The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-01-17

Inn NKw CRY po~r osr,os. Those who had frequent
ed the old locations Of the city post Office in the basement
of Canss Saloon the avenue, Seventh street
when first removed there were enthusiastic the
changes made after the appointment of Col Berret as
postmaster. But the apartments into which the
city post office has been transferred during the past week
not only completely eclipse all previous abiding places,
but may be regarded a ''moiei institution IL was
designed by DIR Walter lthe accomplished and able
chect OF the Capitol extension and other public build
nss nov being erected here from the suggestions of
Col Beret and is acknowledged to DO ''the most
plee simple and convenient unity of the sort in the Uni
ted States.
The city post Office occupies the northern side of
the ground floor Of the General Post Office and extends
back into the rt-yard The entrance is from several
doors street. well sheltered from ths storm and the
yestibule is surrounded by boxes, with windows for
delivery" On the right side the windows for ''car
rers delivery in the centre those for general deliv
cry and, on the left those for newspapers and ia
dies letters Between these the right and left OF
the general delivery, windows for tho delivery of
letters in boxes There nine hundred and ninety six
boxes for letters hundred and two of which BIO
opened with keys and thus accessible when tho Office
may be closed
The entire interior Is Ia ROOM although range of
columns stand between the :" distributing" and the
ment is, OF course Immediately behind the front windows
and in is division for the chief clerk rallied
of by light iron lattice, that those coming for regis
tered letters need not interfere with the business the
office. Behind the general delivery window il one of
the celebrated Providence letter cases in which by
square OF the alphabet each of the alphabet is
repeated horizontally and perpendiculary twenty four
times The rows of letters running horizontally from
left to right represent the surname and the perpencu
to ascertain by glance if there are any letters for an
inquirer There are, also, sets of pgeonholos for news
papers for ladies letters and for advertised letters with
tables for the city carriers to assert their letters on
Square baskets receive the letters dropped in TO be mailed
and there complete arrangements for stamps &c
Single stamps will be sold outside by dealer in
stationery who is to have neatly fitted up stall
The mailing department some seventy feet by sixty
two, lighted by large skylghts in the daytime with
numerous gas chandeliers for darker hours The ceiling
which 10 seventeen feet from the oor painted gaudly
in fresco and there admirable arrangements for vent
ation while two large furnaces below supply any required
degree of heat space is rallied off at end whore
the mail carriers will to deposite take away letters
and papers, and in basement store-room for keeping
empty bags There large tables for stamping count
ing and sorting letters, for doing up packages making
and verifying way bills and the other office opera
tons, with system for 'bagging the mail matter
frame work, in movable sections on legs like TIA
ble forms a semcice OF compartments arranged at an
angle around the distributors In each compartment
mail bag Is fixed by four hooks and the clerks thus
toss packages into any of about eighty bags without
moving AS the matter is placed on a table behind
them, the labor Of 'bagging is thus greatly spli6ed
and can be quickly done.
There for the safe keeping of money and re-
gstered letters wash stands supplied with water and all
the modern conyeniences of the day. In short nothing
appears to have been overlooked that contribute
the comfort of the public and facilitate the aruous du
ties of the clerks e. FA
Mr.. BowKS's LECTURE AT rms SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE
Notwithstanding the ncemency the weather. the au
dence at the Smithsonian Friday night last good
and the lecture of this gentleman which
Central Africa listened to with intense interest from
the beginning the close To most persons this subject
new and possessed all the attractions which novelty
could throw around It, But its interest heightened
by the agreeable of the lecturer who spoke freely
without the incumbrance of manuscript and seemed
perfectly familiar with the topics he discussed He was
the autocrat of his theme, of his hearers from
personal knowledge TO the contrary, having it in their
power to question the credblity of any of his state
ments But the veracity of his report fully guaran
tied by the vocation of the lecturer while it bore in
trnsc evidence Of its fidelity facts besides that no pos
mouNe could eXst create erroneous
while there many Inducements to communicate rare
and valuable information to an American audience
There much to commend in the execution of the per
formance but, if we may venture upon criticism we
should say that the reverend gentleman considering the
ample opportunities which he has enjoyed from resi-
dence Of several years in the country for acquiring accu
rate information should have dwelt somewhat more at
length than no did upon the social character the pecu
liar habits and characteristic institutions of people
whose traits little known and whose every exist
news probably to the majority Of his audience
portion of the time which taken up In describing
particular localities the distances between cities and
their respective populations, would perhaps have been
sdvantageously bestowed the particulars refer
red to- ass
We gathered however, from the statements of the
erend gentleman that the central part of Africa differs
essentially from the portions the coast in the charac-
ter of its SOIL it's productions its birds its animals and
especially its human occupants that it is beautiful and
fertile regonhas millions upon millions of inhabitants
who devoted to agricultural pursuits, but who.
strange say do dwell the lands they cultivate
but live clustered together in villages and towns of
which of considerable magnitude the cities contain
ing from twenty to seventy thousand Inhabitants, and
some of them probably double that amount; that
the inhabitants generally Of primitive simple
harmless character, courteous CIVIL and disposed to
obige; that their governments are kingly and pa
h~ N,