“December 16th, 1854.—Lord Hardwicke, having taken exception to a statement by the Post Office Commission to the effect that it had been found impossible to define the separate duties of Colonel Maberly and myself, moved for a Return of a Minute in which he, according to his own account, had accomplished such definition. I felt tempted to give the Minute literatim as well as verbatim, but, recollecting that Lord Hardwicke was really a good-natured man, refrained. The strength of the temptation will be seen by the accompanying copy of the Return, altered so as to show his Lordship’s peculiar orthography.” [Among other peculiarities his Lordship spelt Secretaries—Secritarys.]—Ed.
[100] “June 12th, 1852.—Some of the present Ministers are jobbing in a very unprincipled manner, in order to influence the coming elections, I have had to advise on a letter from Lord —— to the Postmaster-General, asking the latter to restore the second mail between —— and —— arranging the matter so as to enable him to announce the restoration when he next visits —— for his election. That is to say, the country is to spend £800 or £900 a-year to promote his private interests. As Lord Hardwicke has sent the letter (a private one) to me, I suppose he cannot be fully alive to the dishonesty of the proposal. I shall, of course, prevent the job, if possible.”—Sir R. Hill’s Journal.—Ed.
[101] The late Mr. Joseph Hodgson, sometime President of the Royal College of Surgeons; for nearly fifty years my medical adviser, and likewise my valued and intimate friend.
[102] “As this arrangement involves an immediate addition of £500 a-year to my salary, I may, perhaps, be allowed to remind your Lordship that emolument, simply as such, is not, and, indeed, never has been, my object; but I have had bitter experience of the truth of the remarks lately made in Parliament by Lord Palmerston to the effect that every man’s salary is really taken as the index of his position and authority.
“As, however, the necessity for such stamp of my official rank will be greatly diminished whenever I become sole Secretary, I shall then readily submit to a modification in the scale of remuneration attached to the office, should your Lordship and the Treasury see fit to make any such change.”—Mr. Rowland Hill to Lord Canning. August 16th, 1853.—Ed.
[103] The eloquent words of Milton might have come into the thoughts of some of them when he says: “nihil esse in societate hominum magis vel Deo gratum, vel rationi consentaneum, esse in civitate nihil æquius, nihil utilius, quam potiri rerum dignissimum.” “In the coalition of human Society,” to use Johnson’s rendering, “nothing is more pleasing to God, or more agreeable to reason, than that the highest mind should have the sovereign power.”—Ed.
[104] “I have in this chapter also struck out not a few passages describing matters that are not of permanent interest.”—Ed.
[105] “Fifth Report,” pp. 175-191.
[106] “Fifth Report,” p. 243.
[107] “Fifth Report,” p. 246.