“June 24th.—The Postmaster-General told me in confidence that Ministers had determined to resign if beaten on the Jamaica question, now pending—a result which he thought probable; his object in telling me this appeared to be to enable me, as far as possible, to prepare for the change. I repeated what I have before told him, that his own resignation would in all probability be followed by mine, for that, judging from former experience, I was sure that unless I was well backed by the Postmaster-General, —— would so conduct himself as to render my position unbearable. He replied that he had no doubt I should have much opposition to contend with, not only from ——, but from the heads of the other departments, who to a man were opposed to reduction. I reminded the Postmaster-General of his minute, prescribing a course of proceeding on my part much more restrictive than the actual practice of the office, and stated that, should he resign, —— would, I felt sure, endeavour to enforce the regulations to the letter. I also inquired if the Postmaster-General would have any objection to modify his minute in accordance with the practice of the office. To this I understood him to assent. He says there will be plenty of time, after the question of resignation is settled, to attend to such matters. Lord St. Germans, he thinks, would be his successor. He has noticed that Lord St. G. has rarely deviated from Maberly’s advice.”
“June 28th.—E. H., A. H., F. H., and I, met to consult on the steps to be taken in consequence of the Postmaster-General’s communication of the 24th, and decided what should be done. These family consultations are a great aid to me. Wrote a minute, modifying the one [alluded to above].”
“June 29th.—Called on the Postmaster-General at his house, and had a very satisfactory interview. He is fully satisfied as to my administrative powers, and offers to leave a memorandum for his successor (should the Ministry resign, of which there is now less probability), expressing his high opinion thereon. Fully admits that the prospect of promotion held out when I entered on office had reference to my succeeding Maberly. That all doubt of my ability to manage the department had long ceased, and that he had repeatedly expressed himself to other members of the Government quite ready to conduct the Post Office with my aid only; that he expected a vacancy in some other department would have been found for M. before this, but that his present post was so good a one that it was difficult to find another equally good, and that Parliament and the public would not justify their allowing so young a man as M. to retire upon a pension. I proposed, as an intermediate step, that I should be declared joint secretary with M.; but, as I could not accept any advance of salary so long as I was postponing the consideration of others’ salaries, my salary should continue at its present amount till the general adjustment should take place. . . . Finally, he promised to consider my proposal, and to consult the Chancellor of the Exchequer thereon.”
“June 30th.—The danger of resignation is past; the Ministers had a majority of 15 last night. Gave the Postmaster-General the minute (June 28th), but he defers decision thereon, there being now no haste.”
I did not altogether concur in the propriety of delay, feeling as I did that every day was bringing new evils. After narrating other proceedings at this interview, my Journal thus continues:—
“Called his [the Postmaster-General’s] attention to the great increase of expenditure, shown by an account just rendered for the last half of 1847. It is at the [annual] rate of nearly £100,000.”
In the following August the question was again forced upon me, by a demand of the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the complete consolidation of the two corps of letter-carriers;[57] a measure involving also the establishment of hourly deliveries and district offices, all important features of my plan. Knowing that the required change, which, unless made with the greatest care, would inevitably excite great discontent among the clerks, sorters, letter-carriers, and others, could not be safely attempted under present arrangements, I again spoke to the Postmaster-General on the subject of my promotion, but obtained no satisfactory reply.
Checked and encumbered too as my progress had been, a review of it made about this time showed that, however imperfect in its great features, it was nevertheless, in the aggregate, greater than I myself had been conscious of. In fact, I found that most of the improvements included in the list of agenda, which I had laid before the Committee of 1843, were either completed or at least in progress. Still, as I felt it indispensable that my greater reforms also should go forward, I continued from time to time to urge that important change which the condition of my engagement gave me a right to demand; and as the year drew to its close without any step being taken in reference to my claims, I naturally became more impatient. Instead of the six months which had been spoken of as my probable time of probation, two whole years had now elapsed. I could not but regard this interpretation of the virtual promise as more than sufficiently loose.
After careful consultation with my brothers, I resolved on making a formal application upon the subject. In my letter, which is given in the [Appendix (A)], after referring to past difficulties and previous applications, as also to the distinct expectation which had induced me to accept my present post, after appealing to his lordship as “to my having made every possible effort to surmount and avoid the obstacles incident to my present position,” I submitted a list of the chief improvements (all of them, however, of a comparatively minor character) which, under his lordship’s authority, I had been able to effect in the postal service. I then described the improvements effected in the Money Order Department, expressing my confident expectation that in the course of the year it would become self-supporting,[58] and that by additional measures, then in progress, it would in time be made to afford a satisfactory profit. I adduced the facility with which the necessary changes, many of them difficult and complicated, had been effected in this department since it came under my immediate and exclusive direction, as affording fair presumption that with similar means at my command a like success might be obtained elsewhere. I remarked that my appointment to this department had been avowedly to ascertain my competency for practical management, and submitted that by the results such competency was proved.