The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-08
EARLY POSTAL. SERVICE
When Envelopes We're Unknown
and Mail Routes Few.
History of Letter That Became
Sidetracked In IA hMaryland Town
While on Its Why From Edenton,
N. c., to IA Business Firm in New
York-Chnnecs Wrought by Years.

| There is something fascinating to me
about old letters said gentleman in
! this city the other day, even when the
writer and the party addressed are un-
known. Here are some epistolary speci-
MEMS" he said, recently found in a
| closet of an old New York house which
was being pulled down. They bear the
| date 1897, and relate to business trans
| action between firm of New York mer-
chants and a storekeeper of Edenton,
N c."
The gentleman handed over the docu-
ments for inspection. and they were in
deed curious enough in their suggestive
ness of past age to say nothing of their
writer, dust and ashes these many years.
and the matter of which they treated
likewise long dead and forgotten.
The handwriting of the letters-three
in number-was eXl remedy neat, and in
the script which seems to have been en-
ployed almost universally among otr fore
fathers. Or course the date of the COM
munications was long prior to the Use of
envelopes or postage stamps. Instead,
the letters were merely folded and sealed
with a wafer, and in one instance, en-
closed in an exterior wrapper by party
in Charlestown, Nd, by whom it was for
from the latter incident that the rate at
which the mails travelled in those days
was extremely slow, and that the chances
OF letter reaching its destination de-
pended considerably upon the courtesy OF
those into whose-hands it fell during its
intermediate journey.
The enclosed letter, written by one
James Hathaway, of Edenton, N. c., to
the firm of Messrs. Clendening d Mac
larin, of New York, bears the date ae Feb
ruary A. 1897. 1t was forwarded b. John
Hapsay, of Chariestown, Md. on February
10. Thus six days from the date of send
ing elapsed before it left the latter place,
which is just about half way between
Edenton and New York, SO that. not count
ing delays on the road, twelve days may be
taken as the minimum time occupied in the
transmission, which could now be effected
III twelve hours at the furthest. More
over, the visits of the postman, or rather
post rider, for there was no private de-
livery, were few and far between, as the
following notice in the Maryland Jour
nal," of about the date in question, will
serve to show:
THE subscriber begs to inform the pub
lie that he rides post from the town of
Baltimore to the town of Frederick (once
a week.. from whence another post rides
to the town of Winchester Va. Those who
have any commands may depend upon
having their business faithfully executed
He sets OFF from Mr. William Adams, at
the sign of the Race Horses, in Baltimore,
every Saturday at 1 O'Clock.
"ABSALoM BONHAM"
The note encloseit or, rather, written
upon the inside of the. cover of the for
warded letter, is as follows:
"Charlestown, Cicel County, Nd,
February 9th, 1857.
"Gentlemen-I take the freedom of Di-
recting this Letter to your Care, hoping
that you Will be So kind as to forward il
the first opportunity and In So doing you
will obledg you Well Wishing friend and
''Hnnbel Servant.
JOHN HAPSAY,
"Messrs. Clindinen and AoClain.'
These old letters suggest the immense
changes that have come TO pass in the
postal system of the country. Our present
postal system has been in operation about
us years. The first iritimation of anything
like a public post in the colony records
occurs in May, 1877, where it is found that.
on petition of sew :ral merchants of Boz
ton, Mass. the court appointed Mr.. John
Hayward scrivener ito take in and con-
yey letters according to their direction"
In the annals of Philadelphia 1t is re-
corded that in the month of July. 1856,
William Penn issued an order for the es-
tablishment of postofIiee at Philadelphia
Pa. and granted authority to Henry
wsldy. of Tekonay tTacony). to supply
horses from Pennsylvania to New Castle.
Del. This post went once week. after
being carefully published on the meeting
house door and other public places
In 1852 patent was laid before the
Virginia Assembly for making Mr.. Neal
Postmaster General OF Virginia and
other parts of America" but ii was i'm
possible to carry the act in favor of it
into effect "on account of the dispersed |
situtions of the inhabitants
The history of Essex County, Mass, |
contains the statement that in 1899 the |
court ordered that "all letters from be- !
yond the seas should be deposited with |
Richard Fairbanks. Of Boston, who was ]
to receive one penny each for their de- |
livery.
The first legislative action with refer |
ence to the postofiice VS. in 1900. when |
the Colonial Government passed an act |
for the establishment of a postofIice a |
Philadelphia. At this time the total pop |
ulation of all the American colonies WAS |
about 100000 souls. The first Congress |
that was established under the present |
Constitution passed an act for he tenn |
porary establishment of a pcstofflce," ap- |
proved September %, 1883. On April T. |
1896 Mr.. Thatcher, from special com |
mittee on postoffice ma tiers, reported at /
some length TO the House of Representa- |
tives. This report gives some idea of the |
slovenly methods then in vogue concern |
ing the distribution of the mails The |
following passage may be quoted a. an |
instance of the slipshod way of carrying |
the mails:
"All the papers and packages directed !
to distant customers and 10 be left at dif-
ferent offices and places are put loose into |
the portmanteau with others, for subscri- |
bers less distant, and as often as the mail /
is opened the newspapers are all thrown /
together out Of the oortmaDteau, in order |
to find the individual paper or package /
TO be left at such office or place. At such |
times there is good reason to suppose pa
pers and small packages are taken away
by persons present at the opening OF the I
portmanteau 20 whom they are not di- !
rected but without the knowledge or
privity of the postmasters or carriers of |
the mail Sometimes, also, il may be pre-
sumed. single papers and small bundles |
are unintentionally omitted to be put into ,
the portmanteau again after they had |
been turned out for the purpose of select
ing such as are to be left at that partic-
ular place"
In the words of a commentator, 1.-The |
eighteenth century closed with the Post
office Department so insignificant in its
extent and revenues that ii is only to be
regarded as the germ of the present i'm
mense and complete system"
FLIGHT OF HOMING PIGEONS.