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1
435
Her Majesty's Mails
·
William Lewins
228
In
1858,
on
the
accession
of
Lord
Derby
to
power,
Lord
Colchester
was
appointed
to
the
Post-Office
without
a
seat
in
the
Cabinet.
Improvements
continued
during
his
short
administration,
both
as
regards
inland,
foreign,
and
colonial
postages;
but
nothing
calls
for
special
mention
here
except
an
attempt
on
the
part
of
the
Post-Office
to
render
the
payment
of
inland
letters
compulsory.
The
plan
cannot
be
said
to
have
had
a
fair
trial.
Its
benefits
and
advantages
were
not
clearly
apparent,
except
to
those
who
were
acquainted
with
the
machinery
of
the
Post-Office.
While,
without
doubt,
the
principles
upon
which
it
was
based
were
sound,
the
objections
to
the
arrangement
lay
on
the
surface,
and
were
such
as
could
not
be
overcome
except
by
the
exercise
of
great
patience
on
the
part
of
the
public:
the
measure
pressed
heavily
on
certain
interests:
a
great
portion
of
the
less
thoughtful
organs
of
the
public
press
manifested
considerable
repugnance
to
it,
and,
in
consequence,
the
Postmaster-General
was
led
to
recommend
to
the
Treasury
the
withdrawal
of
the
order
after
the
expiration
of
a
few
weeks
of
partial
trial.
As
pointed
out
by
Mr.
Hill
at
the
time,
compulsory
prepayment
of
letters
was
a
part
of
the
original
plan
of
penny
postage;
it
was
one
of
the
recommendations
which
he
made
having
for
their
object
the
simplification
of
accounts,
and
the
more
speedy
delivery
of
letters.
The
Secretary
of
the
Post-Office
in
urging
a
fair
trial
of
the
measure,[135]
argued
that
after
the
lapse
of
a
few
months
it
would
be
productive
of
good
even
to
letter-writers,
not
to
speak
of
the
saving
of
time,
trouble,
and
expense
to
the
Department.
He
very
truly
added
that
there
were
no
difficulties
attributable
to
the
new
rule
which
might
not
be
surmounted
by
a
little
care
or
ingenuity.
As
it
was,
the
public
preferred
an
immediate
termination
of
the
experiment
to
the
possible
and
problematical
advantages
that
might
arise
from
its
continuance;
and
in
this
instance
the
country
was
indulged
by
an
early
return
to
the
old
plan.
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