Polynesian., 1858-05-15
Che polpnesian.
What to do with Dead Letters,

What to do with Dead Letters.
During the last quarter, 81, CSC was received
in about 9, 200 letters at the Dead Letter Office
Not quite $50 900 year is generally received in
about IL, 900 letters, or about an average S5 a
letter. Of this it is calculated that nine-tenths
are returned to the sender. So far good. 1t may
also be mentioned that there is no other country
on the globe where so much care is taken that ev-
cry letter sent shall reach It's destination. The
custom of advertising letters and taking real pains
to find out the person to whom the letter is ad-
dressed, and send it after him if he has removed,
is not practised in Europe as it is here.
But in other countries there is effort made,
even when there is no money enclosed, to restore
the letter to the writer if the addressed party
not be found, so that he may know that his COM
munication has failed, and take other means tn
reach his correspondent. In this respect there is
a serious defect in our post Office system. The
plan here pursued is us follows: Every post mas
ter once quarter returns all the letters for which
he can find no claimant, to the Department ut
Washington. A confidential clerk breaks the seal
of all these. and opens them, but does not read a
line. He simply ascertains if there is anything in
them. If there is not, they are without further
trouble packed away for burning. and all consum-
ed by fire In an oven prepared on purI ose, that
nothing shall escape. If, however, there is any
sum of money or any valuable, however trifing,
the letter ami contents are handed over to another
clerk, who simply examines the name and address,
and then encoses the whole back to the writer.
If the writer cannot be found, the letter is then
carefully preserved for years until every chance OF
its being reclaimed has died away.
1t is impossible not to admire the scrupulous
deicacy which characterzes post Office laws, in
ahStaining from authorising the perusal of sealed
letter under any circumstances, except as the last
resort to restore valuable letter to its rghtul own
er. All over Europe, each government makes a
terrible use OF the post Offices occasionally one
OF the most effective engines of its police. In
France the government continually opens the cor
respcndenee of suspected parties and very ingenious
their methods of sealing up the letters again
that the suspected party shall never be aware that
his corresE E.oudence has been tampered with When
"a wafer has been used, the hot steam of tea ket-
tie. properly applied, will soften it Self lfseaiing
enSelops yet more readily opened. But where
wax is employed, a small piece Of smooth lead is
laid over it, and a sudden blow given with NAL
let. This destroys the sealing wax, hut makes SO
perfect an impression of it the lead that it can
at any time afterwards he used as "A seal, and will
stamp new wax perfectly. A gentleman whose
family were for many years connected with the Sc
crets of the Freicl Government, showed us the
whole process OF this, and assured us it quite
customary for the Government To send down an
order for every letter directed to such and such a
person from such another place. to be opened, read,
and If of Importance, a copy made of it, while the
original Is forwarded to its unsusJ,ecting recipient
Even IN England the same thing has been done,
though not To the same extent. In criminal cases
has thus been obtained. Several years
ago man was hung for forgery whose address was
thus ascertained from letter lie had mailed to his
wife. Even foreign political cunspiracies have been
erreted out by opening the letters of refugees as
they passed through the post office.
Nothing, therefore, can be more proper in this
liberty than that the sacredness of the seal Of
every letter should be guarded most carefully. 1t
is bulwark of liberty that is thus defended. And
vet it would, we are convinced be IL very great i'm
provcment if the measures which are taken to re-
store pIOney letters, and which are successful in
nine cases out OF ten, were also adopted In regard
to all other sealed letters That is to say, let the
name and address simply he taken, and the letter
restored to the writer The trouble and cost would
be something, but the good done to the community
would often he hundred times more than the cost
Nine letters of ten mi hit be of no Importance,
but The tenth might lie priceless. No man now feels
certain that his letter reaches its destination unless
he receives an answer. But in the other case,
such one would be sure that his letter deliver
ed if he did not ultimately receive it back again.
1t would often enable person years afterwards To
prove that he had fulfilled the dictates of friend
ship and duty, the directions of correspondent.
Many false plea and painful suspicion would thus
be averted.
The post Office, for its own sake, ought to be
able to account for every letter put into its charge
as nearly as possible, but this Wholesale destruc-
tion of correspondence is the death of such
tabiity-thc death of vast amount of intellectu-
al and moral lfe--the death of many friendships
and condolences, and even the cause of alterations
that no time will remove.-l Phiia. Ledger.