LOMBARD STREET ly 



I have heard of but one accident resulting from the 

 arming of mail-guards, and that was in Scotland in 

 the old days — in 1836. Strange to say, it occurred 

 at a wedding. The guard of the Aberdeen and Bal- 

 later mail-coach, being off duty, incautiously lent his 

 blunderbuss to a friend for the purpose of firing a 

 festive salute. The friend fired not wisely but too 

 well, and blew off his own hand. 



Colonel Corbett, however, cites another mishap, 

 which ended fatally, at Ballina in Ireland. The 

 blunderbuss of the Sligo mail accidentally exploded, 

 and cost a poor countryman his life. 



By degrees the security of the mail became assured. 

 Had the race of Turpins, Abershaws, Macheaths and 

 Du Vals survived, it would have found the work of 

 the road grown too hot for comfort by the time that 

 Lombard Street ceased to be the focus of mail-coach 

 administration. 



That time was approaching, but many years passed 

 before it was reached. 



A Cabinet Minister once told me that experience 

 showed that thirty years were needed to carry out a 

 great public reform — in maturing opinion, and getting 

 the Government of the day to act. This particular 

 reform took up just forty years. In 1789 it was 

 mooted, in 1814-15 inquired into, in 1829 accom- 

 plished. 



Never was a new and commodious structure for 

 postal business more urgently required. 



The Lombard Street post-office was by no means 



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