Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-12-14

The Department js hsppy 10 announce Its eonolu-
sive and triumphant success It's departure and aTri
val we're announced with demonstrations Of joy and
exultagion l submit detailed report Of Mr. Baily,
the agent Of this Department, who came over in the
first line Of stages which left San Francisco for St.
Louis. It Willbe an important document, not less
Instructive at the present tine than It may be inter-
esting and curious to those Who in after times may
be DESTROYS to know by what energy skill, and per-
severance the vast wilderness was first penetrated
By the mai stages Of the United States, and the
two great oceans united by the longest aud most
important land route ever established in any cOun
try
TEHAUETEPEo ROUTE.
BY an act Of Congress Of March 8, 1856, route
was established from New Orleans, by the Isthmus
Of Tehuantepee, to San Francisco It was adver-
sed for the next regular lettings Of contracts in
the spring Of 1856, but no bids we're received.
In December, 1857, the same route was re adveF--
| tised. Only one proposal received, and that
was for semi-mOnthly serYee, at $3.50, 900 per an
mum. 1t not having been accepted, negotiations
were opened by the bidders with the Department,
which resulted in making contract, in June 8,
! 1858, with ths LouisiaRian Tehuantepee Company,
on the following terms, namely:
| To convey mails from New Orleans, by Muatitlan,
| Suchil, Ventoss, and Acapulco TO San Francisco.
| twice month, and back, in safe and substantial
| steamers between New Orleans and Minatitlan; in
safe and substantial TiDeT steamers between Nina
titan and Suehil and in post coaches good cover
/ ed spring wagons between Suchi and the Pacific
the residue OF the route to San Francisco in steam
ers the pay 10 be 1.-THE rate Of 1886 600 per annum,
with the understanding that the mails may be
changed with the line between Panama and San
/ Francisco, at or near Acapulco, without change Of
pay and with the further understanding that the
mails may be exchanged with the aforesaid line at
| Yentusa or other port within a short distance Of
that place. at the annual compensation o. $4,000
| Service 10 commence at any time between the first
I 1F-, 4 n
| and to terminate on the Both day Of September,
/ 1859 E4oh trip to be performed in fifteen days
The secyice actually commenced on the 9th Of
October, 1858, under auspices which, it is believed,
! promise complete success.
Besides being an additional channel Of communi-
eation with Caiforni-, winch may tend to bring
about competition at a future letting Of contracts
for the whole mail service between the two oceans,
this route affords to certain sections Of the Union
the advantage Of six days closer connection with
California than has heretofore been enjoyed As
far north or east as New York it has the advantage
| Of one day; ard in cases Of emergency, by using
the telegraph that city, equally with New Orleans,
may communicate with the Pacific coast six days
/ al, er the departure of the Panama line
This cOnirsct was made in pursuance Of suRgesr
lions in the following letters addressed to the Hon
/ william II English, on the oath and 25th Of May
last, in response 70 Inquiries made the subject:
/ POsT OFFICE DEPARTMENT,
Washington, May, a, 1858
! Sir: In reply to your Communication of the 10th
instant, have the honor to state that contract
has been entered into with any party parties to
carry the California mails by the Tehuantepec route
Application for such contract having been repeat
! eddy made verbally, and perhaps in writing, the De-
! partment advertised for proposals, which may be
in the printed pamphlet of proposals for Louis
ana, page 81.
Having advertised for proposals on this line, and
received one or more bids on it, the Department,
after taking suitable time Of deliberation, has come
to the conclusion to establish mail service thereon
! from New Orleans via Tehuantepee to Acapulco,
/ provided q satisfactory contract can be made for
that purpose The service is not proposed to be put
i on further than to Acapulco, because the present
line Of steamers from Panama TO San francisco al
ways touch at Acapulco, and can take on the New
! Orleans mail and passengers. It is not, however,
proposed to make the first contract for logger pc
Rod than year from the LIST Of October next,
that this contract and the from New York 70 As
puwall may expire st the same time in the course
Of this year the pracicability Of the Tehusntepec
route may have been fully tested and its capability
to furnish the shortest, cheapest and safest mail
route to California fully demonstrated. The Depart
ment, by Simultaneous expiration Of the contracts
on these two routes, will be enabled to determine
which one to select, whether lie keep up both, &C
cemmoda;ing the mails and the passengers from
New York and New Orleans, respectively. but pay>
| ing each according TO the amount of mail service
rendered
]
Orleans correspondence from the Atlantic side will
be received nearly one week later than at present,
/ and from California to the Atlantic States in like
proportion. That is to say. that whilst letters sent
from Boston and New York to California, by PanA-
ma. would reach ,apulco about - days after they
! had been written, others sent from New Orleans,
via Tehusntepec to Acapulco, would reach there in
about - days; thus practically furnishing nearly
! weekly mail, instead Of semi-mOnthly commando
! ton, as at present,
The terms Of the contractsre not yeidefniie'y set
tied and therefore cannot be set forth; but the De-
partment does not anticipate much difficulty in be
ing able to obtain the service reasonable and
isfaotOry terms.
The authority of this Department to mrke such
contract may be found in the second section of the
act Of March 8 1851, which the Postmaster Gener-
al considers ample and undoubted
Serious doubts have been expressed as to whether
the road has been yet will be made in time sufi
cient for the performance Of the contemplated SER
vice The Department, however, will take care IL
making any contract to provide that where there is
no service there shall be pay, and that no fues
or foreitures shall be RENTED for failures arising
from want Of suitable road or from obstacles pre~
scented by the insuficency of the river navigation
or of the bays at either terminus Of the transit If
therefore, the river, bay, OF road shall not bes u
Gent. the contractors not the Government, viii be
thelosers by it,
The Tehuantepec route has long been favorite
one with the Government and people of the United
States. No opportunity has been lost in endeavor.
ing to secure it. Having at last secured it by the
terms of the Gsdsden treaty, and a reasonable prob
ability now existing that the route has been or will
in a short time be placed in condition to receive
the service, the Department sees no good reason
why it should not enter on the enjoyment of those
advantages so earnestly desired and so long sntici-
pated by the people and Government of the United
States.
IE proposing TO make this contract the Postmaster
General does not intend to decide any controversy
which now exists, or may hereafter arise, between
rival claimants under the grants DEGREES of the
Mexican GoveTemeut. Who are the true owners Of !
the light to make the road is left to the proper til
bunas TO determine
tits enough for the Department that parties Of |
undoubted responsibility, claiming to be in possess
sion Of the road and to be the lawful owners Of it,
have proposed to perform the desired service lin
this there shall be any mistake, the contract with
the parties will terminate with their loss of the road
and the Department be as ready to contract with |
the successful claimants as with the present ones
In any point of view, it would to be the inter
est Of the true Of this right, whoever he may
be- that this contract should be made 1t will ma
teriay aid in the early completion of the road and
furnish the that after the United States
shall have entered on it. in the transmission of her
mails no Wanton or illegal revocation Of the right
would be tolerated.
The Department, in arriving at the conclusion
that the time had come when he mail service of the
United States ought to be placed upon the new and
additional route, has not been influenced in the
slightest degree by mere geographical partislities
Rightly considered, there rival and separate
interests of the North Northeast to be preudiced