, 1861-12-06

Leavin. amount alleged to be due
The estimate Of the Total expenditures for
1868 Is somewhat less than those Of previous
years heretofore submitted. This difference
arises from. the fact that only partial estimates
arc made for the cost Of postal service in States
where it Is now suspended.
The appropriation for tlefences III 1862 was
$5,S0l ,55o 63, while the amount estimated to
lie required from tIle Treasury for 1880, is
IS. lit, 900.
Tie whole number Of ordinary dead letters
received and examined during the year was
about 2550, COO.
The number Of these letters containing
money, which wcTe registered and sent out
fa:isf io,5s3f; Inc year ending June ~ 1S8l' was
The number Of dead letters returned un-
orened @ e. 70 foreign enuntrics during the fiscal
Of domestic 1cttcrs (105, $50 sent out us above,
gives the whole number sent out from the
deaa nd letter ofies for the year, a15, ,oss.
II Ihc result q successful Investigation in
Department, that the failure Of 4 letter to
reach its destination is, in the vast majority Of
Instances, the f:,ult alone of tile writer or
sender. Out Of thcabove 7,5Go valuable dead
letters, 3,095 were directed to the wrong Office;
4S7 were i1npcrfcctly addressed; 612 Tcre di-
rvetcd to tra1,sient persons; Isl to parties who
had changed their residences; S2l were atl-
dressed to fictitious persons or firms s. were
uncallcd for: 10 without any directions 2,136
were not mailed for want Of postage stamps;
~ were missent; aud Tor tue failurc Of post
masters to deliver 1''55, no satisfactory reason
was assigned The Department therefore can
Justly be held responsible for the non-leliyery
Of but 2l2 Of these letters.
Much other valuable data is given On this
subject, and it is worthy Of remark, that out
Of 70, fG' letters before alluded to, originating
in the loyal States, and addressed to residents
Of disloya1 States, 10000 could not be re-
turned, either because the signature Of the
writer was incomplete, or because the letter
contained no clue to his residence. The cx-
pericncc OF the Department shows that Il large
proportion of domestic letters written by cdn-
GATED persons, and particularly women, arc
deficient in one or both Of these respects
In view Of these and other facts, the Post
master General suggests that valuable dead
letters, Wien returned to their owners should
be charged with treble the ordinary rates Of
postage, comprising one rate for retnrn trans
portation to the dead letter office, one rate for
registration there, and ono rate for return
transportation to the writer's or owncrs.
\ treaty with Mexico has been conclnd-
ca, awaiting the ratification by Mexico, estab-
llslililg 4 common international rate Of twcn-
ty-fve cents on letters, with Other useful pro-
Visions.
The Postmastcr-General has accepted the
offer made in 1857 by Great Britain for re-
duction Of the international rate between the
twelve cents, which, however, has not yet
| gone into operation, rs it awaits tic response
Of the British Office.
The above abstract presents merely few Of
the points of the important report.
| Tic Postmastcr-Gel.crllg gives ut length his
reasons for the change Of contracts, for dis1oy-
| atty. Not only WIS it unsafe, he says, to en-
| trust the transportation Of the mails to per-
| son WHO refused or failed to recognize the
| s:nctity Of all oath, but to continue payment
Of public money to the enemies Of the Govern,
nlent and their allies, was to give direct aid
and comfort to treason in arms. We could
! not thus permit this branch Of government to
! contribute to its own overthrow.
The Postmaster-Gcners1 also gives his rea-
sons for excluding disloyal publications FROM
| the mails. To await the results of slow iudi-
cial prosecution was to allow crime to be con
en1nmatcd, with the expectation Of subsequent
| punishment, instead Of preventing its accom-
| pllshmcnt hy prompt and direct interference.
Of the cases prcsentc cd for his action, upon the
principles which he names, lie has, BY order,
| excluded from the mails twelve of these trea-
| sonablc publications, of which several had
| been previously presented By the grand jury
| as inccndiary and hostile to constitutional au-
! thor1ty.
| Willie the Postmaster General did not CHIN
| the authority to suppress any newspaper,
however disloyal and reasonable its contents,
| the Department could not be called upon to
| give them circulation. SIT could not and
| HOu1u uuI MltI1tlE Win tuE lECCu0tH secured
by law, but it could and did obstruct the dis
| scnina1on Of that Gccuse Which was without
| the pale Of the constitution and law. The
| mails established By the United States Gov
| eminent could not, 1pon any known princi-
pies of Law and public right, be used forits de-
be legally required to transport machine de-
| signed for the destruction Of the vehicle con
veying it, nr an inn-kcepcr be compelled to Gu
terrain traveller whom he knew to be intend
ing to commit robbery in his house.
He finds these views supported by the high
authority Of the late Chief Justice Story, Of the
Supreme Court of the United States, whose
opinion hc quotes.
| From the South.
NEW YORK, Dec. 5.-A private letter from
Port Royal states that one Quartermaster las,
on his own responsibility, set forty gins at
work. Negroes, as an induccucnt to work,
are paid three cents pound for marketable
cotton. It is represented that thcy have gone
into the business with enthusiasm.
| cHARLEsros, s. C., Nov. s0-Patriotic
planters on the seaboard are hourly applying
the torch to their crops Of cotton and rice
along the coast: Some have authorized the
military authorities to destroy the crops to
plantations. On the mouth Of The Edisto
river, and ncighborhood as well as clscwhcrl
along the coast Of South Carolina, there is one
sheet Of flame and smoke.
| GREEStILE, lenn., Nor. W-Henry FRI
and jacob HI. Hcns1se, Unionists, were huns
this evening by order Of tho military author
itic5.
RICHMOND, Nov. 3o.-Congress passed yes
terday, and the President approved to-day, al
act enabling the people Of Missouri to cleo
the Confederate Congress. An article from
the New Orleans Bulletin reads that 1.-TWO Con
! fede1atc steamers, the Henry Lewis and Wat
Eon, have been captured By the Union feet
!; and the former had on board 1,Sa0 barrels 0
uo1asses and 100 hogshcads Of sugar, Anothe
steamer, the California, had been chased AM
obliged to throw overboarda part of her caret
and forty head Of cattle" 4 dispatch fren