specially attracted by my own connection with the post-office in
England. But I do not think that such courtesy should hinder me
from telling what I saw that was bad, seeing that it would not
hinder me from telling what I saw that was good. In Washington
there is but one post-office. There are no iron pillars or wayside
letter-boxes, as are to be found in other towns of the Union--no
subsidiary offices at which stamps can be bought and letters posted.
The distances of the city are very great, the means of transit
through the city very limited, the dirt of the city ways unrivaled
in depth and tenacity, and yet there is but one post-office. Nor is
there any established system of letter-carriers. To those who
desire it letters are brought out and delivered by carriers, who
charge a separate porterage for that service; but the rule is that
letters should be delivered from the window. For strangers this is
of course a necessity of their position; and I found that, when once
I had left instruction that my letters should be delivered, those
instructions, were carefully followed. Indeed, nothing could exceed
the civility of the officials within; but so also nothing can exceed
the barbarity of the arrangements without. The purchase of stamps I
found to be utterly impracticable. They were sold at a window in a
corner, at which newspapers were also delivered, to which there was
no regular ingress and from which there was no egress, it would
generally be deeply surrounded by a crowd of muddy soldiers, who
would wait there patiently till time should enable them to approach
the window. The delivery of letters was almost more tedious, though
in that there was a method. The aspirants stood in a long line, en
cue, as we are told by Carlyle that the bread-seekers used to
approach the bakers' shops at Paris during the Revolution. This
"cue" would sometimes project out into the street. The work inside
was done very slowly. The clerk had no facility, by use of a desk