The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-03-12
IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE posi-

several material changes in the postal service
have been authorized by Congress. The act EN-.
powers the Postmaster General to procure and fur
nish letter sheets, with postage stamps impressed
thereon, combining in one both sheet nd an en- |
velope.
Another section requires that letters " hich have
been advertised shall be returned to the Post Office
Department, if unclaimed, two months after the |
GATE OF the advertisement; except in cases where
letters are directed to for persons board
OF designated vessels expected to arrive; and, also,
IN cases where letters are especially marked to be
retained for longer period. This provision short
ems the time during which dead letters are detained
at the office of delivery about month. The I'M
claimed money obtained from dead letters is to be
applied hereafter to promote the efficiency Of
dead letter office, by providing for more careful
examination and the return of large number to
the writers.
We observe, also, change in the rates of post
age on what are technically called ship letters
that is, letters that by occasional packets or
vessels, and not by the regular mail lines Hereto
fore, through lapse in the law, the postage on a
single letter OF this kind, delivered within the port
where the vessel arrived was six cents, while on
similar letter by the same vessel, to be forwarded
thousands of miles further through the mails the
postage was but five cents. The rate is now to be
hive cents when delivered at the port of arrival,
and the ordinary postage, with two cents added,
when the letter is to be forwarded.
TO newspaper publishers and their customers in
the interior, the most important section is that
which makes it 'lawful for persons known as regu-
lar dealers in newspapers and periodicals to re-
ceye by mail such quantities of either as they NAV
require, and to pay the postage thereon as they
may be received, at the rates as regular sub
scribers to such publications This is to give the
beneht OF the reduced quarterly rates to newspa-
per dealers who, account of the irregularity in
the number of papers and periodicals they order
hnd 1t impossible to pay postage quarterly in ad-
vance.
Two other sections enlarge the scope of mailable
matter, to be paid for according to the weight of
package including
graphs, or Photographic prints rollers or in pa
per covers; books, bound or unbound; monograph
&c paper and envelopes all of which are to be rated
at one cent an ounce for any place within the
the United States not over fifteen hundred miles
and two cents an ounce for any distance over fifteen
hundred miles, prepaid by postage stamps The
packages must not exceed four pounds. Cards,
blank or printed, in packages weighing at least
eight ounces, and seeds cuttings in packages not
exceeding eight ounces, made mailable matter
at the same rates, prepared in the same way.
BY the fourteenth section of the act, we notice
that some letters by the overland routes to the Pa
chc, heretofore rated at three cents per half ounce
when the distance was under three thousand miles
are now to be rated ten cents. The law will be
that the ten cents rate of postage is to be prepaid
on all letters east of the Rocky Mountains and anv
State or Territory on the Pacific.
THE STEAM EXPANSION EXPERIMENT.
The prolonged Investigations of the Naval Board
on the United States steamer Michigan were
brought to close on Monday last, and the report
forwarded to Washington The Board was COM
posed of Chief Engineers B. f. sherwood, Theodore
Zeller, Robert Ii. Long and Aban G. Sinners
They met at Erie the 10Th ofNovember last and
commenced their experiments on the 1st of Deem
Der. The object of their Investigations was to de-
termlne the practical value of the expansive prin-
ciple in the steam engine. In their report the
Board state that the experiments have been made
under the most favorable conditions, not only for
obtaining exact parative results but for obtain
ing the maximum for the largest measures of ex-
panslon The boiler pressure sufficiently high;
the back and friction pressures the minimum in
practices the organs of the engine were well pro-
poroned and tunctioned properly; the boilers fur
nshed easily an abundant supply of steam and
never gave the slightest evidence of foaming-
Every circumstance combined to render the results
even hypercritically unexceptonabe. Yet in all
respects and under all possible changes of condition,
eeney are conclusive against the popular belief in
favor OF nigh measures OF expansion; for cutting off
steam at 40 of the stroke is scarcely recoonizad
as working expansiyely ~
Eighteen experiments, occupying seventy-two
hours each, were made. Seven of these formed tba
oases lor the hnal calculations and they alone en-
ter into the report. In these experiments the
fractions OF the stroke when the steam was emf off
are as follows: 1l-l2, 10, 40, $40, Ia l-6 and
40. One of the important determinations reached
IS the necessity of cutting off at ITO of the stroke
Those who have engines cutting off anywhere 9
OF the stroke would not do well to make anv alter
atoms in consequence of the results obtained bv
the Board, as that point of cutting off has proved
regard to fuel alone. But those about to build en-.
glnes will do well to make their calculations for
cutting oil at ITO Of the stroke, for the reasons
that the economy IN the matter of fuel is within
Two per cent. OF that when cutting off at 4-9-the
saving IN the first cost of the construction of an
engine Is ten per cent, and if it is to be used in
steamboat or wherever freight room is valuable
the saving In the weight to be carried and the space
to be occupied will be in equal ratio.
In addition to these advantages, there is the
greater simplicity OF the mechanism requiring at
tention, due to the fact that there is no indenen
dent cutoff gear whatever, and all being smaller
ana more easily repaired when arrangements oc-
cur 1t is supposed by most engineers that there
Is decided advantage in using an adjustable cut
OH lot modifying the power of the engine not to be
obtained In the use of the throttle valve The
report OF the Board shows concusively that there
is no difference in point of economy between the
two methods.
The Board also determined incidentally the
value OF the hydro-carbon coal furnished them at
Erie. When compared with anthracite, the uni
Versal standard, much to their surprise thew found
that the consumption of one pound of it eyaporatad
htteen per cent more water than the same quantity
of anthracite. In all the experiments heretofore
tried, so far publicity has been given to them the
anthracte has proved superior to every variety of
hydro-carbon coal; but it is evident from these
experiments that the coal used ON the steamer
Michigan by the Naval Board is superior to anthra
cite, and logically the best coal known to the
world. w 'De
r, OHIO AND ITS lNDUsrRY.-In Ohio there is State
commissioner of Statistics whose business II ia IN
gather valuable information from all sources rnon
the agricultural and manufacturing productions of
the State, and to report it yearly to the Governor
Inc report for 1860, just published, shows that the
population of the State has increased 3f5 e71 ~
1874 per cent. in the last year. 1t now 34e ooo
There are l3, lO5,945 of improved land an in
crease OF 80 per cent. The average amount of land
owned by each person is 80 acres. The average
price OF farm land is S21 per acre The crons for
1860 were as follows: wheat, 10 PAT 467; corn. 6S
73O846; oats, l5,04S, &c., rye, 57G 274: barley T.
63S,577; buckwheat, 3,042, JIG. Aggregate grain.
Ioz, 5o4,a49. Increase, l6 per cent. The hay crop
was sos 465 tons, an increase of 25 per cant The
animals are set down as follows: horses and mules.
aoOO97 cattle, l,902, 772; sheep, $685. TIA; swine
2,Z4Z,Sl4. Aggregate, S,2l3,S57; aggregate in
crease, per cent; increase of horses and CATTLE A
per cent The total number of industrial establish
ments in the State is 10, 200. The amount of coal
produced from the mines is about so 900 900 bush
els The tons of pig-iron produced, 1O6 OOO In
crease of coal Mined 500 per cent? increase of pig
iron 100 per cent. The increase of FOREIGN com
commerce has been 100 per cent; GS vessels with a
tonnage OF 1882 were built during the wear. The
products OF manufactures, mining and the mecban-
ic srts, are set down at 1862 l83. The follow
ing are the leading articles iron $40 600 600 cloth
ing, SIS, 000,0O0; carriages and wagons 81 500 Ooo
animal tat, Coils, candles, &C., Sc 600 900; animal
meats, Sl2 ,0O0,0 900; wine, whskey, ale. beer. Gc
81, zs4, 1e5; wool, Sl,5OOO00 cotton 81 500 900:
leather, So 0O0, 900; agricultural machines 81 5O0
600; flour, wood vessels and non-enumerated arti
eles, ST., 600 0OO furniture, $4,000 00O Aggregate
1871 ,zo4,72o. There are great many other inter,
esting statistics in the report but those extracted
ABOVE VIII show how Ohio progresses in industry
and in wealth.
The MEXICAN SAINr-Description of Him.-We
recently stated some facts connected with his bisto
ry. correspondent at Laredo saws:
81 suppose you have heard ofthe Mexican saint
wen, nave seen the gentleman, and nice old
fellow he is to have fifteen hundred or two thou
sand people following him. Being in Guerrero on
business, heard so much of Tatita as he is cal,ed
at Mier, about ten leagues off, l thought | would
go and see him. Fancy nan about sixty wears
OF age, very dark and vulgar looking, with a LONG
white beard reaching half way to his waist, grew
moustache and hair, with hat of the old high
crowned nroad brim Mexican style black wool
coat OF striped sackcloth, pants of the same dirty
white shirt, open down the bosom, sandals on
pair of very dirty feet, tied with strings coming up
between the toes, and you have the personnel of a
man who wieds rod of iron over about two thou
sand human beings, and they following him and
kissing his feet and hands, and firmly believing
him to be the God of Hosts
II was with him all dav-took supper with him.
and had some conversation with him. | asked
him about peace in Mexico and the United States
country until the world was destroyed His mode
OF doctorlng is curious. His medicines are soqua
ardientc' and water. He rubs it on the affected
parts while the patient is kneeing. He has per-
formed some astonishing cures, and supports the
people who with him. He buys beeyes divides
amongst them, gives them clothing and supports
them entirely. Where the money comes from do
not know; but do know that he supports them
and at an enormous expense. This is no hearsay
what have said | have seen, and unless | had,
would not believe
MACHINERY FOR PRINTING CALIcoEs-An idea
may be formed of the extraordinary influence
which the introduction of machinery and imnroye
had in oh A..