The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the History of Penny Postage, by Sir Rowland Hill and George Birkbeck Hill.

“4th March, 1864.

“My Lords,—I have received a communication from Sir R. Hill, together with a medical certificate, from which it appears that he has derived no benefit from his leave of absence; and that the state of his health is such as to render it unsafe for him to resume his duties; and in which I am informed that he has already forwarded his resignation of the office as Secretary of the Post Office.

“Under these circumstances, I have no choice left but to accept his resignation; but I cannot do so without expressing my regret that the country should be deprived of the services of this distinguished public servant.

“For the introduction of penny postage alone—a measure which, in itself, and in all its ramifications, has conferred such vast benefits on all classes of the community, and with which the name of Sir Rowland Hill will ever be identified—he deserves the gratitude of his country—indeed of the civilized world, which, no doubt, will not be niggardly expressed.

“But it is rather my province as Postmaster-General to state simply the high opinion I entertain of the able manner in which Sir Rowland Hill, so long as his health permitted, performed his duties in this Department, and feeling satisfied that your lordships will concur with me, I have no hesitation in recommending you to grant him at once a retiring allowance equal to his full salary, a step which the Superannuation Act enables you to take.”

“Hampstead, 8th March, 1864.

“My dear Lord,—I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your lordship’s letter of yesterday enclosing a copy of the letter you have addressed to the Treasury on the subject of my resignation; and to request that you will accept my thanks for the manner in which you have been pleased to speak of my services.

“I have the honour to be,
“Your Lordship’s most obedient Servant,
“Rowland Hill.

“The Right Hon.
“Lord Stanley of Alderley, &c.”

Amongst the numerous notices of my retirement that appeared in the newspapers there was one [236] which showed that, notwithstanding my careful silence on the subject, suspicion was abroad as to the cause of my resignation. In it my retirement was attributed to opposition in the Department,—not to the ill-health which such opposition, combined with other troubles, had produced. The day after the appearance of this notice, a passage occurred in the House of Lords, which is thus mentioned in my Journal:—

“The following tells its own story. I have only to add, that although I know Lord Truro, who inherits his father’s interest in my success, I have had no communication with him, direct or indirect:—

“Times, March 9th.

“‘RETIREMENT OF SIR ROWLAND HILL.

“‘Lord Truro rose to ask Her Majesty’s Postmaster-General whether the rumour of Sir Rowland Hill’s resignation was well-founded; and, if so, whether he had any objection to state the circumstances under which that resignation had taken place. The noble lord said he put the question to satisfy the strongly expressed desire of the public to know the truth of the rumour to this effect which had got abroad. He was sure that it would cause general regret to hear of the existence of any cause for the retirement of a man who had conferred such an immeasurable benefit upon the country, and, indeed, upon the whole civilized world. (Hear, hear).

“‘Lord Stanley of Alderley said that Sir Rowland had recently resigned his position in the Post Office in consequence of the state of his health. Six months ago he applied for six months’ leave of absence, in the hope that he might then be enabled to resume his duties, but at the end of that period—the beginning of this month—he forwarded his resignation, saying that the six months’ leave of absence had not restored him, and accompanying it with a medical certificate that it would not be safe for him to resume his duties. Those were the whole circumstances connected with Sir Rowland Hill’s resignation, as far as he was acquainted with them. He was sure that he should meet with their lordships’ concurrence in expressing the deepest regret at the retirement of this able public servant. (Hear, hear.) The name of Sir R. Hill would be inseparably connected with the establishment of the penny post system—one of the greatest improvements of the present age—which had, perhaps, conferred more benefit on mankind than any other invention. (Hear, hear.) Those who recollected the state of things before the penny post would know that to the poorer classes correspondence by letter was practically interdicted, that to the class above them the cost of a letter was a very serious matter, and that, in the commercial and mercantile world, intercourse was very much restricted by the expense of correspondence. Since its first introduction, the penny post system had been greatly extended; facilities of all sorts were given; money orders and savings banks had been connected with it, and in every way it had been largely developed. It had become popular all over the civilized world, and with it the name of Hill would be for ever connected. Their lordships would confirm him in expressing the general regret which would be felt by the public at his retirement, and the universal acknowledgment of the value of his services would, no doubt, be a great satisfaction to Sir R. Hill. (Hear, hear.)’”

Amongst the numerous manifestations at this time, not the least gratifying was the meeting at Birmingham, at which it was determined to raise subscriptions for the purpose of erecting a statue to me in some public part of that town, in which I had passed so many of my early years. My pleasure at this movement was not a little enhanced by the fact that the originator of the project, the late Mr. James Lloyd, had been, some forty years before, my pupil.

A few days after the meeting at Birmingham I received, through my steady and valued friend the late Mr. Matthew Forster, the following communication from the late Mr. Joseph Parkes, whom I had known almost from boyhood, and to whom I could not but feel much indebted for his spontaneous and earnest efforts in my behalf:—

“10th March, 1864. R. C. 5½ P.M.

“Dear Mr. Forster,—I could not leave my office till 5. I thought my interview with Sir F. Baring so good a chapter in Hill’s life, and so important a testimony to his public services, that I penned the written minute in a note to you before I left Staple Inn. In fact, Sir Francis is the best, and a willing, witness of Hill’s deserts.

“Yours truly,
“Joseph Parkes.”

“Sir Francis Baring’s opinion of Rowland Hill.

“Staple Inn, 10th March, 1864.

“Dear Mr. Forster,—I found Sir Francis Baring at his rooms after breakfast this morning, and I sat an hour with him on the subject of our friend Sir Rowland Hill’s deserts and claims on his country. No one could be more kind or sensible in all his views of the subject, and on the proper course for Sir Rowland Hill’s friends to pursue in the matter.

“I detailed to him the particulars of my interview with Moffatt yesterday, and who, Sir Francis thinks, has not injudiciously broken ground with Mr. Gladstone; and Sir Francis cheerfully agrees to be one of three, i.e., with Mr. Wilson Patten and Moffatt, in a deputation to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

“Sir Francis at first doubted whether he himself should be one of the best persons to promote the object of Hill’s friends in seeing Mr. Gladstone, as he said he and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had each angles that possibly might not quite square. However, afterwards, he agreed with me that such were of no moment, and that he felt it was due to himself, equally as to Hill, that he should unite with Mr. W. Patten and Moffatt. He said really emphatically, ‘No public man can so well or naturally impress Hill’s deserts on the Chancellor of the Exchequer as myself, and it is my duty to do it. Hill was long in office under me, or rather I under him. For months, I may say, he was little out of my own room. I have the highest estimate of his public services on the postal changes, of his talent and good judgment throughout many difficult considerations and decisions; and his integrity was unimpeachable in carrying out his plans. Further, I always found him open-minded in regard to objections made to his own individual propositions on some points, often material, on which we individually differed, and in which, now and then, I overruled him; he always made due allowance for my disagreement with him, and all proper consideration for my difficulties and views as Chancellor of the Exchequer. And I formed not only this high opinion of his character and public service, but I also formed a friendship for him which would induce me always to promote his interest in any matter in my power.’

“I really thus pen his almost exact words as due to Hill, and because they much impressed me. And you know Sir Francis is not a man of many words, or, in manner, of overflowing heart. . . . He considers that at Hill’s age, and considering the immense benefits his country has derived at his hands, a retiring pension on full salary only would be a ‘mockery’ (Sir Francis’s own expression); and he considers that either his bare official pension, or, say £1000 per annum, might be asked of Gladstone, with a grant of a proper sum as a public reward or a just gift to him. We talked awhile on the amount of that sum.

* * * * * *

“But we both thought the figure an after consideration. He said the pressure of the proposed deputation to Gladstone must be placed on Mr. Gladstone, as all Chancellors of the Exchequer naturally were given to be scared when such exceptional claims were made on the public’s purse. But he spoke highly of Gladstone’s generosity of mind as a public and private man; and he said he was certain the Chancellor of the Exchequer would be sincerely glad to give full consideration to Hill’s most peculiar case and public claims, and to do all in his power officially, and within his public duty. Sir Francis mentioned the Times article among others as particularly useful, and as having placed Hill’s services on the proper and full basis. He did not know of the Birmingham statue meeting, and was much struck by the fact. I send you my Birmingham Daily Post with the report, and the deputation should be armed with it to show Mr. Gladstone.

“Sir Francis thought no two better men than Mr. W. Patten and Moffatt could be selected as his colleagues; Moffatt also having been an original strong promoter of Hill’s postal reforms and early movement.

* * * * * *

“It is no question of what Hill’s pecuniary private position may or may not be. It is simply the appreciation of his singular services to his country, and the gains of his countrymen by his mind and labours—of the unquestionable success of his plans of postal reform—of the vast beneficial results.

“I will only add that I cannot sufficiently appreciate Sir Francis Baring’s kind and earnest interest in your good object.

“Truly yours,
“Joseph Parkes.

“P.S.—I will only repeat that Sir Francis was decided that Mr. Gladstone should be seen at once, and before the Treasury decide on Hill’s retiring pension, and that Gladstone, by such a deputation, must be backed up to a full act of justice. Sir Francis said he was confident Lord Palmerston would agree to any course Gladstone approves.

“The proper decision would be to give Hill the full salary as retiring pension, and the sum of money. But we shall see how matters work as they progress.”

“Extract from the Daily News of March 12th.

“House of Commons.

“Pension to Lady Hill. Notice by Lord Palmerston.

“Sir Rowland Hill.

“Lord Palmerston.—Sir, I believe it is well known that that valuable and deserving public servant, Sir Rowland Hill, is about to retire from the public service, and that in the ordinary course of things he will be entitled to a pension for life. I beg to move that this House resolve itself into a committee of supply, on Monday next, for the purpose of considering whether that pension should not be extended for the life of Lady Hill should she survive her husband.”

On the 15th I received a minute of the Treasury, of which the following is a copy. There are some errors in the minute, of which the most important was noticed in my letter to Mr. Gladstone of this day (also subjoined), but nothing could be more gratifying than the minute as a whole:—

“Treasury Minute, dated 11th March, 1864.

“Read letter from Sir Rowland Hill, K.C.B., dated the 29th February, stating that six months’ absence having elapsed without any satisfactory results as regards the state of his health, he has now no course left but to resign his appointment as Secretary to the Post Office.

“Read also letter from the Postmaster-General of the fourth instant, stating that Sir Rowland Hill has, in consequence of the state of his health, been compelled to retire from the public service, and bearing his testimony to the eminent services which Sir Rowland Hill has rendered.

“The retirement of Sir Rowland Hill from the office of Secretary to the Post Office would, if treated under the ordinary machinery of the Superannuation Act, afford to my Lords the power of granting him no more than a pension of £566 13s. 4d., or to the utmost £666 13s. 4d., but it supplies, in the judgment of my Lords, an occasion of peculiar fitness for calling into action the 9th or special clause of the Superannuation Act, and thus, by a proceeding which marks their sense of his services, of drawing to those services the attention of Parliament.

“The period during which Sir Rowland Hill has held office, either by a temporary or a permanent appointment, is but little in excess of twenty years; yet my Lords have to regret that while he remains full as ever of ability, energy, and resources, and of disposition to expend them for the public good, the state of his health, due, without doubt, in great part to his indefatigable labours, compels him to solicit a retirement.

“It is not, however, by length of service that the merits and claims of such a man are to be measured. It is not even by any acknowledgment or reward which the Executive Government, in the exercise of the powers confided to it, can confer.

“The postal system, one of the most powerful organs which modern civilisation has placed at the command of Government, has, mainly under the auspices and by the agency of Sir Rowland Hill, been, within the last quarter of a century, not merely improved but transformed. The letters transmitted have increased nearly nine-fold, and have been carried at what may be estimated as little more than one-ninth of the former charge. In numerous respects convenience has been consulted and provided for even more than cheapness.

“Upon the machinery for the transmission of letters there have been grafted other schemes, which, at a former period, would justly have been deemed visionary, for the transmission of books with other printed matter, and of money, and for receiving and storing the savings of the people.

“While these arduous duties have been undertaken, the condition of the persons employed in this vast department has been improved, and, could attention be adequately drawn to what lies beneath the surface, my Lords are persuaded that the methods of communication by letter which are now in action have produced for the mass of the population social and moral benefits which might well have thrown even these brilliant results into the shade.

“As respects purely fiscal interests, advantages so great as those which have been recited were, of course, not to be obtained without some effort or sacrifice. But the receipts on account of postal service, which on the first adoption of the change were reduced by above a million sterling, have now more than recovered themselves; and if computed on the same basis as under the old system, the gross sum realised is about £3,870,000 instead of £2,346,000, and the net about £1,790,000 in lieu of £1,660,000; at the same time contraband in letters may be stated to have ceased, and instead of a stationary revenue, such as that derived from letters between 1815 and 1835, the State has one which is steadily and even rapidly progressive.

“My Lords do not forget that it has been by the powerful agency of the railway system that these results have been rendered practicable. Neither do they enter into the question, as foreign to the occasion, what honour may be due to those who, before the development of the plans of Sir Rowland Hill, urged the adoption of the uniform penny postage.[237] Nor are they insensible to the fact that the co-operation of many able public servants has been essential to the work performed. But after all justice has been done to others, Sir Rowland Hill is beyond doubt the person to whom it was given to surmount every kind of obstacle, and to bring what had been theretofore matter of speculation into the world of practice, without whom the country would not have enjoyed the boon, or would only have enjoyed it at a later date, and to whom, accordingly, its enjoyment may justly be deemed due.

“Nor is it in this country alone that are to be perceived the happy fruits of his labours; the recognition of his plans has spread with a rapidity to be accounted for only by their excellence from land to land, and truly may now be said to have met with acceptance throughout the civilised world.

“Under these circumstances, it may justly be averred that my Lords are dealing on the present occasion with the case not merely of a meritorious public servant, but of a benefactor of his race; and that his fitting reward is to be found not in this or that amount of pension, but in the grateful recollection of his country.

“But my Lords discharge the portion of duty which belongs to them with cordial satisfaction, in awarding to Sir Rowland Hill, for life, his full salary of £2,000 per annum.

“Let a copy of this Minute be laid before Parliament.

“Transmit copy to the Postmaster-General, with a request that it may be communicated to Sir Rowland Hill.”

“(Private and immediate.)

“Hampstead, March 15th, 1864.

“My dear Mr. Gladstone,—I have just received through the Postmaster-General a copy of the Treasury minute of the 11th inst.

“I need not say how much I feel indebted for the very handsome terms in which my services are acknowledged, and for the liberal retiring allowance which the Treasury has granted me.

“There is, however, one part of the minute which I trust their lordships may be induced to reconsider. It is that in which the original conception of the uniform penny rate is attributed to others than myself. As this forms the main feature of my plan, and as its discovery and first proposal were wholly my own, you will, I am sure, pardon me if I press that in a formal document like the one in question a mistake on so important a point may be corrected.

“But perhaps I ought to address an official letter to the Treasury, stating more formally and fully the facts of the case. Will you favour me with your wishes in this respect? My immediate object is to request that the copy of the minute to be laid before Parliament may not be issued until the point in question shall have been investigated.

“I remain, &c., in haste,
“Rowland Hill.

“The Right Hon.
“The Chancellor of the Exchequer, &c.”

Upon receiving Mr. Gladstone’s reply I wrote to the Treasury a letter in which I requested attention to the point in question. I also enclosed a memorandum recapitulating the facts of the case. Both documents will be found in the Appendix (N). My object in marking as “Immediate” the letter containing the above memorandum was that it might be laid before Parliament as soon as possible after the publication of the unfortunate error which it was intended to correct; and more particularly that this might be done before the Easter holidays, then close at hand. This point Mr. Gladstone was kind enough to secure; and in a few days my letter, with the memorandum, appeared in the public papers. Moreover, he assured me, in a private letter, that it was not intended in the Treasury minute to put a negation on my claim to originality.

Lord Palmerston’s notice relative to a pension to my wife produced a good deal of discussion amongst my friends; and owing to their earnest advice an address from Lady Hill to the Queen was prepared, and a communication made to Lord Palmerston on the subject. A meeting was then held, and arrangements were made for postponing further proceedings in Parliament till after Easter. With these and the after proceedings connected with the Parliamentary grant, except as to my unavoidable correspondence with Mr. Moffatt, I took no part whatever, but left the matter entirely in the hands of my friends.[238] The purport of Lady Hill’s address to the Queen was to pray that any reward to which Her Majesty might consider me entitled should take a form which should be beneficial to our children. A deputation, with Sir Francis Baring at its head, then waited upon Lord Palmerston, and in consequence of the representations then made to him, the motion of which he had given notice was postponed, and, when actually brought forward, was greatly modified.

Lord Palmerston’s motion was finally made on June 11th, the following message from the Queen having been brought up by his lordship on the 6th:—

“Victoria Regina.—Her Majesty, taking into consideration the eminent services of Sir Rowland Hill, the late Secretary of the Post Office, in devising and carrying out various important improvements in the postal administration, and being desirous, in recognition of such services, to confer some signal mark of her favour upon him, recommends to the House to concur in enabling Her Majesty to grant Sir Rowland Hill the sum of £20,000.”

Mr. Massey having read Her Majesty’s message, recommending the grant of a sum of £20,000 to Sir Rowland Hill, K.C.B., in recognition of his services in connection with postal reforms,

“Lord Palmerston rose and said: I trust that the Committee will be disposed to concur without any objection in the recommendation which her Majesty has been graciously pleased to make. (Cheers.) Sir Rowland Hill is a man of great genius, of great sagacity, of great perseverance and industry, and he has rendered great services both to this and other countries. He formed the opinion that the Post Office was more properly a department for the performance of service than for the mere collection of revenue, and with a boldness which staggered a great number of persons who had not looked at the matter from the same point of view, he recommended a very large reduction in the rate of postage, with the confidence that it would in the end bring up the revenue to the same amount to which it had previously stood, and would in the mean time confer the greatest possible benefit upon the community. (Hear, hear.) Many people thought that he was too sanguine in his calculations, and that, although the number of letters might increase, the revenue would not recover the great shock which the introduction of the penny postage would inflict upon it. Those anticipations have been falsified, and the calculations of Sir R. Hill have turned out to be correct. Sir R. Hill had for nearly a quarter of a century performed, with some slight interval, the arduous duties which had devolved upon him in connection with the scheme, and he is now at a time of life when his health must have suffered from the great labour which attaches to his office. The Treasury have on that ground, given him permission to retire, and have done that which I am sure this house will not think too much—they have given him his full salary for life. He is now, I believe, in the seventieth year of his age, and his health has been shattered by the labours which he has had to perform. Under these circumstances, Her Majesty thought that this House would be of opinion that the great services which he has performed would recommend him for a grant which should enable him to make those arrangements for his family which the short period during which he may probably enjoy his pension would not otherwise permit him to make. His labours have produced more beneficial results than may strike persons at first sight. It is quite clear that the facilities which the penny postage has given to the transactions of commerce, and to all communications connected with business, must have been infinitely advantageous to the industry, and, by that means, to the general revenue of the country. (Hear, hear.) In that view Sir R. Hill has performed great services to the country; but there is another view in which he has produced still more startling results, namely, in the amount of happiness and comfort which his invention—if I may call it an invention—his plan, has conferred upon millions of the poorer classes of the community. (Hear.) When the rate of postage was as high as it was before that plan was introduced, communication between the members of a poor family who were scattered about the country was impossible. How could a poor labouring man pay a shilling or sixpence for a letter? Communication between the members of such families was more difficult than the communication between England and Australia is now. (Hear, hear.) The cultivation of the affections raises men in their own estimation and in the standing which they occupy in society. It improves their morals, and develops all those qualities which tend to make useful members of the community. Therefore I say that Sir R. Hill, independently of the benefits which his plan has conferred upon the general interests and prosperity of the country, has the merit of having conferred a great benefit upon the labouring and poorer classes of the people, which would of itself entitle him to any mark of approbation and reward which the House may be disposed to confer upon him. In the year 1838, before the penny postage was introduced, the number of letters transmitted through the Post Office was 76,000,000; in 1863 the number was 642,000,000. (Hear, hear). That is a measure of the extent to which that plan has assisted the industry and contributed to the comfort and happiness of the community. There are many matters connected with the plan which are independent of the mere reduction of the amount paid for the postage of letters. Among others, there is the facility which his arrangements have given for the transmission of money in small sums from one part of the country to another. The amount of the money orders taken out in 1838 was £313,000; in 1863 it was £16,494,000. (Hear, hear.) What an immense advantage must have resulted from the facility for the safe transmission of so large an amount of small sums, which it would otherwise have been very difficult and expensive to transmit. Then there is the book-post. It is greatly conducive to the interests of literature, and the arrangements have been most extensively taken advantage of. The gross revenue of the Post Office has increased very considerably, but of course the increase of facilities has led to the multiplication of establishments and officers, and has therefore largely increased the outgoings. In 1838 the gross receipts were £2,436,000; in 1863 they were £3,870,000; showing that Sir R. Hill was perfectly right in anticipating that at no distant period the receipts of the Post Office would recover from the diminution which the first introduction of his plan naturally produced. In point of fact everybody is so well acquainted with the merits of Sir R. Hill’s plan and the good effects which it has produced, that I shall content myself with moving the resolution of which I have given notice. (Cheers.) The noble Viscount concluded by moving that a sum not exceeding £20,000 should be granted to Her Majesty as a provision for Sir Rowland Hill.”

* * * * * *

“Sir F. Baring, having been Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time when Sir R. Hill’s plan was introduced (hear, hear), wished to bear testimony to the ability of that eminent public servant, and to the good sense, intelligence, and good humour with which he met and surmounted the innumerable difficulties that it was then thought right to throw in his way.”

Mr. Neate, who had been at the time Sir Francis Baring’s private Secretary, most justly dwelt on the support given to me by Sir Francis, when my official superior.

Mr. Hennessy asked why Sir Rowland Hill had not been created Postmaster-General; to which Lord Palmerston remarked that had he been appointed to that post he would have had to go out on a change of Government.

A few days afterwards, Lord Granville brought the question before the House of Lords in a very kind and graceful speech.

“Lord Brougham said there was this peculiarity in Sir Rowland Hill—that whereas inventors in general were the most sanguine of men,[239] who saw no difficulties in the way, and who exaggerated the probable results of their novelty, he understated the value of his invention and over-estimated the difficulties and the expense of adopting it.

* * * * * *

“The Marquis of Clanricarde had the satisfaction of remembering that under him and through him, in some degree, Sir Rowland Hill had entered the Post Office; and bore testimony to the extraordinary zeal for the public service, the judgment, the discretion, the temper, and unvarying urbanity with which he met all the difficulties that he had to encounter. Of course those who had been accustomed to the old system viewed the innovation proposed with great alarm and suspicion. He attributed no blame to these officers, believing that the opinions given by them against the new system were founded upon very natural fears and bias. But penny postage, as his noble friend had said, was not the only improvement for which the nation had to thank Sir Rowland Hill. His belief was that, if it had not been for Sir Rowland Hill, the business in the Money Order Office would not have reached to one-sixteenth of its present proportions, and he doubted, indeed, whether that business would have been carried on any longer. No balance had been struck, and no one could tell what assets were in hand. He then asked Mr. Hill, who at that time had introduced some important improvements in the circulation of letters, to take this subject in hand. The result of that gentleman’s efforts was to establish, if not an exact balance, at least what practically amounted to it; the system was materially altered, and instead of eleven entries for every money order, the number was reduced to four or five; and since that time he had heard of no defalcation or fraud on the part of postmasters, such as had frequently occurred before that time. During the time that he had the honour to be connected with the Post Office he always found that Mr. Hill laboured zealously and efficiently, and always to his satisfaction. When objections to his plans were raised, Mr. Hill always received them in a fair and temperate manner, and never complained of being overruled when fair grounds for so doing had been shown. Upon the whole, this country had never rewarded by a grant of money any public servant who more richly deserved it. Mr. Hill’s name would live in every country, for every country had derived benefit from his labours.”[240]

I need not say that the parliamentary recognition of my services, so handsomely made, was and is regarded by myself and my family as the crowning honour of my life.

“Hampstead, 15th June, 1864.

“My dear Mr. Gladstone,—While I have written to Lord Palmerston and Lord Granville to thank them for the favour they have publicly shown me, I cannot but feel that my chief acknowledgments for the very handsome and gratifying manner in which my services have been recognised must be due to yourself, who, from first to last, have lent me your powerful aid in my efforts to perform the duties committed to me, and have given to all my suggestions and representations a kind, candid, and careful consideration.

“Believe me, &c.,
“Rowland Hill.

“The Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
“&c., &c., &c.”

“11, Carlton House Terrace, June 15th, 1864.

“My dear Sir R. Hill,—The support you have had from me has been the very best that I could give; but had it been much better and more effective, it would not have been equal to your deserts and claims.

“I sincerely hope you are deriving much benefit from a lightened mind,

“And remain,
“Always sincerely yours,
“W. E. Gladstone.”

Amidst the above transactions some events occurred of no small interest to myself; the first being that I had the gratification of receiving from the University of Oxford the honorary degree of D.C.L.;[241] and the second an address voted at a town’s meeting at Liverpool, followed by a valuable presentation of pictures. I will also mention here that, a year later, the town of Longton presented me with two fine china vases, specimens of its manufacture. About a week after the date of Mr. Gladstone’s letter I had the honour of receiving the Albert Gold Medal of the Society of Arts from the hands of the Prince of Wales.[242]

Some time afterwards I received a letter from the Treasury stating that their lordships had “cordial satisfaction in giving directions to the Paymaster-General to issue to me the amount of the Parliamentary grant, £20,000.”

Such was the final close of my official career; and, without forgetting the struggles, delays, disappointments, or mortifications attending it, I cannot but acknowledge that when I compare my experience with that of other reformers or inventors, I ought to regard myself as supremely fortunate. Amongst those who have laboured to effect great improvements, how many have felt their success limited to the fact that by their efforts seed was sown which in another age would germinate and bear fruit! How many have by their innovations exposed themselves to obloquy, ridicule, perhaps even to the scorn and abhorrence of at least their own generation; and, alas! how few have lived to see their predictions more than verified, their success amply acknowledged, and their deeds formally and gracefully rewarded!

Here, then, closes my narrative of postal reforms. It must not be supposed, however, that no work will remain for a future historian; for not only is the course of postal improvement, like that of any other great department of human affairs, absolutely without limit, but various important changes may be regarded as distinctly in prospect, however uncertain may be the time of their accomplishment. As much has been achieved of which in the outset I had but a dim conception, and much also of which I had never thought at all—every advancement opening a field for yet further progress, and every difficulty surmounted affording encouragement to further effort and facilities for further achievement—so the point now attained enables us to look onward to points yet to be reached, and to conceive of others as still beyond our sight.

Thus, it yet remains to carry into full effect the principles for regulating the packet service recommended in Lord Canning’s Report already referred to; principles in accordance with those of economy and free trade; a task unfortunately rendered at once more difficult and far longer than it should have been by the retrogressive measures lately mentioned. To accomplish this, it is necessary that every branch of the packet service should be rendered at least self-supporting, except, indeed, in any special case, if any such there be, where other national interests, yet greater than those of the Post Office, require an expenditure beyond receipts; and even there I would submit that such additional expenditure should be charged not to the Post Office, but to that department of state to which it really pertains; clear accounts being obviously important to economy, and all attempt to hide political action under the mask of postal facility being, to say the least, absolutely futile.

Of course, the rule of self-support should, in like manner be maintained in every other department of postal service. And this, I may remark, would furnish the means for a just increase of advantages in those districts or departments in which receipts may be found to be much in excess of expenditure; an arrangement which would perhaps include the establishment of tubular conveyance [243] to a limited extent in certain directions, and would certainly give to many of our great manufacturing and commercial towns either an increase in the number of deliveries, or of mails.

In order that economic improvement may not be unduly encumbered with fixed arrangements, it would be well to limit the duration of all future contracts to some moderate period, say three years; but, under this restriction, it is very desirable for the sake of economy, and for other important considerations, that the contract system should be greatly, though gradually, extended. Experience may show that it may safely and advantageously be made to include the whole postal work at the provincial offices, and various separate departments in the offices within the metropolitan districts, not wholly excluding the Chief Office itself. I may add that the benefit of this change would be greatly increased if the proposed contractors, adopting views now gradually gaining ground, should arrange to give their respective subordinates a direct interest in the energetic and economical performance of the service.

Independently of the moral benefits consequent upon the abolition of private patronage, I believe the direct financial advantage, which might be expected from the faithful adoption and rigorous execution of this principle, would be, as I have already said, an eventual saving of probably not less than £250,000 a year.

Judging by what has been done at the various telegraphic offices and elsewhere, and bearing in mind the change now steadily progressing in public opinion, I should hope that one beneficial effect of an extension of the contract system would be that female labour would be admitted to a much larger share in postal employment—an improvement which my brother and I always had much at heart.[244]

Of a Parcels Post I have already spoken; and I am confident that, whenever established, provided of course that it be on good arrangements, its benefit will be great.

I have already indicated the desirableness of lowering the rate of inland letter postage from a penny per half-ounce to a penny per ounce—a change which would obviously give much relief as regards heavy letters.

My brother Frederic twice formally proposed, once under Lord Stanley of Alderley, and once under the Duke of Montrose, that negotiations should be entered into with a view to establishing throughout Europe an international postage on a low uniform rate, submitting, to that end, a complete plan; I need not enlarge upon the political, moral, and commercial advantages of so comprehensive an improvement.[245]

Concurrent negotiations should be entered into for extending our outer money order system to many foreign countries not yet brought within its range.

It has been repeatedly urged in Parliament and in the public press that the office of Postmaster-General should cease to be political and become permanent; and, as already intimated, I cannot but consider such change highly desirable; seeing that a permanent head of the Department would have ample time and motive to make himself thoroughly acquainted with the business of the office, and would naturally be led to select his subordinates with more direct reference to their probable efficiency; his duration in office making it probable that the fruits of his own selection, whether good or bad, would be reaped by himself.

Supposing this change to be made, it would become even more desirable than it is at present that the Postmaster-General should have the disposal of that very numerous class of Post Office appointments still retained by the Treasury; seeing that, in addition to his being in more direct communication with those on whose advice it is important that he should act, he would also, as a matter of course, have better information on the whole subject than the Treasury can command. Such transference would also manifestly tend to that concentration of responsibility which all who have rightly studied the principles of administration agree with Jeremy Bentham in regarding as of primary importance.

These organic changes being made, there would be good ground to hope that, in due time, the all-important rule of promotion by simple and exclusive reference to demonstrated fitness would be strictly followed.

One more change may be spoken of, but on this point I rather suggest inquiry than advise action. The abandonment of the Post Office monopoly has much to recommend it, but yet is not a one-sided question. On the one hand, it implies the removal of an offence from our statute book, and the probable rise of a wholesome competition wherever the service is performed with less than the greatest efficiency and cheapness; a competition which, more perhaps than any other external circumstance, would tend to compel the department to have due regard to simple merit in its officers, and economic efficiency in all its arrangements.[246] On the other hand, it must be remembered that the operations of the Post Office, extending over the whole country, provide for the correspondence of many districts where the population is too small or too sparse to yield any profit whatever; and that although its general rule is not to go further than this, by providing for districts which cannot be served without loss, yet for purposes of Government the rule is in many instances set aside. It must be added that there are many reasons in favour of affording a service, not indeed day by day, but at least week by week, to every house in the United Kingdom (a completeness already attained in France, Prussia,[247] and Switzerland); and it would seem hard that the Post Office, while called upon to continue all this ill-remunerated or non-remunerated service, should be exposed to competition in that more profitable part of its business, which alone rival establishments would undertake.

Upon the whole, however, I am so impressed with the evils attaching to every monopoly, that I cannot but regard the abandonment in question, after due preparation, as a desirable step.

Before taking leave of my readers, I would express an earnest hope that my narrative, besides describing the progress of a remarkable change, may prove especially useful to all who may at any time contemplate a devotion of their powers to the cause of departmental reform; that it may be serviceable alike for encouragement and for warning—for encouragement, as showing that the field is open, and success, with its rewards, not unattainable; for warning, as showing with what difficulties it is beset, how serious the obstacles, how long the delays, how galling the mortifications, and how deep the disappointments, to be encountered even by one who is happy enough to attain at length the goal towards which his long, laborious, and anxious race has been directed.