The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-22 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL GUARDIAN SOCIETY

MR. ROWLAND HILL IN LIVERPOOI.
On Friday evening last, the Guardian ;society of this
town, established in. 1893, for th, protection of trade,
celebrated its twenty-fourth anniversary by a public
dinner, at Eastwood's Royal Hotel, where exactly one
hundred and forty gentlemen were entertained with all
the substantials and elegancies which that first-rate
house is so well-known to afford. More than usual in-
terest was excited on the present occasion by the fact
that Rowland Hill, Esq., the distinguished originator of
the Penny Postage system, had accepted the society's
invitation to dine with them.
The chair was occupied by Mr. Denton, the President
of the Society fur the past year. On his right sat George
Hall Lawrence, Esq., Mayor of Liverpool, Mr. Coun-
cillor Tinge, and Mr. Councillor Parker ; on his left were
Rowland llill, Esq., Mr. John Smith, of the Liverpool
Mercury ; and Mr. Evens, the Society's solicitor. At
the same table we observed Mr. Manchester, President
of the Preston Guardian Society; Mr. Walthew, Presi-
dent of the Houseownere Guardian Society; Mr. Fran-
cis Venn, Sergeant at Mace of this borough; Mr. Wrenn,
Treasurer of the Society; Mr. Coward, Mr. Condlifle,
and Mr. White. Immediately in front were Mr. Reay,
the Secretary of the Society; Mr. Cottam, Secretary of
the Manchester Guardian Society ; Mr. Hemming, Se-
cretary Of the Birmingham Guardian Society; and Mr.
Carr, Secretary of the Preston Guardian Society. The
`dee-chair was occupied by Mr. Richard Crossley, in the
absence of Mr. J. R. Jeffery, the President elect. As
soon as the cloth was withdrawn, the Secretary read
letters of apology for unavoidable absence from Lord
~
Sand°'l, Xl'* , Sir Howard Douglas, M.P., William
Brown, Esq M.P.
Mr. Alderman Watkins, President 1
orthe Manchester Guardian Society, and other gentle-
Men who had been invited.
The CIIAntstAN proposed the health of the Queen and
the other usual loyal and patriotic toasts.
Mr. JORN SMITH rose, and expressed the pleasure it
afforded him to have been requested by the committee
to propose the health of one of the greatest benefactors
of the country, and of the world—(Cheers)—the author
of the Penny Post System—(Cheers)—one who, though
far from beige. an old man, wavan old friend of his, viz.,
Mr. Rowland'Hill.—(Loud cheering.) When Mr. Hill's
pamphlet,ab advocating that noble measure, appeared,
t Copwhich Mr Hill had ben good enough to send
to him followed him. to Dubline, where he read it aloud
to a social and fashionable party, whose attention was
tivetted to it as much as if it had been one of the
most Popular novels; the men of business felt keenly
eevils of the old system, the cost of correspondence,
air the trouble which one friend imposed upon another
ce were
hl evei.rrying letters to parties in towns they might
ttansiting; hose
who had near and dear relations at a
by the long delays
or serious cost attending
annoyed
there; ft , st attending written communications with
'ells of the ad . h• h the proposed
cons& -13" even the young ladies were not un-
sYs tete vantages w te
. the Liverpool
(Loud would confer in certain affaires du
.ccrur..—n
to laughter and cheers.) It was a high gratificatio
Itt'attY of testify; Guardian Society to have the oppor-
.ng their gratitude to the author of that
aYstetee The health of Mr. Hill was given amidst loud
aPPlause.
Mr. ROWLAND HILL on rising to address the corn-
Pany was received with rapturous welcome.—(Enthu-
siastic plaudits continuing for some time.)
He begged
to thank his friend Mr. Smith for the manner in which
he had proposed, and the company at large for the
Manner in which they had received the toast just given.
Re had done himself the pleasure of accepting the in-
vitation with which the society had honoured him for
several reasons—first, that he might in person acknow-
ledge the friendly interest the society had taken in
What so much concerned himself ; secondly, that he
alight explain the nature of the duties attaching to his
Present position in connexion with the Post-office ; and
above all, those
that he might investigate on the spot _
alleged defects in the postal arrangements of this lo-
cality, which had been so ably stated, from time to time,
in the Liverpool Mercury. It was a matter of personal
convenience to himself that his duties in the
Post•office should be clearly understood, as the
erroneous ideas which prevailed respecting them had
involved him in a correspondence which occupied time
Which ought to be devoted to other subjects. His duties
were to advise the Postmaster-General, on all points
to which his Lordship might be pleased to direct his
attention and to carry out gradually the remainder of
his own system of Post-office improvement, of which
the penny rate was only one feature. Without a ge-
neral understanding to this effect, he need scarcely say
that he should not have felt justified in accepting office.
(Cheers.) Of the management of the present details he
had no control whatever. But though a slight considera-
tion would show that it was impossible that he could ex-
ercise any direct power in the Post-office, he had the
good fortune to serve under a nobleman who, with ex-
cellent business habits, united a thorough appreciation of
the duties and responsibilities of his important office, and
who was sincerely desirous of making the institution,
over which he presides, as useful to the public as pos-
sible. He wished to convey to his hearers some idea of
the magnitude of the institution. Were he merely to
state that so many millions of letters passed through the
post-office in a year, no one could form any accurate con-
ception of the reality. The best mode probably to con-
vey any idea of the whole, would be for him to describe
some part. For instance, last night, when he left Lon-
don, he was at Euston-square when the mail was brought
in to go by the train, this being only one of many
Which are dispatched by railways. It was considered an
exceedingly light mail ; but small as it was, it literally
filled six large omnibuses ; and the heavy mails for-
warded on a Saturday night, filled nine carriages of a
similar description. Again, the number of dead letters
since the adoption of prepayment had become a very
twits
410_,_
oters, in
, alefraction—less than the two-hundredth part—of the
o 0 0/. per
Filestile_
letters, the average amount of money found
address whatever :in'
of bank notes, and bills of exchange,
therefore, that in annum _(Hear, hear.) Many thou-
sandspounds Were actually found in letters with no
(Laughter.) The company would see,
difficulty was
way of any extensive a
*so vast machine the difficulties in the
()Teat Another
e change were very s, • .
that the machine was constantly in mo-
tion ; it never stood still night or day, and the greatest
care forethouht, and calculation were therefore neces-
sary in
do to 'Thing alterations. In improving it would not
nandarely
they snia-° a mistake ; that might stop it altogether ;
tigate
If a steam engine
try an experiment ; all must be inves
s, settled with unerring certainty beforehand.
became
and the requisit defective, it could be stopped,
P He e • rePairs made ; but not so with the
confidence svhichwis
mind, and
to continue to him some portion of that great
wish the •t• to bear these facts in
should be lost in a-
assuring them
Checearrying
of his p1an......(th t they had hitherto reposed in him,
so far as he was concerned no time
liar defectsout the remaining portions
in
thisrs.) . With reference
htoadthehoptecthue-
flequisite local knowil:idghebetthood, htehat
all could
Justifyerernedied, but he thoughtg he haday heard enough to
him in s lyin .
proverne g that there was much room for ine-
nt, whilst there were reasons for adhering to
Some existin a
in;,,,_, g arrangements which, no doubt, appeared
L.sszsious. It might seem to many absurd that letters
_ , led( be carried pasta town for which they were in-
na is and then brought back but it not really
absurd. It ; was
town in k. arose from the impossibility of every
Were a ing up a bag for every other town. There
or sh,a,Bout one thousand post towns, and if every one
million made up one thousand bags, there would be a
°seen of bags ; in fact, more bags than letters. It had
21, e struck him that some pains should be taken to
' the main features of the Post-office system intelli-
gibleto the
lam people. There was no department of G0r..._0
r..._0 ment which came so much into contact with the
pies and it was advisable that they should know what
qrrangensents were capable of improvement and what
li ere not. hr .
ties a d is desire had ever been, in all the difficul-
do . n. opposition with which he had to struggle, to
be alh.stice to the institution, and he was happy to
fusr„hele to say that even before he went to the Post-
_sei instructions had been sent to the surveyors to
!'l'iati _ certain returns with reference to the distribution
IdtZis neighbourhood though, owing to the many other
been
they had to perform, these returns had not yet
u made.—(Hear hear.) Perhaps it might be inter-
s
esting to the
company to revert to a few facts connected
with the ch
—(Cheer ange Produced by the plan of penny postage.
reduced rs) -immediately before the intr. due ion of the
tors n t rate
of
Postage, the number of chargeable let-
sevent of
including franks —delivered amounted to
amounYtedive mil"°"
annually. Last year it had
a half to two hundred and ninety-nine millions and
,or to four-Fuld the original number. It would re-
quire sopa th•
e frig more than that to bring the Post-office
re-
revenue up to the former gross amount; but less than
the number of letters delivered in the London district,
omprising a circle of 12 miles round the Post-office, St.
Martin'a-le-Grand, was as are at •
bid system, was delive d,„, a as that which, under the
dom. The increase wasrera kncil the %hole United King-
to twenty-eight millions last y going on, and amounted
previous year. It was the opiynsion
oc;,,napared with the
that the introduction of the penny rate increased gentlemen,
difficulty of effecting improvements. It was said
it he
could not afford to give cheap postage, and greater.at tfalce?'
lities also ; but, in fact, improvements had followed one
another more rapidly since the p, nay postage came into
operation than before. When the plan was first pro-
posed, the large towns had only a single mail connecting
them with London : now they have two mails per day.
Again—In England and Wales there were formsrly only
two thousand post-offices of every kind ; now there were
four thousand. There was a growing conviction in the
minds of all connected with the Post-office, that to make
the establishment profitable, they must make it as use-
ful as possible, and to that great object his best efferts
should be devoted. Mr. Hill concluded amidst great
cheering.
After some other toasts, the company separated a
little before twelve o'clock.

liOERERIES.—On F: i lay information wac received
by the police of the following daring robberies :—Front the
house of mr. Andrews, No. 45, Western Villas, Bloomfield-
road, Paddington, six silver table spoons, eight dessert
spoons, seven tea spoons, and other articles of plate ; Iron
the house of Mr. Stovin, No. 2, Duchess-street, Portland-
Place, a hunting watch, with a gold chain ; from the
Derson of Mrs. Brown, of No. 29, Dorset-street, Dorset-
square, in a Paddington omnibus, a double .cased
~.4.11d watch,
with a black ribbon and two gold seals attached ; and from
the Cathedral Hotel, St. Paul's Churchyard, a gold watch, a
gold pin, with a cameo head, and a finger ring.
CONVERSION TO THE CHURCH OF ROME.—We
.I";.,ave to announce the conversion of another clergyman of the
.12:stablishment to the Roman Catholic Church, in the person
Of the Rev. Edward Caswall, M.A., of Brasenose College,
xford, who made his profession of faith at Rome, about
tires weeks ago, according to letters received from that city.
Casa all's brother, a member of Cambridge University
tYia
received into the'Roman Catholic Church a few months
- The number of clergy who have joined the Church of
Rome during the last eighteen months, is now about seventy ;
the converts from the middle and uppwr ranks of the city
considerably exceed that number.