Chalmers, James, 1782-1853; Hill, Rowland, Sir, 1795-1879; Postage stamps
My pamphlet goes on to show (page 44) that on the appointment of the
House of Commons Committee of 1837-38 on the proposed uniform Penny
Postage Scheme, Mr. Chalmers sent in his plan of an adhesive stamp to
Mr. Wallace, the Chairman, and to another Member of that Committee. Mr.
Wallace's reply, stating that he will lay the plan before the Committee,
is of date 9th December, 1837. In the dilemma in which the Government
found itself (upon introducing on the 5th July, 1839, the Resolution
preliminary to the Bill) as to _how_ to carry out the Penny Postage
Scheme in practice (page 21) Mr. Wallace favourably suggested the plan
of the adhesive stamp. The statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
upon this occasion, with the interposition of Mr. Wallace in the
Commons, and of Lord Ashburton in the Lords, in favour of the adhesive
stamp have already been given, conclusively showing that, up to this
period, Mr. Hill had not included the adhesive stamp in his proposals.
On the passing of the Bill in August, Mr. Hill was relegated to the
Treasury for the purpose of carrying out the scheme. The first step
taken was to invite plans, by Treasury Circular of 23rd August, from the
public; some time was taken up in receiving and considering these plans,
until, by Treasury Minute of December 26th, 1839, the adhesive stamp was
at length officially adopted, in conjunction with Mr. Hill's stamped
covers, or stamp impressed upon the sheet of letter paper itself. (See
page 46.) But the adhesive stamp, indeed, had been practically adopted
by Mr. Hill before the plans were received, considered, and nothing
better found, a concurrence of opinion having set in in favour of same.
It will be seen that Mr. Chalmers, in his published statement of date
February, 1838, now produced from Sir Henry Cole's papers, called for
petitions towards the adoption of the adhesive stamp. In August, 1839,
both the Associated Body of Paper-Makers and certain Merchants and
Bankers of the City of London pressed for the adoption of this stamp;
Mr. Rowland Hill himself, in a paper entitled "On the Collection of
Postage by means of Stamps," circulated by him about the period of the
Bill being before Parliament, included the adoption of the adhesive
stamp, in conjunction with his own impressed stamp. Mr. Cole also drew
up an able paper on the stamp question, including the advocacy of the
adhesive stamp. So general, indeed, had then become opinion in its
favour, that of the plans sent in no less than forty-nine others besides
Mr. Chalmers, who again sent in his plan, recommended the adoption of
the adhesive stamp, invented by Mr. Chalmers in 1834, laid by him before
the Committee of the House of Commons in December, 1837, and further, as
we shall now see, sent in to Mr. Cole as Secretary to the Mercantile
Committee of the City of London, in February, 1838, and acknowledged by
Mr. Rowland Hill in a letter to Mr. Chalmers of date 3rd March, 1838. In
this letter Mr.
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