“June 25th.—[Tuesday.]—The stoppage of business on the Sunday reduced yesterday morning’s arrival in London by about 80,000 letters, increasing the mid-day arrival by about 18,000, and this morning’s by about 16,000—causing, therefore, a diminution of about 47,000 letters in London alone.”
Mr. Locke’s motion, which came on on July 9th,[78] was set aside in favour of an amendment moved by Lord John Russell, and carried by a large majority, praying Her Majesty to cause an inquiry to be made whether the amount of Sunday labour in the Post Office might not be reduced without completely putting an end to the collection and delivery of letters, &c., on Sundays.[79]
The Commission appointed to give effect to this amendment consisted of the Postmaster-General, Mr. Labouchere (afterwards Lord Taunton), and Mr. (afterwards Sir) Cornewall Lewis. Their recommendation, promptly arrived at, but expressed after much deliberation, was, in fact, though not in form, that the office should revert to the arrangements which existed previously to the resolution of the House, carried on the motion of Lord Ashley.[80] I endeavoured, though in vain, to obtain a more distinct avowal as to the real purport of the advice, feeling convinced that the juster and bolder course was also the more politic. This opinion was soon confirmed by the manner in which the Report was received by the public press, all the daily papers agreeing in its true interpretation, and the Morning Herald attacking the Commissioners for the indirectness of their proceeding. A fortnight later, however, viz., on September 1st, the recommendation was carried into effect,[81] and though a modification as regards the rural messengers, which had been recommended by the Commission, was, on the advice of the surveyors, adopted by the Postmaster-General, even this change excited so much public dissatisfaction as to produce its partial abandonment.
Thus the whole question of Sunday duties was finally settled, after having kept the department, and particularly myself, in grievous trouble and anxiety for more than sixteen months. During the whole of this period the improvements in the general management of the department—which it was my duty and earnest desire to introduce—were to a great extent necessarily delayed. Moreover, a spirit of insubordination was excited, which, being unfortunately backed both in and out of Parliament, gave much trouble later on.
[CHAPTER XIX.]
PARTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN POSITION.
If I had been painfully sensible of the evils attending my anomalous position even before the commencement of the Sunday observance agitation, the suffering I had gone through during its progress, and my fear of its recurrence in some other form, impelled me, as soon as I began to breathe a little freely, to new efforts for relief. Before the end of 1849 I had again addressed the Postmaster-General, briefly referring to past correspondence, and showing how my fears had been confirmed by recent events; how I had been singled out for attack, even in respect of measures which I had earnestly and successfully opposed; and how entirely it was out of my power, in the present state of the office, to render those extended services which were expected of me at the time of my appointment. Past experience, however, gave me but very moderate hope of success; and this was fortunate, for, three months after the delivery of my letter, I learnt, upon inquiry, that all was in statu quo—nothing to be done till some vacancy should occur.
Here then was more disappointment; a continuance of my troubles; the maintenance of a position subjecting me to constant demands, but denying me the promised means of satisfying them. Much as I owed to certain members of the existing administration, and particularly to my immediate official superior, I have never been able to account satisfactorily for the constant adjournment of my claims. I had returned to office, at much personal sacrifice, under a virtual promise, contingent only on my demonstrating certain powers: and yet, though neither promise nor demonstration was ever denied or even questioned, fulfilment was withheld; a second contingency being introduced, of which I had never dreamed, and which I should have regarded as an insuperable objection to re-entering the service.