Baltimore commercial journal, and Lyford's price-current. [volume] (Baltimore, Md) 1840-1849, 1849-12-01
MAILS For CALIFORNIA

PosT-oFFICE DEPARTMENT, Nov. Is, 1919.
Sir-Auangements having been made for the re-
guiar transportation of the mails to California at
great expense to the Government, in the of
which all may participate, the following information
should be made public, and it may be done by com
municatng this letter to the press of your city
otherwise YOU shall deem best, that all may know
the true condition of this business
l. The carrying OF letters out Of the mall and the
carrying Of persons engaged in the business Oh trans
porting letters out of the mail, forbidden by law,
and severe penalties provided against the guilty
parties, whether prppretors, officers crew.
? This is equally unlawful, whether carried in
mail steamer Or any others plying by regular trips AZ
stated periods
g. Every individual who 50 sends letter, out Of the
iaa, or deposits them to be sent is subject to
penalty of $50, in each instance.
4. The employment Of express men for the con-
veyance Of letters to San Francisco subjects those
letters to double cost, if they succeed in reaching
San Francisco, they only be obtained through
the POst-oiirc At that place and upon payment OF
the United States postage there's and it places them
in great hazard of being arrested aud detained at
Panama, as the following will more fully show:
The United States mail agent writes in respect
to a bag marked 9 < Co.'S express mail about
to be shipped on board of one Of the Pacific
at Panama''-'' did not permit it to be shipped,
the letters and papers to be forwarded in the steamer,
except in the regular mail 1t will be placed in the
mail and charged though it had been mailed in
New York"
An official report from San Francisco says " Null
titudes send their letters by s. y $50, in the
expectation that they will be taken up to Panama
and forwarded here. This is done, and cannot
be done until some pays the postage on them at
Panama to the Government there"
To prevent the successful smuggling of letters the
following instructions long since issued to the
Post-ofice authorities in California - For that
purpose YOU shall have Custom-house officer spe-
calIy instructed to make full and careful examna-
ton each ship arrives with the view Of obtaining
all letters, especially those brought by the express
men; and when obtained they should be placed in
the San Francisco Post-oiice to be charged with
postage, and to be treated in all respects as ii they
had been conveyed in the mail"
And the proprietors Of the several steamers on
this route have been instructed as follows" If,
Notwithstanding your efforts to the contrary, persons
not authorized by the Postoiiicc Department shall
be found on board Of your ships, having in charge
malable matter which they do not surrender up, TO
be placed in the mails, it will be the duty of the
master commander, before making entry or break
ing bulk, to point out such person persons to the
Collector other officer Of the port that their mail
matter may be taken and conveyed to the Posoice,
and such persons be dealt with the law requires.
Thus it will be seen that those who employ eX-
press men to forward their letters, instead of the
mail, besides mourning the penalties provided for
the violation of the law subject their letters tn the
alternative Of double postage charge or to the haz-
ard of never reaching their destination.
Respectfully, your ob't serv't,
j. COLLAMER, Postmaster General,
w. V. Brady, Esq. Postmaster, New York