37 
account give it up. He was good enough to say, “You do it so 
well, we won’t let you.” Mr. James was a year or two my junior, 
and he himself found it necessary to retire, and he only lived six 
months after he left the service. He was a most amiable gentle- 
man, and the whole northern district regretted him. 
When in Manchester seeing the great Exhibition in 1887, I 
called upon my first preceptor, Mr. John St. Lawrence Beaufort, 
then postmaster of Manchester. I thought him looking very aged. 
I thought he might be ten years my senior. I reminded him of 
the attack of asthma he had at Keswick. He said, “ Yes, the 
attacks were violent when they came then ;” and, touching his 
chest, he added, “but now it is there always.” I had touched a 
chord of memory which led him to ask if I ever saw his good 
. friend Mr. Lawrence Harrison, and how he was. I told him that 
I had seen him shortly before, and he was still as straight as an 
arrow. He then said, ‘ Do you ever see Mrs, Teather? and how 
is she?” To this I was also able to answer him, that she was living 
at Keswick, and very well for her years. Ina few short weeks he 
passed away, and having died in harness, there was great respect 
shown to his worth by the public funeral, which took place at 
Prestwich, at which my friend Mr. J. D. Rich, the esteemed post 
master of Liverpool, and many officials of the Post Office far and 
near, attended. I was surprised to find, when I saw the notice of 
his decease, that he was only one year my senior. 
_ This event spurred me on in my determination to retire, I 
again applied to my chief, Mr. G. A. Yeld, for his advice and 
assistance, which he accorded to me in such a way as shall ever be 
gratefully remembered by me. 
I served under seven surveyors. Mr. John Tilley was the first. 
When he became secretary to the General Post Office, I wrote to 
congratulate him. He replied as follows :— 
‘**March 22nd, 1864. 
‘*My Dear Sir, 
*‘T am very much obliged to you indeed for writing to congratulate 
te on my appointment. It was very kind of you. Iam glad that you too 
have prospered, Very faithfully yours, j- TILLEy,” 
