Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1821-07-27
FOR TIE ENQUIRER.
~, -. iok T"E ENQUIRER
cFROM WESTERN CoRaEsPoNpENr:l
POST OFFICE NEGIIGENcE

those grievances: SATISFIED that any hints tending 10
preserve or improve the management of the posi- OIL
ces. will bc attended TO by t,. hcid of tl,,t ,I,,,,
mcnt.
In the FIRST place. post masters; in some instances
III the interior, arc appointed without su6cicm en-
curry into their character and standing in society IL
an niormcr was not IN ungracious office. we could
point out several who not of truth. and M
least one who is entrusted with the opening of a mail
frequently containing many thousands OF dollars hut
who would not be trusted with the care of an hundred
dollar note, by any ianil, who knows him in The
neighborhood where he resides.
In the second place, post RIDERS off the stage routes
at least are commonly selected by the mail conr;c-
tors from tue lowest classes: and the Poorer and
more ignorant they are, the cheaper they can be hired
by the contractors but the same time tlcy are
more likely 10 become the dupes of plausible villains,
who may gain the riders confidence far rs to he
occasionally entrusted with the care of the mail for
short time, and thus afford designing men an oppsrtn-
MY o piiiering the mail by of pick lock- or
false key, enlarge old hole sufficient 10 w;hd,aw
letters without any suspicion OF foul play
IL Is gratifying circumstance, however, that most
oil The post riders are honest but experience has
'inccd us that there are some uhdescrving of that
character.
IL will be admitted that This description Of citizens
are altogether in the back ground of society, and that
they have not acquired thar responsibility which would
excuse then beina appointed post masters, or in
deed opost masters selecting sch for their clerks or
aSsstants-yet u is fact, that many Of the post
tcrs III the interior, not only permit the post riders
DC present ut the opening OF the mails, but even allow
packages thereby offering improper temptations to
persons not sroFn 10 perform, The duties post masters
or assistants TO sccrctc letters without running the risk
oil robong the mail an more dangerous WAY
In the third place, the of the mail bags or bort
manteaus is frequently such, as TO have excited the
aSton,shmen of thousands at the oyeiesS condition in
which they are sent from their respective places of
departure
Every person Who has travelled much in the mail
Stages "a place where rogues we'll honest men
meet must have had repeated opportunities of seeing
fhn
were continually tnr,biing ont Had WE been SO III
clincd, we could often have filed all our pockets with
me mail, without so much ms touching the bag and
that merely by remaining in the stage and picking IN
the packages that had rolled out of the portmanea,
while The driver and passengers stepped into inn in
order TO take n drink
fIhe condition ofthe mail bags in the INTERIOR whore
hey are carried OF hbrseback, is frequently in the
same state Let any one examine any OF those routes
and neatly one half Of the porin,auteaus will be found
10 nave fracture or rip sufficiently large 10 admit
the hand or fingers so far, as he able To withdraw
some OF the packages with ease Aud even if all the
iders we're honest because they sworn the same
security cannot he urged in favor of the host OF ey
Keepers, with their assistants, and their hostiers all OF
whom are occasionally trusted for IA short time with
the mail
But who is in fault thus far Not the deputy posi-
masters, because they are not supplied (as in
formed by scverai) with stock of new porimaneaus
TO exchange for the old defective ones as they pass
through their hands they under the necessity of
again sending of the same they have received We
w n.
or IN the distributing offices on the different routes
Neshaii close these observations with one or two
more remarks. How many very honest and reslecfa-
Die country post masters, store or tavern Keepers
and Swo'n not toopen the mail unless in prirae room
with closed doors, and only in the presence of their
s"crn dSStstantS who, Notwithstanding, open the
mani IN public room, in the presence of strangers
ana thus afford opportunities TO others to pifer,
Dezzle letters or packages contrary to law.
Another item of neglect may be traced to the inte-
rIor contractors, who carry the mail on horseback
b"t who seldom or never provided with 90 bear
skin or oil cloth required by law. The conse-
quence of which Isl informed by post masters
that even IN common shower the water finds its way
to the INSIDE of the bag, and damages the mail by de-
jncmS and tearing the packages of letters which are
continually Jolting and rubbing against another
IL you inquire OF those post why they do not
report such denquents TO the post master general :
they will inform you, there is Mr.. AS Distributing Of
nee TO the east of us, and there is Mr. TO the west
they are not only post masters, but likewise SPECIAL
AGENTS forthe post Office they see they handle and
they open the same bags that we do, and if they do
not complain, why should we make ourselves ollic-
GUS SENEX. "
SOLEMN PUBLIC ACT OF MISSOURI.
The precise change which it has received,
appears from the St. Louis Register of the
Goth ult.-On the Goth June, Mr.. Bates from
the JOINT committee of conference, reported to
the House OF Representatives, that the COM
mittee had had the Act under considerations
and had agreed to recommend to the Senate
to recede from their amendments to the said
bill, and to recommend to the two Houses the
following amendment, to wit to strike out
the words do most sotemnly declare" in the Cd
clause of the preamble, and insert in lieu
thereof the words, "are of opinion. THE
ii. OF *. adopted this proposition, ayes 10,
hayes 2; and 1T also met the concurrence of
the Senate.-The Legislature have also pass
ed laws, establishing Loan Offices, providing
for the redemption Of property sold under erecit-
ton, and abotaShing Imprisonment for debt on
original and meSHe process.
1t is stated in the Life of William Pitt by the Bsl-
op OF Winchester, recently published that il was Mr.
Jefferson, the American minister al Paris who adj
vised the leaders of the tiers etat TO take the revolu
tionary name of L. Assembled Rationale This in
formation is given on the authority of the Duke Of
Dotset.
letter from Mrs. Anne Grant to friend near
Boston, dated Edinburgh, Jan. ., appears in "A late
Boston paper-and presents the following agreeable
Information
@Your country Is like vrg's fame charging while we
look mt H. till overwhelmed y its magnitude While
we, bound in waiery gre and sinking under the debts
in which vaor and generosity involved us have no
other from which support our consequence but
our intellectual wealth the cgacie eft y the glorious
Bards aud sages Of the oden time, aud the new crop
Of pocticn aurels that sprngng daily up with unequaed
yigor and freshness OF these we have been perhaps
vain aud too ready wonder that the Bces-cres
been suddenly and successfully cultivated among the sups
ana man corn-eus OF recent settlements, or amidst all
THU ehcryescencc Of politics and Legislation IN n rew-bOrn
empire Tins grOund Of superiority fast rccednp
and we by abundant cnndor atonng for our past
rogance-Couid you believe that il is now the universal
fashion To admire American genius, and with the exception
OF SCOTS Incompatible novels, there is nothing so much
read praised and admired the Sketch Book and Knck
crbpckcr which all reading people here have discover
ed 10 be treasure Of wit humor and sound reasoning and
keenyet guod hnored satire The style is allowed
be oil iauess excellence totally free Of the acsms and
neretrici0us ornaments which occurred Frequently
former Transatlantic productions The purity Of us angle
cism far exceeds what Is frequent among ourselves THE
with the impression left BY elegant minded Americans
VINO have visited us within the lasi few have brought
about wonderful revolution in public opinion in favor Of
our Crandclddren Of tle contincn Nr. Mackanzie