There was a great and most beneficial change made in the post-office system at this period; and this is how it came about: Miss Martineau says, that Coleridge, when a young man, was walking through the Lake District one day, when he saw a postman deliver a letter to a young woman at a cottage door. The woman turned it over and examined it, and then returned it, saying that she could not pay the postage, which was a shilling. Hearing that the letter was from her brother, the poet's interest was aroused, and he paid the postage in spite of the woman's protestations. No sooner was the postman out of sight than the woman tore open the sheet, and showed Coleridge that it was blank. She then explained that she and her brother had agreed that as long as everything went well with him he was to send her a blank sheet once every three months, and upon the receipt of it she would know that such was the case without the expense of postage. {333}This incident made such an impression on Coleridge that he repeated it to Mr. Rowland Hill, who was struck with the belief that there must be something wrong in a system which prompted brother and sister to cheat in order to gratify their desire to hear from each other. So he set to work to make inquiries as to the cost of carrying letters, and never rested until he succeeded in establishing the penny-post, which has proved a great blessing to the whole civilized world. Of course, it was not accomplished without a great deal of trouble and opposition; but no sooner were the advantages of cheap postage recognized in England than the system was imitated by nearly all nations. Now we come to an event that will no doubt prove more interesting to our readers than politics or inventions,--the queen's marriage; but first we must introduce the person selected for her consort, and take a glance at his early life. Francis Charles Augustus Albert Emanuel was the second son of Ernest and Louise, Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He was born at Rosenau, a summer residence, about four miles from Coburg, August 26, 1819, and was consequently three months younger than Victoria. The Duchess of Kent was a sister of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg; therefore Prince Albert, as he was always called, and Princess Victoria were first cousins. The prince was a remarkably intellectual and thoughtful child, with so great a fondness for study that, instead of being a task, it was a source of pleasure to him. He loved occupation, and could never bear to be idle. His tutor said that "to do _something_ was with him a necessity," and he comprehended so easily and clearly that it was a pleasure to teach him. He was fond of active sport, as all healthy boys are sure {334}to be, and engaged in them with the same zeal that marked his devotion to study. He had a sunny nature and an excellent heart, which prompted him to do good to others, and never to forget a favor, no matter how trifling, done to himself.