The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1847-03-10

produce some new dscovery-some new appli.
ance in mechanism, that will be a saving of time
labor, or money. During the year lS45 the mum
Der otapplications for patents was twelve hundred
and forty sx-the whole number of caveats filed
was four hundred and fity-two-the number Of
patents issued was five hundred and two, and the
whole number of patents issued from the Patent
Office up 10 January, 1876, was fourteen thousand
/ five hundred and twenty-six.
We regret that we cannot give the number Of
patents issued in the year 1916. We can state.
however, that the balance in the treasury
to the credit oil the patent fund, on the LIST of Jan
uary, 1916, was $ls2. 459 g. The return for 1915,
however, will answer our purpose here, to sLo W
the great inventive talent of the American pc ople
But it is not to arts of peace alone that this a.
lent is employed. 1t embraces everything II
knows no limits. Whenever an opportunity of.
fers it seizes 1t and acts strongly in time OF war
as in lime of peace.
1t IS little more than year since the Mexican
war commenced, and yet in that short time, pa.
tents have been asked for Improvements in mus
kets, pistols, bomb shells, cannon balls, machines
for manufacturing bullets, torpedoes--in fact, in
every description Of instrument used in warfs re-
The other day journeyman workman in this
city invented a new gun, which is destin ID. we
think, ar no distant day. to supersede those in use
at the present time, for light and flying artillery.
Another patent was claimed for a novel kind of
cannon ball, which, after certain time from its
discharge from tho cannon, divides itself into
four or eight distinct parts, each of which is
armed with IN edge so keen, that it would cut
almost like a kniio any thing that it meets; and
scientific gentleman of New Jersey has very re-
Gently patented a machine for casting bullets at
a rate never before dreamt of.
The United States have an instrument at the
Arsenal in st. Louis which will manufacture
eighty pigs of lead per day into musket
balls, with the assistance Of eight men,
But the one invented by the gentleman in
in New Jersey will manufacture four hund red
pigs OF lead per day into musket balls, with the
aid OF only one man. In fact, the labor is so tri-
fling, and the machinery of the invention SO SIM
pie and yet perfect that if lead costs four cents
pound, he can furnish leaden bullets to the
Government at the rate of five cents per pound,
in any quantity With an army OF one thousand
men, having these new guns as weapons, and two
or three Of these bullet machines to attend them,
the whole OF Mexico could be overrun in three
months, and the country depopulated if neces-
sary.
Other inventions in the appliances of war have
been made that we would refer to, if time per.
mitted but we have addnced sufficient to prove
that the inventive talent of our people is always
at work. in war as we'll as in peace that it, in
fact, knows no limit, and should be encouraged
1t is to this talent that we owe the discovery of
steam power to the propulsion of ships and boats,
the cotton gin, the magnetic telegraph, and
thousand other things that have exercised their
influence in making this country what it is.
NEW PosT OFFICE LAws.-Congress, in one of
its last galvanic movements, remodelled the post
Office laws. We have not seen the new rules
and regulations, but find the following in one of
our exchange papers,
The Thanking privilege Is restored before the last
law went into operation and 5000 600 to
pay the hostages Of the two houses of Congress The
Congress Mail carriers and contractors are authorised
to carry newspapers out of the mail for circulation
newspapers out Of the mail are taken awsy.
Upon letters or packages sent by steamboats, and
sells not carrying the mail two cents will be charged
under regulations to be prescribed by the Postmaster
General.
All books and printed matter ordered by Congress are
to BE- as public documents and as such may be
Postmasters not allowed any compensation for the
delivery OF these documents. but tue amount received
from boxes . for the benefit of the rostmser to The ex.
tent Of $4,000, and beyond this il be appropriated
to the support Of tho office The New York and wash.
ipgton post oices are made exceptions to this law
The postmaster is authorised to establish branch post
Offices in any city whore the convenience OF the nhabi.
ofhe present rates Of postage He s also autho
rsed to sell stamps to the deputy and which
are by them to be furnished to those wishing to pur.
| chase.
Postages remain a. they were.
made Illegal to deposit two letters In tho same en-
veope or package directed to different persona The
penalty is $40, hall to the nformsr There IT, how.
ever provso that the law shall apply packages
Newspapers not sent from the ofRcs of publication
are 70 os charged with three cents postage So also eli
The post routes extended to OREGON and 10 Maxi.
CO, with return malls. During the war and for throe
months AFTER the officers and soldiers of the army are to
The post route bill contains section which enables
the Postmaster General to appoint postmaster Asto
ria and such other RENTS the Pacific within the IT, g.
territory as the public interests demand.
Some parts Of this new law are good while
other parts are very silly That relative to letters
to different persons in the same enclosure is su.
pcrarvely foolish. 1t is absurd, because it will
be impossible for postmasters to ascertain with
certainty the actual contents of an enclosure
All letters should go by weight, and not by num-
Der.
The probability is, and it is only probability,
that if we live long enough, we may see all this
improved.
WHAT ARE THE POLITICIANS A1orrl-What in
the name of all that is wonderful, odd, and &C.
centric, are the politicians Of New York city
aboutl Here we are within month Of the an.
nual charter election, and strange to tell, not a
caucus-not a meeting has been hed-not can.
didate's name has been proposed-not an office
seekers soirSe-not even a porter house pow
WOW, has yet been held. What has come over
them! Are they all gone to the wars? Not a
bit Of it-whoever saw politician fight with
any weapon but his tonguel II peace with Mex
leo could be acquired with Clip" we would bet a
hatfnl OF apples that our city politicians would
conquer one in a week We hope they are moi
all dcfunct--we hope they have not been
converted into honest men. But, seriously
if the politicians do not wake up, the
seeds of the reform party will terminate