The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the

206 LIFE OF SIR ROWLAND HILL. [1852
proceeded in so open and unreserved a manner that I thought it
best to tell him of the conditions under which I accepted office, and
of the manner in which the late Government had from time to time
postponed the fulfilment of its engagements. My statement produced
an evident effect on Lord Hardwicke. He said he was very
that he should consider
glad I had communicated these facts to him ;
what I had said confidential, though he should probably speak to
Lord Derby on the subject."
I had the more hope of his intercession in my
favour because I found that he was intimate with
Mr. Warburton, of whom he spoke in the highest
possible terms. The hope, however, was soon
crushed :
"April i^th. Warburton came into my room before seeing the
Postmaster-General [the appointment had been made by me with his
lordship's sanction], but, as he thought it better not to come up
again, I arranged to call upon him in the evening, when I found
that, although the Postmaster-General had spoken well of me,
Warburton has no hope whatever of his adopting any more
decided course than a division of duties between Maberly and
myself; so that chance is gone."
"May ^rd. The Postmaster-General has sent me a minute
referring to my statement of the work in hand, and requesting
that I will not enter on any new subject without his previous
direction. As he was then at the office, I immediately applied to
him for an explanation, when I found that he had sent a similar
minute to Maberly, and that his object was to secure that he should
at all times know what was going on. He says (all in good temper)
that hitherto I have really been Postmaster-General, but that he
intends to be Postmaster-General himself; adding, however, that he
has no intention of obstructing improvement. His notion was that
it would be practicable for me to apply for the authority in question,
even before entering on the preliminary investigation of the subject,
but I satisfied him that this was impossible ; and the understanding
now is that I am to make the requisite application as early as
possible. ... In the course of an interview a good deal of
plain speaking occurred in a half-joking manner. Among other
things, I told him that, if he obstructed improvements, I should
leave him."