The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1845-05-11
BY THE SOUTHERN NAIL
Washington.
Correspondence Of the Herald.l

1 -" "st"'osief UtHG0 una Ht -sxua SOucH Con
t'aetors-Ihe Scales for Weighing Lsttgs-Th.
| Resignation Of DR.. O,ris Bro,cn, Chief Clerk Of
the Nary Department, and Modus Opsyandi--
| Chart Of the Port Of Nelo York and Captain Gsd-
ney's Channel-M. Bagby, Senator from ALa-
| bama-Rmsaicay Match.
| Tomorrow will be the day on which the Post
General will finally conclude all the contracts
for mail COACH wagon, and horse service for the next
! four years. in the six New England States and New
York. Since the lst INST, the Postmaster General
has been busiy engaged in considering and de-
Gliding upon claims presented to his notice by tho
contractors IN relation to his awards; and / learn
that IN reference to cases, some important cor
respondence has passed between the contractors and
Mr.; Johnson with respect to the construction WHICH
he has given TO the law. All these claims and dis
putes however, will be finally decided upon by tho
| Postmaster General this evening or tomorrow
morning, and shall then be enabled to obtain spe-
cc statement OF the amount for which the contrasts
have been taken this year, as compared with the last
| contracts There can be no doubt, whatever, but
that the very material reduction which has been OBJ
tanned on these rateswlll show very favoraby for the
successful operation OF the new postage system.
| Tomorrow also is the day appointed for opening
the bids, and deciding upon the selection of scales
Tor the use OF The various post offices under the
law, which requires weight to be hereafter the critic
rion OF postage. The great variety of scales which
have been sent In, from which the Postmaster is to
make selection, and the great ingenuity displayed
in the construction makes il well worthy of half an
hours visit to the Department to inspect them. They
have all sizes, SORTS and characters Some with ba-
ances, some on the principle of the steelyard,
with springs, and some on the pendulum principle
The skill and ingenuity displayed in the various in
ventons TO facilitate the weighing of the letters,
certainly very remarkable, and quite a number Of
these inventions have been patented to secure tho
profit to the inventor, if any ARISE from the adoption
OF the principle OF construction in other cases. al
though the bid might not be accepted by the Post
master General As there fourteen or fifteen
thousand post offices in the United States and each
one has to be supplied with pair of scales it will be
perceived that the contract to supply them will be Of
some importance.
A statement has been madein various papers of the
resignation OF Mr. Orrs A. Brown, of the post Of
Chief Clerk OF the Navy Department. The n,odss
operand OF this resignation has been thus detailed to
me. Mr.. Brown was appointed, as understand, by
Mr. Mason transferred to the Attorney General.
ship, he spoke to Mr. Bancroft on the subject of the
chet clerk; and Mr. Brown was assured that he
would be retained in his post Hereupon he hired
and furnished house and brought his family into the
| District to reside. One morning few days ago. Mr.
Bancroft went into Mr.. Browns room, and asked if
that order had been copied; Mr. Brown asked, what
order! Mr. Bancroft said the order be had given to
HIM. Mr.. Brown protested that he had never re-
ceiyed any order from him to be copied. and some
further conversation took place, in the course of
which Mr. Bancroft said that all this confirmed his
! opinion that the post held by Dr. Brown should be
occupied by lawyer and Mr.. Brown said that that
remark confirmed the report he had heard that Mr.
Bancroft wished TO give the office to LAWYER from
Boston Mr. Bancroft said 1t was true, and Mr.
brown retired to his room, whence in few mo-
ments ne despatched note with his resignation to
MI. Bancroft who was taken completely by sur-rife
and sent for Mr.. Brown to mig room and told nm he
had Inexperienced him, Il he thought wish
81 his immediate resignation; and desired MN to
withdraw and continue in his r,,st until the - r
July al least THIS Dr Brown latly rcfused, ana per-
| sisted IN his resignation. which accordingly ha.
taken effect, and Mr.. Homaas, stated in the pa
pers, IS acnng as CHIEF clerk pro tenn. This is the
account which given me of this resignation and
the mode II was brought about.
Wy attention has been drawn to a beautiful chart
now nearly completed of New York, its harbor, and
envlrons, which IS being engraved In the Bureau of
photography here, from the trgonometrieal survey
OF Professor Hassler. There are two sizes being
made one small and the other very large one
which when completed are to be sold at SO low =
price as only just to cover the cost and put them
within the reach of all TO whom they are important
On these maps the channel called Gedney's Channel
Is h ,a,a down win great care and accuracy and
mercial Emporium of the United States and when
too the vast amount OF Its commerce and shipping is
taken INTO account, and the number of shipwrecks
winch have taken place, and property which has
been lost the great Importance of having this chan.
mel accurately LAID down, and the maps placed with
IN the reach OF every one who has charge of yes
sci may be at once conceived, and more especiallv
since the passage of the late law throwing open the
pllotage Of the port to all persons. In 1916 and IL
the port OF New York was reported by the Commits
sion OF the Board OF Engineers ourthrate seaport
and 1t is fact that until the discovery of Captain
CIedneys Channel even fngate could not be piloted
out IN less than days, although she drew but
twenty-one feet OF water. Yet in spite Of this
port and these facts, Captain Gedney piloted out
ship OF the line drawing rs feet inches on an ebb
tide without hesitation delay and ever since that
time ships OF the line have been able to go sea at
any time by means Of his Channel Had this Disco
very been made IN an English port by an English
naval officer, he would have been amply rewarded
ooth by the merchants and the government of the
couny and tor an instance of this the case of the
British Lieutenant may be mentioned, who disco
yercd new channel into the port of Liverpool, and
this service though by no means commensurate
with Captain Gedney's discovery, was rewarded bv
the town of Liverpool with present of fIO.o0o
sterling, (about S5O,O0O) and his Government made
nm Post Captain, and he was appointed and re-
mains IN charge of the Lights and Buoys. Yet Cap
tam Gedney remains in the rank, nor have the
merchants or Insurance Companies of New York
ever thought OF attempting to reward the discoverer
OF that which has saved to them millions of dollars
Nr Bagby, the great constitutional Senator of the
United States Senate, Chairman of the Committee
| on Claims, pettlfogger and agent in general for
claimants against the United States, while he
is chairman of the committee which will have
to pass upon them-rcceiver of constructive travel
ling money as often as he can get it-abuser and ca
umnlator In general of the reporters and letter wr
ers-dealer in Billinsgate generally, and particular.
ly against every person who makes mistake-ths
gentleman who sultIfied himself handsomely on
the Texas question, still remains in this city, ped
ding CLAIMS Notwithstanding his reception Of that
$500 tor supposltious travelling; and it is rumored
that he is AFRAID TO 60 to Alabama and face the in.
/ dignation which has been there awakened against
him. and that he will remain in this city until the
| next session of Congress, when he will probably
return to the embraces of whiggsm, he having been
formerly Federalist, and never more than half con.
vered to locofocoism; which accounts for his speak
| ing against the Texas resolutions as unconettu-
tiona and voting to give the President the power
to carry them into execution
Runaway marriages are exceedingly common in
this metropolis. There amt the least mite of ro-
| nance IN running away to get married now-a-days
| in this place, they are so frequent. Two or three
/ have taken place within the last week, and yester-
day heard of another A Miss Louise visans, the
daughter of an old Frcnchman here, having run
away with and got married to John O'Neal. a
brother of the Celebrated Mrs. Eaton whose husband
was of General Jackson's Cabinet and abou,
whom there was that tremendous blow up which