"MY LORDS,--I have received a communication from Sir R. Hill, together with a medical certificate, from which it appears that he has derived no benefit from his leave of absence; and that the state of his health is such as to render it unsafe for him to resume his duties; and in which I am informed that he has already forwarded his resignation of the office as Secretary of the Post Office. "Under these circumstances, I have no choice left but to accept his resignation; but I cannot do so without expressing my regret that the country should be deprived of the services of this distinguished public servant. "For the introduction of penny postage alone--a measure which, in itself, and in all its ramifications, has conferred such vast benefits on all classes of the community, and with which the name of Sir Rowland Hill will ever be identified--he deserves the gratitude of his country--indeed of the civilized world, which, no doubt, will not be niggardly expressed. "But it is rather my province as Postmaster-General to state simply the high opinion I entertain of the able manner in which Sir Rowland Hill, so long as his health permitted, performed his duties in this Department, and feeling satisfied that your lordships will concur with me, I have no hesitation in recommending you to grant him at once a retiring allowance equal to his full salary, a step which the Superannuation Act enables you to take." My reply, written on the same day, was as follows:-- "Hampstead, 8th March, 1864. "MY DEAR LORD,--I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your lordship's letter of yesterday enclosing a copy of the letter you have addressed to the Treasury on the subject of my resignation; and to request that you will accept my thanks for the manner in which you have been pleased to speak of my services. "I have the honour to be, "Your Lordship's most obedient Servant, "ROWLAND HILL. "The Right Hon. "LORD STANLEY OF ALDERLEY, &c." Amongst the numerous notices of my retirement that appeared in the newspapers there was one[236] which showed that, notwithstanding my careful silence on the subject, suspicion was abroad as to the cause of my resignation. In it my retirement was attributed to opposition in the Department,--not to the ill-health which such opposition, combined with other troubles, had produced. The day after the appearance of this notice, a passage occurred in the House of Lords, which is thus mentioned in my Journal:-- "The following tells its own story. I have only to add, that although I know Lord Truro, who inherits his father's interest in my success, I have had no communication with him, direct or indirect:-- "_Times_, March 9th.