, 1897-03-10

lie country postman may be. US he plods
ans often weary round day after day, in
sunshine or storm, be is not particularly
picturesque, compared with, say, the In
l!un runner Of Mexico, who carries the
mails among The Sierra Nevada noun
Gains. and bearing a weight OF 20 to 80
polnds, never lets himself be delayed
ny "washOuts" or swollen streams. He
swings along at an e1isy run, which
must carry him on at a rate OF at least
nearly always dressed in white cotton
clo,h, makes u conspicuous figure
agI,nst the somber tints Of the high
mountain levels. Then there are the
Arab couriers OF Morocco. who must
make on foot the distance OF about $50
miles between TangIer and Fee, in three
and a half days, by tortuOus roads, over
nigh mountains, and across bridgeless
rivers. In the marshy ground Of b
Landes Of France, the m~ail-carriers
stride along on their high stills at q
tremendous pace. In the arctic regions
,he Russian mail routes are traversed by
reindeer-sledges, which fly over the
crisp snow at the rate Of 10 miles q day.
a recent writer has described the
There the postman is often unable to
read, and may be seen sitting on hi
step ui Il villa will the contents Of his
bag strewcd round him, waiting the ad-
vent OF II passer-by intelligent enough
70 tell him which letters are to be deliv-
cred there. Sometimes he gives the
householder MI his letters in a heap,
pelling him to select his own.
In some parts OF Australia the postal
system is still very crude Along the
coach roads in the lllawarra district,
near sydney, there may be seen at in
,ervals large boxes secured to the trunks
Of trees. The postal matters brought by
he mail coach tor the settlers are piac-
ed in these boxes, and removed by them
when it suits their convenience 10 come
and fetch them. The boxes are not
locked or fastened in any way. yet it is
said they are never robbed.
Most remarkable Of %postOtiices is the
big barrel secured to a rock overlooking
the Straits of Magellan. Every ship
llat rounds the horn stops there, and
puts a boat ashore with letters to be left.
and the sailor VINO takes them looks ov-
| ~ , b,,-a IN tho InrraI f.N.binD nj, ~ n
hat his ship car forward to their des-
rination. Then he refastens the cover
on the barrel with its hook and staple,
and leaves the Office that needs no post
master or mail bags TO itself until the
next ship comes by.
The l%celauders have their bottle
post" The inhabitants Of the small ISL
ands off the south coast, when they wish
TO communicate with the mainland. take
advantage Of a south wind, and putting
their letters in Il well-corked bottle,
trust il to the waves. which speedily
bear it TO the shore, where people are
: generally on the outlook for these sea
!, messengers, and ready to deliver the
missives in return for the piece OF to-
bucco inclosed with them as renunera-
lion. Off Il own western coast the
severely isolated St. kildans sometimes
try TO convey news OF their warfare to
the mainland in the same way. A tin
canister containing letters to 20 posted
with money to pay the postage. was
found on the Shetlands, having drifted
the 300 miles from St. kildn in three
months and nine days.
, Our own p~ostoffice affords an endless
store OF amusing oddities In its blind"
letters, the misadventures OF letters, and
the enormous and d~isorganizing Christ
mas traffic; and the annual reports, when
they make their appearance. are eager
ly seized on by the newspapers in search
of the plums concealed in the mass Of
statistics.-Household Words.