The following was not a little encouraging:—
“January 26th, 1842.—Received a letter from Mr. George Stokes, Hon. Secretary of the Parker Society (a Society of more than 4,000 members, the object of which is to reprint the works of the early Reformers), stating that the very existence of the Society is owing to penny postage.”
I must now trace the chain of circumstances which more immediately preceded my dismissal, though the connection will in the outset be scarcely more visible to the reader than it was, at the time, to myself. I have already spoken of the letter which I had addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the day when he succeeded Mr. Baring in office. I have also spoken of my attempts relative to registration, and the offer of my services, subject to the Chancellor’s approval, and that of the Postmaster-General, for the organization, and, “till fully established,” the execution of the measures proposed.
The letter in which this offer was made, and which is dated November 24th, 1841, having received no reply, was followed, on December 2nd, by a short note, covering a further report on the same subject.[323]
On January 27th, 1842, no reply having yet been received to either of these letters, I again wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, urging that, if registration could not be dealt with, I might be allowed to proceed with some other part of my plan, giving at the same time a list of measures out of which one or more might be selected.[324]
This letter also obtaining no reply, I wrote again on March 7th, mentioning other parts of my plan which might be introduced pending the question of registration, adverting to fresh evidence of their feasibility and advantage, and again requesting that I might be allowed to proceed in their introduction under the authority of the Postmaster-General.
I added the actual results thus far obtained, viz., that the chargeable letters annually delivered in the United Kingdom had already increased from 75 millions to 208 millions, the increase in the London district post letters being from about 13 to 23 millions; that the illicit conveyance of letters was in effect suppressed; that the gross revenue was about two-thirds of the largest amount ever obtained, and nearly, if not fully, as great as that under the fourpenny rate; that the net revenue amounted to about £565,000, showing an increase, notwithstanding many counteracting causes, of £100,000 upon that for the first year of penny postage; and lastly, that the inland, or penny post letters, were decidedly the most profitable, if not the only profitable, part of the Post Office business.[325]
The letter concluded as follows:—
“Looking to the progress now making, under the unfavourable circumstances to which I have adverted, I see no reason to doubt that, if the measure were fully and zealously carried into effect, a very few years, with a revived trade, would suffice to realize the expectations which I held out. I also firmly believe that those circumstances which have tended in no inconsiderable degree to diminish the utility of the measure ... may be avoided; and that without any increase of expense, but simply by improved arrangements.
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