New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-08
FROM WASHINGTON.
Corresrond.rce Of The N. z. Tribune.
WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON, July A, 1857.
The President and Postmaster General, with
wonderful show and pretension of fairness, have
virtually nullfed the great enterprise of an over
land mail to California. After long investigation
and repeated conferences, it has been decided to
give the contract to the lowest bidders and the most
responsible men, but to locate the route in wholly
impracticable region and an uDnhabted country
They have carefully thrown both the shells to the
anti sectional interest, while the fat oyster within
it has been as carefully passed over to the extreme
South. The contract, as awarded names Memphis
and ST. Louis as the eastern termini of the mail lne
but, in fact, makes Memphis the only terminus.
From Memphis, on the Mississippi, in latitude 50
deg, the prescribed route proceeds to Little kock'
Arkansas, which is 100 miles south-westwardly.
Now, how palpable is the deception of requiring
the contractors to start also from ST. Louis, when,
in order to reach the other point of departure they
must proceed directly southwark and go through
Memphis itself before setting out for Little Rock
By land travel the distance from st. Louis to Mem
phs is about 600 miles; the greater part OF the dis
lance lies through swamps which are nnpene-
trable six months of the year. TO aiege that
ST. Louis has been made starting point IS cxactly
90 tre as II would have been to assert that st. Pau
had been so designated, provided the contract had
reeited that the route should commence at ST. Paul
and Memphis respectively, but uniting at Little
Rock. OF course the lately concluded contract es-
fablishes no mail line between ST. Louis and Little
Rock. since that route was already covered by con-
tracts. Such Of the actual mails for California as
can be forced over the new route, Will be carried
down the Mississippi by steamboat, and may be got
10 the Rio Grande in about the same time as from
81. Louis to San Francisco. 1t is easy enough TO
discern that the $6OO,0O appropriation Will be
60 in matt mn ts IN
the northern mails from the direct and natural route
they now follow, while the actual service will be
nertormed as now Oh the latter route for the scanty
and miserable compensation allowed under previous
Laws. But as Congress will have the voting Of the
money. il is hardly to be believed that this donation
TO blind prejudice and ineffcency will be again
made. .
reneat that ST. Louis is no more termination,
unaer this arrangement, of the great route sought
10 be established than Buffalo or Portland is. But
LET us see what may be expected from the new Mem
phis route which the emigrant trains for the last
nine years have never found, though the region has
always been the pet of the Government. In order
to get the utmost possible sOuthng at the beginning,
the mail will 90 from Little Rock about 100 miles
nearly south TO Futon, thence due west 100 miles
to Preston on Red River in Texas, thence west two
degrees south to Fort Fillmore, near Ell Paso.
3 From Preston 10 FL PasO the country is mainly
desert. The line touches in places the feeble springs
constituting the head-waters of the Texan rivers.
1t crosses sundry Ltdnos estdcad0s JornddOs dl
mntrfyOs, IN which, as the words imply, water, wood
and grass are strangers to the traveller and silence
and death become his familiar companions From
Fort Fillmore to Fort Yuma the line lies in the Gads-
don purchase in which there is town Tucson) of
two or three hundred inhabitants; the other pOpu.
lation consists of sand-lies, rattlesnakes, very
beautiful and feet antelope, and singular species
of lizard which has attracted the attention OF nat
nv = obi IN no 40 tod
TO experiments in making adesian wells upon the
principle that a generally worthless cur must be
good coon dog, being fit for nothing else. fSrl
Yuma il, Of course, the most sOuthery point OIL
California, from which the distance to San Fran
cisco is five degrees OF latitude and seven Oi
longitude, say $50 miles.
The motives and purposes Of the Administration
In selecting route like this are obvious enough, and
i cannot perceive why there should be any CON
"ceaiment about them since the same sort 0f thing
has been going on for two generations. The design
10 grade the way for Southern Pacific Railroad,
under The project heretofore supported by Jeiier-
son DAVIS and y. NJ. G.. Brown, a member of the
Nashville Convention of making the Government OF
Tie present United States pay for the building OF
railroad winch shall connect their intended "Nigger
CODiederacy" with the Pacific. Now, it is quite
unnecessary for so humble Northern citizen as my
self ~ profess any extra devotion to a Union which
gives w Fugitive acts and-Dred Scott decisions or
~ pretend opposition 10 the amiable projects Of
DAVIS OF Brown for breaking it up; but | venture,
nevertheless. smphaticaly TO protest against being
taxed for the ways and means required for ouch
schemes.
To sun Up IN two lines, the North has been
grossly outraged by this allotment to the extreme
South Of the Pacific Overland Mail route while the
whole aatioD Will be pillaged Of its treasure by mail
contra ctOrs, who can never be mail carriers.
As the Nicaragua traDs,t ICpte must DO yeOpeDed