The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-09-11


As a matter of news and information of much i'm.
portance 10 the public, we publish below an article
from the New Orleans Times relating 10 this subject
The Postmaster General is making great exertions
not only to extend mail facilities in all directions
but TO increase the speed with which il is carried
whenever it can be conveniently done This Cairo
mail is very important one, and everything is be-
ing done that is possible, both by the contractors
and the department, to give it certainty and tie
requisite speed:
CAmo DAILY Usrrsp STATES MAIL CoaPAsr.--We are
pleased TO greet in midst once more the energetic
interchangeable and popular president OF the above company
l.. p Holiday, esq. He will, we are informed, hence
forth make our city his residence and the headquarters OF
the company and the public have reason to expect that
he will thus be enabled to manage the affairs OF the
pany and carry out the contract OF transporting the
mail daily up and down the Mississippi with more pune
uaity and promptness than hitherto been done We
have frequently during the past eighteen months, spoken
freely of the the contractors have fulfilled their
duty in carrying the mail between our city and Cairo
We have censured them for neglect, when We thought
they deserved it, and commended them for endeavoring
To carry out the contract and praised them when they
did fulfil It, We always wish to do justice In
marks about this contract well as all other matters
which we bring before the public.
IL il our opinion considering all the circumstances
the low stage of the river during the summer the
city freight and consequently the small Involvement
that the company have succeeded better than might have
been expected In supplying the facilities Of mail commu
nication the Mississippi They have, &c great expense
chartered and bought boats suitable, and certainly they
have made every exertion to perform their duty far
as any reasonable person could expect for the compe
ton they receive. We could show, were 1t necessary
that the ideas of OF contemporaries up the river
are ridiculous when they that the company should
all the boats necessary to transport the mail up and down
the Mississippi the compensation entirely naequatefor
the amount of capital required and the risk to be incurred
but deem it useless to speak this point Our pur
pose to call the attention OF the public to the met
that the president OF the company has determined TO sup
ply the chief deficiency in the present excellent arrange
ments of shipping the mail daily by placing the two mag
niicent passenger packets, owned by the companyhe
Virginia and r. C. Twtchell-on regular days that the
other boats under contract to carry the mail do not leave
port, viz Sundays thus to insure the departure and
arrival mail every day. and afford great convenience
TO the travelling public at the same time.
Henceforth che of these swift steamers will leave each
Sunday ut TO- a. M precisely, from Cairo and New Or
leans Passengers rely their punctuality, their
commanders are gentlemen of wellknown promptness
and those of citizens at the North can be sure
meeting at Cairo ready to depart South every Sunday
either the renowned packet Virginia. with the
pIished Capt Charles f. Reynolds in charge the pop
ular packet r. c. Twchel under tho of the expert
enced Capt H. Worthington Smith. These boats will
leave Memphis, coming down every Monday evening, af
ter the arrival of the cars at 8, p IN.
All steamboatnen ut all acquainted with the trade
the Mississippi that unless these boats lib
orally sustained by the travelling public they must If
run regularly leaving every Sunday rain shine freight
freight passengers or no passengers prove great
loss to their owners and still it the determination OF
the mail company to keep them running, to leave only
on Sundays the daily transmission of the
mails and not to be in competition with other boats.
We must commend them for this it win secure to the
people the river certain means OF conveyance from
point to point daily On other days other boats pass
Very soon this excellent arrangement will be known to
all Interested and the advantages we trust appreciated