Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-02-10

refusing the number OF weekly mails 10 SIX n IA,
produce, in receiving intelligence from this city,
delay OF one day in every sixth mail to Phiadel-
phia' two mails out Of SIX, to New York, will each
be delayed a day; three Of the six to Boston, will
each be delayed day; four at Portland, and five
at Augusta, Maine. These delays will appear at
once, by supposiag the mai, to 10 taken from
w Washington City for Philadelphia on Saturday,
Sunday will intervene before its delivery at Phil
adelphia. Tho mail taken on Friday for New
\ ork, will be delayed on the Sabbath, before il
can he delivered at that city. as well the Satur
day mail which will make, above stated, a de-
lay of two mails, each day out Of six, between
Washington and New York. The Boston mail
which is taken from Washington on Thursday.
will be delayed as above, making delay of three
mails, each one day, out of the six. Between Wash
ington and Portland, the mail taken on Wednes-
day, from either place, must rest on the Sabbath,
making delay OF one day each, to four mails in
the SIX. similar delay of five mails out Of six,
will take place between Augusta and Washington
From Washington City South, one mail in six
will be delayed day, in being conveyed to Rich
mond and Petersburg, Virginia; three to Fayette-
vile. North Carolina; five to Charleston, South
Carolina; and every mail received at Savannah,
from Washington, will be delayed one day.
From New York City TO Albany, one mail in
six will be delayed day; 10 Buffalo, four mails in
summer, and FIVE in winter, out Of six, will each
be delayed day.
Between Wheeling and this city, there will be
aeiay OF one day each, TO two mails out Of six;
to GAINESVILLE three; and four 10 Cincinnati and Lou
isville. From Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, two
mails out Of six will each be delayed one day.
The mail from this city to New Orleans will be
delayed two mails out Of three each three days and
the third mail two days.
tctnay be difficult at first to comprehend the i
bovc delays; but they have been asccr,ained By
arranging schedule of six weekly mails. The
Sabbath, il must be rccOlleced, will occur at diff
terent points on each route, aud constantly vary,
in the progress OF the mails, the places Of deten-
ton.
In your third inquiry, you ask (" Whether dis
continuance of the present practice Of distrbutin
letters. &c. from the several post-ofices on the
Sabbath, or fist day Of the week, would tend toim
pair the revenue Of the Department.; and if so, 10
what probable amount 1t is believed, that the
revenue ofthe Department would not be lessened
TO any considerable amount, If no letters or news
papers, &c. were delivered at the different post
Offices on the Sabbath.
BY the fourth inquiry, 1 am requested to state,
" Whether change Of the present mode of daIy
convey ance and distribution of mails would affect
the commercial interests of the country, and if So
in what manner"
II has been considered Of great Importance to
the commercial & agricultural interests of the coun-
try, to convey thro' the mails into every part of
the Union speedy intelligence OF the state of the
market at home and i'm foreign countries. To &C.
complish this desirable object, and afford the ut
most facilities to all commercial transactions great
increase of expedition has been given to the mails
within few years, all the important lines of
communication. Some years since, on a sudd IN
rise in the price of cotton, private expresses were
dispatched TO the South, from New York and 9TH
er places, in advance OF the mail, and immense
speculations were made, in the purchase Of that
article. At that time, mail contractors were not
prohibited from forwarding such expresses; and
having relays of horses on every route, they were
frequently employed in this service, at a high rate
OF compensation. Since that time, the contracts
have been changed, SO as TO subject any contractor
TO forfeiture of his contract if he engage either
directly or indirectly, in tho transmission of COM
merciai information. with a view to speculation
more rapidly than the mail. This provision, with
the increased expedition which has been given
has rendered ii extremely difficult, if not inprac-
tcable, for expresses, the important routes
to travel more rapidly than the mail is convened
An attempt was recently made to send an ex
press between New York and Philadelphia, in ad.
vance Of the MALL but the enterprising contractor
on that route delivered it at the latter place. before
the express arrived On this line, the mail is trans
ported IL miles an hour, when necessary to pre-
vent failure, or any other exigency require it.
A suspension OF the mail OIL the Sabbath would
subject it to the delays before stated, and enable
persons in oir large cities elsewhere ON the re-
ceipt OF intelligence Of a change in the price of
our great staples, to send expresses without much
effort. and speculate on the holders Of such pro-
perty.
In some Of our large cities failure Of the mail,
or the delay OF few hours in its delivery has been
OF serious consequence to persons extensively en-
gagged in commercial operations.
Ii, as before suggested, private expresses and all
stages tor the conveyance of passengers, sus-
pended on the Sabbath, the discontinuance of the
mail on that day would affect, less seriously the
commercial and other interests of the country
daily maxi has been in operation some
routes, almost ever since the organization of this
Department, under the Federal Government -
Frequent Intellectual applications have been made
10 Congress, to discontinue this mail Ii has been
viewed by many persons of great Intelligence and
piety, as an evil. but no provision for relief has
been adopted. The result Of these applications
has given sanction TO the policy of the Depart
nent, which have considered as controlling any
discretion the Postmaster General might be in
clined to exercise on the subject He cannot act
on the moral principle, unless he apply it to eve
~ daily maii in The Union: This would involve
responsibility, which no individual can exercise
with impunity, and would be in opposition TO the
implied sanction of the National Legislature
IL has been, however, the practice of In De-
partment, on each route, where daily mail is not
established, so TO regulate the conveyance, where
practicable, as TO make the Sabbath day of rest
BY the 18th sec. OF the Post Oficr law, every
Postmaster is required, " at all reasonable hours
On every day Of the aOceh, 10 deliver on demand
any letter, paper, or packet, TO the person entitled
Dr. authorized 10 receive the same" Before this
law was enacted, no general instructions were civ.
en- by the Department, to deliver letters ON the
Sabbath, and if Congress, in pursuance of the
strong expression made on this subject, sha think
proper to repeal this section. shall consider il to
&c my duty TO rescind the instruction which has
'een given under it. Az present postmaster is
,nly required to keep his Office open one hour on
he Sabbath, for the delivery Of letters and news
papers
1t is believed that the delivery of letters has
been considered as more likely 10 Interrupt religi-
BUS worship on the Sabbath, than the conveyance
Gno, r.l H.. At