New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-11-27
s,eoe N amoun,, and ten per cent on larger suins

BENJAMIN Franklin Unanimousiy eieS''u =" '
! office Other resolves OF the SAINT u".o "'''''
him 70 M, in operation line OF posts between a"
mouth in New-England, and savannah IN "eois'"'
with such crossroutes as ne might 'nhA NJ anu
.,",,.d pos,nasters and post-riders from military
duty. ,,.., g.,
ON the 18th of October, III, two additional sur
xexoys Of the Posts were authorized by this body
Who were to be paid So a day. This compensation
.ompared with that Of the Possmaster'General
seems extrayagant but in view Of the hazards In
cdent 10 their duties IN time Of war; was It IS pre-
Fu,nable not 700 high An Inspector of dead eIterS
Wac also proyided for with a salary o. slOO per an
,nrn whose duty /. was made TO examine, quarterly,
the letters returned by the deputies as uncaed ior
keen register Of the same preserve all articles OF
! value found therein, and communicate to Congress
| those containing hostile intelligence.
| Franklin having in the latter part Of ls7o, been
called TO more important public trusts, Richard
Baehe, who had been his Controller, succeeded 70
the Office in October Of that year The leeger kep'
| by him down to l779, is now at the General fosl'
Office, and may fairly be regarded as curiosity
contains about three qures of foolscap paper Douhu
IN boards and states the accounts OF the deputies,
| fabout eighty) in sterling currency, and IN PLAIN
| hand 1t cuts an odd figure when laid alongside oil
| the numerous big and beautifully bound folloS IN
which the present accounts Of contractors and post
| masters registered.
Ebenezer Hazard succeeded to the Office early IN
| 1850 He had acted in IFS as the Constitutional
| Civ Postmaster in New-POrk, and as Surveyor q
| the Posts under Mr. Bache. There is singular
dearth Of information in the printed records OF the
time as 10 postal affairs during the administrations
| of this gentleman and his predecessor. This Is
owing doubtless to the unsettled state of the Colo
1 1.-;,,, 81 Rov Var ~
erished condition of the Inhabitants for some years
succeeding It's close, which operated to the proven
| ton OF regular posts, and the writing Of many let
ters Oar foreathers those days, fair TO sup
pose were so engaged in watching the red coats, and
| repairing the adaptations produced by the seven
Years hostes that they had little opportunity for
epistolary correspondence.
! On the 18th Of October, l7e2, the Colonial Con-
| gress passed the frs. extended ordinance Tor the
| regulation Of the establishment It set ods thus
| NhtreaS The communication Of intelligence
with regularity and DISPATCH from parttO another
of these United States is essentially requisite TO The
safety well as the commercial lntarest thereof
and the United States III Congress assembled. beng
by the articles Of the Confederation vested Wih the
sole and exclusive right and power OF establishing
| and regulating PostOfces throughout al these
| United States and whereas, thls become ne 'es-
| sary to revise the several regulations heretofore
made relating 10 the Pest Office and 70 reduce them
| 10 one Act, he 1t therefore ordained" Sc
The act then went On TO authorize the Postmaster,
| General TO appoint the necessary deputies, (for
| whose fidelity he was 20 be accountable } 10 put in
| operation a postal line from New-Hanpshire 10
| Georgia, and TO such other parts Of the United
States as ne might think fit, or Congress direct to
appoint the necessary post-riders, &c His compen.
sation was fixed at S 500 per annum, and that OF his
| Assistant at 81 goo. lie was directed to alO his
| deputies for their services what he might think
them worth not exceeding 20 per cent. of the post
ages they collected and paid over. The act pre-
scribed atarf Of hostages, fixing the charge on sin
gle letters, going not over GO miles, at one penny
weight equal to 500 Of dollar and eight grams
two penny weights for distances not exceeding 100
miles and SO on and authorized the riders to convey
newspapers outside of the bags, AT rates deemed by
the Postmaster General reasonable, condition of
their paying to him a stipulated portion Of such
earnings.
On the 2Oth OF September, 1856, Congress passed
resolve requiring the collection Of the hostages in
specie thus indicating that these early legislators
were ardent admirers of a paper currency, al
though the necessities OF the country had induced
them to issue IT in large amounts.
On the debut of the Federal Government, in l7s9
the appointment of Postmaster General fell into the
hands of the President and Senate. Washington
selected for the place Samuel Osgood, of Massachu.
sets, a man of fine Abilities and who had served that
| colony a Dele gate TO the Colonial Congress. lie
kept his office in the City of NewYork till about the
lst OF December, 1890, when II was transferred to
Philadelphia, where 1t stad Til the removal of the
seat Of the General Government, to Washington in
1902
Among MI. O.'s Grst acts were the appointment OF
Jonathan Burial as his assistant Sebastian Beauman
Postmaster at New-YoTk, and the Teapponlment of
Robert Patton as Postmaster of Philadelphia Nh
Burial was immediately dispatched by the new
Postmaster General to the South TO reappont such Of
the Deputies as nigh. be found to have conducted
we'll and were able to give good security. One Of
the changes made during this tour-the substitution
OF John White as Postmaster Of Baltimore for Miss
Many B. Goddard-besdes showing a little lack of
galantiy, seems to have created good deal OF un-
pleasant feeling in that pretty town.
At tins epoch there were but IS pOst.Ofces IN the
Union, and less than 1900 miles of post-road, con-
ssting of long route from Wiscasset, IN Maine,
along the principal Atlantic towns, to Savannah in
Georgia. with half score Of crossroues the entire
cost Of which was $22274. The postage receipts at
the principal Offices were as follows Philadelphia,
S9,674 per annum NewYork, $685. Baltimore,
$3,eS7 Boston, $3,695 Richmond $299l Peters.
burg, Sl,s63 Alexandria, $3.50 Fredericksburg,
1880 Norfolk $3.50 Charleston Sl,Olo.
Mr. o., on the 20th Of January, 1890, submitted to
the Secretary OF the Treasury interesting report
on The state Of lie Office with suggestions Tor lis
improvement lie pronounced ii deficient IN energy
and pToductyenesS the former defect growing out
of the system of letting the mail contracts, and the
Pos,maSterS dong pretty much as they chose the
latter from the inudiciOus postage tariff operation
and the defective regulations in regard to sea letters
lie stated that the establishment had In no year col
lecled over $4,000, and during the previous ones
only ss5,oo0 whereas, under proper regulations he
thought thus would runup S50oe0. lie stated that
the charge on letter from New-York TO Savannah
was abou, $500 of dollar amounting IN his opin.