The republic., 1851-07-14
TIL. Postage Tables.

The New York Courier and Enquirer of
Thursday last has long article in reply to
some remarks in our paper of the 9Th instant,
in which we called attention to number Of
errors in the postage tables and accompanying
statements, as prepared for, and published in,
the Courier and Enquirer of the 23d ultimo.
1t was not the purpose of our article TO in
vte controversy on this subject, but only to
place postmasters on their guard against being
led into error by unauthorized newspaper state
ments of the kind referred to, and to remind
them that the official postage tables recently
published and sent to every post Office in the
United States, are believed to be entirely cor
rect. We did this by authority of the Post
Office Department.
This probably would not have been consid-
cred necessary had the editor given place to the
tables, &C., as prepared for the Courier and
Enquirer" without the apparent attempt to re-
pudiate the official tables by pronouncing them
''inexplicit, incomplete, and in many other re-
spects unsatisfactory" at the same time assur-
ing his readers that his tables were prepared
by person perfectly conversant with all the
details of the Department - that 'fthey are
far more ample and far more definite than the
tables published 9 by authority 3" and that
''the most implicit reliance may be placed upon
their correctness"
The writer (evidently the same who pre-
pared the tables) says that, sc in making up the
table of United States inland and sea postage, we
The followed the law of Congress-" &c. He
doubtless supposed he did, But there is a provi-
sion in said law which, and the action of the De-
partment under it, he seems to have overlooked.
This provision authorizes the Postmaster Gene
raj, "by and with the advice and consent OF
the President of the United States, to reduce or
enlarge, from time to time, the rates Of postage
upon all letters and other malable matter con-
veyed between the United States and any foreign
country, for the purpose of making better pos
tai arrangements with other governments" &c.;
and we learn that under this authority it has
been ordered that all letters to and from foreign
countries (the British North American prov
inces excepted) shall be rated with the single
rate of postage, if not exceeding the weight of
half an ounce; double rate if exceeding half an
ounce but not exceeding an ounce; quadruple
rate if exceeding an ounce but not exceeding
two ounces; and so on, charging two rates for
every ounce, or fractional part of an ounce, over
the first ounce. Instructions to this effect are
appended to the official tables of postages, in a
note to which particular attention was invited
by the Postmaster General, but which the
Courier and Enquirer writer appears not to
have regarded as of any importance.
The writer in the Courier and Enquirer in
sists that the rates in his table under the head
"Countries in transit through the United States, {"
are established by treaty with Great Britain,
and, if we understand him, he contends also
that they cannot be changed without the spe-
cial concurrence of the parties to that treaty.
Now, what are these rates as stated in the
Courier and Enquirer table, and which the
<'person perfectly conversant with all the de-
tails Of the Department" who prepared that
table, says "tciu not, probably, be changed for
some time to conner"
Leaving out the less important items, a
part Of which Gas stated in our former article)
are correct, it is asserted in the Courier and
Enqlarer's table that, on a single letter from
Great Britain to Havana by United States
packet from Charleston, the postage is 23i
(meaning, no doubt, 26l , cents, when conveyed
across the Atlantic by United States packet,
and 12s cents when conveyed across the Allan
tic by British packet; whereas, we are assured
that, in the first instance, the true rate (under
the new law, and in accordance with treaty
stipulations) is 10 cents, and in the latter, lC
cents Again, it Is there stated that the single
rate on letter from Great Britain TO Cali
fornia and Oregon, if the letter is sent across
the Atlantic by United States packet, II
So cents, and, il sent by British packet
40 cents; whereas, in the first instance, th'
true rate is 26 cents, and in the latter 10 cent
only. And, again: from Great Britain to Pa
mama, by United States packet from New
York, the table referred to has it that the post
nge on single letter conveyed across the At