, 1859-03-04

Semi-weekly overland mail from Memphis
and st. Louis via Fl Paso to San Francisco COO 900
Weekly overland mail from St. Joseph. Mis-
souri, and thence to Pacerve, California, $40, 900
Monthly route from Kansas City, via Albu-
querque and Tejon Pass 70 Stockton, 10000
Semimonthly mall from New Orleans to Te-
s2,Is4 Cos
Add s36 900 for the Tehuantepec Route when
Francisco, SO 900
Total, s2,23O,698
The Ocean service by the Isthmus Of
Panama, starts from New York and New
Orleans, aud communicates with Oregon as
well as California, and is not exclusively
local in IFS character. Deducting, there
fore, the sum first above stated, and also
the payment on account of the Tehuante-
pee route (Which would be an aggregate
of 81 ,024 $50, and it leaves total annual
expenditure for Mail Service over Ameri-
can Territory between latitudes 80 and
400 Of 81 l96, ,44S, while the area between
latitudes 400 and 49o is without any Over
land Mail Service whatever.
These facts warrant the present applica-
tion TO Congress, for the establishment Of
an Overland Semi-Weekly Mail on or near
the foriy-seventh parallel Of north latitude,
and that the same legislative and other
provision in its behalf shall be made, which
now exists in favor Of the Overland Route
near the Southern frontier. More, the citi
zens Of the Lake States are net disposed to
ask-sO much the Government should be
prompt to concede.
The late annual report Of the Postmaster
General contains favorable intimation on
this subject. In regard to toe " overland
connection with California aud the other
Pacific States and Territories" that officer
remarks: Except one other route, common
y called the Northern route, from st. Paul,
in Minnesota, to Seattle, in Washington
Territory, no other is now thought of as
being likely to become necessary" In q
schedule Of mail contracts, for which the
Post Office Department has invited propo-
sails, q semi-monthly mail service between
the points named above, was advertised.
But semi-monthly mail is entirely made
quate 70 meet the public emergency, while
the necessary expenditure for stock, vehi-
cles, stations, facilities Of transit, and pro-
lection to the employed, will be nearly the
same under a semi-monthly as q semi-week-
ly contract. No proposition, which respon-
sible and competent parties would tender,
is likely 10 be accepted, without the inter
venton of Congress Hence bills have al
ready been presented at Washington by
Hon. II. NJ. Rice, S nator from Minnesota,
and by Hon. e. B. Washburn, Represen-
tative from Illinois, either of which, if en-
acted by Congress, would be satisfactory
to the memoriaists. We repeat and urge
the request, that one of these bills may
speedily become law.
The preceding statements Of the current
expenditures for Pacific mail service, is pro-
duced with no inviduous motive We dis
claim all sectional prejudice on this subject.
The transit Of Central America and an
overland connection Of the Gulf Of Mexico
with the Pacific, are objects Of such impor-
tanco political and commercial, as fully to
Justify tho appropriation in question. The
citizens Of Minnesota are accustomed to
regard the debouehure Of the Mississippi
upon the Gulf of Mexico; the junction Of
the Ohio and Missouri in mid-channel of
the Mississippi, and the head of navigation
upon the Mississippi, as the prominent
points of departure and distribution to the
great plains of the continent; and they
will advocate in behalf Of routes from New
Orleans to San Diego, and from st. Louis
to San Francisco, the identical measure
which they ask fer on Overland Mail Route
from Minnesotafo Oregon and Washing
ton. Safe and specdy communications be-
tween the Cults of Mexico and California
should be and have been established, but
why not join, by similar enterprise, the
conFerging Mediter0neans Of the Northern
| Lakes? Not o subscriber to this Memo
rial, but would rejoice, if at the present
session of Congress, three millions per an
nun were appropriated to open three great
post routes, as already delineated-an ex-
pendture, which, in connection with the
extinction of Indian titles along the lines,
q CORRESPONDING extension of land surveys
and pre-emptions, and some aid in the CON
struction of roads and bridges, would
accomplish more TO advance the Pacific
Railway interest, than the passage of any
of the measures now pending at Washing
ton. Indeed, any or all routes of Pacific
Railroad must be opened in their whole
extent to settlement-mus be made acceS-
sible to emmigrants-muSt be transferred
to the postal and political protection Of the
Governnent, as completely as the settled
districtslof Minnesota, before any substan-
tial progress is made upon the question Of
Pacific Railroad.
The undersigned need not enlarge upon
recent events, which have made it impossi-
bic for an American statesman longer to
ignore the Importance Of the Overland
Route to the North Pacific. The discovery
of the extensive gold fields upon Frazer
and Thompson riVers-the organization of
British Columbia-the withdrawal of the
Hadson Bay Company, to the Districts of
British America north of latitude 550-
the abundant evidence, that there is an in
habitable district, Northwest Of Minnesota
and beyond the international frontier, fer
tile, rich in ceal and minerals, and which,