10. REGISTRATION OF LETTERS. The act of March 3, 1855, authorized the Postmaster-General to establish a uniform plan for the registration of valuable letters posted for transmission in the mails, for their greater security, upon the application of parties posting the same. A registration fee, to be prepaid, is charged upon each letter or packet, in addition to the regular postage. The registration is not compulsory, nor does it render the United States or the Department responsible for the safe carriage of such letters or packets. Valuable letters, addressed to Germany or any part of the German Austrian Postal Union, by the Bremen line via New York, or by the Prussian closed mail via New York and Boston, as also letters addressed to Great Britain and Canada, will be registered on the application of the person posting the same, in the same manner and on the same terms as those deliverable in the United States, provided that the full postage chargeable thereon to destination, together with a registration fee of five cents on each letter, is prepaid at the mailing office. Such letters should be mailed and forwarded to the respective United States exchange offices, in the same manner as domestic registered letters are mailed to those offices. 11. Amounts actually credited for the Transportation of the Mails, and other Expenses, by States and Territories, and the Amount of Postages collected in the same, in the Year ending June 30, 1859, fractions of a dollar omitted. For all post-offices where the compensation of the postmaster exceeds $ 1,000 per annum, the postmaster is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, and is removable by the President only; for all other offices, the Postmaster-General has the sole power of appointment and removal. A surplus of emoluments and commissions accrued at the following postoffices, after deducting the maximum compensation of $2,000 per annum of the postmasters, and the necessary incidental expenses of the offices, viz.: Albany, N. Y. Baltimore, Md. Binghampton, N. Y. Brooklyn, N. Y. Buffalo, N. Y. Calais, Me. Erie, Pa. $1,348 43 Indianapolis, Ind. 71.19 Memphis, Tenn. 114.64 New Orleans, La. 1,029 57 Petersburg, Va. 79.18 Philadelphia, Pa. 616.07 Pittsburg, Penn. $1,598.89 Portland, Me. $1,187.51 165.24 '329.92 643.28 802 95 8,408.34 734.24 188 86 14,563.56 309.13 3,524.23 1,115.91 7.29 318 62 4,706.32 12.37 1.865.64 453.05 $201,378.04 12. Letters, Circulars, Newspapers, and Pamphlets, delivered by Carriers, during the Year ending June 30, 1859. The amount of postage accounted for on foreign dead letters returned to and sent from the United States, for the year ending June 30th, 1859, was as follows: The number of dead letters returned (unopened) to foreign countries during the fiscal year, was 133,981, as follows: - England, 60,310; France, 15,757; Prussia, 18,409; Bremen, 6,919; Hamburg, 1,401; Canada, 27,537; * 1st and 2d quarters 1859 only. † 2d quarter 1859 only. No returns for 3d quarter of 1858. New Brunswick, 1,780; Nova Scotia, 1,868. The whole number of dead letters containing money registered and sent out during the year, was 9,726; of which 8,574 were delivered, leaving 1,152 unclaimed. The whole amount of money received was $45,718.14; amount restored to owners, $41,143.74 The number containing valuable enclosures other than money, as drafts, bonds, &c., registered and sent out, was 8,647; of which 7,738 have been restored to their owners, leaving unclaimed, 909. The amount of the enclosures was $2,502,298.11; in sterling, £6,983 15s. 5d.; in francs, 104,421f. The whole number of dead letters during the year is estimated at 2,500,000, including 500,000" drop letters," and 50,000“ held for postage." 13. Overland Mail Route. -In September, 1858, service commenced on the overland mail route to California. The mail leaves St. Louis and Memphis, the eastern termini, and San Francisco, the western terminus, twice a week. The time for the trip across (2795 miles from St. Louis to San Francisco) is 25 days. The contract pay is $600,000 per annum for six years. The receipts on this route for the year ending June 30, 1859, were $27,229.94. XIV. THE MINT. It is lawful for any person to bring to the Mint gold and silver bullion to be coined; and the bullion so brought is there assayed and coined, as speedily as may be after the receipt thereof, and, if of the standard of the United States, free of expense, except gold, which is subject to a coinage charge of one half of one per cent. But the Mint is not obliged to receive, for the purpose of refining and coining, any deposit of less value than one hundred dollars, nor any bullion so base as to be unsuitable for minting. And there must be retained from every deposit of bullion below the standard such sum as shall be equivalent to the expense incurred in refining, toughening, and alloying the same; an accurate account of which expense, on every deposit, is kept, and of the sums retained on account of the same, which are accounted for by the Treasurer of the Mint with the Treasurer of the United States. Officers of the Mint at Philadelphia. Salary. J. R. Snowden, Director, $3,500 James C. Booth, Melter and Salary. $2,000 2,000 W. E. Dubois, Assist. Assayer," 1,500 2,000 John H. Taylor, Assist. Melter Officers of the Branch at New Orleans, La. Wm. A. Elmore, Superint., $2,500 B. F. Taylor, Coiner, Howard Millspaugh, Assayer, 2,000 A. J. Guirot, Treasurer, 1,500 G. W. Caldwell, Sup. & Treas., $2,000 John R. Bolton, Coiner, Isaac L. Todd, Assayer, 1,500 Officers of the Branch at Charlotte, N. C. Officers of the Branch at Dahlonega, Ga. Salary Geo. Kellogg, Sup. and Treas., $2,000 John D. Field, Jr., Coiner, Salary. $1,500 $1,500 Officers of the Branch at San Francisco. $4,500 R. W. Slocum, Coiner, $3,000 3,500 Assay Office, New York. C. H. Hempstead, Superint., Joseph H. Snyder, Assayer, S. F. Butterworth, Superint, $3,500 Clarence Morfit, Assist. Melter John Torry, Assayer, Edward N. Kent, Melt. & Ref, 3,000 Andrew Mason, Assist. Assayer, 2,000 1. Statement of the Deposits for Coinage at the Mint of the United States and its Branches, and the Assay Office, during the Year ending June 30, 1859. $36,899,990.30 Total of Gold, Total Gold and Silver Deposits, Total of Silver, Less value of gold U. S. Bullion ($1,406,135 84) and silver ($1,492,758.70) redeposited at the different institutions, 2,898,894.54 2. Statement of the Coinage of the Mint and Branches, and of the Assay Office, during the Year ending June 30, 1859. From June 30, 1859, to June 30, 1860. there were coined at the Mint and branches and the assay office 772,940 double eagles, 34,2 3 eagles, 72,229 half eagles, 20,402 three-dollar pieces, 51,592 quarter eagles, 93,215 gold dollars. The value of the gold coined in fine bars was $7,001,807.35; in unparted bars, none. The total gold coinage in value for this period was $23,447,283.35; the total silver coinage, including silver bars, was $3,250,636.26; the total cent coinage, $342,000. The whole number of pieces coined in this period was 43,885,721. Their value was $27,039,919.61 The deposits of gold at the Mint and branches during this period were $22,673,192.21; the deposits and purchases of silver amounted to $3,152,437.15. The entire deposit of domestic gold at the Mint and branches, to June 30, 1860, was $489,311,726.54, of which $469,406,003.84 were from California, and $ 626,436 from Kansas. |