINTED BY
THOMAS DE LA RUE AND CO., BUNHILL ROW,
LONDON.
CHAPTER XII.
“State and Prospects of Penny Postage,” 1—Examined before the Committee, 2—The “Fallacious Return,” 4—Charge for the Packet Service, 5—Treaty with France, 6—Colonel Maberly’s Evidence, 7—Dockwra, Allen, and Palmer, 9—Australian Letters and India, 10—Committee’s Report, 12—Spain and Russia, 13—Letters from Sydney Smith and Miss Martineau, 14.
CHAPTER XIII.
RAILWAY DIRECTION (1843-1846).
Director and then Chairman of the Brighton Railway Company, 16—Examination of Railway Officers, 18—Enforcement of Penalties, 19—Three Codes of Signals. Safety of the Line, 20—Excursion and Express Trains, 21—Postal facilities for Brighton, 22—Value of Shares. Resignation of Chairmanship, 23—Offer from the South-Western Company, 24—Parliament and the Railways, 25.
CHAPTER XIV.
NATIONAL TESTIMONIAL (1844-1846).
United States, 27—Mazzini and Sir James Graham, 28—“A Penny Post,” by John Hill, 29—Subscriptions to the Testimonial, 29—Income Tax Commissioners, 30—Mr. Cobden and the Anti-Corn Law League, 31—Presentation of Testimonial, 32.
CHAPTER XV.
APPOINTMENT TO POST OFFICE (1846).
The New Ministry, 37—Lord Clanricarde Postmaster-General, 38—Mr. Warburton, 39—Appointment offered, 40—Mr. Hawes, 41—A Painful Dilemma, 42—Letter to Mr. Hawes. Appointment accepted, 43—Promise of Promotion, 46.
CHAPTER XVI.
JOINT SECRETARYSHIP (1846-1848).
The “Edinburgh Review” and Mr. Charles Dickens, 48—Restrictive Minute, 49—Cabals, 51—Snowed up, 52—The Post Office a vast Machine, 53—Liverpool Town Council, 54—Lord Clanricarde’s Boldness, 55—Bristol Post Office, 57—Lieutenant Waghorn, 59—A Bundle of old Clothes by Post, 61—Applications for Increase of Salary, 63—Statistics, 64—Book Post. Proposed System of Promotion, 65—Railway Legislation, 66—Money Order Department, 70—Offensive Minute. Mr. Cobden’s Advice, 73—Savings in Stationery, 76—Arrears of Money Orders, 77—Carelessness in Remittance, 78—Attempted Robbery, 79—Frauds, 80—Esquires in Low Life, 81—Joseph Ady, 82—Telegraph, 83—Chartists, 84.
General Progress. Letter to Mr. Baring, 85—Number of Letters from 1839 to 1847, 86—Book Post. Professor De Morgan, 87—Evasion of Postage, 88—Scale of Salaries. The Interpretation of a Fortnight’s Holiday, 89—Letter-boxes, 90—Railway Notices. Sir Erskine May, 91—United States, 92—France, Revolution of 1848, 93—Belgium, 94.
CHAPTER XVII.
EFFORTS FOR IMPROVEMENT IN POSITION (1848-1849).
Discordant action in the Post Office, 95—Claim for Promotion, 96—Lord John Russell on Penny Postage, 98—The Ministry in Danger, 99—Great Increase of Expenditure, 100—Formal Application for Promotion, 101—The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s unreasonable Demand, 103—Health again fails, 105.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Sunday Labour in Post Office, 107—Bath Post Office, 108—Closing of Money Order Offices, 109—Other Measures of Relief. “Forward Letters,” 110—Minute on Reduction of Sunday Labour, 111—Lord’s Day Society, 113—Treachery in the Camp, 115—Bishop of London, 116—City Meeting, 118—Publication of Minute, 121—No Compulsion. Extracts from Private Journal, 123—Hon. and Rev. Grantham Yorke. Insubordination, 128—Slanders of Lord’s Day Society, 129—The first Sunday on the new Plan, 131—Anonymous Letters, 134—Lord John Russell, 135—Further Slanders of the Lord’s Day Society, 136—Railway Sorting, 137—Suburban Sunday Delivery, 138—General Thompson and Dr. Vaughan, 139—Meetings of Surveyors, 140—Further Sunday relief, 141—Cabals, 143—Demand for total Abolition of Sunday Labour, 144—Mr. Wallace. Visit to Greenock, 148—Mr. Matthew Forster, 149—The Times, 151—Lord Ashley’s Motion, 155—No Sunday Deliveries, 158—Commission on Sunday Labour, 160.
CHAPTER XIX.
PARTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN POSITION (1850-1851).
The Word of a Minister, 163—Renewed Claim for Promotion, 164—Mr. Warburton, 165—Mr. Cobden, 166—Mr. Hume, 167—Sir C. Wood, 169—Application for an Assistant-Secretary, 170—Mr. Frederic Hill—his Services as an Inspector of Prisons, 171—Ministry in Danger, 173—Increase of Salary, 174—Death of Mr. T. W. Hill. Mr. Frederic Hill’s Appointment, 176—Staff of Clerks, 177.
APPENDIX TO CHAPTER XIX (1849-1851).
Money Order Department, 178—Clerks divided into Classes, 179—Clerks in Charge. Prepayment, 180—Mail Trains versus Mail Carts, 181—Rural Distribution, 182—Postal Treaties, 183—Salaries and Promotion, 184; Rectification of Accounts, 185—Mr. Cunard and the West Indian Mails, 186—United States. India, 187—France. Revenue, 188—Mail Robbery, 189—Improved Condition of Officials. Source of Dishonesty, 190—“Household Words” and “Quarterly Review,” 191.
CHAPTER XX.
EFFORTS FOR FURTHER IMPROVEMENT IN POSITION (1851-1852).
The Railway Department, 193—Letter from Mr. Cobden. Visit to the West Riding, 194—The two Secretaries, 195—Renewed Application for Promotion, 196—Mr. Cobden, Mr. Hume, and Sir C. Wood, 198—A Mysterious Allusion in Mr. Cobden’s Letter, 199—Resignation of the Liberal Ministry, 200—Lord Clanricarde’s Minute. Statement of Improvements, 201.
CHAPTER XXI.
Lord Hardwicke Postmaster-General, 203—Two Kings in Brentford, 205—Mr. Warburton, 206—Court Dress. The Latch-key, 207—Chevalier Bunsen, 208—Who is to be Subordinate? 209—Lord Hardwicke’s peculiar Spelling. An Election Job, 210—Resignation of Tory Ministry, 211—East Indian Post Office, 212.
CHAPTER XXII.
Lord Canning, Postmaster-General, 213—Treaty with France, 214—Large Savings, 215—Letter to Lord Canning, 215—Promotion or Resignation, 217—Lord Canning’s Answer, 218—Dangerous State of Health, 219—Commission for Revising Salaries, 221—Dinner at Lord Canning’s. Mr. Gladstone, 222—Mortality among Colonels, 223—Sole Secretary, 224.
CHAPTER XXIII.
PROGRESS OF REFORM FROM THE MIDDLE OF 1851 TO THE END OF 1854.
Railway Legislation, 227—Acceleration of Northern Mails, 231—Limited Mails, 232—A Transformation Scene, 233—Silence under Misrepresentation. Premiums for Punctuality, 235—Mail-bag Apparatus, 236—Rectification of Accounts, 237—Packet Service (Lord Canning’s Commission), 238—Colonial Postage, 241—The Times, 243—Foreign Book Post. Chevalier Bunsen and Lord Hardwicke, 244—Salaries and Promotion, 245—Report of Commissioners for Revising Salaries, 246—Patronage, 248—Competitive Examinations, 249—Telegraphs, 251—Postal Reform abroad, 252.
Money Orders. Article in “Household Words,” 253—Hong-Kong Post Office, 257—Prepayment. Early Deliveries, 258—Pillar Letter-boxes. Number of Letters, 259—Increased Honesty, 260—Titus Oates. Funeral of the Duke of Wellington, 261.
CHAPTER XXIV.
SOLE SECRETARYSHIP—FIRST ANNUAL REPORT, 1854. PROGRESS OF
IMPROVEMENT (1855-1859).
Lord Canning, 263—Arrangement of Secretarial Duties, 264—The Staff of Officers, 266—Annual Reports. Monthly Report of Improvements in hand, 267—Post Office versus Board of Works, 268—Free Delivery, 270—London District Offices, 271—Scotch and Irish Mails, 273—Need of Railway Legislation, 276—Sir G. C. Lewis, 277—Government Loans to Railway Companies, 278—Government Purchase of Railways. Royal Commission on Railways, 283—Arbitration, 284—True Interests of the Companies, 285—Money Orders. Contract Work, 286—Post Office versus Admiralty. Mr. Trollope, 288—Panama Route, 290—Indian Mutiny, 292—Acceleration of News, 294—Revenue and Expenditure, 295—Predictions Fulfilled, 297—Promotion by Merit. Sir W. Hayter, 298—Civil Service Examination, 300—Letter from Sir C. Trevelyan, 301—Health of Officers, 302—Life Insurance, 304—Mutual Guarantees, 307—Libraries, 308.
APPENDIX TO CHAPTER XXIV.
Soldiers’ Letters. Colonial and Foreign Posts, 310—Street Nomenclature and House Numbering, 311—Early History of the Post Office, 312—Improvement in Accounts. Number of Offices, 313—Number of Letters. Returned Letters, 314—Registration, 315—Soldiers’ Remittances. Extension of Money Order System to Colonies, 316—Transference of Management of Colonial Post Offices. Foreign Posts, 317—United States, 318—Mr. Pliny Miles, 319—Treaties made easily Terminable, 320.
CHAPTER XXV.
DISCONTENTS IN THE OFFICE (1855-9).
Demands for higher Wages, 321—“Civil Service Gazette,” 322—Letter-carriers—Eligibility of their Position, 324—Christmas-boxes, 325—Mutinous Meeting, 326—Threats of Assassination, 327—A familiar Acquaintance, 328.
CHAPTER XXVI.
MISCELLANEOUS PROCEEDINGS FROM 1855 TO 1859.
Postal Guide and Postal Official Circular, 329—Date Stamps. Mr. Pearson Hill’s Stamping Machine, 330—Mr. C. W. Sikes and the Post Office Savings Banks, 331—Salaries, 333—Volunteer Corps, 334—Compulsory Prepayment, 335—Parcels Post. Tubular Conveyance, 336—Inventors, 339—Telegraph Tube Service, 340—Mr. R. Stephenson, 341—Postage on Newspapers, 342—The Times, 344—Mr. Gladstone, 345—Serious Illness, 346—Plan for distributing Newspapers, 347—Wreck of the “Violet” Mail-packet, 349—The Bey of Tunis. Number of Letters posted in Russia and Manchester. The last Attack on Penny Postage, 350—Government Franking, 351.
CHAPTER XXVII.
POSTMASTERS-GENERAL (1855-1860).
Lord Canning, 353—Indian Mutiny. “Edinburgh Review,” 354—Duke of Argyll, 355—Lord Colchester, 356—Lord Elgin, 357—Health failing, 358—Royal Society. K.C.B., 359—Vigorous and harmonious Action in the Office, 360—Dangerous Illness. Lord Stanley of Alderley, 361—Fourth Cabal. Mr. Gladstone’s Support, 362.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Post Office Savings Banks—their Costliness, 364—Registration, 367—Pattern Post, 368—Packet Service. Transference from Admiralty. Mr. Frederic Hill’s Reforms, 369—Tenders. Surveys of Mail-packets, 370—Readjustment of Transmarine Rates, 371—Punctuality, 372—Large Expenditure prevented, 373—Reward for faithful Services, 374—Free-trade and subsidised Mail-packets, 375.
CHAPTER XXIX.
A Blow struck at Promotion by Merit. Appeal to the Treasury, 376—Interviews with Lord Palmerston, 377—Health broken down. Medical Certificate, 378—Mr. Gladstone’s Kindness. Letter of Resignation, 379—Results of Postal Reform, 380—Number of Letters. Revenue, 382—Letters from Lord Stanley of Alderley, 384—Lord Stanley’s Speech in the House of Lords, 386—Statue in Birmingham, 387—Mr. Joseph Parkes. “Sir F. Baring’s opinion of Rowland Hill,” 388—Pension to Lady Hill. Notice by Lord Palmerston, 390—Treasury Minute, 391—Authorship of Penny Postage, 393—Lady Hill’s Address to the Queen, 394—Grant from Parliament. Lord Palmerston’s Speech, 395—Speeches by Lords Brougham and Clanricarde, 398—Letter to Mr. Gladstone, 399—Mr. Gladstone’s Answer, 400—University of Oxford. Testimonials. Albert Gold Medal, 400—Happy among Reformers! Postal Reforms of the Future, 401—Packet Service. Every Department should be Self-supporting, 402—Contract Work. Female Labour. Parcels Post, 403—Postal Union. Office of Postmaster-General should be Permanent, 404—Patronage. Promotion by Merit. Post Office Monopoly, 405—The Path that lies before Reformers, 406.
BOOK III.
Squandering of Force, 411—Rowland Hill’s Character. His Pride in his Plan, 412—A rare Combination of Enthusiasm and Practical Power. Never Complained of the World. His perfect Integrity, 413—His high Standard of public Duty. His Generosity and Consideration for the feelings of others, 414—Asked too much of men in general, 415—A Member of the Political Economy Club, 416—His continued Interest in Postal Affairs. Garibaldi, 417—Effect of Education on the Postal Revenue. Spelling. His Grief at the Faults committed in the Post Office, 418—Mr. Gladstone’s Description of his Lot. State of his Health, 419—Royal Society Club, 420—An overwrought Brain. Metropolitan Asylums Board, 421—Regularity of his Household, 422—The Resources of his Old Age, 423—His Gratitude. Thoughtfulness for others, 424—Death in the Family Group, 425—Colonel Torrens. His Son’s Marriage, 426—Not Forgotten of Men. Statue in Kidderminster. Freedom of the City of London, 428—Death, 429,—Westminster Abbey, 430.
APPENDICES.
A.—Letter to Postmaster-General Lord Clanricarde (January 3rd, 1849), p. 437.
B.—Letter to Postmaster-General Lord Clanricarde (August 13th, 1849), p. 443.
C.—Lord Clanricarde’s Reply (August 23rd, 1849), p. 445.
D.—Minute on the Sunday Duties of the Post Office (February 3rd, 1849), p. 446.
F.—Anonymous Letter from a Sub-Sorter (October 11th, 1849), p. 455.
G.—Letter to Mr. Warburton (November 16th, 1850), p. 457.
H.—Letter to Postmaster-General Lord Canning (June 18th, 1853), p. 460.
I.—Memorandum by Sir R. Hill on the Net Revenue of the Post Office (December 18th, 1862), p. 466.
J.—Conveyance of Mails by Railway—Memorandum thereon (January 6th, 1857), p. 474.
K.—Minute relative to Panama Route to Australia (September 27th, 1858), p. 478.
L.—Letter to Lord Canning Governor-General of India (October 24th, 1857), p. 482.
N.—Letter to the Lords of the Treasury—Superannuation Grant (March 17th, 1864), p. 492.
BOOK II.
HISTORY
OF
PENNY POSTAGE.
(Continued.)
COMMITTEE OF ENQUIRY (1843).
As the Committee was not moved for until so late in the session, it could not have very long to sit; and, at the end of seven weeks, its inquiry was brought to a close by the approach of the prorogation. This abrupt ending was in two ways unfortunate. In the first place, it cut short the evidence I was giving in a reply to allegations from the Post Office; and, in the second place, it allowed no time for more than the briefest Report. To supply these deficiencies, and to present the whole in readable shape to the public, I drew up a careful statement of the principal facts given in evidence, with my own comments thereon, and published it under the title of “State and Prospects of Penny Postage”; [1] and from this I proceed to abstract or extract, as may appear most convenient. The pamphlet, I may add, contained, in an appendix, the whole of the correspondence asked for by Sir Thomas Wilde; including, therefore, the letters refused by the Treasury, but which I had afterwards laid before the Committee in the course of my evidence.
The witnesses before the Committee—first, myself, and afterwards the Secretary of the Post Office, the Postmaster-General, and three other functionaries of the department.
“The main part of my evidence consisted of written statements, prepared from day to day, and read before the Committee. The Committee proposed this unusual course, and though I saw that it would greatly increase the labour of preparation, yet, as it enabled me to adopt a better arrangement of matter than could have been secured in an examination altogether vivâ voce, I readily complied with their desire.” [2]
The labour, however, was enormous—especially in the collection, verification, and arrangement of a vast number of facts—and required for its efficiency all practicable assistance from my family. I believe nothing but such assistance, and the excitement of the contest, could have enabled me to support the toil. The amount of matter laid before the Committee may be judged of when I say that my examination-in-chief occupies a hundred and thirty-four pages in the folio Blue Book (equal to two volumes of an ordinary novel), and engaged the whole time of the Committee at six consecutive sittings. The heaviest part of the work was in the beginning, as then my time for preparation was briefest, while, as it fell out, the mass of matter was largest—ninety-five of the hundred and thirty-four pages being taken up with the proceedings of the first four days.
After having restated the principal features of my plan, enumerated the chief improvements already effected, and glanced at the chief causes then impairing or retarding the beneficial operation of these improvements, I repeated the statement of their results, as already mentioned in my petition, adding that the chargeable letters had increased to nearly threefold, while the increase in Post Office expenses, though still, in my opinion, excessive, was, when the accounts were cleared of certain extraneous charges, actually less for the three years subsequent to the reduction of the rate than for the three years previous thereto.[3]
I referred to a letter from Messrs. Pickford, by which it appeared that they estimated the increase in the number of their letters during the last four years, enclosures being counted in, as from 30,000 to about 720,000.[4]
I compared the results of penny postage, and of the other alterations consequent upon it (so far as they had then been carried into effect), with the recorded anticipations of the Post Office and of myself; referring particularly[5] to illicit conveyance, the safety of postage stamps, and the exchange of charge by number of enclosures for charge by weight; on all which points the expectations of the Post Office had proved erroneous. I also recalled Colonel Maberly’s opinion that in the first year the number of letters would not double, even if every one were allowed to frank; Mr. Louis’s estimate that the adoption of the penny rate would cause a loss of from sevenpence to eightpence per letter—that is, somewhat more than the gross revenue of the Post Office at the time; and Lord Lichfield’s statement in Parliament, that each letter costs the Post Office “within the smallest fraction of twopence-halfpenny”—a calculation making the expense double the produce of the penny rate.[6] On the other hand, I had no difficulty in showing that my calculations had been justified, and my expectations, with due allowance for time and circumstance, fairly fulfilled.
I afterwards laid before the Committee a general statement of measures of improvement not yet effected, but which I had recommended while at the Treasury, several of them essential parts of my original plan.[7] In addition to these, I mentioned various other measures, suggested by experience, which I had been quite unable to bring forward for want of opportunity. I may so far anticipate as to say that nearly all the measures then spoken of under both headings were, after my return to office, carried successively into effect, and that their combined operation is the main cause of the present large amount of public convenience and fiscal benefit derived from the Post Office. After such an enumeration of measures, it was almost superfluous to repeat that “the adoption of my plan was extremely incomplete, its financial operations most injuriously interfered with, and its public benefits lamentably cramped.”
I next proceeded to examine the parliamentary return already referred to, more than once, as the “Fallacious Return,” by which it was made to appear that the Post Office, instead of affording, as shown by the ordinary accounts, a net revenue of £600,000, caused a positive loss. It may well seem incredible that returns emanating from the same department should exhibit results so widely different, and the reader may naturally be curious as to the means by which the difference was produced. It was mainly this: At the time when penny postage was established, the packet service was, with little exception, charged to the Admiralty; whereas in this return the whole amount (£612,850) was charged against the Post Office.[8] The department on which the expense ought to fall, or the equitable division of the charge between the two, might be matter of question; but it is obvious that to make such a change without notification, and thereby exhibit, by a mere shuffling of items, results so impaired, was to lead the public into a very false inference as to the revenue arising from the Post Office under the new system as compared with the old. Indeed, the delusion so produced not only misled large numbers at the time, but, as already said, haunts some minds even to the present day.
This, however, was not all; since the return also made a pretended division of the postage revenue under two heads, one consisting of the inland revenue, the other including the foreign and colonial revenue—a distinction which I showed to be made, not by actual examination of facts and just inference therefrom, but by mere estimate. I also showed that in this return the amount of foreign and colonial postage was greatly swollen at the expense of the inland revenue, the purpose obviously being to disparage the results of penny postage; and further that, despite the statements of Sir Robert Peel and Mr. Goulburn, the net revenue of the department was really £600,000 per annum,[9] a statement soon confirmed by the following admission of Colonel Maberly:—
“As I have stated over and over again, looking at it as regards the Post Office revenue now, as compared with what the Post Office revenue was before the penny post, the surplus of income over expenditure is somewhere about £600,000.” [10]
After disposing of the “fallacious return”—fallacious to the extent of £600,000 per annum—I proceeded to the proof of the different allegations of my petition.
I described a serious error lately made in a treaty with France—an error the more vexatious as being the result of needless meddling.
Extract from my evidence:—
“The next and last case under this head [Economy] is the new postal treaty with France, which, however excellent in its general objects and effects, is, in consequence of important errors in the details, operating very unfavourably on our portion of the revenue derived from the united postage, French and English, on letters between the two countries. Our scale of postage, as the Committee will bear in mind, ascends by half-ounces up to one ounce, and then by ounces. The French scale, on the other hand, ascends by quarter-ounces. Several important results flow from this distinction. As every letter, in regard to a portion of its postage, is under the quarter-ounce scale, the great majority of letters will be just within the quarter-ounce; such letters, therefore, though liable to a French rate of 20d. per ounce, and a British rate of only 10d. per ounce, would be charged 10d. each, viz., 5d. British and 5d. French—the whole being collected sometimes by the one Post Office, sometimes by the other. Under the old system each Government would retain its own 5d., and hand over the second 5d. to the other Government. The English Post Office, however, in order to relieve itself of the trouble of accounting for the letters numeratim, proposed a clause by which each Government would have accounted to the other for the whole mail at once, according to its weight in bulk. I pointed out to the Treasury how unfairly towards our own Government the proposed stipulation would operate, and the proposal of the Post Office was consequently rejected. It appears, however, by the treaty that it was subsequently revived, with a slight modification, which no doubt was thought would obviate the evil, but which only slightly mitigates it. Under the treaty, we are to pay in respect of a mail, the postage of which is collected in England, 20d. an ounce to the French for their share of the postage; whereas on a mail the postage of which is to be collected in France, we are only to receive 12d. per ounce. Applying this rule to the great majority, which, as before said, are just under the quarter ounce, the ultimate effect is, that of our 5d., when the postage is collected in France, the French hand over to us only 3d., retaining 2d. of our 5d., in addition to their own 5d.; whereas, when we collect the postage, we hand over to the French the whole of their 5d., retaining our own 5d. without any addition. Upon certain small classes of letters the arrangement would be in favour of the English, but to a very slight extent even upon such classes; and, on the general balance the disadvantage is to an annual amount probably of some thousands of pounds.” [11]
Upon the importance of additional facilities there was the less need that I should repeat in my pamphlet what I had advanced before the Committee, because of the ample recognition given to such importance, in general terms, by Colonel Maberly, in his evidence:—
“The Post Office has always held the opinion, and I believe they are right, that facilities judiciously applied will enormously increase the correspondence; and I have sometimes myself pushed this doctrine to a length that may be considered almost absurd, that facilities increase correspondence almost more than reduction of the rate.” [12]
On the question, however, of what had been done towards that increase of facilities recognised as so important, I dealt with one or two of the most prominent points. Thus, under the head, “Security of Correspondence,” I referred to my evidence on the subject of registration; feeling it the more necessary to enlarge upon this point because of the exaggerated views put forth in his evidence by Colonel Maberly as to the insecurity then existing—views expressed in such phrases as “The department has become thoroughly demoralized”; [13] there has been “enormous plunder and robbery”; [14] “the plunder is terrific”; [15] and, by way of climax, “a letter posted with money in it might as well be thrown down in the street as put into the Post Office.” [16]
After I had explained to the Committee the difficulties to be encountered in the travelling-office—where “how the duty is to be performed” the Postmaster-General had declared himself “altogether at a loss to imagine,” adding that “if the number of registered letters should increase largely this office must be abolished”—a return was ordered by the Committee, in which, when received, the danger to the public service certainly stood forth in a ludicrous light; since it appeared that the number of registered letters then to be dealt with in the travelling-office, during its whole journey from London to Preston, averaged only six each trip!
For the purpose of refuting my statement, that little or nothing had yet been done in the way of increased facilities to the public, an attempt was made to extort from me an admission that there had been a great number of additional deliveries within the previous twelve months in different parts of the kingdom. The mode taken was to inquire if I were aware of large augmentations in particular towns selected by the querist (Mr. Estcott), who said that he spoke from his own knowledge, and to lead the Committee to infer, from my inability to reply off-hand to such questions, that I must be ignorant on the general subject; the whole was made up of parts, and if I could not speak to these, how could I be informed as to that?[17] In the interval, however, between my two interrogations on this subject, I produced evidence flatly contradicting, so far as related to two out of the three towns named, the allegations so distinctly implied in the questions of the hon. member.[18]
Such are a few of the matters selected for my pamphlet, out of the many dealt with in my evidence relative to past proceedings.
The next point of consideration was the probability of the completion of my plan. I again quote from my pamphlet, premising that in the previous passage I had referred to the importance which I had always attached to the plan as a whole, and to the Duke of Wellington’s emphatic recognition of such importance:—
“As regards probabilities, it is a curious fact that, from the institution of the Post Office to the present time, no important improvement has had its origin in that establishment.[19] The town-posts originated with a Mr. Dockwra,[20] shortly before the Restoration; the cross-posts with Mr. Allen, about the middle of last century; and the substitution of mail-coaches for horse and foot posts was, as is well known, the work of Mr. Palmer some thirty years later. It is remarkable that the cases of Dockwra and Palmer bear a considerable resemblance to my own. The opposition to the introduction, and, what is more extraordinary, to the working-out and even the continuance of Palmer’s plan, is too well known to be dwelt on here; but both these remarkable men saw their plans adopted, were themselves engaged to work them out, and subsequently, on the complaint of the Post Office, were turned adrift by the Treasury.” [21]
I may remark here that though the three reformers—Dockwra, Palmer, and I—were all alike in the fact of dismissal, a subsequent distinction must be observed. Mr. Dockwra, I fear, never received any recompense for his valuable improvement; Mr. Palmer was allowed a pension of £3,000 per annum, an amount much below that promised him in the case of success—obtaining, however, after many years delay, a parliamentary grant of £50,000; I alone was so far favoured as to be recalled to aid in the completion of my plan.
In dealing with this question of probabilities, I was obliged to dwell strongly on the notorious hostility of the Post Office, as well as its incapacity for the task to be performed: to refer, for instance, to Colonel Maberly’s habitual prediction of failure,[22] and Lord Lowther’s declared inability to see anything in my plan save the introduction of a penny rate, and the establishment of a third delivery to Hampstead.[23] I had also to show, from the past inaction and indifference of the Treasury, the hopelessness of looking for efficient aid in that quarter.
Before concluding the account of my evidence, I extract a passage, which may perhaps afford some little amusement. The reader will recollect the circumstances already mentioned relative to a notice issued by the Post Office, recommending persons corresponding with the far East by the Overland Mail to appoint agents in India for the payment of the onward postage.[24] On this subject the following passages occurred before the Committee:—