The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-03-12

Are We to Have . Daily Mail TO thu
Pacl0cs
1t is stated that . very genera. ieeling pre-
walls in Congress in favor of increasing hepre-
sent overland mail to California to daily scr
vice, instead of, as at present, semi-wsekly; and
this feeling but echoes the desire of the public,
both on the Atlantic and Pacific, to have this
great work accomplished.
Such proposition few years since would
have been dsrided as utterly imPrscticable;
but the evidence Of the past eighteen months.
In the successful working Of the existing Over
land Mail Company, has demonstrated not only
Its feasibility, bat has rendered it obvious NsAt
every consideration, political and comMar-
cial, demands that government shall eetslr.
lish daily mail, If IL can be had within re>-
sonable expense. The regularly and certsintv
with which the mails arc now carried scrosa tSs
continent are astonishing. Deserts mountains
and plains are traversed wishfar more apparent
ease than the mail experiences between this olty
and New Orleans; and the wonderful fact has
just been announced, that advices from Londea,
England were received in San Francisco, by
this overland route, in thirty-o1e days. Ths
enterprise Of a private company which, by libe-
raj expenditures, indemitable energy and true
American perseverance,, has succeeded In over
coming TIE obstacles which nature has reared
mp In tho hundreds Of miles Of savage territory
which have to be traversed from the Mississippf
to the Pacific, seeks in vain . parallel In NE
history of the world. Tho very magnitude Of
the enterprise would be sufficient to appaa
any but the most daring, courageous and on
terprisiDg men. That it has been successfully
accomplished is matter of national pride. al
though due to individual enterprise. The Or
cuitous isthmian routes, conveying the main
but twice month, or three times month IN
der the new arrangement, and possessing NO
incidental advantages, such as promoting the
settlement Of the interior of the country, and
affording us means of uninterrupted
communication with our sister States on the
Pacific in case Of war, are no longer adequate.
All the contracts with these routes win
expire on the LIST Of next July so shat there
are no endorsements in the way Of the pro-
posed Legislation for daily mail service across
the Plains. Independent of this consideration
Is the not unimportant fact that the contem-
plated daily overland route will be Saving to
the Post Office Department of several hundred
thousand dollars yearly, over the expense
which would be incurred if the semi -monthiy
ocean mail contracts are revived.
The present semi weekly overland mail was
contracted for by the Post Office Department
under special act Of Congress, ON the 18th Of
September, 1857. The route is not direct, bat
starts from two points On the Mississippi,
Memphis and St. Louis, bat joining each other,
and then running to San Francisco The con
tract specifies that the time between the
Mississippi and San Francisco shall be accom-
plished within twenty-five days In one yeas
from the date Of the contract the stages left the
several ternini, and performed the trip within
the specified time traversing nearly 5000 miles
of line through new and almost UNEMPLOYED
country. Vast tracts, Without q drop of water
to sustain either man or beast, did not deter
these hardy contractors. Again, swollen riveu
to be crossed without bridges had to be en-
counteredj and then, to add to these trials
the thefts and attacks Of providing bands of 90
wages had TO be repelled. AL these difficulties,
as we have seen, have been surmounted, and
or eighteen months this semi.weekly service
has been maintained, through. all seasons, with
Q regularity astounding in itself and marvel
lous when compared with the failures and mis-
If <ha lJouI
the settled portions Of the United States.
Scarcely an instance has occurred where tie
contractors have failed to make the time, and
most of the trips have been performed in from
twenty to twenty three days. Three hundred
and twelve trips, of 1900 miles each, have
over 100000 miles.
To accomplish this work the contractors now
employ sixteen hundred horses aud mules, and
about six hundred men, besides an abundance
of stages and covered wagons. The local
trade is represented as being considerable
and increasing. The country along the route.
is settling steadily, and thus one great object Of
the enterprise is already being accomplished
The first month the mails carried but three
hundred letters one way. Public confidence
has grown SO rapidly in consequence of the
regularity with which the trips have been pas-
formed, that the mails from San Francisco now
bring from fifteen to twenty thousand letters
each trip, and the numbers are rapidly sag-
mentiDg. With daily mail to San Francisco
we shall want telegraphic wires stretched
across the continent. After these are accom-
plished railroad to tho Pacific becomss IN
easy matter.
ANOTHER Rich PLAcYz OPENED IN THE Cry
On another page we publish a very surioss
statement of charges presented to the State
Senate by Mr.. Kerr one Of the Commissioners
of Excise. against tAe other two Commission