Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1890 — “POSTAL NOTES.” [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

“POSTAL NOTES.”

BY W. R. DE BORD.

WryHE post- \ I r office was-’ V I vfirst estab'A lished in rfpßsj. England in, 1464. Envelopes k were first W used in 1839.. First postaße stamps, 1840. Firstoverland fast L mail be - tween San MF r anciscoand St. Lou— is took twen- ;- ■) ty - three- } days, 1858. The free--1 letter- carrier system,

went into effect Julv, 1863. First fast-mail delivery, 1875. The first United States postal card,. May 12,1873. There are now 1,500,000* of them used every day. The United States Postoffice at Washington City was destroyed by fire December 13, 1836. Over one-half the letters which arecarried by the postal service of theworld are written and read by people whose native language is English. Six million letters were sent to the Dead Letter Office at Washington last year; 500,000 of them were nevercalled for at the postoffices to whicht they were addressed; 150,000 were sent in by hotel-keepers because their departing guests failed to leave their new addresses; 120,000 weje insufficiently prepaid; 400,000 were erroneously addressed, w hile 17,000 bore 1 no inscription whatever; 18,000 contained money, amounting to $35,000 inall, and 22,000 contained drafts,, checks, etc., amounting to $1,600,000. The smallest and simplest postofficein the world is in the Magellan Straits, where it has been established for years. It consists of a cask, which is chained to the rocks of the extremecape opposite Terra del Fuego. Each, passing ship sends a boat to take letters out and place others in it. The - postoffice is self-acting, therefore it is under the protection of the navies of all nations, and up to the present time there is not a single case to report in which any abuse of the privilege it, affords has taken place. Gentryville, Mo.