The southern press., 1851-06-30
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.
.dND OFFICIAL yqDTERTTUER.

PETER G. WAsnrsoToH, r,..
IEkns.-" The United States Postal Gsids and
oVcsa' s1dverf'ser' containing about 80 sur-roual
ocfauo pages, ts published mo,.thly for ONE por-
LAR ONLY, per onnu'n. payable in adpance---or fus
dollars for sir copies ordered at any one time.
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which we now embark AMI
OF which this paper is at once the commencement.
and a sample of the papers that are 10 follow fas
for its aim no less a purpose, than to mpart in
struction, in the general and detail, to the Officer
and Agents ofthe American public, in respect both
to their duties and their rights, and to make them
and the people at large, acquainted with the organ
ization, decisions and action Of the Executive de-
partments of their Government. There has hith
erto teen no vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information Of this kind. The
publication of the Laws and the issue Of nstrur
tons, more less compreh ,and at intervals
more or less extended, have proved wholly made
quate, the absence Of the construction OF those
Laws, applied to particular cases, and Of details
and illustrations to make the regulations and in
structions inteIligiblc. The valuable do o,ens
annually reported to Congress, are too " lumino
and printed in quantities too small to, eneral
circulation; whilst the debates in CONGRESS nd
the commentaries of the press upon their proceed
ings, and the proceedings of the Executive branch
Of the Government, besides turning mostly upon
general principles, address themselves only 10
party ends, and to matters Of national policy.
These publications in their various forms are
highly useful in themselves far as they go, and
some of them Indispensable; but there is much
| that do not reach the hands Of ALL nor if they did,
do they furnish those rules, methods, and exam
Piles, for the despatch OF the public business which
can render the discharge of public duty either safe
or easy, whether in respect TO the incumbent him
self, or the department or bureau under which he
acts. We shall make an honest effort to supply
this vacuum, and to provide for these necessities
If we succeed in rendering the functions of the
primary Offices more uniform, mehodical, and ex-
act, shall make the administrative duties of the
departments more easy and effective, and thereby
promote the real and substantial interests Of the
country And this we expect to do, to some ex
tent at least-apart from, and Independently Of
any party or personal interest or question what
ever.
1t is known to most Of those to whom this pa
per will be sent, that the Senior Edit4 was Audi
| tor of the Post-Ofce Department until the month
of November last; with by far the larger portion
Of both postmasters and contractors, he has had
direct intercourse in person or by letter. He en-
tered the department fourteen years since, and for
many years previously, had been, first in the War
Department. and subsequently in the Treasury.
He has therefore had the best opportunities for
understanding the arrangements OF business in all
the departments, and being acquainted with those
who carry it on. Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he iatters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard Of most Of the
present incumbents of the departments, and is
: becoming terms of intercourse and civty with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssduousy
, engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
j sonaf inquiry and examination, the practical and
+ daily routine and details of the POst-Offce and
other branches Of the public business. 1t is with
this stock Of experience, and these advantages for
reaching the various sources of administrative ac-
ton, and for imparting minute and illustrative in
structon, and valuable periodical and statistical
information, that we challenge your confidence
and solicit your support and patronage.
We have fixed upon the 18th OF each month as
the day for the publication of our paper, to
afford time for obtaining from the departments.
all the orders. notices and changes issued, or mads
by them during the preceding month. Tables on
Post Offices, and compilations of the Laws ana
Regulations, are issued by the Post Office Depart
| ment only once in two or three years. Ii is
matter Of inconvenience and complaint, for which
hitherto there has been no remedy, that in
month from the time of these issues there of
fees in the tables which longer in operatione
and Offices in operation which not in the tablesl
At this time there perhaps over three thousand
offices of the two descriptions. In like manner
laws have been passed and regulations established
since the issue of the last volume Of regulations,
of which many postmasters and others are wholly
ignorant. We propose to prevent, for the present,
any increase Of the evil Of either kind, and from
| the time another issue shall be made, our paper
will furnish the additions corrections, and modif-
cations, made in each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to posmasters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being. How much of the present msdi-
rection, remang, doubt, confusion, error, and
imposition, will be saved by the progressive state
of full and exact knowledge, for which we have
provided and for which we engage, every intelli-
gent postmaster can estimate for himself.
These advantages alone and independently of all
others, are worth many times the price we charge
for the paper, and will, it is hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels just pride in has office, or
a patriotic regard for the credit, prosperity, and
efficiency Of the whole Post Office system-at once
to subscribe The same considerations apply to
the orders and notices, DECISIONS and instructions
Of the War; Navy, Treasury, State, and Interior
departments and the course is intended in
respect to them Notices of the decisions Of the
! Supreme Court, in cases turning upon questions
of official duty national interest," Will find place
in this pal<r.
department of our paper addressing itself not
merely to postniasters and other officers of the
Il Government but to all other citizens who give at
tention to the affairs OF the nation and the progress
and development Of the e untry, will embrace IN a
condensed form the matters submitted to, or aris-
| ing in Congress. At each session a vast deal OF
valuable information ia communicated to Con-
gress by the several departments and their subor-
dinate bureaus, and profound and comprehensive
| reports are made by committees OF both Houses,
But the great mass of the community know noth-
| ing of the contents of these documents and re-
ports. except the brief notices Of them, which
from time to time appear IN the puoiic papers,
The standing number printed OF eacn docnmen
and report, is only twelve hundred IN the Senate
and fourteen hundred in the House OF Representa-
tivcs which at once shows the impracticabllity o.
,ne;r d;ssemipation The ApvERrsER will con-
tam shor, abridgments analysis Of all these
documents and reports, and the compend will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish an easy index
N those interested whenever 1t s found desirable
~ obtain and examine the document at large
There is large field before us, the materials
| ,mnle Ii will be our Jealous care to collect and
arrange them in the proper form. We have every
confidence that the subscriptions will be ample to
enable us TO accomplish it all Ths Information
we propose to give, comprehsnding and confne'
TO the action Of the Government, h solid, usef
and 1--WE might almost say) necsssary'to the of
cer,f not TO the citizen. II IL intended for all,
and put at price which constitute no obstacle
with any. II the end Of the year. any subscriber