The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1849-01-16
'rHE POST oFFICE.

The Post Office had no existence as an
institution for general use till towards the
!. slose Of the fifteenth ceninfy. The estab-
Iishment Of posts we can trace as far beck
} az the Persian Empire and The reign of Da
esrihs the First. The correspondence between
!. Julius Caesar and Cicero makes memorable
.1those established by the great Triumvir, be-
q tween Britain and Rome. His skill in such
arrangements, scq,ired prubably while SUR
iveyor Of the AFpian Way, gave them speed
unsurpassed lid modern times till the intro
duciion Of Ssteaa Augustus and his SUCCESS
sors maintained them ont larger scale; but
their character is Indicated by the fact, that
the head Of this usl establishment was the
captain ofthe Pre,oran Guard. They were
courier dispatches between the, government
and The army. Miitssy posts Nrnjsbed the
relays ,ha, performcdahe seyi11 wheth-
or iiley did iot alsoscoplSr I'D 4 'i|une upon
i, is a mattel that the lcxicoe 1pliefs who
derive it fromllhe past pa<;slr|e of a Latil'
verb, may have YET p sen Eilahe histo-
risns Pos.s Msafl liise cha !cf the Spaffs
sh advcn,atefs found 1ndcf The sItcas Of
Peru.
The University of Paris, the afIlneni fiier
chants Of Italy ard Germany, fullowingthe
example of their governments, sent their
own messengers fr the conveyance Of let
tets. Bu, with the dawn Of liberty in the
Italian Siaics,and especially in The Duchy go
Milan, the post efice ffs,entercd upon the
duty Of serving the ciiizen as well as the
government, And ihescomprehensiyeg gcnin:
Of Charles,X kysiemat;zedi il for his vast do
mnions on the basis OF public and social PC
cominodatiun He created the first post
master general known 10 history, in The per
son Of Leonard, Gouatof 'paxis. l..
The post Office was Introduced into Eng
land from Italy, but under ecclesiastical aus
pices-> The eNuncio was The chief function
aIy:, sIt.was. but litlIe. used in this form, ant
vas at.iehgih flung aside as one of tie pa
nal cncroachmenis, The Office Of the Posi-
master General in England enjoys the hono
Of being created by Elizabeth, who CONFER
cd ii upon Thomas Randolph, a gentleman
Of distinction in the foreign service Of the
Queen, where he had acquired, as we ma!
presume, a knowledge Of the mail establish
mcnt Of the Continent.
Iii notable circumstance that in the
seyenteeth centurythe post Office establish
ment was given away in Germany; as feu
da,ory monopoly, TO the family Of Taxas; il
France il was set up at auctioh, and larme'
cut for a term Of years, and so continued
ill near the closcof the eighteeQthcenury
l79l. And thoasame d,spositioiNwas mad,
S~sof II during the Commonwealth in tEIgla and
<1F1nthe reign Of Queen Anne, the Post o.
~ fce Department for the British LmpreS,wa
recognized under statute of Parliamen
a that embraced the American Colonies an
y provided for tho establishment Of one chic
letter office in New Yolk, with e,liers j
convenient placesin the other provncess
But il was long an,etier to ihis--as earl
asrhe reign of Charles li-tla the popr
lar movements brought the pos, Office int
existence, in America, as convenience (
the people, a character in which it haa,neye
originatedNin any nation or country before
A post Office was established in Boston, Ill
der'John Hayward, by the Colonial Cour
y in 1877 ;end in PhiladelphiB, under Iienr
Waldy,by arder ofsWlliam Penn, in I6s;
The Virginia Assembly guve Mr.. Neal
'-as post master general, in 1885,
vap' into effect. Butain l70(
wHts New jersey, obtain