Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-12-05
R.psr, Of III. Po.,ma.,.. General.

The report of the Postmaster General for the
last nscal year ending June 30 1860, is a very In
teresting and comprehensive document, exhibit
ing an accurate and detailed account of the entire
operations Of this important branch OF our Gov.
ernment for that year, and evidences the bestowal
OF great attention In ks preparation. Ih CON-
pleteness and the explicit manner In which eyery-
thing Is presented rejects great credit upon that
meritorou officer .... - ri T.. = - y
1t states the number Of mail routes I'm operation
on the 3Oth Of June last TO have been 6, ,S02; the
number OF CONTRACTORS, AS; the length OF the
same ~ have been estimated at 24O 594 miles
The number Of post Offices is set down at % .s52
ne number OF post efhees at present subject to
Is 433 - = 80 80 = ',s-1a.- - O'eA y ''A'e'
The expenditures up to June last amour ted to
sly, I5O6.s 49, actual expenditures for 1850 Esl4-
sl4,1H So gross revenue for 1860, ss sis Oo7 40,
being an increase OF nearly per cent over the
revenues OF last year. Estimated Expenditures
Tor 1862, &14 s55 ,535 %; estimated revenue for
1o62 30 68s ,934 60 Value Of STAN ps and stamped
envelopes Issued during the year, 50 ,26l $50 "a;
increase Of s6Os;7s e5 The number of dead
Letters registered and sent out during the wear
1850 was III OH; number opened at San Francisco,
75,l27. Foreign letters, i4O, oil. Out of 81 SOS
letters without inc osur,s the number for want of
proper direction was III, l7S; number entirely
without address or direction 357. n. I'
Inc aggregate amount of postage (sea, inland
and foreign) on United states and European
nails was ,376 lO2 25; the number of letters ,nd
newspapers exchanged with Europe was s3 i66. on
PREPAYNENr OF PosTAsE.-Referring to the
M
pulsory, the Postmaster General observes that
notwithstanding every possible publicity has
been 9 ven to this law through the press and by
Placaras on the letter-boAes, yet from inadvert-
ehce, fraud, or other cause, numerous letters
continue to be deposited in the boxes on
which the carriers fee 10 not paid The
courtesy Of the department in giving the no
tice ahuded-which has imposed upon II a heavy
burden-instead OF being appreciated has bren
the means Of provoking much bitter and senseless
animadversion or the part Of those w no find them
selves overtaSeh by the unpleasant consequences
OF their own neglect or fraud, or Of that Of their
correspond ents To all this, 1t is sufficient to re-
ply, that the postal authorities are but performing
plain and simple duty In enforcing this law,
ana II rassnents ensue il is but proper that
thsy should fall upon those by whose willful or
needless conduct they have been superinduced
lg gnoranee 50 defiant Of all attempts at its en-
llghtenmsnt, or indifference insensible ali ke to
duty aad to interest, may we'll be permitted u
suffer annoyance, and even loss, without exciting
any serious concern. 1t is proper to say that cu.
PaDle negligence 10 not by any means confined to
the correspondents Of our own country. In Eng
land as appears from the last report Of the Post
master General, more than 11,0OO letters were
posted during the year 1859, without any address
at all, while is added, 200 are daily posted at
the principal Office in London, unsealed
The act OF 1855, providing for the registration
OF valuable letters, he regards as having proved
failure The Government assumes no RESPONSE
6inty whatever for the loss Of letters or packets
thus registered, and az they are convened In the
same pouches, they are surrou nded by no greater
guarantees Tor their security, either In transmits
sion or delivery, than such as belong 10 the ordi-
nary mails OF the country. They bear a mark
however, which indicates to all through whose
hands they pass, their valuable character and
this indication serves rather 10 suggest and invite
depreciation than to prevent IT..
Abiding to the circumstances attending the
defaication Of L. v. Fowler, late Postmaster at
New York, the Postmaster General says: Fowler
has given his deposition in support Of defense
alleging that there was such an agreement be-
tween himself and the two sureties now sued, but
that he failed to procure the 81 Of the third
surety named, and forwarded the bond TO the de-
partn.ent without apPrising II Of the existence Of
this agreement. Ii was thus accepted In good
faith by the Government, without the slie htest
intmation from any quarter that its execution
was Informal or Incomplete. The gross fraud at
tempted to be practised bv this ""~"--'
which snii.v.s prelude to the ember<Isrnan;,
w mss mt systematic
preparation for It. Should the Court held that
this secret compact between these sureties and
their principal, though not communicated to the
Government, will bar the pending suit, then no
confidence can be safely reposed by the depart
ments In any bond executed by their officers en-
gagged In the public service In that event IL will
be for Congress to determine whether some fur
ther Is not necessary for the protection
OF these intefests whose security the announce
ment Of SO extraordinary legal prop osi ton must