392 PEACH RETIRES FROM OFFICE. CHAP. xxii. 



very ill. Dick wrote in one of his letters that he 

 scarcely expected that he would recover. Nevertheless, 

 he cheered liini up as usual : " I am glad to hear you 

 are in spirits at least, if not in health. So many people 

 are going that I began to get apprehensive that you 

 were seriously ill. Hope on for ever, dear Charlie." 

 Peach had also many troubles connected with death 

 and illness in his own family. 



At length, in 1861, he was under the necessity of 

 retiring from the service. He was now sixty-one. He 

 had worked long and hard for his retiring allowance. 

 Besides, a change was about to be made. The office of 

 Comptroller, with a view to economy in the Customs, 

 was to be done away with in all the ports of the 

 United Kingdom. "Mr. Gladstone's long range," he 

 said, " is about to ruin me." The older men were to be 

 placed on the redundant list, and the younger ones were 

 to be reduced to subordinate offices. Though Peach was 

 at the top of the list for promotion to 200 a year, 

 he refused to be reduced, and he therefore retired upon 

 a comparatively small amount, which lasts only during 

 his lifetime, and leaves nothing for his widow. His hopes 

 were thus dashed. The change had such a depressing 

 effect upon him that he fell seriously ill, and for 

 weeks was expected to die. But in course of time he 

 recovered, and set to work again upon his favourite 

 studies. 



Mr. Peach accompanied Mr. Gwynn Jeffreys in his 

 dredging expeditions along the shores of the Shetland 

 Islands, and he there made a collection of British 



