The Daily Dispatch: September 20, 1861., [Electronic resource]

The mailed.

Since we are cut down to a single mail a day, we have certainly a right to expect that it should be so arranged as to promote, to the greatest extent, the public convenience. From the great centres of business and information the mails ought to leave in the morning; but instead of this, we here in Petersburg, the second city in the Commonwealth, have no communication with any point north of us, not even with the capital itself, except by the evening train. Let us see how this works: The only paper published in this city lies over twelve hours--for of course it cannot be delivered at the nearest offices till the day after publication. Again — a merchant here writes to his correspondent in Richmond to day; the letters are distributed tomorrow morning; the next morning he may receive a reply. Thus between two very important points but little more than twenty miles apart, a whole day and two nights intervene between the malling of a letter and getting an answer. All this amounts to a real grievance in an active mercantile community. Will not the Postmaster-General afford us some remedy? If matters are to be continued thus, we shall be thrown back virtually to the days of slow coaches. We had much rather see the postal arrangements committed to the hands of the express companies, than that this order of things should continue.