north america-2-第69部分

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　their　money　difficulties；　because　they　are　born　of　England；　and　are　not　born　of　Austria。　　What！　　Shall　our　eldest　child　become　bankrupt　in　its　first　trade　difficulty；　be　utterly　ruined　by　its　first　little　commercial　embarrassment！　　The　child　bears　much　too　strong　a　resemblance　to　its　parent　for　me　to　think　so。

CHAPTER　XIII。　THE　POST…OFFICE。

Any　Englishman　or　Frenchman　residing　in　the　American　States　cannot　fail　to　be　struck　with　the　inferiority　of　the　post…office　arrangements　in　that　country　to　those　by　which　they　are　accommodated　in　their　own　country。　　I　have　not　been　a　resident　in　the　country；　and　as　a　traveler　might　probably　have　passed　the　subject　without　special　remark；　were　it　not　that　the　service　of　the　post…office　has　been　my　own　profession　for　many　years。　　I　could　therefore　hardly　fail　to　observe　things　which　to　another　man　would　have　been　of　no　material　moment。　　At　first　I　was　inclined　to　lean　heavily　in　my　judgment　upon　the　deficiencies　of　a　department　which　must　be　of　primary　importance　to　a　commercial　nation。　　It　seemed　that　among　a　people　so　intelligent；　and　so　quick　in　all　enterprises　of　trade；　a　well…arranged　post…office　would　have　been　held　to　be　absolutely　necessary；　and　that　all　difficulties　would　have　been　made　to　succumb　in　their　efforts　to　put　that　establishment；　if　no　other；　upon　a　proper　footing。　　But　as　I　looked　into　the　matter；　and　in　becoming　acquainted　with　the　circumstances　of　the　post…office　learned　the　extent　of　the　difficulties　absolutely　existing；　I　began　to　think　that　a　very　great　deal　had　been　done；　and　that　the　fault；　as　to　that　which　had　been　left　undone；　rested　not　with　the　post…office　officials；　but　was　attributable　partly　to　political　causes　altogether　outside　the　post…office；　and　partlyperhaps　chieflyto　the　nature　of　the　country　itself。　It　is　I　think　undoubtedly　true　that　the　amount　of　accommodation　given　by　the　post…office　of　the　States　is　small；　as　compared　with　that　afforded　in　some　other　countries；　and　that　that　accommodation　is　lessened　by　delays　and　uncertainty。　　The　point　which　first　struck　me　was　the　inconvenient　hours　at　which　mails　were　brought　in　and　dispatched。　　Here　in　England　it　is　the　object　of　our　post…office　to　carry　the　bulk　of　our　letters　at　night；　to　deliver　them　as　early　as　possible　in　the　morning；　and　to　collect　them　and　take　them　away　for　dispatch　as　late　as　may　be　in　the　day；　so　that　the　merchant　may　receive　his　letters　before　the　beginning　of　his　day　business；　and　dispatch　them　after　its　close。　　The　bulk　of　our　letters　is　handled　in　this　manner；　and　the　advantage　of　such　an　arrangement　is　manifest。　　But　it　seemed　that　in　the　States　no　such　practice　prevailed。　　Letters　arrived　at　any　hour　in　the　day　miscellaneously；　and　were　dispatched　at　any　hour；　and　I　found　that　the　postmaster　at　one　town　could　never　tell　me　with　certainty　when　letters　would　arrive　at　another。　　If　the　towns　were　distant；　I　would　be　told　that　the　conveyance　might　take　about　two　or　three　days；　if　they　were　near；　that　my　letter　would　get　to　hand　〃some　time　to…morrow。〃　　I　ascertained；　moreover；　by　painful　experience　that　the　whole　of　a　mail　would　not　always　go　forward　by　the　first　dispatch。　　As　regarded　myself　this　had　reference　chiefly　to　English　letters　and　newspapers。　〃Only　a　part　of　the　mail　has　come；〃　the　clerk　would　tell　me。　　With　us　the　owners　of　that　part　which　did　not　〃come；〃　would　consider　themselves　greatly　aggrieved　and　make　loud　complaint。　　But　in　the　States　complaints　made　against　official　departments　are　held　to　be　of　little　moment。　Letters　also　in　the　States　are　subject　to　great　delays　by　irregularities　on　railways。　　One　train　does　not　hit　the　town　of　its　destination　before　another　train；　to　which　it　is　nominally　fitted；　has　been　started　on　its　journey。　　The　mail　trains　are　not　bound　to　wait；　and　thus；　in　the　large　cities；　far　distant　from　New　York；　great　irregularity　prevails。　　It　is　I　think　owing　to　thisat　any　rate　partly　to　thisthat　the　system　of　telegraphing　has　become　so　prevalent。　　It　is　natural　that　this　should　be　so　between　towns　which　are　in　the　due　course　of　post　perhaps　forty…eight　hours　asunder；　but　the　uncertainty　of　the　post　increases　the　habit；　to　the　profit　of　course　of　the　companies　which　own　the　wires；　but　to　the　manifest　loss　of　the　post…office。　But　the　deficiency　which　struck　me　most　forcibly　in　the　American　post…office；　was　the　absence　of　any　recognized　official　delivery　of　letters。　　The　United　States　post…office　does　not　assume　to　itself　the　duty　of　taking　letters　to　the　houses　of　those　for　whom　they　are　intended；　but　holds　itself　as　having　completed　the　work　for　which　the　original　postage　has　been　paid；　when　it　has　brought　them　to　the　window　of　the　post…office　of　the　town　to　which　they　are　addressed。　It　is　true　that　in　most　large　townsthough　by　no　means　in　alla　separate　arrangement　is　made　by　which　a　delivery　is　afforded　to　those　who　are　willing　to　pay　a　further　sum　for　that　further　service；　but　the　recognized　official　mode　of　delivery　is　from　the　office　window。　　The　merchants　and　persons　in　trade　have　boxes　at　the　windows；　for　which　they　pay。　　Other　old…established　inhabitants　in　town；　and　persons　in　receipt　of　a　considerable　correspondence；　receive　their　letters　by　the　subsidiary　carriers　and　pay　for　them　separately。　　But　the　poorer　classes　of　the　community；　those　persons　among　which　it　is　of　such　paramount　importance　to　increase　the　blessing　of　letter　writing；　obtain　their　letters　from　the　post…　office　windows。　In　each　of　these　cases　the　practice　acts　to　the　prejudice　of　the　department。　　In　order　to　escape　the　tax　on　delivery；　which　varies　from　two　cents　to　one　cent　a　letter；　all　men　in　trade；　and　many　who　are　not　in　trade；　hold　office　boxes；　consequently　immense　space　is　required。　　The　space　given　at　Chicago；　both　to　the　public　without　and　to　the　official　within；　for　such　delivery；　is　more　than　four　times　that　required　at　Liverpool　for　the　same　purpose。　　But　Liverpool　is　three　times　the　size　of　Chicago。　　The　corps　of　clerks　required　for　the　window　delivery　is　very　great；　and　the　whole　affair　is　cumbrous　in　the　extreme。　　The　letters　at　most　offices　are　given　out　through　little　windows；　to　which　the　inquirer　is　obliged　to　stoop。　　There　he　finds　himself　opposite　to　a　pane　of　glass　with　a　little　hole；　and　when　the　clerk　within　shakes　his　head　at　him；　he　rarely　believes　but　what　his　letters　are　there　if　he　could　only　reach　them。　　But　in　the　second　case；　the　tax　on　the　delivery；　which　is　intended　simply　to　pay　the　wages　of　the　men　who　take　them　out；　is　paid　with　a　bad　grace；　it　robs　the　letter　of　its　charm；　and　forces　it　to　present　itself　in　the　guise　of　a　burden：　it　makes　that　disagreeable　which　for　its　own　sake　the　post…office　should　strive　in　every　way　to　make　agreeable。　　This　practice；　moreover；　operates　as　a　direct　prevention　to　a　class　of　correspondence　which　furnishes　in　England　a　large　proportion　of　the　revenue　of　the　post…office。　Mercantile　houses　in　our　large　cities　send　out　thousands　of　trade　circulars；　paying　postage　on　them；　but　such　circulars　would　not　be　received；　either　in　England　or　elsewhere；　if　a　demand　for　postage　were　made　on　their　delivery。　　Who　does　not　receive　these　circulars　in　our　country　by　the　dozen；　consigning　them　generally　to　the　waste…　paper　basket；　after　a　most　cursory　inspection？　　As　regards　the　sender；　the　transaction　seems　to　us　often　to　be　very　vain；　but　the　post…office　gets　its　penny。　　So　also　would　the　American　post…office　get　its　three　cents。　But　the　main　objection　in　my　eyes　to　the　American　post…office　system　is　this；　that　it　is　not　brought　nearer　to　the　poorer　classes。　Everybody　writes　or　can　write　in　America；　and　therefore　the　correspondence　of　their　millions　should　be；　million　for　million；　at　any　rate　equal　to　ours。　　But　it　is　not　so；　and　this　I　think　comes　from　the　fact　that　communication　by　post…office　is　not　made　easy　to　the　people　generally。　　Such　communication　is　not　found　to　be　easy　by　a　man　who　has　to　attend　at　a　post…office　window　on　the　chance　of　receiving　a　letter。　　When　no　arrangement　more　comfortable　than　that　is　provided；　the　post…office　will　be　used　for　the　necessities　of　letter　writing；　but　will　not　be　esteemed　as　a　luxury。　　And　thus　not　only　do　the　people　lose　a　comfort　which　they　might　enjoy；　but　the　post…office　also　loses　that　revenue　which　it　might　make。　I　have　said　that　the　correspondence　circulating　in　the　United　States　is　less　than　that　of　the　United　Kingdom。　　In　making　any　comparison　between　them；　I　am　obliged　to　arrive　at　facts；　or　rather　at　the　probabilities　of　facts；　in　a　somewhat　circuitous　mode；　as　the　Americans　have　kept　no　account　of　the　number　of　letters　which　pass　through　their　post…offices　in　a　year；　we　can；　however；　make　an　estimate；　which；　if　incorrect；　shall　not　at　any　rate　be　incorrect　against　them。　　The　gross　postal　revenue　of　the　United　States　for　the　year　ended　June　30th；　1861；　was　in　round　figures　1；700；000l。　　This　was　the　amount　actually　cashed；　exclusive　of　a　sum　of　140；000l。　paid　to　the　post…office　by　the　government　for　the　carriage　of　what　is　called　in　that　country　free　mail　matter；　otherwise；　books；　letters；　and　parcels　franked　by　members　of　Congress。　　The　gross　postal　revenue　of　the　United　Kingdom　was　in　the　last　year；　in　round　figures；　3；358；000l。；　exclusive　of　a　sum　of　179；0