The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-04-12
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Mali xNAilurga-- Dhty Of eevCEmaasht ANA /,
OK our citizsnsI
We have 10 record the third mail failure Ii sue.
cession Yesterday the point farthest East from
which we received intelligence is Savannah. From
that place to New Orleans the papers, without ex-
ception, come to US with complaints at the re-
peated failures Of the mail.
This state of things is felt here as real grew
ance-an oppressive hardship-among all classes Of
our citizens, but more especially the mercantile
portion Of them. 1t does not operate so hardly upon
editors of newspapers for if there should be no ar
rival of news, they generally hash up something
with which to supply their columns. Patience and a
little tact, generally quite sufficient for their
relief But it is not so with merchants. Their
business is of such nature as to render of the
greatest Importance a constant, regular, reliabeI
means of communication with the different COM
mefcial points of the world. 1t seems to us, in
deed, that these frequent interruptions in their cor
respondence, by reason of mail failures, must bel
productive of serious inconvenience and not in i
frequently of losses. They, especially, are deeply
interested in the regularity of the mails on the
great Southern route.
The causes for this irregularity, which, during
this entire season, has been felt grievously by ou
community, may be remedied, and must be. How q
To apply the remedy to an evil the causes of il!
must be known. Almost invariably the mails fail /
beyond Charleston. From Wilmington to Charles
ton the mails are brought by steamers which be i
long to the Wilmington Railroad Company. Front
Baltimore to Wilmington there is not a failure of
the mail one day in the three hundred and sixty-|
FIVE II is clear then, that the failures occur in the
transit from Wilmington to Charleston.
The steamers between these points are of mis-.
cradle character. They do but little other business
than carry the mails under contract with the Gov
ernment-the passengers by the Southern route
to the Northern and Eastern cities generally prefer
ring to take at Charleston Savannah, the regu-
lar New York lines of steamers, which are stanch
and possess superior accommodations in every way
Besides, very heavy proportion of the travel from
the South now takes the Western route The con-
sequence is, that the line of steamers between
Charleston and Wilmington has ceased to realize
profits in the transportation of passengers and the
further consequence is, that these steamers have
gotten to be very sorry things. The directors oil
the Wilmington Railroad say, and truly, no doubt,
that they are not able to furnish the line with supe
rior steamers, the heavy cost of which would be
runous to their profits under the existing mail con-
tract with the Government. We are informed, onI
excellent authority, that the steamers now on this
line, are old, bought for their cheapness extremely
unsafe, and very often have, of necessity to putt
into some of the numerous outlets of creeks andN
rivers along the coast for protection from gales
which any good sea vessel could easily withstand
1t is on this account, most likely, that these
repeated failures of the mail occur.
We cannot expect this evil to be remeded so long
as the existing arrangements continue. We need
not expect any improvement to he made by the
Wilmington Railroad Company, who cannot afford
it. II devoives, therefore, upon the Government,
and others interested, to do it. This may be done
in two ways: either by putting some first class
steamers on the line between Wilmington and
Charleston, or by finishing the Wilmington and
Manchester Railroad, now slowly in the progress
OF construction. The latter is thought to be prefer
able on many accounts, but chiefly on account Of
its connecting directly with the Columbia branch
of the Charleston and Augusta Railroad The dis 4
lance from Wilmington TO Manchester is about one
hundred and twenty miles. How much of the
road, which is now under contract, is completed.
we have not information. The work, we know
progresses slowly, on account of the sparseness Of
he population, and the comparative poverty of the
country traversed by the road What is wanted to
aeilitaie the work is capital and this ought to he
furnished by an appropriation from the
General Government. When this connecting link
8 once completed we shall no longer hear of these
ePeated and most distressing mail failures In this
NIB If sG6edt If wfifel Yaaf
Orleans are deeply Interested aud are the czens
If the towns, the villages and of the whole countp
to the great Southern mail route thi
ide of Charleston. Interests Of the greatest mag
liiude are involved in this matter, and we think
he imperative duty of those interested to take s,sp
% effect remedy for the great evil. IL the Post
master General has not the power to remedy it, |
Congress has, and this is the point to which our
complaints should be directed We should be glad |
to see some decisive movement made by our citi- |
lens for the attainment of this important object.
NEWS OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. - The ST.
Louis papers contain letter from Selkirk's Col |
ony, dated February 10. A packet had just been |
received at that point from Mackenzie's River, |
where the relief-ship was wintering. The Captain |
md his crew, it is still thought, are safe letter
Of April last from Fort Confidence speaks of the |
very mild winter of 1S4S-49. The company
under Sir John Richardson passed that winter
most agreeaby-having an excellent house, with |
plenty of fuel, venison and fish But there is |
further news by way of Minnesota. The Pion-
ger of March 18th says there is a rumor at the |
mouth Of the Crow Wing river thata party of |
Esquimaux just from Hudson Bay reported Sir |
J ohm Franklins ships were frozen in the ice. |
second report changes it to the Plover, the
vessel sent out to his relief; and letter from
Gull Lake, the point where the Esquimaux had
arrived, states that it is the Plover We must
confess, however, that the accounts, when sifted,
do not furnish any very encouraging news A ship
has wintered in those high attitudes, and it appears
to be sent out to search for Sir John Franklin.
This is really all we gather from this hyperborean
gossip.
REMAINS OF Mr.. CALHOUN. Governor Sea |
brook, of S. c., in pursuance of resolution of
public meeting, appointed committee of twenty |
i've to proceed to Washington to receive and bring
acme the remains of Mr. Calhoun.
AN EARTHQUAKE.-The Louisville Courier of
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