The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-11-22

Seizure or EsrsPean Mails.
ILLEGAL TRANSLATION or YORxI0s MAILs--x
PORTANT sEIzURE or LETTERS uROU0Hr yRox
HAvRE BY THE NORTH STAN. ErC., ETC.
One Of the mail bags brought by the steamer North
Star, one OF the Vanderbilt line, from Hsve seized
yesterday morning BY the agent Of tho Post Once Depart
ment upon the ground Of its being suduentiy appro-
priated by the agents employees OF this vessel
The whole story is ~ follows;-
The Vanderbilt limo since II first established, has
been bringing letters Havre under general act
Congress, permitting vessels and stesmer 70 carry
ocean letters, provided they deposit them in the
Poet Once immedh tey upon their arrival in Ameri.
can port and upon making such deposit such carriers
entitled 10 two cents from the Post oco every
etter 20 delivered Heretofore all letters dep ,~ited
here for places other than New York have bssn dstsi
butsd in this Office and forwarded to their respective
places Of destination by the regular mail II has lately
been sscertaintd that large number OF letters de-
Livery In this city, TO merchants and Others have
brought under the general Of Congress- above stated
by the vessels of this ne bat with single excepson)
have nos been deposited ia the New York Post Oaco
according 10 law but have bsea delivered by private
hand and the rate Of postage collected there
on. Tbs mode adopted Ia the transmission of those
letters II seems has been to enclose thsm In separate
psclag OF ten dozen each under cover OF q
p'iaied envelope, addressed to d. Torrance, Esq,
enclosure OF letters in packages to Mr.. Torrance
is violation of another United States law besides tho
above requiring all foreign letters be deposited in
Post 0thce naneyA law which provides that letters
addressed TO different individuals cannot be enclosed Ia
one envelope, under lenay Of $40 for each violation
of the aot
The Postmaster General has made aware Of these
alleged frauds upon the government instructed the
Postmaster Of this city, and special agent OF the
Once Department to effort In their power put
. stop to these sni other mar viola Of the laws
The officers OF the Custom of this city also instruct
ed to search for and all letter bags and letters
illegally appropriated.
Upon the arrival OF the North Star yesterday
morning Mr. Holbf ok, the special agent Of the
Post OAcc Department, went board the
steamer, and being unknown to the officers, kept
strict watch Of the movements connected with
the den,ery Of the mali bags. The purser Of the ship
directed by the Custom House officer Ia attendance
to send nil the mails brought by The ship the Post
Office, and i've letter bags accordingly put charge
OF mail carrier understood TO be employed by this line
After the mails had been placed upon a wagon, Mr. Ho
brook followed in riase at short distance TO see If
the malls carried In good faith to the Post O.c
Upon leaving ths wharf the mail driver Joined by
another person and both proceeded their way through
Greenwich street, but iastcad Of going directly the
Post oace they drove to No Bowling Green. the Office
Of the steamship company Of the persons In
possession OF the letter bags, sghing conveyed OF
the bags into the Office, and the other drove
with the four remaining bags, to the Post Once. This
special egeut then immediately confronted the man
remaining at the Office of the company and not
lag the bag in his possession demanded to know
what disposition had been made Of It, and received
for answer thai ut had been handed - another person
in the cftce and he did not know wbese Il had been
.la.t -
under arrest and mus, along with him. The man.
being considerably slarnei thi replied III that Il
the case will get the bag and take 1t 10 the Post oce"
T1en sS~.n dcsnaias TO know where the bag was tho
sgen was Informed that 1t hind the door of the
main hall OF Tho building where the agent found IL
ceaed and taking possession Of H. conveyed IL 10 the
Post ofce. Tho agent, upon arriving a the Post Office,
found the party who had conveyed there the four
manning bags from the Office In Wing green aud qnes
toned him to lis route from the steamer, and
told by this mall driver a, he had directly to ths
Post Office, and he most solemny denied tha. he had
stopped anys the way. upsn being questioned
about the Hfh letter bsg he sad that 1t had be.n taken
Wy the other porter who jumped of The wagon In Green
vich street ana he saii he did no. know wha, had
been done With H. thus Attempting screen hi, BY
nlrefresen alton he not knowing that the agent hid
been watching his mover ncn's since he had lett the
stesmer
Subsequently the bag o letters which had been seized
In the ohce No. Bowling green taken by the Post.
iaseF, Mr.. Fowler Mr. Cochran the Surveyor of the
Port acting On behalf OF the Custom House, aud The
special agent u the Office 81 the steamship company
Mr.. Torrance, 'he consgnee requested TO open Il
II founi u contain eighty four packages addressed
10 Tint gentleman who broke the seals Of each package
In tho presence Of the above named officers Upwards of
egh, hundred letters directed TO merchants and others
in ills city, found, only of which or M
Torrance contained hi address that OF any other
ofeof Of this soamhip company. The letters then
taken back to the Post once, BE- legally delivered
chip letters.
II Is proper to state tha, The person who TOOK the bag
Of letters 20 the private Office his employer caiei %
have acted ander the direction Of the purscr Of the hp
Tho Surveyor Of the Port, Mr.. Cochranc 10 under.
stand has rendered the POS. oaicc Department aI The
aid In bis power In enforcing the Post once laws by
specially irrruciing bis officers upon this subject AMI
ging his personal attention "a he case above stated
We uneerand Is the intention OF the government 10
prosecute the parties implicated in this aud former pro
ecedpgs Of the kind Considerable excitement 10
irsnsested yesterday amoog the merchants IN cone
quepce Of this seizure aud not little dsatfsact0n
expressed by thoss interested la these letters that
more regular aud legal had not been adopted a.
lie transmisssn of their correspondence
The regular charge upon foreign letters conng through
The Post Office Ia twenty cents This charge upon
eight hundred letters hundred ans sixy efht al.
lars, quite nh item for the parties in'eress u make
upon each arrival of Of The steamsrl Of this line
superior CouIt.-part Second.
Before Hon. Judge Campbell