The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-07-12

POSTAL RELATIONS WITH ENGLAND The retail
atoly postage BILL as IT has been facetously STYLED.
has been in operation few days, and loud and
bitter are the denunciations with which it is re-
ceiyed. BY the provisions Of this new BILL all
letters arriving or leaving this country in the Bril-
tish mail steamships must each, In addition to the
regular inland postage of five or ten cents, as the
case may be, pay an additional sum to our Post
Office OF twenty-four cents, If it be half an
ounce or under IN weight, and forty-eIght cents
II over. On news papers, the charge will be four
cents, eltherleaylng or coming into this country.
IN the mode mentioned and there is no method
OF evadlng the provisions OF this law, for it re-
cures, under heavy penalties. t.5s6 ,eters 70 he
deic-.itee.. IN our Post-oliice The practical oppra
ton Of this law may be seen by the following list
of hostages that are charged on letter directed
TO England from New Oreans:-
Postage from New Orleans to Boston, or New
\ ork. ........, 10c.
Retaliatory postage, under the new law, ia New
charge by the steamers &c &c
lo'al' So. 5Sc.
This is the retaatoTy law, as it is called but
we ale certain that we &c retaliate" as much on
ourselves IS we do on the English by It, and our
merchants have found it out to their cost.
/ :. The following remarks on the subject we elm
from the French paper in this city, the Courier DIES
/ Etats U1is -
War is now declared b,tgeen The two administra.
lions of the post Office departments in Epraud nd
the United States. foresaw from the FIRST and as
10 be expected, it is the public who must be made
TO suffer The departure Of the Britannia last We'd
neday presented the ftst opportunity of testing the
sweets Of this postal quarrel and must freely con-
fess that we found them bitter enough We we're n
the only persons taken aback when we found that IN
stead OF one cent letter formerly we now had 20
pay twentyfOur cents for every letter nd four Ger
for every paper and this only for their qoln ON hoard
the steamer. IL will be much for those who %
not liyein New York. They will have TO pay, besides
the postage from the interior that the arrival
eight 70 hfty-eight cents and newspaper eight OF
! ten-an through the SPITE and malice. and folly oil
Cave Johnson and Mr.. Polk, who gives him the power
/ thus TO abuse
Nothing justify the heavy burden thus imposed
| upon commerce and the public press. Obstinacy and
spite always had plans in government, and Cave
Johnson has shown these qualities in his conduct Il
the british government shows equal obstinacy, W,
shall be condemned to this heavy AM cr,iel
until we get q new Postn asscT G neral
This, 1t seems, is the lame and impotent conclu
sion TO which the two governments have arrived
on the subject OF international postage. Cave
Johnson attempts TO shoot the English government
but he knocked over himself with the rebound
and realiates as much on the mercantile comm
nifty and citizens Of the United States asshe doe
on tie people Of England Wise-yery wise. Ger
tainly.
Now is the time to agita,e the ocean penny nost
age system, which was proposed In England som
tune since, and which we hope will yet be adopt
ed. The passage Of such retaliaiory measures a
the new law is intended for is child's play. AM
mere triiiing with the interests of both countries
The only effect which we can perceive il vii
have will be TO burden the country with unneces
sary taxation, ald prohibit, a great degree, tina
interchange of thought and intercommunicatior
OF ideas which have SO extensively prevailed for !
number Of years.