Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

THE LOUISVILLE GAZETTE; AND REPUBLICAN trumpet. -- . . ~=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 ' LOUISVILLE. (GEORGIA) Publiflied every Wedntfday, by AMBROSE DAY & JAMEjJ HELY, State Prmtcrs at 3 dollars per ann. :-Where Eflays, Articles of Intelligence. Advertifements. &c. &c. are thankfully received, and IkINIING m all its variety, is executed with neatnels and dilpatch. 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*