“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.)’”