Thirteen years later, when the Reform Bill was carried, the great town of Birmingham was at last represented in Parliament. “They have made me Chairman of Attwood’s Committee,” wrote old Mr. Hill to his eldest son, who was at that time a candidate for Hull.... “I am glad that you like what I spoke at the town’s meeting. All I said came from the heart as prompted by a sincere affection for liberty, goodness, and truth. Still the fervour of delivery was not the less because Attwood and Birmingham had common cause with Hill and Hull.” In that town in which, more than forty years before, he had braved the violence of a Tory mob, the old man had now the high honour of being called upon to propose, on the nomination day, the election of the first representative that Birmingham ever sent to the Commons House of Parliament.
CHAPTER VI.
It was in July, 1819, that the new school-house was opened at Edgbaston with the happiest promise. Little more than a year later it was almost destroyed by fire:—
“Everything (Rowland Hill recorded in his Journal) seemed to be in a prosperous condition. We anticipated being shortly able to pay all the expenses incurred in our building and removal, when an event happened which plunged us all into the deepest distress.
“On the morning of Wednesday, the 23rd of August, 1820, I was awaked at five in the morning by the monitor entering my room to take the keys of the lower rooms. I inquired what was the time, and was glad to find that it wanted an hour of the time at which I usually rose. I turned in my bed, and in a moment was again asleep, little thinking of the destruction which, in all probability, had then commenced. In about half-an-hour I was again awaked, by two or three boys running into my room, with the alarming information that the rooms in the roof were on fire.
“In a moment I was in the roof rooms with my brothers, who slept in the same chamber as myself. These rooms were even then so full of smoke that it was difficult to discern the objects near to us. The fire we found to be in a closet opening into one of these rooms; the flames appeared through the crevices of the door, which, never having been painted, appeared almost transparent with the strong light within. The first impulse was to endeavour to open the door and to throw in water, which some had brought from the chambers below; but in this we did not succeed, and, after a moment’s reflection, we gave up the attempt, judging it best to confine the flames as much as possible, for had the door been opened they would have burst upon us in such a manner as to have driven us at once from the room. The whole family had now caught the alarm. [In the midst of the alarm Rowland Hill remembered that his eldest brother’s wife, who, with her husband, happened to be staying in the house, was in a delicate state of health. He went to their room, and, quietly beckoning his brother out, in the hope of saving her a sudden shock, told him that the house was on fire.] After hastily slipping on a few clothes, some began to remove the furniture from the different rooms.... In a few moments we were all roused from a deep sleep, and plunged into the most active and distressing employment. No one can be surprised that at first the bustle and alarm should be such as to prevent our taking, perhaps, the best possible means to prevent the ravages of the fire; it has since struck us that by taking off some of the slates it is possible that we should have been able to throw water upon the fire and retard it, if not put it quite out; but this was not thought of at the moment, and the time during which there would have been any chance of success lasted but for a few minutes.
“The first anxiety was for the safety of the boys; but, as the fire was over their heads, alarm on that account soon subsided. As soon as they had risen they began to throw their bedding out at the windows, and to remove the other furniture of the rooms, and even in the midst of all the bustle and anxiety I could not but admire the activity and presence of mind on the part of the boys. We are indebted to them more than to any other individuals that the loss, though it was very great, was not still more ruinous.”
The fire began in a closet under the roof. It was so close to the staircase that all communication with the other rooms on the attic floor was soon cut off.