The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the

1851-4] NUMBER OF LETTERS. 259
the suburbs of London, whose occupations require that they shall
leave home by nine or ten o'clock in the morning, is obviously very
important. In many cases it makes the difference of a day in their
ability to reply.
Facilities for Posting.
Up to this time pillar-boxes were unknown in England,* though
already in use not only in France, where they were an old institution,
but also in some of the principal towns of Germany, and even in the
villages of the Channel Islands.
"January 8th, 1832. We had a conversation on the subject of
street letter-boxes, when I found th^t the Postmaster-General was
not disinclined to a trial of them in the great thoroughfares of
London."
Postal convenience at railway stations was also still unknown.
" February ijth. The Postmaster-General has sanctioned a
measure of mine which, I expect, will have the effect of converting
the railway stations in all the larger towns into gratuitous receiving
offices."
It was still, however, some time before the plan was carried into
effect.
NUMBER OF LETTERS.
The following entries show the progressive increase of letters
during this period :
"January igth, 1852, The number of letters which passed
through the London Office last week is the greatest on record,
being 2,597,000 general post, and 850,000 district post letters; in
all, 3,447,000, or considerably more than twice the number under
the old system for the whole kingdom. It is remarkable that the
London general post letters, which increased to the extent of about
200,000 a week soon after the opening of the Exhibition [the Great
Exhibition of 1851] continue now that it is closed to be as numerous
as ever.
"January 2oth, 1833. The usual annual account of letters gives
379}^ millions for the year 1852, or an increase of 19^ millions
on the previous year. The number is exactly five times as great as
before reduction. . . . The letters have for the last three 01
four months increased very rapidly (one of the many signs of
prosperity); the last return (for the week ending 2ist December)
showed an increase of more than 400,000 in the letters passing
* See Vol. i., p. 417. ED.
S 2