By the transfer to the Post Office of appointment to all the higher postmasterships, opportunity for promotion was greatly enlarged, and posts formerly bestowed for political services, now became the rewards of approved merit. This change obviously involved great improvement in the quality of the persons thus entrusted with powers and duties of no small importance to the public. In the provincial offices a corresponding improvement was, in great measure, secured by delegating the power of appointing their subordinates, under certain restrictions, to the respective postmasters; who, being themselves responsible for the good working of their offices, were naturally led to such selection as would best conduce to that end. This delegation, so far as related to clerks, was made, as already mentioned, on the recommendation of the Civil Service Commissioners; and, the trust being satisfactorily exercised, was subsequently extended to the appointment of letter-carriers also.

Of the inconveniences arising from confining admission to the service to candidates passing the Civil Service examinations, of which I have already spoken, some evidence is given by the following extract from a Report of Mr. Abbott, secretary to the Post Office in Scotland:—

But, whatever might be the amount of inconvenience that in the first appointment arose from neglect of such criteria, the system of promotion by merit, being regulated entirely by reference to official services, was found to work exceedingly well. From the different departments of the metropolitan offices, and from the provincial surveyors, the reports of its operation were almost uniformly satisfactory. Officers were found to take more personal interest in their duties, to do more work without augmentation of force, to make up in some degree by additional zeal for the increased yearly holiday that was granted them, and to discharge their duties with more cheerfulness and spirit, knowing that good service would bring eventual reward.[162] In short, almost without exception, good conduct was reported on all sides.

From Sir Charles Trevelyan, one of the Commissioners whose recommendation had led the Treasury to adopt this beneficial change of system, I received the following letter. The italics are the writer’s:—

My own strong feeling of the value of the improvement I find thus expressed a year and a half later:—

Extract from a letter to the Duke of Argyll, dated October 2nd,
1857:—

Health.

In the midst of proceedings thus tending not more to the public good than to the true interests of the officers of the department, other measures were taken by which the welfare of the latter was yet more directly and obviously promoted. One of these was the formal appointment of a medical gentleman to take, in addition to some other duties, the regular charge of the health of the large number of letter-carriers attached to the chief office. The duties of this officer—of course with proper assistance—were subsequently extended to the homes of invalids, and also to the staff at each of the new district offices. Similar appointments were afterwards made at Dublin and Edinburgh. Means were also taken to supply the men with pure water. Serious mischief had arisen, especially in times when cholera or diarrhœa was epidemic, from their resort to a neighbouring pump attached to Goldsmiths’ Hall; the water of which, though most attractive in appearance and taste, was found by analysis to be very deleterious in quality. In the erection of the new district offices much care was taken to avoid those bad internal arrangements—alike destructive to rapid action and injurious to health—which want of either attention or experience had introduced at St. Martin’s-le-Grand.

The general health of the department was in danger of being lowered by the new standard of acquirement that had been established for admission to the service. The persons best fitted for letter-carriers’ duties in a physical point of view are obviously those whose previous occupation has inured them to labour of body and endurance of weather; but such persons were, in effect, to a great extent excluded by the new educational requirements, which, on the other hand, gave, for the most part, easy admission to shopmen, clerks, domestic servants, and others, but little accustomed to out-door exercise. To remedy this, the Postmaster-General (the Duke of Argyll) requested the Civil Service Commissioners to adopt a somewhat lower standard of acquirement, and at the same time authorized the chief medical officer to subject all candidates for the office of letter-carrier to stricter test as regards bodily strength. The application of this higher physical standard caused the rejection of at least one candidate out of four.[164]

By all these measures, the health of the department, which, with every allowance for the favourable age of its officers, stood even at the beginning of the period in very advantageous comparison with that of London generally, was gradually raised to a very high standard.

One further improvement, however, seems very desirable, though the means of effecting it have not yet been found. In the year 1857, Dr. Lewis, the chief medical officer, having reported on the sanitary condition of the dwellings of the letter-carriers, sorters, and messengers attached to the chief office,[165] the Annual Report makes this comment:—

A hope was expressed that, as the department had stated its readiness, in case of suitable abodes being provided, to give a guarantee against loss from arrears of rent, provision would be made by commercial enterprise;[167] but this hope still remains unfulfilled; and it must be admitted that no small part of the difficulty rests with the men themselves.

Insurance.

Another measure for the benefit of the staff, and more especially its humbler members, that is to say most of its number, consisted in arrangements for facilitating life insurance, and for placing the security of such investment beyond all doubt; an improvement of considerable advantage to the public, as it tends to retain in its service a number of careful provident men. At an earlier period, a mutual insurance society had been formed in the London office, but owing to errors in the scale of premiums and payments, this society had fallen into difficulties, such as to show that it would, at no distant period, be unable to meet its liabilities. Attempts had been made from time to time to obtain assistance from the Treasury; thus, in the year 1849, at Mr. Tilley’s request, I spoke urgently on the subject to Mr. Hayter; a recent application having been refused.

Amidst the labour and anxiety that weighed upon me during the period of the Sunday Observance agitation, I had no spare attention for the furtherance of this useful measure, nor was it until the beginning of the year 1851 that I was able to take the next step. Then, however, I spoke to Sir George Cornewall Lewis on the subject. I proposed that Government should give up to the fund the proceeds of the unclaimed money orders, which I estimated at about, £1,100 a year, and I explained to him a plan which I had in view for extending the utility of the association, by including not only life insurance, but also guarantees for the conduct of the insured. He agreed in the opinion that the association should be helped in its present difficulties, but, objecting to anything in the shape of charity, was not inclined to go further; and in this position matters remained for the time. On my brother’s appointment, however, later in the same year, I directed his attention to the matter, and, in a short time, he produced a plan which, satisfying the Treasury, procured for the society its required assistance.

The first step in accordance with this sanction was to induce an office of undoubted stability to take upon itself the society’s liabilities; and to this the Atlas Assurance Company assented upon receiving the sum of £2,000, which was drawn from the void order fund. It was arranged that thenceforth the whole of this fund, amounting at the time to about £1,400 a year, together with the interest on its previous accumulation, which constituted a principal of about £12,000, and lastly, all the money found in such “dead letters” as could not be returned to the writers, should be applied towards assisting officers in payment of insurance fees.[168] In this manner the association in question, “The Post Office Widows’ and Orphans’ Fund Society,” was placed on a firm footing.

As, however, the demands thus made on these various funds were not sufficient, in the scale laid down, to absorb the whole, a portion of the void order fund was employed in rescuing from difficulties another society in the London Office, called the “Letter-Carriers’ Burial Fund”; the rights and claims of which became perplexed and uncertain on the amalgamation of the two sets of letter-carriers; with only one of which the society had been connected. These measures had the effect of exchanging past contributions into payments for life insurance; and thus gave to every contributor the full benefit of his former sacrifices. The fund still being by no means exhausted, authority was obtained to apply the remainder towards aiding members of the service throughout the United Kingdom to insure their lives, by using it in part payment of the premiums; and, even from the best established insurance offices, a considerable reduction of fees was obtained, in consideration of the large amount of business thus thrown into their hands.

By the end of 1857 the total amount insured for was £280,000.[169] As might be expected, the greatest amount of providence was shown in Scotland, England at first lagging much behind, while poor Ireland was fairly distanced. Subsequently, however, England came up with Scotland, and even Ireland amended her relative position. Still, the number of insurers, when compared with that of the whole force, was at best but small: a defect attributed to the premiums having to be paid in quarterly amounts; an arrangement unsuited to men in the receipt of weekly or even monthly wages. It was therefore arranged that insurers should have the option of making their payments by means of a small deduction from their salaries. This improvement was found to produce the desired effect; the number of insurers increasing by about eighty per cent. within three months after the alteration.[170]

Another beneficial change arose thus. Of course, in these departments of the service where the officers have to be intrusted with the public money, guarantees are required of those who are appointed; a requirement necessarily producing either trouble or expense. Private guarantees were commonly procured, though some nominees got the security of the British Guarantee Association, the fees for obtaining which, however, although moderate, implied a considerable deduction from the smaller salaries. Mr. Banning, the postmaster of Liverpool, conceived the plan of a mutual guarantee amongst the officers themselves. This proving very successful at Liverpool, was subsequently introduced into the Chief Office, and extended to the offices of some other of the principal towns.[171]

Libraries.

The following is an extract from the Postmaster-General’s Report for 1858:—

In the following year similar institutions on a smaller scale were established at nearly all the London district offices, and also at Glasgow.[173] In the London office, the institution was aided by the delivery of lectures, a work in which several of the higher officials took part. On the occasion of the annular eclipse of 1858 I took my turn by giving a lecture on the subject of that phenomenon, and had the pleasure of addressing a very full and very attentive audience.

Summary.

I cannot better close this account of the Post Office staff, numbering at that time more than twenty-four thousand persons in all, of which more than three thousand served in the London district, than by quoting the following passage from the Sixth Annual Report, that for 1859, issued as usual in the following year, and signed by the Postmaster-General of the day, Lord Elgin:—

APPENDIX TO CHAPTER XXIV.

FIRST ANNUAL REPORT, 1854.

The first of the series of Annual Reports was prefaced with an historical sketch of the Post Office from its origin, written by my nephew, Mr. Alfred Hill. To this interesting narrative I beg to refer such of my readers as may desire to become acquainted with the early history of the department.[175] Like all similar documents, it will be found in any collection of Parliamentary papers. Here, however, I shall only quote one or two statements not previously given, and some few other passages that may interest or amuse.

Soldiers’ Letters.

It had formerly been maintained, even by so high an authority as the Duke of Wellington, that British soldiers were but little disposed to make use of their long-existing privilege of penny postage. That opinion found little confirmation at this time, since during the first eight months, after arrangements had been made for postal communication during the Crimean War, more than three hundred and fifty thousand letters each way passed between England and the seat of war; neither did the higher rate attaching to the quicker route through France prevent its engrossing six-sevenths of the whole correspondence.

Colonial and Foreign Posts.

Under this head the Report deals with one of a numerous class of misapprehensions. I think I have already referred[176] to the well-known propensity of Englishmen to make comparisons unfavourable to their own country. The simplified and reduced postage on letters to and from the Colonies, viz., sixpence for the whole distance, had, as respects the Australian Colonies, been unfavourably contrasted with the charge of twopence-halfpenny made for conveying a letter to Australia from the United States, whereas the American charges did not include the colonial postage, by which, even when lowest, the total was raised above our rate. Again, the American mails were despatched only by chance vessels, while the English mails were conveyed by regular packets, bound under heavy penalties to start at fixed times and to perform the voyage within a stipulated period, and therefore engaged at higher rates, the British Post Office paying threepence where the Post Office of the United States paid but one penny.

It is mentioned that the book-post was now in operation with almost every important colony, and with most of the minor ones; and that amongst other changes in foreign postage there was an important reduction in that to France, which, from a rate varying between eightpence and tenpence,—itself a very great reduction on earlier rates,—had been reduced to a uniform one of fourpence. By this improvement the postage between any place in the United Kingdom and any place in France, including even Algeria, was made as low as that charged, twenty years before, between the nearest two towns in England, and less than the eighth part of the postage charged at that earlier period on letters between say Manchester and Lyons.

Street Nomenclature and House Numbering.

In a note to certain recommendations to the general public, remark was made on the confusion and delay in the delivery of letters arising from the application of the identical names to different streets, the extent of this practice being shown by the fact that in London alone there were found to be fifty King Streets, as many Queen Streets, and sixty John Streets and William Streets. In the Appendix mention is also made of perplexities arising from irregularity in numbering, carried in some instances to such an extent as to have the same number attached to seven different houses in the same street, and, in particular places, exhibiting such further anomalies as would seem altogether incredible. Mr. T. B. Cooke, Inspector of Letter Carriers, who supplied the information, gives the following ludicrous instance:—

Unfounded Complaints.

Reference was made to serious charges brought against the Post Office without sufficient examination of antecedent facts; thus it was shown to a newspaper publisher, who complained of repeated losses, that it was his own clerk who was the thief. In another case, a more general complaint on the same subject led to the discovery, near the chief office, of a thriving mart, illicitly supplied by private messengers employed to convey newspapers to the post.

Early History of the Post Office.

In an interesting Report from Mr. Scudamore, there is a remarkable passage which shows that general views in accordance with those on which my reforms were founded were incidentally expressed, about a century and a half before, by the Postmasters-General of the day, Sir R. Cotton and Sir F. Frankland. It is as follows:—

I cite also from Mr. Scudamore’s Report the following curious passage:—

Improvement in Accounts.

A passage from the Report of the Chief Examiner shows the great improvements which had taken place in the system of accounts, and the strange laxity which had existed before the late reforms.

By this it appeared that under the old system the accounts of the provincial postmasters were usually from three to six months in arrear; that no vouchers were demanded for the proper disbursement of the money with which the postmasters were credited; that through this dilatoriness they were themselves frequently ignorant of the real state of their affairs, and under temptation to use the public money for their own purposes;[177] while, at the same time, the revenue was injured by the delay in remitting the balances. This was contrasted with the new system, under which “each postmaster renders his account week by week, with all its proper vouchers for every receipt and every payment, and showing the revenue left in his hands at the close of each week to be the smallest possible sum.”[178]

At the same time, notwithstanding the “many and great struggles made to bring the accounts of the Post Office into a satisfactory state,” the force in the offices of the Receiver and Accountant-General had been reduced from ninety-three to fifty-one, and that not only without any demand for extra time, but with a fair allowance of holiday to those engaged.

PROGRESS OF IMPROVEMENT FROM 1855 TO 1859.

NUMBER OF POST OFFICES, ETC.

The number of receptacles for letters in the United Kingdom, which before the establishment of penny postage was about 4,500, and which had subsequently been raised to about 10,000, was increased during the period now under consideration to more than 13,000,[179] thus nearly tripling the original number.[180] Of these about 2,000 were pillar-boxes. It is to be observed that, while these cannot fulfil all the purposes of post offices, they have the advantage over them in one important respect. They can be cleared at all hours of the night, when receiving-houses and sub-post offices are closed; a convenience especially valuable in London, in reference to the morning mails. Their superiority in respect of economy is obvious; and this valuable quality so facilitates their multiplication that in London, by the close of the period, there was scarcely a house but had a posting-place within a furlong.[181]

Some inconvenience arose at first, and probably is still experienced in a less degree, from the greater opportunity for mischief afforded by these isolated boxes, though there is some set-off in the circumstance that the most wanton or malicious act directed against them can extend no further than to the boxes and their contents. An abominable attempt, made in the year 1859, to set fire during the night to the contents of a box at a post office—that of Devonport—besides partially effecting this detestable purpose, greatly imperilled the whole building, and even placed in jeopardy the lives of the postmaster and his family.[182]

NUMBER OF LETTERS.

The increase in the number of chargeable letters delivered in the United Kingdom was from 443 millions in 1854[183] to 545 millions in 1859;[184] i.e., from somewhat less than six-fold of the number previously to the establishment of penny postage to somewhat more than seven-fold; so that the mere increment during these five years far exceeds the total amount under the old rates; the one being 102 millions and the other only 76 millions.[185]

RETURNED LETTERS.

In the Report for 1855 there is striking information as to reduction in the proportion of returned, mis-sent, and redirected letters which followed the establishment of penny postage. In the year 1838 the postage so lost amounted to 4¼ per cent. on the gross postal revenue of Great Britain. In three years it had fallen to 2¼ per cent., in eleven years more to 1 per cent., and in three years more to ¾ per cent.;[186] and the proportion seems to have fallen afterwards still lower.[187]

REGISTRATION.

The proportion of registered letters, too, which under the original high charge had been comparatively small, was now steadily advancing; the Fourth Annual Report showing that in the year 1857 it was one out of 400.[188] In the year 1868 it was as high as one out of 333. The general adoption of registration, however, was, and probably still is, somewhat retarded by the fear that, as the very fact of registration indicates value, which might otherwise remain unobserved, its use tends rather to create danger than to diminish it. This objection is sufficiently disposed of by a statement in the Sixth Annual Report, by which it appears that of the 1,400,000 letters registered within the year, only 785, or one in about 1,750, were reported as not having reached their destination. Further, that all these except 15 were afterwards recovered; and that of eight, out of this small exceptional number, the loss had occurred after they had left the custody of the British office.[189] In contrast with this it may be mentioned that in the same year (1859) no less than £260 found in unregistered letters remained in the hands of the Post Office simply from the want of means to find out either the addressee or the sender.[190] Such negligence in remitting money is the more blameable because, as remarked in the Postmaster-General’s Third Report, it offers temptations to theft which often prove irresistible, “bringing many a man in the service of the Post Office to disgrace and ruin, who, but for the thoughtlessness[191] or parsimony of others, might have remained an honest and useful member of society.”[192] As if this were not quite enough, a cry was raised that the dishonesty really due to this blameable conduct on the part of individuals was attributable to parsimony in the department. It was alleged, though without any justification, as will hereafter be shown, that men were driven to depredation through scantiness of pay.

Soldiers’ Remittances.

During the time of the Russian War the money order system was carried into active operation amongst our forces serving in the East, who, in the course of the year 1856, sent home by this means more than £100,000.[193]

Increased Facilities of Remittance.

It was in this period that the maximum amount for a single money order was raised from £5 to £10,[194] an improvement long urged; that opportunity was given for converting, at an almost nominal charge, a money order into what was in effect a bill payable ten days after date; and that, to facilitate small remittances, postage stamps were made exchangeable for money at a low commission, on application at a post office.[195]

Extension of Money Order System to Colonies.

In the year 1857, after overcoming many difficulties, a plan was devised for establishing a money order system between the mother country and the colonies. In fear of opposition on the ground of interference with private enterprise, the plan was arranged with a view to remove objections previously regarded as insuperable on the part of bankers, and succeeded in obtaining the acquiescence of those most likely to be affected by the change. The consent first of the Postmaster-General (Lord Colchester), and afterwards of the Treasury, was obtained; but when the arrangement was about to come into operation the Treasury sanction was suspended, on that very allegation of interference which it was hoped had been provided against. In 1859, however, taking advantage of an application on the subject from the Canadian Post Office, these views were again urged. With Lord Colchester’s approval, application was again made to the Treasury, which, after some hesitation, agreed to try the experiment. It is only necessary to add that the trial proved so successful that money order communication was gradually extended to all the other colonies, and to some foreign countries.

Intra-colonial Rates of Postage.

By returns obtained from the colonies during the year 1856, it appeared that reduction of rate was universal, or very nearly so, and uniformity of charge almost as general. The lowest rate reported was that in India, where the minimum charge was, and still is, for all distances, as low as three farthings; and though the weight thereby covered is certainly very small—being only about one-tenth of an ounce—yet on the one hand such restriction appears to produce little or no inconvenience to natives, and on the other hand it is more than counterbalanced by the vast extent of country over which a letter may be conveyed. The new postal system, which involved in effect the complete adoption of my plan, was established on the recommendation of a Commission of Inquiry. I have lately learnt (1870) with great satisfaction, that, whereas before the change, the Indian Post Office was a source of expense, it is now self-supporting.

Transference of Management of Colonial Post Offices.

As it had been found difficult, or rather impracticable, for the Postmaster-General effectually to superintend postal affairs in distant colonies, measures were taken in the year 1859—though they could not be completed until the next year—for transferring to the different Colonial Governments in the West Indies (unfortunately, in the case of Jamaica, at least, much against their will) the management of their respective offices. Of course such transfer, following as it did a similar change with regard to all our North American colonies, materially reduced the amount of our revenue, the counterbalancing advantage being the benefits usually arising from autonomy.

FOREIGN POSTS.

France.

The reduction of postage between England and France, already mentioned, which extended to the transit rates charged in each country on the letters of the other, having been followed by a large increase of correspondence, further changes were considered desirable,[196] and in the year 1856 my brother was sent to Paris to negotiate with the French Office. The result of the proceedings was the completion of a new postal convention involving large mutual reduction in transit rates and sea postage, an important clause being inserted which empowered the two Offices, by mutual agreement, to make future alterations in most of the provisions of the convention without the delay and formality of ordinary diplomatic action. This important provision, being one on which great stress was justly laid, was carefully included, when practicable, in subsequent treaties with whatever power.

Other European Countries.

New postal conventions, having for their object a reduction and simplification of charges, were in the same year (1856) in progress with Belgium, the German Postal Union, and Spain. Even with the first of these powers negotiation advanced but slowly; with the other two progress was slower still; while all attempts with Portugal, even to obtain reduction in the excessive rate then charged to Madeira, viz., one shilling and tenpence the quarter ounce, with an additional charge on delivery, a matter of no small importance to many English families, were for the time fruitless.[197] Indeed, so sluggish were the movements of this power, that no new convention had been effected with it, and consequently no postal improvement made (save in marine transit), for fifty years. Two years later, however, through the efforts of the British ministers at Madrid and Lisbon, aided by Mr. Edward Rea, who had been despatched by the Postmaster-General for the express purpose, better postal treaties with Spain and Portugal were at length concluded.[198]

United States.

Arrangements were also made for the registration of letters between this country and the United States;[199] but on other points of far more importance negotiations with that country made no effective progress during the period now under review. Our proposals made in 1856, which involved a reduction in the letter postage from a shilling the half ounce to sixpence, the establishment of a book-post, and the adoption of low transit rates on terms more favourable to the United States than were required by simple equity, were met by a counter-proposal, which, not being regarded as satisfactory, was replied to with a full statement of objections; an offer being made at the same time to submit the whole matter, if needful, to the arbitration of a third party. Instead, however, of making any rejoinder to this, the American Postmaster-General, in his next Annual Report, while entirely passing over the offer of arbitration, represented England as acting so unsatisfactorily, “that for the present no disposition is felt to pursue the matter further.”[200] Any one wishing to satisfy himself as to the respective merits of the parties in this proceeding will find the necessary documents in the Appendix to the Sixth Report of the British Postmaster-General, p. 57.

Before the English rejoinder could be made, however, the misrepresentations so boldly put forth raised an outcry in America, which was partly echoed here. Error in this country, so far as it went, was likely to disappear, or at least to become harmless, as soon as the next Annual Report came out; but in America, correction, if left to ordinary means, would doubtless have been found very slow. Fortunately, as might be expected in so energetic a nation, the need called forth the man; and so much as one man could do for diffusing sound knowledge on the whole subject was done by the late Mr. Pliny Miles; who, in his zeal for postal reform—a zeal, I must remark, rarely leading him into any inaccuracy—published more on the general subject in America than ever I did in England, travelled widely also in the Union, to urge his views by word of mouth, and several times crossed the Atlantic for the furtherance of his object. I must forestall events so far as to add that, long as he had to labour, and often as he endured disappointment, he happily lived to see his efforts rewarded with a large measure of success.[201] I must also so far anticipate here as to express the pleasure with which I have heard during late years of a total change in the spirit of the American Post Office, the new authorities of which have, I am informed, shown the utmost readiness to concur frankly in any measure of improvement, and an honourable desire to form arrangements equitable to both parties.

Treaties made easily Terminable.

As much inconvenience had arisen from past treaties having been made generally for long periods, so that, in case of disagreement as to interpretation on any point, or of serious modification being found needful, nothing could be done save by the slow and cumbrous process of diplomacy through the Foreign Office, a clause was inserted in all these new conventions, in accordance with a general rule previously laid down, whereby they were made terminable by either party at moderate notice.

CHAPTER XXV.

DISCONTENTS IN THE OFFICE. (1855-1859.)

While, however, content thus prevailed at the Post Office, and while reports from all quarters spoke highly of the general conduct of those employed in its service, it was inevitable that amongst so large a body of men discontent should arise somewhere or other. Promotion by merit, however satisfactory to the deserving, did little to gratify those who had no merit to show, and was yet more distasteful to any whose conduct positively shrunk from examination. Even less gratification was doubtless felt by men who found themselves deprived of extra pay long received but never earned,—nay, accorded where, instead of additional service, even ordinary duty had been so remitted as to become little more than nominal.

Of course, too, the officials of the Post Office, high and low, like all other persons employed in whatever service, hold themselves constantly open to an offer of increased salary or other improvement in condition; and as, in the nature of things, such advancement does not always come so frequently as desired, are not a little disposed to give the matter a helping hand when convenient. It will readily be imagined that such movements are most frequent in the lower branches of the service; or at least take there their most troublesome form. Sorters and letter-carriers, like other handicraftsmen, are more struck with the amount of their own work than able to appreciate the superior skill and incomparably greater labour required in the higher operations; and thus their inequality of condition, though the natural result of inferiority in qualifications, is too apt to be regarded as a standing grievance. Unfortunately, the public is somewhat apt to foster the error; to accept without examination sweeping statements as to excessive labour and insufficient recompense; and, as in the case of other operatives, the evil is prodigiously aggravated by men who in such aggravation find advantage or gratification to themselves, and who unhesitatingly swerve as far from truth and justice as public credulity will allow—no very limited tether.

In a weekly paper entitled the “Civil Service Gazette” I was subjected, from an early period of my career at the Post Office, to almost constant personal attacks; many of them written with considerable plausibility, but all void of substantial truth. Every one who has well considered the subject of slander must know how great an advantage the unscrupulous journalist has over the object of his attack, in the dilemma in which he places him of either replying, at much expense of time and dignity, to unfounded charges, or of allowing to them the sanction which a very large, though somewhat thoughtless, portion of the public infers from reticence. The amount of mischief that may be done in any department of manufacturing industry by artful misrepresentation addressed to over-willing ears has been painfully illustrated of late; and this is by no means without its parallel in that widely-extended department of Government which was so long the scene of my labours. Some notion of the means employed may be formed by a perusal of the following handbill, a copy of which was most properly forwarded to the Chief Office by the postmaster of a large provincial town, who found it in circulation among the clerks of his office:—

Self-answering as such exaggeration must appear to the thoughtful and well-informed, it is not without its effect on the unthinking and ignorant, particularly when the demands it implies correspond with their own natural desires. In some hope, therefore, of averting, or at least lessening, mischief, I drew the attention of Lord Colchester, then Postmaster-General, to the intrusion of this handbill into the department. It must be added that the copy received at the provincial office was enclosed in a circular signed by a former postmaster who had been dismissed for misconduct. His lordship entered into the matter with interest, and suggested further inquiry; which, being made, showed that the offensive paper had been sent to various other large offices. Nothing, however, resulted from these measures; and, as I had long ago directed my private secretary to make no report of what appeared in that journal, save in cases of absolute necessity, I was generally able, when a good-natured friend inquired if I had seen the last attack, to reply in all sincerity that I did not read the paper. The attacks, I understand, continued some years longer, many of them being traced to discharged servants of the office. I cannot but express my regret that the Civil Service should not have seen that it was disgraced by the support of a paper which condescended to such disreputable means for accomplishing its objects. Be this as it may, it is easier to shut one’s eyes to a fire than to put it out or prevent its spreading, and, as will be seen, the sparks thus maliciously scattered were not altogether without effect.

The eligibility of a letter carrier’s position at the time to which I refer was shown, not only by the large number of respectable men constantly applying for appointment, but by the advantages attached to the service in respect of rate of wages, supply of clothing, opportunity for rising into the class of sorters, the pension provided for old age (combined with assistance in life assurance), the gratuitous supply to a large portion of the force of medical attendance and medicine, and lastly, the annual holiday granted without loss of wages; while, with all this remuneration, the hours of labour, taking one day with another, were limited to eight. I may add that measures were in progress for yet further improving the condition of the letter-carriers.[202]

Every care, moreover, had been taken to provide for the speedy rectification of individual cases of hardship, which in so large and rapidly extending a department might unwittingly arise, by giving the fullest opportunity for legitimate complaint, by guarding all such complainants as took the prescribed mode from any consequent prejudice, however unfounded their allegations might prove, and by allowing to the lowest man in the service the means of appeal to the highest authority, that of the PostmasterGeneral. With such provision it might perhaps have been hoped that not only would all motive to such insubordinate proceedings as had frequently troubled the department in previous years be entirely removed, but even that irregular modes of complaint would not have been taken, at least until after full trial of the appointed channel.

Nevertheless, about two months after the circulation of the inflammatory paper given above, amidst an almost total absence of formal complaint, and certainly without substantiation of any grievance in respect of a class, or even of individuals, a meeting of letter-carriers was held in the South Western district, and reported in the newspapers, at which “Speeches were made containing statements which the men who uttered them must have known to be false, but from the consequences of which they endeavoured to screen themselves by concealing their names.”[203] For the time the misconduct was repressed; but we felt that without either such a course of concession as would gradually raise salaries far beyond true remuneration (thus tending to serious waste and other evils, not less certain though less patent), or such union of firmness and energy in all the authorities of the department as would render even an approach to mutiny unsafe to those concerned, recurrence of trouble was certain, and its imminence could not but remain a source of anxiety. This will further appear in a later period of my narrative.

Slander, however, was not the only means resorted to by malcontents; threats being added. Of these no mention appears in my Journal, as of course I wished to keep off all apprehension on my account from my family, and particularly from my wife, who generally acted as my amanuensis. At least three times, however, notice was sent me that unless the wages of the letter-carriers were raised I should be assassinated. The first of these occurrences was, I believe, in 1854, when I was summoned from a holiday sojourn at Brighton, in consequence of a letter to this effect being received at the office, where, in my absence, it had been opened by my brother. On arriving at the London Station, I found my brother, Mr. Peacock, the solicitor to the Post Office, Mr. (now Sir William) Bodkin, its standing counsel, and, I believe, Mr. Bokenham, head of the Circulation Department, who had all come to meet me, thinking it better that for the time I should not go to the office. The threatening letter was produced, and I was informed that the writing was identified by an expert with that of a certain letter-carrier in the Chief Office, who had lately been giving considerable trouble. In short, Mr. Peacock, in kind concern for my safety, advised immediate arrest and prosecution. Upon a careful comparison, however, of the anonymous letter (which of course was written in a disguised hand) with a specimen of the suspected man’s usual handwriting, I felt so much doubt as to the evidence of identity that I declined to concur in the proceeding, which was consequently abandoned; and I must add that circumstances (though of what nature I cannot now recollect) seemed afterwards to show that my doubt was well founded.

Another letter, received a year or two afterwards, was more precise in its warning, naming a particular day on which, supposing demands to remain ungranted, execution would take place, notifying also the mode of death fixed upon, viz., by shooting. To allow reasonable time for effecting the change, the interval was somewhat long; and, oddly enough, the day again happened to fall within the period of my holiday, though near its end. As, however, the notice was so definite, I thought it well to show myself, lest absence, being misinterpreted, should lead to further trouble. Accordingly, returning home the evening before, I went the next morning, at my usual hour and by my usual route, to the office; my practice at that time being to walk the last half-mile of the way.[204] I carried no weapon but my umbrella, but of this I determined to make, if necessary, good use, believing that if properly handled it would prove a very formidable, not to say deadly, weapon. I scarcely need say my resolution was not put to its trial.

The last letter I received on such a subject is shown by the postmark to have been sent on December 23rd, 1858. It certainly was rather ill-timed, for in the previous month I had induced the Treasury to abandon its intention of issuing an order forbidding the receipt of Christmas-boxes, and also had obtained for the letter-carriers some improvement in their scale of wages, the Treasury granting even more than was applied for. Of course I took no more notice of this threat than of its predecessors; and the age to which I have lived is an instance of the longevity proverbially attained by threatened men.

CHAPTER XXVI.

MISCELLANEOUS PROCEEDINGS FROM 1855 TO 1859.

Various occurrences remain to be mentioned before I proceed to that portion of my narrative with which I shall close the history of this period.

In order to give the public, in a cheap and convenient form, such information regarding the Post Office as is of general interest, we established that small periodical publication which is now so well known by the name of the “British Postal Guide.” The first number appeared in the year 1856, and its acceptability was shown by the sale soon rising to between twenty and thirty thousand. From that time to this a revised edition has been regularly issued every quarter.

About two years later a valuable improvement was effected in a publication which had for many years existed under the direction of the Post Office by the name of the “Daily Packet List.” This was now rearranged, enlarged, and made to convey much information beyond its former meagre contents; a weekly edition was added; and the “Postal Official Circular,” as it is now called, has performed much useful service. Had the recommendation, however, which was actually adopted by the Postmaster-General, been sanctioned in full by the Treasury, the sphere of this publication would have been so extended as to render it a kind of postal monitor; correcting misconception as it arose, and keeping the public constantly informed as to the real proceedings of the department.

STAMPING.

The Post Office stamp indicating date had never been renowned for clearness, and perhaps the constant increase in the number of letters may have tended to make the dark darker still. At all events means for improvement had been for some time in earnest consideration, when circumstances drew public attention pointedly to the defect. At a trial presided over by Lord Campbell, towards the end of 1856, a question of some importance turned upon the precise date at which a letter was posted; and the stamp being too obscure to supply the necessary evidence, his lordship, though in a tone of general friendliness to the Post Office, animadverted rather sharply upon the failure. This brought me a letter from the Duke of Argyll, who was then absent from town, to which I replied as follows:—