New York's Postal Service

The fair of the postoffice employees was an incentive to resuscitate and revivify every postal articlo obtainablo that was quaint, ancient, and antique, even to an exhibit of a picture of the building used for the first postoffice. In connection with thia might have been inentioned the fact that it was in 1023, nine years aftet the construction of the first fort at the Southern end of Manhattan Island, that the first postoface saw its beginning. Previoua to this, masters of vessels bringing letters f rom domestic and foreign ports brought them on shore and left them at a coffee house, where the merchants, the burghers and the loungfira met to disnuss the tdVics of the day. Here the letters were deposited m a rack, where they might be obtained by the persons to whom they were addressed. In 1660, when New Amsterdam coneisted of straggling groups of one story ïouses with peaked roofs and gable ends ronting the street, and when the city xtended no farther north than Wall treet, there was the town winding near he Battery, and the government house tood in Water street, near Whitehall. t was in this year that the letter carrier irst appeared - the lounger who carried ;he mail to the merchant or burgher. It was not untll 1693, however, that -the irst city postoffice was established, near iowling green, the postmaster being ïichard Nichel. In 1710 tho British postmaster general established the general postofnce in this city and órdered that all mails coming jy vessels should be sent there. A year ater post routes between New York and Boston and New York and Albany were established, and the mails were carried on horseback twico a month. In lv40 a similar route was established between N"ew York and Philadelphia. In 1703 Benjamin FranHiu was appoiiited postmaster general of the colonics. Alexander Golden booh afterward succesded Richard Nichel r.s jiostmaster of the city, vyhicli olïice he held tintil the beginning of the Elevolutíon, when the postofiice . hed by the British officials and reznained closcd for eeven year. "WUiiara Bïdlov', af ter V7hom Bcdlow;3 island was named, w ürfBt postmaster appoiated aiter the war, and in 1786 ha was rocceeñecl by Sebastian Barnum, at wliich time the postal reveime was $3,7S9, and the city directory coatained 920 name.s only. - New York Tribune. It is saio. rum wnou dressed in the European gowps :t Japanese wife precedes her husband in entering a room, while in the eastern dress shc niist l'ollow him.