A question soon arose as to the hour for posting _newspapers_, a subject accidentally omitted in the minute. Here I may observe that, though I was constantly striving to anticipate all contingencies, and that for the most part with success, it would now and then occur that something escaped observation, and that, in a minute elaborately framed to meet all cases, some little flaw would still appear to give trouble. Often, however, the explanation was that a draft liable to extraneous modification would sometimes be materially changed by the substitution of a phrase, which, without careful comparison with the whole document, seemed a just equivalent for that which it replaced. However, as already said, here was certainly an omission. I had supposed that no change would be made in respect of newspapers, while Colonel Maberly considered these as included in the term letters. While we were discussing the point before the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Colonel Maberly contending that the restriction would be indispensable, I urging that it would be very unpopular, we were interrupted by the Chancellor, who meantime had been opening his letters, and now suddenly exclaimed, “My Exchequer Bills are at one per cent. premium; so I don’t care for a little unpopularity.” And thus the matter ended. All being resolved upon, we did not hold it necessary to pursue the cautious policy observed on some previous occasions, but took means to make the coming change as widely known as practicable. Accordingly, a form of notification having been agreed upon, I ordered half-a-million of copies to be printed, and at the same time inserted a short advertisement in every newspaper throughout the kingdom. On the day before that appointed for the establishment of Penny Postage, came information as to the effect of the fourpenny rate, showing that the numerical increase in the letters affected by the reduction was, for England and Wales, 33 per cent.; for Scotland, 51; and for Ireland, 52; the increase on the whole being 36 per cent. At length the great day arrived. The following are the entries in my Journal:— “_January 10th._—Penny Postage extended to the whole kingdom this day![290] ... The Chancellor of the Exchequer much pleased with Matthew’s admirable article on postage in the ‘Edinburgh Review,’ published yesterday. “I have abstained from going to the Post Office to-night lest I should embarrass their proceedings. I hear of large numbers of circulars being sent, and the _Globe_ of to-night says the Post Office has been quite besieged by people prepaying their letters.[291] I guess that the number despatched to-night will not be less than 100,000, or more than three times what it was this day twelvemonths. If less, I shall be disappointed.