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advantages will arise from the change, independent of financial
considerations."

_August_ 5, the bill was taken up by the peers.

VISCOUNT MELBOURN, in opening the debate, dwelt upon the
extraordinary extent of the contraband conveyance of letters, as
the effect of high postage, and said this made it necessary to
protect both the revenue and the morals of the people by so great
a reduction. The means of evasion were so organized, and resort to
them was so easy, and had even become a habit, that persons would,
for a very small profit, follow the contraband trade of conveying
letters. It was therefore clearly necessary to make the reduction
to such an extent as would ensure the stopping of the contraband
trade.

The DUKE OF WELLINGTON admitted "the expediency, and indeed the
necessity" of the proposed change. He thought Mr. Hill's plan "the
one most likely to succeed." He found fault with the financial
plans of the administration, but for the sake of the reform of the
post-office, he said, "I shall, although with great reluctance,
vote for the bill, and I earnestly recommend your lordships to do
the same." His customary mode of expressing his opinions.

LORD ASHBURTON expected the cost of the department, under the new
system, would amount to a million sterling, which must be made up
out of several pence before you could touch one farthing of the
present income of a million and six hundred pounds. There could be
no doubt that the country at large would derive an immense
benefit, the consumption of paper would be increased considerably,
and it was most probable the number of letters would be at least
doubled. It appeared to him a tax upon communication between
distant parties was, _of all taxes, the __ most objectionable_. At
one time he had been of the opinion that the uniform charge of
postage should be two pence, but _he found the mass of evidence so
strongly in favor of one penny_, that he concluded the ministers
were right in coming down to that rate.

The EARL OF LICHFIELD, Postmaster-General, said the leading idea
of Mr. Rowland Hill's book seemed to be "the fancy that he had hit
upon a scheme for recovering the two millions of revenue which he
thought had been lost by the high rates of postage." His own
opinion was, that the recovery of the revenue