New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-03
PLEASURES or THE RUSSIAN POST OFFICE


Russian Letter 10 The Mancheste, Erarairer
In Russia. letter may be opened III its passage
through the post Office by anybody and eyerybodv
1t is true that acts of this kind usually have tbs
will of n Minister for their authority Ii Is also
well known that certain times and seasons ara,
chosen for pryug into correspondence for SCRAPS "a
sedition and threads of conspiracy. Bat it is mono
tho less true that there ~ nothing in the regula
tions OF the Russian post office TO prevent the
arbitrary and irresponsible acts of Minister from
being initiated by the postmaster or his clerk Tn
chances of a letter being allowed 10 pass without
interference are not ysblY greater than the chances
OF it being opened. Nor IS there much ceremony IN
the process. The officials seem to dispense with
that time hOnored exDedient OF inquistlye lodging
house keepers-a steaning tea-kettle The letter "a
simply slit for half ITS length-mol If necessary
the contents removed and examined, ana the en-
velOpe finally fastened up with the gunmed pager
that forms the margin Of sheet postage stamps
AS there IS not the slightest necessity for conceal
ment, there is not the smallest attempt to disguise
the act of nqusitiOn and the opened letter reaches
its destination with the evidences of its Treatment
written broadly, even trumphantly, acI its face
Opened communications are not. however, always
reclosod. On the evening OF the assassination Of
the late Emperor every letter passing through the
st. Petersburg post office was opened and subse-
uuently delvered-whcro delivery TOOK place-wth
a gaping slit in the envelope. indicating the feyersh
haste with which the scrutiny had been conducted
In the provinces, perhars post Office officials are
less liable to panic than IN the capital but their
very distance from the seat OF government gives
precariousness to postal communication from which
the system does not suffer in centres like st.
Petersburg and Moscow. In the capital there II at
least dispatch even II accompanied by disagree
able form of espionage; ia the provinces postal
traffic is beset with much slowness and uncertainty
Some of the postmasters have habit of OBTAINING
correspondence for days at a time. From Astra-
khan, tor example, have Just received al the same
hour and moment two letters one OF which was
posted six days before the other In country towns
post Office servants are strongly suspected-with
what Justification | know nOt-Ol delaying and
opening letters purely for the purpose Of possessing
themselves of local secrets. II the address is
written badly, and does not at once disclose its
efnDlOye.
ana ultimately consigned To the ilames Ia this
way many thousands OF letters are annually burnt
in INSTRUMENTATION which think IL safe 10
say would under a better aud more palnstakng
system for the most part reach their destination.
1t is. of course, upon books newspapers ard printed
matter Of all kinds that the Russ an post office
censorship presses most heavily To receive The
Contemporary Rertep with four or five pages of an
article obliterated by filthy thinking compound of
OIL beeswaX and printing ink; to have ones Han
chester Eramiaer aud Times handed to one with its
first or second leading article cut clearly by tho
censorial sclssOrs-are experiences which in Eng
land could only be conceived OF the preninaries
aud prOvOcatives OF some national agitation, but
which IN Russia are treated, because they have to
be treated as everyday occurrences.
Not very many months ago registered letters
could not be received without first passing through
the Custom House. The owner Of the commuuica-
ton, after complying with certain prelimnares,
designed to assist the authorities in his llentllica
ton, went TO the Custom House to claim his
letter He was there subjected to an examination.
II his papers and documents were satisfactory, the
letter was produced. solemnly opened, and, finally
if found TO contain no cOntrabaud articles, it was
handed over to the claimant. 1t happened often
enoUgh-the Russians have perfect mania for the
unnecessary registration of letters-lhat all the
package contained was photograph Or a pair of
stockings. and TO obtain possession of those articles
the la Y-abiding citizen was subjected to delay OK
at least two days. a charge OF from Cd. to Isl aud
to the loss of whole afternoon or morning spent IN
the visit to the dOudRe not 10 say anything about
the annoyance and loss of tenn er involved. Even
now since the abolition of the Custom House
animation, the receipt OF registered letters is ham,
and af fha
1ery unnecessary, conditions The recipient is
first officially notified that there is a registered
stranger, he probably hurnes thither to claim It,
but only to discover his righteousness and precpi-
fancy. 1t is for the droraik who watches over him
at his hotel or lodgng-house to make the first step.
The drOrR.k must visit the nearest police station,
and there make statutory declaration to the
effect that the Ivan Ivanovich, residing at such
address in such perspective. Is the very identical
Ivan lyanOyich mentioned in tue official nOtlfica-
ton, and other. his declaration sOlemuy made,
the chief or police of the quarter sole mnly legal.
ICES" the document, and the notification, having
been signed by Ivan lvanovich can then be cx-
changed for the registered letter at the post Office.
OF course Ivan IvanOvch cannot get his COM
muncation on the day of its arrival, he must per-
sonaly present himself at the post office in order
to receive it, and he is sometimes called upon to
pay in fees of one kind or another value IN ex-
cess OF that OF the contents Of the letter them
selves Nor are the formalties which have to he
complied with in the dispatch of registered letters
ut all less annoying or expensive. One OF the regil
latiOns makes 10 incumbent upon the sender 10
write the value of the package in coin. notes or
Articles a form. and also on the outside of the
envelope; and this III some cases, must take place
in French. How inuriously this arrangement may
operate is shown by the details of a which
nave just reached me from Moscow. In small
village twenty miies from the ld.Russian capital
ives a tradeSman who is in the habit of sending
small sums of money through the post ~ registered
ette-. He does not know French the post Office
officials of his village are ignorant of that lam
yuage. he can get no one TO assist him. and is,
therefore, obliged to travel twenty miles to Moscow
% dispatch his packet there The result is that the
,Ost OF the journey is actually III excess OF the
AMOUNT OF his incl0sure!