Washington telegraph., 1851-04-02


| above named and their property, and that they
are sufficient and able to make good their guar
anty.
Embracing certain conditions, ,oi;ca ,riH be
incorporatedi in the contracts.
| /. Seven Minutes are allowed for opening and
closing the mails at all offices where particular
time is specified; but railroad and steamboat
routes there is to be no more delay than is neces
sary to deliver and receive the bags.
! 3 The mail to be conveyed in prefence to pas
sengers and TO their entire exclusion, its weight
and bulk require it.
| g. Post office blanks, mail bags, and the spe-
| cial agents of the Department, on the exhibition
| of their credentials, are to be conveyed without
| further charge, on mail lines admitting of such
| conveyance.
| 4. Mail agents are to be conveyed without
| charge on the principal railroad and steamboat
lines, where the size of the mails and number oi
| the offices will require their employment by the
| Department; and, in that case, separate apart
ment, for the exclusive use Of the Departme mt
| and agent, for the asserting and afe-keepng oil
the mail is to be provided by the contractor, and
under The direction Of the Department.
| 5. In all cases there is to be a forfeiture OF the
| pay Of the ri when the trip is not run; ana Of
not more than three times the pay OF the trip
when the tri is no, run, and no sufficient excuse
for the failure is furnished, forfeiture of at least
one fourth part of it when the running or arrival
is far behind time as TO lose the connexion with
| ID depending MALL aud forfeiture OF a due pro
portion Of it when grade Of service is rendered
inferior to that in the contract. These iorietures
| may be increased into penalties OF higher amount,
accordnr to the nature or frequency oil the failure
| and the Importance of the mail.
| G. Fines will be imposed unless the delinquency
be satisfactorily exp aimed in due time, Tor aillng
to tak from. or deliver at, post oiiice, the mail,
any part of it, for suffering it TO be wet injured,
| lost, destroyed; or conveying It IN place or
manner that expose it TO depreciation, loss, or nJu
| ry; for refusing after demand to convey mail by
any coach. railroad car, or steamboat, which the
contractor regularly runs on the route beyond The
specified number of trips in the contract, and Tor
no, arriving at the time set; and for setting up or
| running an express to transmit commercial inteh-
| gence in advance Of the mail, a penalty VIII be
| exacted eqnal TO one quarters pay.
Z. The Postmaster General may annu! the con-
tract for repeated failures: for violating the post
office laws; for dsobeyiug the instructions OF the
| Department; for refusing to discharge a carrier
when required by the Department; for assigning
the contract without tie consent OF the Postmas-
| ter General, or for setting up or running an ex-
| press aforesaid.
6. The Postmaster General may alter the con-
| tract, and alter the schedule, he allowing pro
rata increase OF compensation, within the restfic-
| tions imposed by law, for the additional service
| required, for the increased speed. II the en-
| poyment of additional stock or carriers is render
| ed necessary: but the contractor may, IN such
| case, r, nQuish the CONTRACT, timely notice, II
! he prefers it to the change. The Postmaster
General may annu the contract or curtail the
| service and pay, when he wishes TO dispense with
| the service in whole or in part. or place higher
| or dftren, grade of service on the route, he al
| lowing one months extra pay on the amount DIS
| pcnsed with.
| ba 1a fIron
| on post offices otherwise, after the expiration
| of each 9uarter-say in February, May, August,
| and November.
TO- The distances are given according to the
best information but no increased pay will be al
lowed should they prove to be greater than is ad-
vertsed if the places correctly named
| IL. The Postmaster General is prohibited by
! law from knowingly making contract Tor the
| transportation of the mail with any person who
| shall have entered into any .mb'nation, or pro-
posed to enter into any combination, to prevent
| the making Of any bid for mail contract by any
other person persons, or who shall have made
any agreement, or shall have given or performed,
| or promised to give or perform, any consideration
to do, or not to 90, any thing whatever TO induce
! any other person no, to bid for mail contract
! Particular attention is called 10 the 20h section
of the act of 1856, prohDiting combinations TO
| prevent dding.
IL. A bid received after time, to wit, the lst of
| Il
I qured by law, or that combines several routes IN
! one sum of compensation, cannot be considered
in competition with the regular proposal not ad-
! Judged 10 be extravagant.
! l3. A bidder may offer, where the transPorta-
ton called for in the advertisement IL tcult or
| impractcabe at certain seasons, to substitute an
! inferior mode Of conveyance, or TO lntermt ser
vice specified lumber of days, weeks, or months
| He may propose 10 omit office that is lnaccessi-
ble or is not ne stage road, the railway, or at
| a steamboat landing, the may be, or he
may offer to substitute an inferior mode of supply
| in such cases. He may propose different days
| and hours of departure and arrival, provided no
| more running time is asked and it is obvious that
no mail connexon other public accommodations
| is prejudiced. He may ask for more running
time to the trip, during specified plumber OF days,
at certain seasons OF peculiarly bad roads; but be-
yonG these changes, proposal for service differ
| ent from the advertisement will prevent It's being
considered in competition with the regular bId not
set aside for extravaganza; and where a bid con-
taus any of the above alterations, their disadvan
| tanes vii. be estimated in comparing it with other
| proposals.
! IA. There should be but one route bid for in
| proposal.
| { ID The route, the service, the yearly pay,
! the bidders name and residence, aud the name OF
! each member of the firm, where a compan. offers,
| shuud be distinctly stated; also the mode of con-
veyance, if a higher mode than on horseback is
in,e ended.
! l6. The bid should be sent under seal, address
| ed TO the First Assists mt Postmaster General with
"Muil Proposals in the State or Territory OF -
written on the face Of the letter; and should be
dispatched in time TO be received by or before the
| LIST of Apri! next, at 10 o'clock A NJ. II should
! be guaranteed and the suficiency Of the guaran-
tors be duly certified. (See form.)
II. The contracts are to be executed by or be-
| fore the lst Of July next.
| Is. PoStmasters at Offices situated upon or near
| railroads, but than eighty rods f ON depot,
/ will Immediately after the 10Th Of Ap il next, re-
/ Il, fac Io ih.. Denariun stating Their