The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the

1849] NEW DIFFICULTIES. 133
offices, the letter lately received from the postmaster of
Plymouth.
On the day after writing this letter, being
fined to the house,
still con-
I received a note from the Post-
master-General, informing me that he was much pressed
to issue an order for compelling attendance, and that he
wished me to consider the question before he next came
to the office. On going myself to the office on the following
day, I learnt that a larger Sunday force had
been applied for by Mr. Bokenham, partly with a view
to completing the work in the morning, and partly to
enable him to work the men on alternate Sundays only.
He wished the number to be raised to forty, which, by
alternation, would be in effect five less than the number
I had proposed ; yet I hesitated to agree
to the
change, knowing how the matter would be misrepresented
abroad.
" November 2nd. In the evening the Postmaster-General came to
the office, and reported that Lord John Russell concurred in the im-
portance of avoiding compulsion. The final settlement is deferred
till Monday."
Even the authority of the Premier, however, did not
remove all difficulties, for on my suggesting to Mr
Bokenham that he should offer a new inducement to
volunteers, he again urged that, instead of this,
consent to a compulsory attendance in rotation. Upon
my refusal, he asked permission to warn the men that,
unless there were sufficient volunteers, compulsion would
I should
be resorted to ; offering, as I still refused, to do this in
his own name, without implicating me. Of course I
stood firm to my point.
When the second Sunday had passed much as the
first, I again offered, with a view to avoid further importunity,
to undertake the work myself; but scarcely had