Washington sentinel., 1853-12-16

estly desired by the people of beth countries.
The pending postal convention between the
United States and Belgium awaits only the re-
duction of the British transit rate, and one or
two notifications, before being finally con-
cluded and put in operation.
Our postal arrangement with Prussia seems
to operate favorably, but a few of the States in
southern Germany have not yet fnlly acceded to
its terms, and have therefore sent much of their
for the United States through
France.
Whether however, the arrangement can be
safely continued, unless the present charge Of
and q half cents an ounce British
and Belgium transit postage is materially re-
duced, remains yet to be seen.
From the auditors statement annexed, it ap-
pears that, after paying the sea, and British
and Belgium transportation al the mails con-
veyed under this arrangement, together with
the commissions thereon to our postmasters,
the balance in favor of the United States for the
period from 10Th of October, 1853, is but
$6,l99 which sum may be set down as the net
United States inland postage on these mails.
BY postal convention concluded on the 4th
of August last between the United States and
Bremen, the main provisions of the arrange
ment of 1917, heretofore in operation between
the post departments Of the two countries, have
been superseded, and the rate of postage re-
duced from twenty cents to ten cents the single
letter. Under the former arrangement, the
postmaster of Bremen acted as the agent of
this department in collecting postages, receiv-
ing for his services commission OF twenty per
per cent. By the present arrangement which
went into effect on the 18th August, the Bre-
men government putting on two steamers to
oil faly IN 1,
the United States steamers Washington and
Hermann, between New York and Bremen,
provision is made for due division of the post
ages accruing from the two lines, and the COM
mission to the postmaster of Bremen is discon-
tinued
All the States Of the Gernnn-Austrian pos
tai union, respectively, are to have the advan-
tage of the rate of ten cents between the Uni
ted States and Bremen whenever their postage
to and from Bremen for letters to and from the
United States shall be reduced to the uniform
rate of FIVE cents or less; but on all correspon-
dence for or from such of sail States as shall
not so reduce their rates, the charge between
the United States and Bremen is fifteen cents
the single letter. Several of the German States,
including the empire of Austria and the king
dom of Prussia and SaxoE, have already
made the requisite reduction te secure the bene-
fit of the lower rate of ten Gems, and it is conf
dently expected that all will c,me into this ar
rangement at an early day.
The reduction of the letter postage by the
Bremen line to one-half the brmer rate offers
greatly improved facilities fo the correspon-
dence to and from the continent Of Europe.
The propriety Of this reduction will be appa-
rent in view Of the fact thai the sea postage
on all correspondence between this country
and Europe has generally, end in my opinion
most justly, been considered as quite too high.
It is moreover, as well our interest as our duty
to extend to the large and increased German
population of the United States, and to their
friends at home the most liberal means of COM
munication practicable. "A copy Of the articles
of agreement is annexed marked d..
On the Sd Of March, 1853, Postmaster Gene
raj Hubbard concluded a contract with Messrs.
Ramsey & Carmick, of New York. at $424, 900
per annum, for service semi-monthly from Vera
Cruz Mexico, by Acapulco, San Diego, and
Monterey, to San Francisco and back, in thir-
teenldays each way-being an extension Of two
of tile trips on the New Orleans and Vera Cruz
line, through Mexico, for the purpose of con-
veying the mail, and thus making one through
line in sixteen days between New Orleans and
San Francisco, copy of which was commu-
nicated to the Senate on the llth of March.
This contract contains stipulation that it shall
not have any validity unless Congress should
sanction it by the passage of an appropriation
to carry it into effect.
On the 10th of June the department received
q communication from Robert G.. Rankin, pre-
sident of the Ocean Mail and Inland Company,
who states that that company is the real party
to the contract entered into by Messrs. Ramsey
and Carmick, reporting progress towards put
ting service into execution. To this commu-
nication the following reply was sent by me on
the 9th Of July:
Your letter Of the 18th ult., came duly to
hand. Ny attention having thus been specially
called to the circumstances connected with the
contemplated line to the Pacific, via Vera Cruz
and Acapulco, / feel it my duty, after due de-
liberation to inform you that the conditional
contract entered into between my predecessor,
Mr.. Hubbard, and Messrs. Ramsey ~ Carmick,
for the conveyance of the mails over this line to
San Francisco, does not meet with my appro-
baton.
In the first place, as at present advised, /
consider the route mpracticable for mail pur-
poses.
"In the second place, the sums of money
yearly drawn from the treasury from contracts
WHICH nave IOr ScNeral years petu, uiu afc Stii
in force, for the transportation of the mails be-
tween the Atlantic and the Pacific, are very
considerable, amounting to about $73l 1868. In
view Of this fact, and of the many sections and
neighborhoods in the different States which are
either greatly restricted in, or deprived alto
gether Of, mail facilities it appears to both in
expedent and unjust to 60 into the expendi-
ture Of a still further sum Of $424,000 for the
service in question.
Moreover, disapprove ofthe principle upon
which this contract is made. In my opinion, If
the Postmaster General has the right to make
such contract at all, it ought to be made
without the restriction or limitation contained
in yours, by which its force or validity is made
to depend upon the passage Of an appropriation
by Congress to carry it into effect | am un-
willing to recognize any contingency Of this
kind, because, although the contractors may,
undersuch ditionalarrangement,e establishno
legal claim forcompensation, they may, neverthe-
less, 20 on, and incur expenses, in the expecta-
ton that they will be paid, and Congress, moro
from private sympathy than from public policy
or right, be at length induced to yield TO
measure to which its prior sanction never could
have been obtained.
Since that time the department has not heard
from the Mexican ocean mail and inland com.