UNIFORM A.D. 1839-1841. Part II. scene at average weight of the letters and newspapers of all the mails leaving London nightly, is not three hundred weight, and that the average weight of all the letters is only 74 pounds to each; so that it is proved, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that letters might be increased twelvefold without increasing the expenses twelvefold, as you thought. Lord Lichfield. I submit myself entirely to your Majesty's compassionate correction. Your Majesty is much more enlightened about the Post-Office than your Majesty's most humble servant the Postmaster-General. With your Majesty's leave I will retire. [Exit Lord Lichfield. The Queen (to Lord Melbourne).-It is clear to me that his Lordship had better retire from the Post-Office. Lord Melbourne.-Certainly, your Majesty; we all thought him the best man to be Postmaster-General, but he has not realized the fond hopes we cherished of him. The Queen. It appears to me, my Lord, that the loss of Colonel Maberly to the Post-Office would be another great gain to the public. I thought that Colonel Maberly was appointed Secretary to the Post-Office in order to set it to rights. There is a singular coincidence between the opinions and arguments, if I may so call them, of the Postmaster-General and his Secretary. The Postmaster-General seems to me unable to defend a single position. This interview, and what I have read, have convinced me that a Uniform Penny Post is most advisable. Sure am I that it would confer a great boon on the poorer classes of my subjects, and would be the greatest benefit to religion, to morals, to general knowledge, and to trade that uniformity and payment in advance would greatly expedite the delivery of letters, and simplify the troublesome accounts of the Post-Office-that it would effectually put down the smuggling postman, and lead my people to obey and not disobey the law.-(The Queen rises, and in a most emphatic manner)-My Lord Melbourne, you will please to bear in mind that the Queen agrees with her faithful Commons in recommending a Uniform Penny Post. If there be any tax at all on Postage, it should certainly be the lightest possible. Lord Ashburton is wise in pronouncing the Postage tax "the worst of our taxes." His lordship says, with great force and truth, "that communication of letters by persons living at a distance, is the same as a PENNY A.D. 1839-1841. Selections. Imaginary scene at Windsor Castle. communication by word of mouth between persons living in the UNIFORM same town. You might as well tax words spoken upon the Royal POSTAGE. Exchange, as the communications of various persons living in Manchester, Liverpool, and London." I strongly advise your Part II. Lordship to read, as I have done, with great benefit, Lord Ashburton's evidence, as well as that of Mr. Samuel Jones Loyd, of Mr. Brown, and Mr. Cobden, and Mr. Moffatt, and, in short, of all the witnesses examined before the Parliamentary Committee. One word of advice. If your Lordship has any difficulty in finding a Minister among your party able to carry the measure into effect, I shall apply to my Lord Ashburton or my Lord Lowther, as circumstances may require. Mr. Hill, the nation will owe you a large debt of gratitude, which I am sure it will not be unwilling to repay. I wish you good morning, gentlemen. [Exeunt Lord Melbourne and Rowland Hill, bowing. COMMITTEE OF MERCHANTS IN AID OF THE JOSHUA BATES, Esq., Chairman. (A partner in Messrs. Barings'.) D. COLVIN, ESQ. JOHN DILLON, ESQ. WILLIAM ELLIS, ESQ. J. H. GLEDSTANES, ESQ. G. G. DE H. LARPENT, ESQ. GEORGE MOFFATT, ESQ., Treasurer. JAMES PATTISON, ESQ., M.P. JOHN TRAVERS, ESQ. W. A. WILKINSON, ESQ. SMITH, PAYNE, AND SMITHS, Bankers. HE Mercantile Committee are desirous to open communica THE tions with Local Committees, and to hear of their formation where they do not already exist, and of any local effort that may be made. They are also at liberty to reprint the whole, or any portion of these Suggestions for local circulation. The London Committee intend, at their own expense, to transmit copies to the principal mercantile houses in each town; but they will be glad to be made acquainted with the intention of any gentleman, or body, disposed to aid the efforts of the Committee, by subscriptions and distribution, and to be favoured with any local papers that may contain useful matter on the subject: addressed to GEORGE MOFFATT, ESQ., 28, Fenchurch Street, London. A.D. 1838. UNIFORM A.D. 1839-1841. Mail to GREAT WEIGHT AND NO PRICE! LITTLE TH WEIGHT AND ALL PRICE!! HE "Post Circular " gave the following details of the weight of the mails to accompany the woodcut: ་ "Lord Lichfield, if the Mirror of Parliament' speaks truly, declared in the House of Lords, on the 18th of December, 1837, that If the number of letters under the uniform penny post be increased twelvefold, the mails will have to carry twelve times as much in weight; and therefore the charge for transmission, instead of £100,000, as now, must be twelve times that amount.' "Lord Lichfield never asked himself what makes the 'WEIGHT' of the mail ;-and, besides confounding the letters' as the 'whole weight,' when only a part, and the least part, he assumed that the mails were all filled, and that the cost would be twelvefolded. We pray the Postmaster-General to study our sketch, in which we have placed the letters on the top of the mail, the better to con PENNY A. D. 1839-1841. Selections. Mail to trast them with the newspapers, their usual place being in the hind UNIFORM boot. Is the bag of 40 lbs. of letters the whole weight of the mail? POSTAGE. Does the total weight of newspapers, stamps, franks, and letters, which, with that of their bags, is 531 lbs., exceed the whole weight Part II. of a single mail, stated by the superintendent of the mails to be 1,680 lbs.? On the contrary, are there not 1,149 lbs. weight to Edinburgh. spare? and will twelve times, or even twenty-four times, the little bag of letters of 40 lbs. fill up this spare weight of 1,149 lbs. ? Alack! alack! his lordship has to learn the A B C of his craft, besides the four simple rules of arithmetic! "Lest it be supposed that the Edinburgh mail is not a fair sample of the other mails, the five first other cases are taken from the Post-office returns : "The whole of the thirty-two mails going out of London were weighed, and the average weight of each was found to be 463 lbs., divisible in these proportions: "2,192 lbs. are the total weight of all the chargeable letters, franks, and parliamentary papers, carried by all the thirty-two mails. Half only, or 1,096 lbs., are chargeable letters; consequently, the chargeable letters of all the mails out of London are 684 lbs. less than the weight which a single mail is able to carry." UNIFORM A.D. 1839-1841. Part II. Selections. Illustrative collection for the agitation. A MATERIALS FOR THE AGITATION. VOLUME was formed in 1840 which is to be offered to the British Museum after my death. The following memoranda written at the time were placed in it :-It is stated to contain the most perfect collection of the different papers issued by the Mercantile Committee on Postage, which is now to be made. I believe of materials only one large placard announcing the first public meeting, is wanted to complete the series. Besides this collection, there are various other papers which illustrate the Progress of the Postage Question, and the modes of Charging Postage. The whole furnishes a history showing how the measure was carried, and in what space of time. Rowland Hill issued his first pamphlet at the beginning of 1837; a committee of the House of Commons reported in favour of the plan in 1838, and an Act for giving effect to the measure was passed 17th August, 1839. In the year 1837, five petitions were presented to Parliament; in 1838, 320; in 1839, above 2,000. The Mercantile Committee was formed chiefly by the exertions of Mr. George Moffatt in the spring of 1838; Mr. Ashurst conducted the Parliamentary Inquiry; and upon myself, as Secretary, devolved the business of communicating with the public. A printing committee consisting of Mr. Travers, Mr. G. Moffatt, and Mr. F. L. Cole was formed at the first meeting of the Mercantile Committee. On some few occasions Mr. Travers was consultedabout the issue of the "Post Circular" for example-but generally the issue of papers was decided by Mr. George Moffatt and myself jointly, or myself on my own responsibility. The illustrations of the "Anomalies of Postage" are perhaps unique. When Circulars were to be sent to Members of Parliament, instead of delivering them by hand, which would have cost about 30s. or £3 35. through the vote office of the House of Commons, or several pounds by the twopenny post, a messenger was despatched to Gravesend or Watford, being the first general post towns out of London, to post them there; they then came free! and the cost to the Committee was only 6s. or thereabouts for the messenger's expenses. Newspapers were taken free of charge by the |