The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-06
A.Asrssan Postal sta4assass.

the length Of the mail routes had increased 1000
miles, and the annual transportation of mails to
5000, 900 miles. We boast in England OF the post
Office accommodation we get, and of the gigantic
machinery of our Post Office Department. On the LIST
of December, 1854 there were 22,688 post offices in
the United STAKES, three times as many as there are
in the United Kingdom. The number OF miles the
mails travel over railways in the United States is
twelve times the number they travel over in this
country; and in steam packets seven times the num-
Der. The United States Post Office Department has
engagements with nearly 5000 contractors for con-
veyng mails by coaches, steamboats,, and railways;
and the annual transportation of mails in that coun-
try 81 miles, twothirds the distance Of the
earth from the sun.
The American government have established, by
American packets, weekly mail communication
with England and q fortnightly one with France,
Bremen Central America, the Pacific and California
1t contemplates having mail communication with
California through Mexico, and spending nearly
half million sterling ayearas much as Is paid the
Oriental and West India Mail Companies In Eng
land-to bring San Francisco within ten days post
Of New Orleans. AT the present time the mere in
ternal postal arrangements of California. such IS
conveying letters from place to another cost the
American government 100000. year.
threw its postal network over California when It
was first populated, 1t was not prompt enough, for
the gold diggers themselves improvised post-ofices
and lettercarrers at an enormous cost the remains
Of which exist at the present time. In speaking of
California the United States Postmaster General says
And notwithstanding the government incsrs heavy
unrefunded expenditure in supplying the citizen of that
er the citizen himself EMPLOYS other facilities for the
conveyance of his letters and pays therefore at
from twenty to forty fold greater than the
charges for similar services The facilities referred to
are the expresses Government has not been able to
keep in its organized mail arrangements with the
movements OF the miner. His settlemen Mt issuddenly
made and rapidly extended, long before the mail con-
tractor and postmaster be provided The express
men are at haud and the wants Of the miner imme
date. His orders all sent by them to the central
post Office to which, not knowing where his eventual To-
cation will be in the gold region he has directed his let
in the prompt delivery Of his letters and
has received in return compensation much larger per
letter than any commission ever allowed him by the go
vernment The charge s dollar per letter.
two dollars and rising, in some instances to five
dollars according to distance Once commenced, the
long after the and the mail reached
his neighborhood.
In ls45 reduction Of postage took place in Anne
RIGA, and the postal revenue fell off q per cent in
reduced to IA per cent. In 1851 another reduction
took place. and the revenue fell off 22k per cent,
which was soon afterwards reduced to l6a per cent.
The postal report says:-
The failure of the from letter postage to reco-
YER during period Of almost unexampled prosperity
and commercial activity, with the rapidy under
the act Of 1851 it did under the act OF lS45, be
accounted for the supposton that the Inter act
halready stimulated the correspondence of the
Try nearly to the highest point Of which capable
and that therefore, the act Of 1851 afforded but little
further inducement to use the mails.
Owing to the operation of the postal alterations
in 1851, large portion Of correspondence is now
sent to and from different towns in America at one
halfpenny q letter. In the United States the pre-
the individual value of which ranges from sxpence
to halfpenny, is about 100,00O,000.
Fifty. thousand persons emigrate to the United
States from the German dominions yearly. The
best portion Of the industrial population of the lat
ter country has been escaping from the leaden and
stupid despotisms there, to get elbow room and
breathe the air of liberty in the colossal Western
republic The vast tide of emigration energies from
Europe at Bremerhaven, and the American govern
ment have reduced the postage between the United
States and Bremen, in consequence, to sd. All the
States of the German Austrian Postal Union have
the advantage Of this reduction, when their postage
to and from Bremen, for letters to and from the
United States, is 2ad. letter, or less. Austria
Prussia, and Saxony have made the requisite reduc
ton to get the benefit Of the vepenny rate and the
whole of the German States will, it is expected
soon come into the arrangement
The following paragraph, copied from the United
States Postmaster Generals report, deserves to be
written in letters of gold for the sanction it gives to
ocean postal reform and for its consideration of the
feelings and interest Of emigrants.
The reduction Of the letter postage by the Bremen line
to half the former rate offers greatly improved faci
Europe The proprety Of this reduction will be apparent
in view Of the fact that the postage all correspon
deIce between this country and Europe has generally
too high. 1t is, moreover, as well interest
duty to extend to the large and increasing popu
lation Of the United States and their friends home
the most liberal means Of communication practicable
The complaints Of the American Post Office
against the British government are, that the British
packets are unduy favored with the carriage Of the
closed mails for Canada, &C., and that the British
government charge higher proportionate transit
dues for the passage of American mails through
England than the United States government does
for the passage of English mails through the United
States territory. Moreover the British government
nVp frnu Ia Ans rirovr
Post Office, to reduce the exorbitant rates on
pamphlets and magazines A final attempt to OBJ
tain liberaty and fairness was to be made by SUBJ
hitting the whole matter again to Lord Clarendon.
To the credit Of the American government Fit
manifests the utmost kindness and consideration for
the Post Office officials Of whom there are upwards
OF 10000. A large portion of these are in humble
capacities, and cannot be afforded lucrative emolu-
ments, but they and do receive great attention
and kindness rewards for the exercise of inteli-
gence and trustworthiness. The Post Office authori-
ties in America seem to be fully aware that to carry
out such department as their own with advantage
to the public requires cordial cooperation Of the
whole staff Of officials and that such cooperation
cannot co-exist with chronic discomfort.
The American Post Office documents reveal the
rapid growth and amazing extent Of the great mod
EN- republic, and manifest great industry and ad-
mnistIative capacity of its subordinate government
officials No matter how wide the territory scat
tered the population of the United States, the gov
eminent OF that country, taking the initiative
promptly, bind all together by social advantages,
calculated to promote internal trade general educa
tion and affectionate intercourse. While looking
abroad on Europe and witnessing the misery arising
from present and previous kingly ambition and dy-
nastic quarrels, one cannot but envy the freedom
from overwhelming debt and trouble enjoyed by the
United States government.
The Reduction OF the Rate Of Discount by
the Bank OF France.
The reduction of the rate Of discount by the Bank
Of France is thus noticed by the Paris press. The
D{bdfs, of May IL, says
The restrictive measures which the bank had some
time ago adopted produced the invaluable effectwhch
was to be expected. The excessive diminution Of
the metallic reserve and the rapid increase OF the
demands made for discount and advances had
specie which could only be effected by diminishing
the aid accorded to the public in other terms BY
raising the rate Of interest The situation then
changed and money came back. The bank now
lowers its rate Of interest which Is q very logical
proceeding. On January H. when the bank
raised lie rate of interest from to 4 per cent,