The Sun.
London, England, 1836-12-13 00:00:00

tion where a contract can be obtained on suitable con-

ditions

Ever since the first introduction of steamers for the
conveyance of the mails, the Post-office has maintained
a notorious celebrity for having vessels in every way in-
ferior to all classes of merchant steamers. Most of

hese vessels were deficient in power ; and nearly all in
a condition scarcely sea worthy. They were also as
devoid of every comfort and accommodation for pas-
sengers as any pig-boat plying in the Irish than-
.. It is now unnecessary to recal the atten-
ton of the public to the peculations which have
been brought to light in the recent survey of the
Post-office Packet stations, or the enormous loss, ex-
ceeding 100,0001. a year, which the public sustained by
the mode in which this establishment was managed by
the Post-office agents. These officials, with one ex-
ception (namely, Capt. STEVENS, of Weymouth),
appear, from the Report of the Commissioners of In-
quiry, to have had as much knowledge of the science
of steam navigation, and of all that related to the
management of stores or accounts, as any school-boy of

ten years of age.
We take this opportunity of alluding to a letter
which appeared in The Sun of Saturday last, respecting
the expediency of dispatching the foreign mails from
Ramsgate, in place of Dover. The expense and in-
convenience of retaining the packets at Dover is shown
by the returns obtained by the Post-office Commissioners.
It appears they were constantly obliged to anchor in the
roadstead, and embark and land their passengers in
open boats, which is frequently attended with much
danger. The quantity of coals consumed for keeping
up the steam, whilst the vessels are lying in the road-
, stead waiting for the mail, is equal to the whole expen-
diture for the voyage.
The Commissioners of Inquiry were, however, pre-
cluded from making any report as to the propriety of
removing the packets from Dover, in consequence of a
treaty entered into by the English Post-office with the
French Government in 1833. Although they did not
recommend a change, the Appendix to their Report
proves the necessity of one ; and we hope that no ob-
stacles will present themselves to prevent any alteration
the good of the service, or the comfort of passengers,
may require.
'We copy from a Contemporary the following para-
graph relative to the establishment of a Morning Mail
in the Post Office Department of the United States,
and showing the expediency of adopting such a plan
in this country :
" The new Post-office arrangements in the United States
promise to realize all the expectations formed of them. The
express mail' (or what we should term a morning or addi-
tional mail) for the service of the United States of America
commenced running on the 15th ult. ; and, according to
many reports in several of the papers last received, it had
proceeded not only with success and satisfaction as to time
and manner, but it had been more profitable than was anti-
cipated. Thus the Washington Globe, Nov. '23, observes
that the express mail' is running with entire regularity as
far south as reports on the subject had been received, and
generally in less than the contract time. The weight of this
additional mail going south was already several pounds, and
according to the estimate of the department 101. of letter mail
would more than pay the expenses of the service, and surplus
is not sought, it being held that the prosperity of the
country and the interests of trade are promoted by forward-
ing- letters, &c., at as cheap a rate as possible, and that the
surplus ought to he used to reduce the rate of postage. As
to the success that had attended the plan of rapid convey-
ance of letters, the following is one of several instances :
A letter was received by a gentleman at Blakeley from one
in Louisburg in four hours, and an answer returned in five
hours and five minutes, accomplishing a distance of 104
miles in nine hours and five minutes. Vie originally noticed
this great improvement in the Post-office system of tae
United States, and continue to mention the progress of the
plan in the hope that the details may not be without their
effect in this country in proper quarters, for, be it remem-
bered (to notice one circumstance only), that letters and
papers which have to pass through London arrive here at
6 o'clock in the morning, and remain at the Post-office
until 8 o'clock in the evening, being a delay of 14 hours.
Can such a system continue much longer, especially as our
Post-office yields a profit of 1,500,0001. sterling?
The question is not' Can such a system continue ?"
but the wonder is that it has continued so long. The
country is persuaded that the change recommended by
our contemporary, and still more frequently by ourselves,
is necessary ; and the Legislature, we are confident, is
prepared to insist upon its adoption, if the Post-office
authorities should presume to oppose it. There is not
a week in which we do not receive letters, complaining
that a morning mail is not established between the
capital and the north and west of the kingdom.
The injury to trade by keeping back letters which
might leave London by eight o'clock in the morn-
ing, till the same hour in the afternoon, is im-
mense. On many occasions the loss occasioned by
the delay would be so great, that merchants are
compelled to risk the safety of their letters, by sending
them earlier by stage-coach conveyances. Commerce
of every kind is greatly impeded, and of course suffers
dreadfully from the same cause. Now nothing could be
more easy than to establish a certain number of coaches
to leave London every morning at eight or nine o'clock,
to convey the early mails to all the great towns, and thus
double the facilities of commercial intercourse now
enjoyed. These coaches might be so constructed as
to convey as many passengers as the ordinary stage-
coaches running at the same hours, and thus the
revenue of the Post Office would increase by an ar-
.ement necessary to the welfare of the country.

Madrid journals to the 4th inst. have been received
The Government had received intelligence that at half•

past two o'clock in the afternoon of the 29th ult., the
Carlist chief GOMEZ left Osuna at the head of be-
tween 3,000 and 4,000 troops, marching in the direc-
tion of Murcia. Osuna is a large town situated to the
north of Serrania de Ronda, between the towns of
Antiquera, Alcala la Real, Lucena, Ecija and Cor-
mona. From Osuna, two routes are open to GOMEZ.
He may either cross the country to Antiquera, and
thence pass through Laja, Granada, Guadix, Baza,
and so enter the city of Murcia ; or he may march di-
rect through Ecija, Cordova, and following the left
bank of the Guadalquiver as far as Andujar, there
cross the river, and so escape into the Sierra Morena.
General NARVAEZ, with his cavalry, reached Osuna
two hours and a half after GOMEZ left the town, and
expressed great surprise at finding that ALAIX had kept
entirely out of the way of the enemy. The weariness of
his men obliged him to pass the night there, during which
time Gam EZ was rapidly continuing his march. We can-
not account for the continual weariness of the QUEEN'S
troops, the instant they get within sight of the rebels.
The fatigue endured by the Carlists under GOMEZ must I
have. been fully equal to that of the Christinos under
General NARVAEZ. To suffer GOMEZ to increase
a start of two hours and a half to fifteen hours, dis-
plays but indifferent generalship, especially as NAR-
VAEZ was then satisfied that ALAIX had betrayed him.
But we suspect the real truth to be that when NAR-
VAEZ entered Osuna, he was undeceived respecting
the weakness
of the enemy, and he found that with
only a thousand
horse, he could not cope with a body
of troops between
three and four thousand strong.
The treacherous
conduct of ALAIX on this occa-
sion ought not to excite surprise. He twice before be-
Government disgraced him by
raising NARVAEZ over his head ; and yet it had the
trayed his trust; the
to suffer him to retain the command of a
edxivtirseiionioi
The want of success which has hitherto at-
tended the QUEEN'S troops is to be
attributed to this
and-half policy,generals, and are consequently
Ministers ap-
ppuealirngfeasrfyosltetonf ofthlei half-and-half
despised by them.
The whole system is
a juggle of
compromises, instead of being abrupt, inflexible, ener-
getic and impetuous, as becomes a revolutionary era.
grnent,
Execution should tread upon the heels of jud