The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-07-24
BeGvSsps OF che Post OnsCe-rhe Northern
Mall.


amasement and edifcation to the people. Now
tbs letter which has travelled a.few hundred
miles out Of the way, and comes back to its re-
cpient vixen it is just too late to be Of any use.
Now, it is bundle or bag ofletters which have
been chacked under table, and lain there for
fortnight until the porter roots them out in
sweeping the Office. Now q batch of money
letters, checks, policies of insurance aud So
forth are sold by country postmaster, with
"other rubbish" to the paper maker of the
county at four cents pound. And now, an in
genious Post Office agent, exercised by lauda-
BILE thirst for knowledge, is detected in the act
letters, and relieving them of any
little enclosures they may contain. All these
accidents" we say, have long been fa-
miliar to the public, and it is to be feared that
fresh illusions to sohackneyed subject may be
passed over without notice. Still, as there is
in reality no solid reason why delays or robbie
ries should be essential parts Of the mail ystem
we must continue 10 harp upon them until some
sincere desire to amend or prevent them is made
manifest.
Since the passage Of the reciprocity treaty
our business with Canada has Occupied. The
commercial relations now existing between the
Canadian cities and New York are very extern
sive with the exception of the Boston, Phila-
delphia, and British mails, the Northern mail is
probably the most important and the largest
which arrives here. Yet the old complaint, that
letters are twice as long as passengers in ira.
yelling from Canada to New York and
rice oersa, is as loudly expressed as
ever. Passengers daily travel from Mont
real to New York in fourteen to fifteen
hours; the mail takes from two to three days
If a Sunday intervenes it may not arrive before
the fifth day. We CAL this an old complaint.
Three or four years ago, 30 much noise was
made on the subject that an inquiry was institut-
ed by the Canadian Post Office Department.
1t was discovered that the delay arose from the
stoppage Of the Canadian mail at way offi,es in
the United States: that is to say, when the
mails arrived at Burlington, Rutland, White
hall or Troy, they were sent in bulk to the
Post Office, where they were. detained an hour
or more for the purpose of being re-sorted; aud,
as the railroad or steamer could no. wait so
long, they were left behind, and only came on
in the next train or the day after. To obviate
this in future, the G ana1ian Postmaster CO.
meroD, we believe-had special bag made up
at Montreal for New York, and requested the
New York Office to perform the like service for
Montreal. The plan, it is Supposed, answered
when first put in practicable Canadian mail
came through in the same space of time as pas
sengers. But very soon, this ceased to be the
case, and the old delay occurred once more In
quiry being instituted, 1t was found that by
sheer carelessness the person In charge of the
mail was in the habit of sending the New
York bag to the way Offices with the way bags,
whence it constantly happened that it was
mislaid and left behind. The Canadian Of
fetal, to remedy the defect, proposed that
special agent should accompany each through
bag. As the mistake occurred in the
United States, it would have been
necessary that such agents should be in
the employ OF the department at Washington;
but as, in some points of view, their appoint
ment was needed more for the interest Of Cana
da than the United States, the Canadian post
master proposed that Mr.. Campbell should en-
gage them and that they should be responsible
to him, but that the British Province should
pay their salary, or reimburse its amount to the
department at Washington. The pro osal was
declined by Postmaster General Campbell. His
reason was to the effect that no such officers
were employed on other mail routes in the coIn-
try and that no deviation from the usual prac
tice could be begun for the benefit of Canada.
This JIG. as we learn, the secret of the mail
delays on the Northern route. Stupid bluaders
on the pait Of agents, clerks and local postmas-
tiers delay the mail that ought to come straight
through to New York; and the department at
Washington refuses, on point of etiquette or
routine, to take the only steps that will correct
the mischief.
It is with the Post Office as with all the other
departments: stupidity, carelessness, and rou-
tine have overgrown every brauch, and para
lyzed every member. 1t is question whether
any thing Can be done right without sweeping
change. The chances are, If you go 80 Post
master Fowler and ask him why your letters are
kept forty eight hours cooling in his Office, tina,
he gives you perfectly conclusive and satisfac-
tory answer, proving that the letters ought TO
stay there, that 1t was intended they should
that II couldn't be otherwise; and in the same
way, If you ask Mr.. Campbell why the Moth
ern or any other mail takes three days to ira
vel distance which passengers invariably per
fol m in fourteen hours, he win prove as plain
as any proposition in Euclh that it coulin's
possibly, by any arrangement consistent with
the present sublunary condition Of affairs, ira
vel any faster.
SEBAsToroL TO ne Blown UP.-Surgeon W.
+. Whitehead, Of Virginia, nj present serving
In Sebastopol with the brbarous Russians, re.
Gently wrote letter to his friends here, in
which among other interesting things, he says
"sebasiopoI win never be taken; it may be
4 t.