The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the

1844-6] SIR JAMES GRAHAM. 2?
CHAPTER XIV.
NATIONAL TESTIMONIAL (1844-46).
OF one motive to retirement from more active rail-
way duties I have not yet spoken : it was supplied
by the generosity of the public, as will appear here-
after. I first return to transactions connected with
the Post Office, from which attention has been withdrawn
by the above narrative. Of such limited
progress, however, as was made towards the adoption
of my plans, I shall speak more conveniently when
the period of my exclusion approaches
its close.
I had the high gratification to learn that the leading
feature of my plan had been introduced to some
extent into the United States, and that the President
had announced to Congress his desire to reduce the
postage throughout the Union ; a measure carried into
effect in the spring of 1845, when the postage was
fixed at five cents (twopence-halfpenny) for distances
within three hundred miles, and ten cents between
places more remote. At home, however, the Liberal
party wisely judged that the time for further parliamentary
action on the subject of postal reform was
not yet come, though occasional motions on postal
affairs showed that the question did not altogether
sleep.
Meantime, an occurrence took place which brought