The southern press., 1851-04-03
UNITED STATES POSTAL GUIDE.

in office. .e&T
Cu.nIrs M NSS.rON' W"s,n Editors and Proprieiors.
TERMS -" The United Siaies Postal Guide asld
Official .4re,tiser," containing about 81 spper-royak
oetapo pages, IS published n,o,,ihiy .rr ONE
LAR ONLY, per a1inpni, payable ia adraace-0r~ Gce
dollars Jor sir copies ordered al any one time.
PREPARATORY NOTICE.
The enterprise in which now embark, and
OF which this paper is at once the commencement,
and a sample Of the papers that are To follow, has
for its ann no less u purpose, than to impar n-
strucon, in the general and detail, to the Officer,
and gents of the American public, IN respect both
to their duties and their rights, and 10 make them,
and the people at large acquainted with the organ
izaton, decisions and action of the Executive de-
partments of their Government There has hith-
erto teen vehicle for the regular and proper
communication of information of this kind. The
publication of the Laws and the issue of mstruc
tons, more or less comprehensive, and at intervals
more or less extended have proved wholly made
uuate in the absence of the construction or those
Laws, as applied particular cases, and of details
and illustrations 10 make the regulations and IN
structions Ineligible The valuable documents
annually reported to Congress, are too volumlnou5
and are printed in quantities too small for general
circulation; whilst the debates in Congress and
the commentaries of the press upon their proceed
ngs, and the proceedings of the Executive branch
of the Government, besides turning mostly upon
general principles, address themselves only TO
uarty ends, and to matters of national policy.
These publications IN their various forms are
highly useful in themselves far they go, and
!, some OF them Indispensable; but there is much
that do reach the hands Of all, 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, 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, methodical, and eX-
act, we 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.
Ii is known to most Of those to whom this pa
per will be sent, that the Senior Editor Audi
tor of the Pos-Oflice 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 II Since his official connection with
the Government ceased, he natters himself he has
preserved the respect and regard of most of the
present incumbenis of the departments, and is on
e becoming terms of intercourse and cvIlity with
them all. The Junior Editor has been asssiduoualy
I engaged for several years, in studying, by per-
u sonal inquiry and examlnation the practical and
u daily routine and details of the PostOiice 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 imparlIng minute and illustrative in-
struction, and valuable periodical and statistical
information that 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 paper, 10
4 afford time for obtaining from the departments,
all the orders, notices and changes issued, made
: | by them during the preceding month. Tables o.
! Post Ofiiees and compilations of the Laws and
Rec ulations, issued by the Post Office Depart
, ment only once III two or three years. IL is Il
matter OF Inconvenience and complaint, for which
hitherto there has been no remedy, that in one
month from the time of these issues there are Of
fees in the tables which no longer in operation
and Offices in operation which not in the tables.
At this time there are 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 posmasters ana DINERS are whony
/ ignorant. We propose 10 prevent, Tor the presents
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 modn-
cations, made IN each month, and by being filed
and preserved, will afford to postmnsters full and
exact information upon both subjects, up to and
for time being. How much of the present misdi-
rection, remailng, doubt, confusion error "nd
imposition, will be saved by the progressive state
Of full and exact knowledge, for which we have
provided, and for which we engage, every ntelli-
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, IL is hoped, induce every
postmaster who feels just pride in his 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 same 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 paf,r
A department Of our paper addressing itself not
: merely to pUsmasters and other officers of the
Government but to all other citizens who give at
tention to the affairs Of the nation and the progress
and development of the c, unry, viii embrace in
condensed form the matters submitted to, or ars-
ing in Congress. At each session vast deal OF
valuable information is 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 moth
ing Of the contents of these documents and re-
ports, except the brief notices of them, which
from time to time appear in the public papers.
The standing number printed Of each docume
and report, is only twelve hundred in the Senate,
and fourteen hundred IN the House Of Representa-
tives, which at once shows the impracticabhty OF
! their dissemination. The Advertiser will con-
tain short abridgnients or analysis Of all these
documents and reports, and the compend will
therefore not only prove exceedingly useful and
instructive in itself, but will furnish easy index
to those interesied whenever it is found desirable
to obtain and examine the document at large
| There is a large field before us, the materials are
ample. Ii will be our jealous care 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. The information
we propose to give, comprehendng and confined
TO the action of the Government, is solid useful .
and 1--WE might almost say) necessary to the Off
cer-h not to the citizen 1t is intended for all,
and put at price which can constitute no obstacle
with any II at the end of the year, any subscriber