be called in, the female members first, and then his male relatives and personal friends, addressing each of them individually, and bade each an affectionate farewell." Between ten and eleven o'clock at night he uttered, somewhat indistinctly, the words, " Poet, poetry, Gray, Gray," whereupon Mr. Fletcher Webster repeated the first line of Gray's "Elegy,"-"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day." "That's it, that's it," said Mr. Webster; and the book was brought and several stanzas read to him, which seemed to give him pleasure; thus, to the last, showing his love of poetry. Having no fear of dissolution, he spoke of the difficulty of the process of dying, when Dr. Jeffries repeated the verse: 'Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me: Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me."

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Mr. Webster said immediately: "The fact, the fact. That is what I want, Thy rod, Thy rod, Thy staff, Thy staff." Shortly after, at twenty-two minutes before three o'clock, he passed tranquilly, and with perfect trust, to the regions of the blest. In Edward Everett's speech of October 27, describing this closing scene, he said: "In the long and honored career of our lamented friend, there are efforts and triumphs which will hereafter fill one of the brightest pages of our history. But I greatly err if the closing scene -the height of the religious sublime-does not far transcend in interest the brightest exploits of his public life."

Who will doubt that, after a life devoted to the defence of "the Constitution, the laws, and the liberties of his country," this grand old patriot and statesman, "above fear, above danger, above reproach," reached his "last end," not, as in the providence of God, "too soon," but ripe for the transition, and that upon his entry into eternal life he was, as he had prayed to be, welcomed by his angel son, who "stand'st in Heaven's account the oldest"?

CHAPTER XV.

SIR ROWLAND HILL.

A Pleasant Announcement-Origin of Penny Postage-Handsome Reward-Postage-Stamps-Their Origin-A Personal Interview.

THE following item is going the rounds of the newspapers: "Sir Rowland Hill, the veteran ex-PostmasterGeneral of England, and Lady Hill, celebrated their golden wedding a short time since."

This is a pleasant announcement; and it may be interesting to the generality of readers to know something more of the life and character of this philanthropist. Sir Rowland Hill (he must not be confounded with Rev. Rowland Hill, born 1774, died 1833) has never been the actual Postmaster-General of Great Britain; but as first secretary of the British Post-Office Department for several years, and as post-office reformer previously, he undoubtedly exercised a greater influence in postal matters than any PostmasterGeneral of that kingdom ever did. Born at Kidderminster, December 3, 1795, "he early showed a great fondness for figures, which was subsequently developed in the study of mathematics. His first occupation was that of mathematical tutor in a school kept by his father, and for a number of years he devoted himself to improving school instruction and organization." As secretary, in 1833, of the South Australian Commission, he aided in founding that colony. Four years afterward he began to press for postal reform, and in 1838 succeeded "in having the matter referred to a special committee of the House of Commons." This committee, after due consideration of the subject, reported in favor of Mr. Hill's plan of penny postage, notwithstanding the post-office authorities, who were given a full hearing before them, were "hostile to the change." "In July,

1839, a bill to enable the treasury to carry Mr. Hill's plan into effect, introduced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, passed by a majority of 102; and on August 17 the project became a law. A temporary office under the treasury was at the same time created to enable Mr. Hill to inaugurate his plan, and on January 10, 1840, the uniform penny rate came into operation." Notwithstanding it gave good promise of success, the post-office authorities continued unfriendly; he was left without adequate support, and “ soon after the accession of the Peel ministry," about 1843, he was dismissed, and received the appointment of one of the directors of the Brighton Railway. The people, however, were on his side, and £13,000 was raised by subscription for a testimonial to him. If I am not mistaken this was used in the erection of his statue at Birmingham. At any rate, I am quite sure that my old friend, Elihu Burritt, told me there was, or was to be, such a monument erected there in honor of Sir Rowland. Upon the return of the Whigs to power in 1846, he was appointed secretary to the Postmaster-General, holding divided authority with Colonel Maberly," and in 1854 he became sole secretary, which office he held until he was retired several years afterward. "In 1860 he was knighted in acknowledgment of his services at the post-office, and received a Parliamentary grant of £20,000, the first Albert gold medal of the Society of Arts, and the degree of D.C.L. from Oxford.”

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The above facts, long familiar to experienced post-office men, I have taken from the American Cyclopædia. Here is a newspaper account of the origin of postage-stamps:

"The origin of the stamp has a tinge of romance in it. It was thirtyseven years ago that Rowland Hill, while crossing a district in the north of England, arrived at the door of an inn where a postman had stopped to deliver a letter. A young girl came out to receive it; she turned it over and over in her hand and asked the price of postage. This was a large sum, and evidently the girl was poor, for the postman demanded a shilling. She sighed sadly, and said the letter was from her brother, but that she had no money; and so she returned the letter to the postman.

Touched with pity, Mr. Hill paid the postage and gave the letter to the girl, who seemed very much embarrassed. Scarcely had the postman turned his back, when the young innkeeper's daughter confessed that it was a trick between her and her brother. Some signs on the envelope told her all she wanted to know, but the letter contained no writing. 'We are both so poor,' she added, 'that we invented this mode of correspondence without paying for our letters.' The traveller, continuing his road, asked himself if a system giving place to such frauds was not a vicious one. Before sunset Rowland had planned to organize the postal service on a new basis-with what success is known to the world.” 1

1

I have no reason to question the correctness of this

account.

In 1867, being in London with my youngest son, Henry Franklin, we called at the General Post-Office on the brother of Sir Rowland, Frederick Hill, Esq., who then, as at present, held the office of secretary. Having expressed a desire to see Sir Rowland, with whom I had formerly had extensive official correspondence, soon after reaching our boarding-house I received a note, dated June 15, from Mr. Frederick Hill, in which he said: "I saw my brother, Mr. Rowland Hill, this morning, and was glad to find that he was at present tolerably well. I mentioned your being just now in London, your having called here, and your desire to see him; and he said he should be happy to see both yourself and your son any morning you may be at liberty to ride over to Hampstead. He lives at Bertram House, half a mile on the London side of Hampstead."

Thus invited, on the 17th we presented ourselves at Bertram House, and sent in our cards. We were first conducted into the parlor, where Sir Rowland soon made his appearance, giving us a cordial welcome, and then asked

In a letter to me, dated London, December 22, 1877, Sir Rowland wrote: "The story you have quoted belongs to Coleridge. I only quoted it as an argument in favor of prepayment. As regards the statue at Birmingham, this was paid for by a subscription raised by the townsfolk themselves for the purpose, and no part of the national testimonial was used to defray expenses."

us to accompany him to his library up-stairs. From our recollection of him we should judge that he was a man just about the height and size of President Hayes; and this is perhaps the most satisfactory description of his person I could give. He had not the look of an old man, but stood erect and was active in all his movements. He appeared to be in perfect health; but said if he undertook to walk any considerable distance-for instance, to the further end of his spacious garden, to which he pointed from the library window-he was troubled with vertigo. He treated us like old acquaintances, showing us many of the tokens of approbation he had received from various distinguished persons, including his commission of knighthood from the Queen. As a choice memento of our visit I have now before me a proof-sheet which he presented me of one of the first letter envelopes ever made. Upon the upper face, side, and ends are various devices, one of which represents a person writing, surrounded by a crowd eagerly looking on, with elephants in the background,-evidently an Eastern scene; on the opposite corner is a commercial picture, in which the civilized and savage world are brought together, of course through the means of cheap postage and other facilities for easy communication; below these, on either end, are female figures in the attitude of reading letters to listening children; and at the top, in the centre, is a kind of coat-of-arms, representing, also by a female figure, the spirit of universal communication despatching flying angels with messages in all directions.

After an hour's most agreeable interview, during which we were treated to cake and wine, Sir Rowland came downstairs with and presented us to Lady Hill, who greeted us in the pleasantest manner, and on the following day sent us, "With Lady Hill's compliments," tickets to the Zoological Gardens.

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