Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-12-10
Tho Post ONCE Department.

Of the Confederate SuateS S@7, ~
tn-,,.,,v presented to the Congress now IL
session in this city. Pending the publication
Of that document, we take it that . "h'st0i,csi
retrospect" may prove acceptable 70 'ne ie1ue',
and aid in a morc> thorough appfec'A'on {.
-hot the Postmaster General may have deemed
:, II. a,,tv 70 communicate regarding one OF
no,. ;mnor,.nt branches Of tho Govern
,nept The Post oace Department is 80 'na
mat.ly blended with the power and prosperity
of national life, sud so distinctly indicative OF
national progress and intelligence, that 1t al
vsrs Yields, in It's history, a fair index as 10 Inc
nrcssnce and tho strength Of national vitality
Hence it is, that We deem some sketches now
svsr burriedly made, Of this system, from lu
origin to its present condition, appropriate just
now, and likely to be all.the more interesting
and useful, because We fad ourselves orsa'n-
ing . new political independence
Five centuries ago there was no sucn tnlps
a. a Post Office Department" known IN the
political system OF any nation On inc 'a'e VI
the earth. It is true, "pos's" were 10 EXIST
encs through parts Of Persia and china' anu
uscd BY The Egg ptisns and AraoianS 'or LUG
.-,nsm;ss,cn of government intelligence, at a
,.-;od +, which The records of modern civil
r,t,on "do,h not rum" Through the most in-
nortsnt sections of these old countries, there
existed 3 mode of REORGANIZATION pretty
much after the fashion of the Peru letter carry
ing system, 30 we'll known IN our time ~
HOLY Writ we f:d mention made OF -" poss
that .went with the letters from tho hing ano
al, hi, nrinces throughout all Israel e Oaron
XXI. g. And if We are 10 accept, IN our
,.n,e one of Jobs moraiizations, these posts
must have been famed for r~apidity, as he
mourns that his "days are swifter than
& pest" Job il, 25.) Nearer Cur own
time. and more interviewer with our own
race, we fad that Julius Caesar founded
a srstem of posts" in order to facilitate CON-
n,,n;cst;on between Britain and Rome. Rely
Ing on the correspondence Of julius and cicero
VA have TO believe that the 'time" made be-
tvesn the ~"posts" systcmstized under the
Triunyir outsped tie best "time" CLAIMED
for the fast mail coaches, which were thrown
off the track by the introduction OF steam.
The experience acquired BY the mighty Roman
while surveyor of the Appian Way, may have
enabled him thus completely to overcome the
treat obstacles to travel in his time. His sue
cessor preserved the reputation, with the use,
Of these posts, and committed the charge Of
them to the captain of the P:ssorian Guard;
thus stamping the e1clusiVensss OF their char
acter as courier dispatches for military or gov
.rnmsnt purposes. The service WAS discharged
By relays from the military posts, IS in Persia
and China a circumstance, doubtless, which
subsequently, fixed the torn Post" to this
brsnsh ~~r---.publio e~---A-Sti naarar orr
Franz, germany, and even England, letters
were sent BY ~itiasrant priests and Monasteries
gradually assumed The character of postofices
without, however, any such central authority
controlling them as that now fourishing.
But i. was not until the opening Of the Six
teenth Century that there Was any direct step
toward a regular postal system; and this step
was not made until the Duchy Of Milan, under
the noble Vlsconti, lod the way to a new indie
psndeaca, aad postal and national progress"
marched onward, hand in hand. The elder aud
Younger Observation-Disclosures and John Galeazzo
having seen their country free, set about
framing q postal system, which SO won the ad.
mi1a.ion Of the Emperor Charles V. that be
adopted it with improvements, Tor Germany.
To carry i: into effect be instituted q Postofice
Depsrtmen,and placed it's machinery in charge
Of the first Postmaster General recorded in
history. The name OF that important function.
ary was Leonard, Count OF Texts, (by some
spelled, as pronounced, Taxis.) That our frs,
Postmaster General should DO named John n.
Reagan, n. O., Of our Texas, may be an un.
noteworthy coincidence; nevertheless We men
ton it for the benefit CT the curious 10 such
things
From Italy and Germany the postof1ce sys-
tenn soon found its way to France and Ens-
land. The ecclesiastical authorities, then parn-
mount in all these nations, seeing the import
ance Of the new system, soon took it under
their special care. Indeed, without their in
Ausnce it could not succeed under the Visconti,
nor without their active cooperation could it
than prove to have been more thar o very
doubtful experiment. 1t is not, therefore, sur.
pris;ng to fod that the first Postmaster Gene
sal England had-or, at lesst, the first person
In whom that country recognized any authority
such n the Postmaster General now exercises
the papal Nuncio. The same was the
csse in France aud Spain. 80 far as England
vas concerned, the Reformation put an end to
this arrangement, and Queen Elizabeth ap-
pointed tie first independent Postmaster Gene.
raj known to that country. His name was
Thomas Randolph, and of his race, Maturin
says, came our Roanoke Randolpha. No titles
and distinguished official rank were attached to
the Office in those days; nor until England had
attained a far higher position in the rank
Of nations than she then enjoyed were tho
far higher privileges which have since mark.
rslship Of the Empire
While England Growing greater daily was
thus inauguratlng the Postal Department as a
part Of the political economy Of the country,
Germany Showing symptoms Of decay was
it as a monopoly in the family Of Tex
|ss; and France (troubled at houe) was selling
IL to the "highest bidder for a term Of years.
But when comparatively freed from civil trou
'bles, and the weakening devastations in the
train Of such troubles, in the peaceful part of
ths Seventeenth Century, both France and Ger.
many retraced their steps, and took measures to
tn. postzl system with Government gu.