advantage to the whole human race, viz., that we draw mankind together, and bring the whole world, so to speak, within hearing distance." FOREIGN AND COLONIAL BOOK POST. The ill-judged treaty which bound us to carry certain printed matter to the United States at the low charge of one penny for two ounces, though with very high charges for greater weights, led to discontent in Canada, which, though enjoying an arrangement far more favourable on the whole, was subjected to a higher minimum charge. The Canadian complaint was backed by Lord Grey, then Secretary for the Colonies. Negotiations were therefore entered into with the United States Government for the substitution of a regular book-post for the existing arrangement. To recover a false step, however, is notoriously less easy than to make, or even to avoid it, and the negotiation proved fruitless. The failure was the more unsatisfactory because of the motive for the rejection of our proposals (fully shown in the progress of the negotiations), viz., the desire to protect American literary piracy from the competition of our legitimate production. I am happy to record, however (1868), that a better spirit has prevailed, and that books are now sent by post to the United States as elsewhere. In the year 1852, Lord Wrottesley calling to inform me that the British Association for the Promotion of Science was about to apply to Government for the international transmission of scientific publications at a low rate, I pointed out to him that it would be much better to apply for a general book-post, and the application was modified accordingly. Meantime, with the concurrence of the Commissioners of Post Office Inquiry in the East Indies and of the East India Company, I obtained from Lord Hardwicke, though with some difficulty,[115] sanction to a measure for extending the book-post to the East Indies. SALARIES AND PROMOTION.