ocieties, and opened in Steelhouse
Lane a shop for the sale of that kind of literature suited to ardent
workers in the Radical cause. Mr. Guest believed that "all bad laws must
be broken before they could be mended," and for years he followed out
that idea so far as the taxes on knowledge were concerned. He was the
first to sell unstamped papers here and in the Black Country, and,
notwithstanding heavy fines, and even imprisonment, he kept to his
principles as long as the law stood as it was. In 1830 he published
Hutton "History of Birmingham" in cheap numbers, unfortunately mixing
with it many chapters about the Political Union, the right of a Free
Press, &c., in a confusing manner. The book, however, was very popular,
and has been reprinted from the original stereoplates several times. Mr.
Guest died Jan. 17, 1881, in his 78th year.

_Hill_, Rowland.--The originator of the present postal system, born at
Kidderminster, December 3, 1795, coming to Birmingham with his parents
when about seven years old. His father opened a school at the corner of
Gough Street and Blucher Street, which was afterwards (in 1819) removed
to the Hagley Road, where, as "Hazlewood School" it became more than
locally famous. In 1825 it was again removed, and further off, this time
being taken to Bruce Castle, Tottenham, where the family yet resides.
Rowland and his brother, Matthew Davenport Hill, afterwards Recorder of
Birmingham, who took part in the management of the school, went with it,
and personally Rowland Hill's connection with our town may be said to
have ceased. Early in 1837 Mr. Hill published his proposed plans of Post
Office reform, but which for a long time met with no favour from either
of the great political parties, or in official quarters, where, it has
been said, he was snubbed as a would-be interloper, and cursed as "a
fellow from Birmingham coming to teach people their business"--

"All office doors were closed against him--hard
All office heads were closed against him too,
'He had but worked, like others, for reward,'
'The thing was all a dream.' 'It would not do.'"

In 1839, more than 2,000 petitions were presented to Parliament in
favour of Mr. Hill's plans, and eventually they were adopted and became
law by the 3rd and 4th Vict., cap. 96. The new postage law by which the
uniform rate of fourpence per letter was tried as an experiment, came
into operation on the 5th of December, 1839, and on the 10th Januar