PILLARS OF THE PAST 317 



letters brought to London, it will be seen how large 

 and serious the question had become. 



Even on the main roads there was much to be 

 corrected. If two letters were put into the proper 

 district receiving-house in London, between five and 

 six o'clock in the evening, one addressed to Highgate 

 and the other to Wolverhampton (118| miles from 

 Highgate Archway on the same road), the Wolver- 

 hampton letter would be delivered first. 



These were some of the illustrations with which 

 Eowland Hill enforced parts of the case which he put 

 before the public. 



In London, and what have become the suburbs, 

 despite twopenny posts, threepenny and fourpenny 

 posts, collections were few and deliveries sluggish. In 

 fact, to transport letters between London and Hamp- 

 stead, Eowland Hill found, to his surprise, required, 

 under the most favourable circumstances, about ten 

 hours. Perhaps a fourth of the time may now 

 suffice. 



One of Hill's important devices for facilitating the 

 operation of his scheme was the prepayment of postage 

 by means of small paper labels, representing a duty 

 of a penny and twopence, and rendered easily adhesive 

 by a * glutinous wash ' at the back. I have before me 

 a return which is an indication of the important 

 service rendered by the Inland Eevenue department 

 to the Post-Office in supplying these duty labels, 

 otherwise postage-stamps. 



The figures are so vast that I hardly know what 



