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THE LOUISVILLE GAZETTE;
AND
REPUBLICAN trumpet.
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. ~=r" —1
Volume IV. 1 W F D \ T t? c n a *
__ __ J L El N L b D A i, April 1802. [No. 161.
LIEERTT IS QUR MOTTO JXD TJtc'TU (JUR GUIDE '
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REPORT of the Committee
of the Senate of the United
States, appointed Ma ch 12,
1802, on the fubjed: of tranf
porting the Mail of the Uni
ted States.
In Senate of the United States ,
March 29, 1802.
Mr. JACKSON, from the 1
committee to whom was refer
red the refolution of Senate, of
the 12th March laft, to enquire
what further and more effedlual
means ought to be provided by
law for carrying the mail of the
United States, reported a letter
from them to the Poll-Mailer
Genera], and fundry letters and
documents from the Poft-Maf
ter General to the committee,
in reply thereto. Ordered,
that the fame be printed.
i
Scrate Room , March 17, 1802.
Sir.— A Committee of the
Senate, appointed to enquire
what further, and more effectual .
means ought to be provided by
law for carrying the Mail of the i
United States, requell your in- j
formation on the following
points :
1 ft. Is there any part of the
main poft-road, on which the
mail is carried in ftages, eftab
lifhed by, and at the expenfe
of the United Stares, and if fo,
On what parr, or diftrift of the
faid road ?
2d. vVhat has been the ex
penfe of that eftabli fhment, and
what the income or profit there
of, if any ?
3d. Would it, at prefent, or
eventually, be profitable to the
fund of the poll-office to eftab
iifh mail ftages, from Portland
in Maine, to Louifville, in
Georgia ?
4th. Should that obje£l not
be attainable at the prefent pe
riod, or not be expedient, the
committee requeft an eftimate
of you, of the probable ex
penfe of eftablifiiing a line of
mail ftages from Peterlburg, in
Virginia, to Louifville, in Geor
gia, and the probable advantage,
if any, which would accrue even -
Cuaily to the funds of the poft
office from fuch eftablilhment.
sth. Whether it be necelfary,
At the prefent CciTiony to provide
any further means, by law, for
the fafe carrying the mail, and
to regulate contrails, made in
relation to the fame, by penal
ties, or otherwife.
By order of the committee,
I have the honor to be,
Sir, your obedient fervant,
JAMES JACKSON,
Chairman.
Jrlonotable Gideon Granger,
Poll-Mailer General of
the United States,
General Pofi-Ojf.ee>
March 23, 1802.
SIR,
I HAVE the honor to ac
knowledge the receipt of your
letter, containing the following
o o
quellions, and in obedience to
the requeft of “ the committee
1 of the Senate, appointed to en
quire what further and more
effeftual means ought to be
provided by law, for carrying
the mail of the United Stares,”
tranfmit the replies herein con
tained.
Queftion ill. Is there any
part of the main poll road on
which the mail is carried in
ftages ellablifoed by and at the
expenfe of the United States,
and if fo, on what part or dif
tri6l of the faid road ?
Anfwcr. The mail is carried
in ftages, ellablifoed by the late
poft-mafter general, and at the
expenfe of the United States,
, on the poll road between the
cities of Philadelphia and Bal
-1 timore.
Queftion 2d. What has been
the expenfe of that eftablifo
ment, and what the income or
profit thereof, if any ?
Anfwer. The tranfportation
of the mail bv this eftablilhment
j
commenced on the 2d day of
May, 1799. The value of the
forage and other property be
longing to the public has not
been afeertained. An exact
eftimate of the profits cannot
be given. The balance of ex
penditures and receipts at this
office, are dollars 22,469 92
cents, and form a charge againft
the eftabiilhment to that a
mount, 22,469 92
The lowed: price
for which any one
could have been pro
cured to tranTport the
mail per year, toge
ther with the offers
made for the pro
perty on hand, may
furnifo a tolerably
eftimate of
the a£lual profit re
fulting to the public
from the eftablilh
menf.
The tranfporra
tion of the mail for
three years, com
puting up to the 2d
day of May next, ac
5000 dolls, per year;
the 1 owe It price for
which any one would
carrv it when the
public carriageswere
ellablifoed, amounts
to 15,000
The fum repeat
edly offered for the
public property ca
Brought fcrzvarJ, 15,000
the road, exclude
of forage, by per Tons
poHelling the mean’s
of knowing the pro
fits of the inftitution,
I and which it us be
lieved, is not the
value of ir, is 16,c00
To thefc may be
added,
Calli in the hands
of the agents more
than fufficient to
meet the demands
againH the eftabiifh
ment, at leaft 1,400
The f rage at va
rious Ha ids on the
road, eftimated at 1,100
33>5 00
Deduct the above
I fum of 0 ,4 f q 92
1
Balance in favor
of the tflablilh
ment for the three
: firfl years, Dollars 11,030 8
Por the laft year and an half
j the fare of travellers has de
| frayed the expenfes of the eftab-
I lifhment, and the actual profit
I has been for that time equal to
I the whole expenfe of tranfport
ing the mail.
ft is proper to remark, that
the mail has been carried with
unexampled regularity and dif
patch, within the body of a
carriage, in a box, prepared for
\ that purpofe, IcT liable to be
, chafed and injured, and fecured
from robbery and inclement
weather.
Qu eft ion 3d. Would it at pre
tent, or eventually be profitable
to the funds of the Poll-Office,
to eflabiifh mail ft ages from
Portland in Maine, to Louil
ville in Georgia ? and
Queftion. 4th. Should that
object not be attainable at the
prefent period, or not be cx- ,
pedient, the committee icquefl
an eflimate of you, of the proba- |
blc expence of cftablifiling a line
of mail ftages from Pctrrfburg
in Virginia, to Louifville in
Georgia; and the probable ad
vantage, if any, which would
accrue eventually to the funds of
the pofl-office from fuch an cf
tablifhment ?
Anfwer. By incrcafingthc te
curity of the mail, enfuring the
regularity of its arrival and de
parture, and transporting it with
all poffible expedition from one
commercial city to another, the
amount of poftage will be in
created. It is certain that mails
will be conveyed by the public
with more regularity, fatery and
1 expedition/ and widi lek injury
( than they will by individual con
tractors ; with the latter it is a
fecondary objedt. Ihe price
allowed for tranfportmg the
mail, bears but a fmall propor
tion to the fare of the paflengcrs*
It is bel’cved that the cftablifo
ment of mail flages between the
places mentioned, will be even
tually pn fitable to the funds of
the port office, and highly »'fc
ful to the public. Whether ic
would at prefent be profitable of
not rnufl red on conjecture.
Experience alone can determine
the qudlion. How far the Eu
ropean [)eacc will check cumi
nv real enterprize, and the nc
ceffity ofa rrefpondcncc anti in
tercourfe, cannot be calculated.
Affmui'-" a l ' a principle, iliac
the regular growth of the coun
try will equal the reduction of
< comTpondencc and intercourfe,
to be calculated from the pre—
fent daic of Europe, of winch
you are competent judges, it is
believed, that fiom Petniborg
in Virginia, to Portland in Ma ne,
the fare of paffengers would de
fray the c xpt-;:rr of fupporting
mail coaches, after they had
been in operation one year; and
I think ic mrghc with confidence
be calculated upon, alter the fe
cond year, the Mail would then
he conveyed free from expencc.
The future expencc of convey
ing (hat mail, may be calculated
at 25,000 dollars yearly On
this part of the road, flage car
riages have been long in ufe,
and no doubt now furnifh a pro
fit to the proprietors, exdufivc
of what they receive for tran
fporting the mail.
I have no acquaintance with
the country between Peterfburg
and Louilvillc. From the belt
information I have been able to
obtain, there appears to be ve
ry confiderablc intcrcourfe be
tween Pete 1 /burg& Fayetteville*
a diftancc of one hundred and
| ninety-four miles. The rowds
j are good, and the price of all ar-
I tides neccflary for an eftablifo
ment of carriages reafonablc.
The price now paid for tran
fporting a mail three times a
week between thefe towns, is
6,120 dollars yearly. The fare
of paffengers it is calculated w r ill
fupportthe defired eftablifoment
1 after it has been in operation
four years, and it is to be hoped
in a much ihorcer time. Indeed
I fhould the government eflablilh,
a line of carriages from Louif
ville to Raleigh, a private ad
venturer (lands ready to com
plete the connection, by running
liis flages between Peterlburgh,
and Raleigh. Raldgh is 295
1 miles from this place, a • iss
I miles this fide of EayettcviUr*
