Daily American telegraph., 1851-12-22

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was delivered was frequently instructed to as
certain that he made no mistake, by asking
the person into whose hands the letter was
delivered, whether he could tell by the impress
sion who had written it,
As for the transmission of letters, the word
"post is Roman word, and deriyesit name
from people who were placed or posted at fixed
distances, to run and pass from hand to hand
the missives of the State. A magnificent and
costly postal system was established by the
Roman Emperors, but it was wholly for the
use OF Government and the defence of Prov
inces. 1t did not take the letters of the peo-
pie, and the post-horses were only used by sub
jects when permission had been given by the
Emperor. We have not leisure now for any
connected sketch of the worlds progress to
what is yet dream) an universal postal sys-
tenn. But the work that has been done in this
way may be estimated very fairly by any one
who will turn to some details in the first pages
OF Household Words, under the head hVal-
enNne's Day at the Post Office" and remember
that in this country there was little trace of
any post establishment at all up to the twenty
third year Of Queen Elizabeth
Thus, then we perceive that although there
be gentlemen among us who profess to teach
the art OF writing in six lessons, vet q simple
invitation written to friend, and sent by post,
contains the result of human activity sustained
over period of some three thousand years.
Mr.. Hale, Com. stockton, and the Su-
preme Court.
The Republic" !" comments on the late scene
in the Senate between Com. Stockton and Mr..
Hale as follows
The SUPREME Court AND THE SENATE.-The
spirit which actuated Senator Stockton in arrest
ing the attack Of Senator Hale on the Supreme
Court OF the United States, was sympathized with
by every man of integrity and patriotism within
hearing. The manner of the Senator from New
Jersey in calling Mr.. Hale to order was calm and
dignifed, while it distinctly manifested the in
dignation with which he was animated The
passage to which we refer occurred during the
debate in the Senate on Wednesday Mr.. Hale
had said that he looked upon it as one of the
main dangers Of the times, as "one of the most
alarming facts, that the judiciary of the land
have been so swift to prostrate and to prostitute
themselves before the operation of this law, (the
fugitive slave law, SO as to override, and nulfy,
and destroy that great safeguard of constitu-
tional liberty, which the trainers and founders Of
our constitution thought they had secured" Mr..
Hale was speaking of the doctrines of treason as
they had been laid down by our judiciary, and
the allusion was understood to be to the judges
of the federal courts-the only portion Of our
Judiciary that has to deal with questions Of this
nature
Immediately afterwards he made the allusion
more pointed and distinct by saying in another
connexion, 'there is a tribunal that sits beneath
uis Senate chamber which is The uery citadel Of
american slavery" When this direct reference
was made to the. Supreme Court, Commodore
Stockton rose, and in quiet and firm way de-
clared that, as an American citizen and Senator,
he could not sit there and hear such language
without doing something to arrest the course Of
the debate, and called the Senator to order.
Mr.. Hale was for once in his life, and for
few moments, abashed and thrown from his self
possession, for it was evident that Com. Stockton
had with him the feeling not only Of the Senators
but of the spectators The Senator from New
Hampshire sought refuge in denial of which we
will give him the full benefit, though we had felt,
with Com. Stockton, at the time Mr.. Hale spoke
of the 'prostration and prostitution of the judi
ciary," that his allusion was to the members of
the court that " sat beneath the Supreme Court
of the United States. He denied, however, that
he intended such an alusion, and asserted that
in using the words "prostration and prostitu-
tion," he did not intend to apply them to that
tribunal. "This remark" he said I" did not
apply to the Supreme Court of the United States,
because no case, growing out Of the fugitive slave
law, had ever come before them" If Mr. Hale
did not allude to the Supreme Court, we pre-
sumo that he must have alluded to the circuit
and district courts Of the United States, to the
judges of the State courts; and we think it quite
| as indecent for Senator to utter o sweeping
charge of "prostraton and prostitution" against
these tribunals as against the Supreme Court
itself
THE Rev. Mr.. GALLAHER OF MIssoURr-"I 1t
is with pleasure" says the "Union," "that we
see the services of this wellknown pastor en-
gagged in the District of Columbia. In Tennessee
aud other States Of the West he has long been
favorably known, and has done much to promote
the cause Of true piety and religion"
The invitation and acceptance have relation
only to the present winter, the period Mr.. Gala
her had previously fixed upon for his residence
in our city but we trust it may be found COM
patible with the desires of the church and his
own inclinations to form a more durable connex-
ion. We have many ablc eloquent and estma-
bic pastors in the various Christian churches Of
this city, but it appears to us that the compile