3 NOVEMBER 1967, Page 12

A hundred years ago

From the 'Spectator', 2 November, I867—Mr. Anthony Trollope has retired from the Post Office, and his friends and colleagues have commemorated that event by a dinner given to him last Thursday at the Albion, at which nearly a hundred persons were present. Mr. Scudamore, the author, or at least the principal executive mind of the new Post-Office Savings' Banks, was in the chair. He made an amusing and entertaining speech on the difficulties with which Mr. Trollope has bad to contend in gaining such a place in literature, without ever neglecting his duties in a very hard- worked service. . . . Mr. Trollope in returning thanks for the toast of his health professed melan- choly at bidding adieu to the Post Office, and doubted whether inspectihg post offices were not better work than delineating character. But this must have had in it a shade of rhetorical effect. Lily Dale appears to have been the "favourite" amongst Mr. Trollope's old colleagues, and was heartily cheered. Were there no groans for Sir Raffle Buffle and Mr. Kissing?