1854 (10 Jul.) draft a.l.s. by Rowland Hill, headed "GPO" and signed "RH" describing the reasons which led him to press for prepaid penny postage. A typed summary of the very interesting content in included and gives a fascinating insight into the background for introduction of pre-paid penny postage with "My attention was not drawn to the P.O. by any accident. In 1836 when I wrote my pamphlet there was a considerable excess of revenue above expenditure... It occurred to me that the tax which might be reduced with most advantage... was the postage tax", other content includes Hill's denial of Miss Martineau's contention, in her book "History of England", that Hill had been moved to action by Coleridge's story of how a poor woman had obtained news of her brother. A remarkable and important document. Photo