Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-12-16
RepoEl Of .hs Po.ma.ler. general.
[OOnoluded.
0oEAE AaD ronEIas 80 sERvIcE.


Report Of the Postmaster General,
IoOnoluded.l
] OCEAN AND FoREIGN MAIL sERvICE.
The aggregate amount Of postage (sea inland and
! foreign) mails transported from July l. 1857 to
| Febu4ry 10, 1858, ky the stesmers ofthe New York
and Liverpool (CoIiins) line Was SILL l92 50, and
6y temporary steamships employed on The same lire
/ during residue of the 6seaI year ending June 30
/ 1900 S4l b3I IL, making a total Of $l52 500 65.
posisges By tbis line during he year ending June
| 80 1857, amounted 10 S2lO,463 OF s
Tbe pcs ages upon mails convey ed duripg the last
fiscal year by the United States steamers Of the
! New York. Southampfon, and Bremen line, were
| SlO2. sos 80, and BY the New York, Soutbam oto o.
and HVre line, SlQ5. 923 26, being decrease of
$50, l5l O9 By the Bremen, and an increase of ST.
9I3 Il by the HaVTe line, compared with the pre-
vitus fiscal year
The amount Of The letter postsges upon mails ex-
changed With Great Britain during the year ending
June 30, 1853, was SS02,77l Ga; with Prussia
! SZ5 IG5 go; Bremen, S27 .905 90; France, SOS :
82o AZ; Hamburg, Sl5,879 "a; being decrease
on British mails Of S7l ,423 II; on PrussiaH mails
of 81 lO8 81; on Bremen mails Of S24, Ia o.; aad
an increase French mails of Sl64, ,638 2S and on
Hamburg mail OfS "a $40 IA compared with thepre
ceding year Ne increased letter postage on Eu-
ropean sils $50. 749 %. The postal arrangements
with France and Hamburg which have recently gone
/ INTO operation have caused diversion Of much Of
the correspondence with the continent Of Europe
heretofore exchanged via England and via Bremen,
30 the routes via France and via Hamburg, which
accounts for the large decrease on British aud Bre
men mails during the past year Ia.
The total postages on Letter mails exchanged with
Europe was S1,378, 147 80 On mails sent to Great
Britain, 380 $50 So; 70 Prussia, Sl93, T65 95; TO
Bremen, Sll .866 SO; to France, l01.4l4 So; and
to Hamburg $40 308 81. Total sent, S697, 535 90
On mails received from Great Britain, 1922 59l 06
from Prussia, Sl31 997 65 from Bremen, Sl6,039
So; from France, S1O4,4 76 and from Hamburg
S5,5I 81. Total received $3.50 Gil 40. Total
postages collected 10 the United Saes SS42 624 53
In Great Britain. Prussia Bremen, France and Ham
burg S535,522 rs. Excess Of postage collected in
the United States, S907, I0l "A
Total postages for ihe year from tbe New York.
Aspinwal, and California lines S306,747 AZ; from
the Charleston and Havana line, S9,l25 AZ; ami
hom tbe New Orleans aud Vera Cruz line 1859 81.
regret that since the expiration Of the contracts
for the Bremen aud HAVE lines our ocean mail
steamship service to Europe has not been established
on any permanent basis The ships Of the New
York and Liverpool liue were Withdrawn in the
month OF February, 1858, aud no service has been
performed under the Collins Contract since that time
Fhls contract being with The Navy Department, The
Postmaster General had no control over it, and Of
course no power either TO enforce ful6lment or TO
sbnul f7r repeated f4ures as in the case Of ordi-
nary mail contracts T4e temporary contracts for
service to Southampton, Bremen aud Havre expiring
on the hrst OF June last very solieteus either
that the trips upon the Collins line should be re-
sumed or that the tract should be declared at
end. 50 that by new arrangements | could secure
the foil numberOf Wsesly trips by American vessels,
Necessary to alternate regularly with the ships Of
the Cunard line HJDce, soon after the adjournment
Of Congress, sought to ascertain whether or not
could depend on the resumption Of service under the
Collins contrae but it was not until quite late 10
the summer that could obtain any reliable Informs
tion on the subject At length proposition was
made to resume the service provided the ships could
he allowed 20 make Portland, instead of New York,
tbe American terminus Of the line. This prOposi
1on was declined by the Navy Department, and, the
contract still remaining in force, it out Of my
power TO engage other than temporary service by
the single trip that line as authorized BY pro-
vision IN the first section Of the act Of last session
making appropriations for ocean steamship mails
This delay and uncertainty in respect to this line
had The effect, also independently Of any other cause,
to prevent the making Of any permanent contracts
for the other lines necessary TO furnish the full nun
her Of trips required and the result has been that
all the service performed has been entirely Of
temporary character Upon the Collins line up 10
the Both Of September 1858, nine outward aud seven
inward trips have been performed for the postage
the mails conveyed, at an average sum of So 379
per round trip, and Eve round trips for The sea and
inland postage, amounting to 81, 125 per trip. Upon
the Bremen line from June /, 1851, to OciOber Il,
1858, inclusive, fourteen outward and fifteen inward
trips have been performed by Cornelius Vanderbilt
for The and United States inland postage averag-
ing S8 621 per round trip: and upon the New York
and Havre line, from June l, 1857, to October 6,
1858, inclusive, the old contractors have made six
teen round trips on same terms, averaging SI,49I
per trip.
The fourth section Of the act Of last session, above
referred to provides that 't shall not be laWfufoF
the Postmaster General to make any steamship or
other new contract for carrying the mails on the sea
for longer period than tWOyears nor for any 9TH
er compensation than the sea and inland pOstsges
on the mails 50 transported :" and the fifth section
Of said act confines the compensation TO the sea
postage only, if the transportation is by foreign
vessel. Can the service be obtained on these terms!
believe il may be. If deemed expedient to employ
foreign vessels it is certain that parties now stand
ready to take the mails for the sea postage. But
shall his service be relnquished entirely TO foreign
steamers and if not will American lines contract
under the existing law? Nothing is clearer than that
it is for the interest OF This Government to employ
American in preference to foreign steamers or the
conveyance Of our mails. if they can be secured
on the terms authorized by law; but whether this
may be done. is matter Of doubt. Save during the
winter months, there would probablybe no dimculiy
in getting the mails carried these terms; but for
period short as two years, 1t IS hardly probable
that contracts with American lines could be obtained
carry regularly the year round To secure to such
lines their due share Of the posages, Il Is essential
that perfect regularity should be observed in winter
well as during the other months Of the year,
Dy al least u He6ky uep anu AiElFAl W
side The want Of regularity heretofore has had
the effect to give the advaatageo the British lines
The evidence is before ne, that of the corres-
pondence, for instance, between the United States
and Switzerland. out Of 1000 letters, 4, 500 were
transmitted by British vessels owing It is believed,
mainly to the circumstance Of the known regularity
of these vessels in sailing given day. Why
may not the same regularity be established and
maintained by American ships? Let this be done,
and no good reason is perceived Why they may not
carry an equal proportion Of the nails the postage
on which would afford fair compensation for the
service This is susceptible Of demonstration For
instance, the aggregate amount Of sea and United
States inland postage on the mails by the different
lines of United States and foreign mail packets be-
tween the United States and Europe, for The year
ending June 80, 1858, was $l,266, S69 This, for
semi-wseky service, would give an average Of Sl2
l8l the round trip at the rate Of $6SS, 434 per
annum for the weekly service desired from an
American line or lines, with the prospect Of stea-
dy increase from constantly increasing trade and
correspondence.
As calculated TO furnish the requisite facilities Of
/ Communication between Europe and the southern