The Massachusetts Spy, And Worcester County Advertiser

WORCESTER:
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 2, 1831.

Boston Post Office. In the Spy of Jan. 19, we mentioned that our Boston papers were very irregularly received, being put into the wrong mails, in consequence of which they went to Northampton. The Boston Patriot, in reference to that article, says, that Worcester subscribers have directed their papers to be sent by the Northampton mail, "and the fault lies in letting the papers pass by Worcester and go to Northampton.—and not in the Boston Post Office." Now we know this to be untrue, so far as relates to several instances which have come under our particular observation, and we firmly believe it is equally so in all the other instances, though we have no doubt that the editor of the Patriot was made to believe it was true, at the Boston Post Office. And, as he wishes "to deal justly with all men," having charged our worthy Post Master with a neglect of duty, of which he is not guilty, we trust he will make him amends by republishing this article. The fact is, that the letters and papers for Northampton and all places beyond, are put into a mail which is opened only at the distributing offices, and of which no other Post Masters have the key, while those, or all places between Boston and Northampton, ought to be put into a separate mail, called the side, or way mail. Consequently, if our letters and papers get into the wrong bag, they cannot be taken out here, but must be let to "pass by Worcester and go on to Northampton." In repeated instances, of which we have personal knowledge, the mail which is opened here has been carefully examined, and the Boston bundles were not in it, and they have been returned to us the next day from Northampton. It would be hardly possible they should be overlooked in the most casual examination, for they are generally the largest bundles in the mail.

At the time of writing this article, (Monday) we have just received from the west, the Boston Transcript of Thursday, the Palladium of Friday, and other papers which should have been received by the mail of Friday morning; and, to show the careless manner in which the mail was made up in Boston, we will mention, that, on that very morning, (Friday) instead of the packages which should have come to this office, there were found in the mail, travelling westward, three bundles of letters mailed at the Boston office, or Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, and Randolph, besides one bundle which was mailed and sent from this office to Boston the day before, and which had come back unopened! Our Post Master returned them all by the next mail, and it is to be hoped that, ere this, they have safely reached their several destinations. We also have great complaints from our subscribers, whose papers pass through, or are received at, the Boston Post Office. One instance may suffice. Since the sitting of the Legislature, we have regularly put into the Boston bundle a paper carefully directed to "Col. John W. Lincoln, at Earl's Coffee House," and although Col. Lincoln is constantly receiving letters, &c., through the Post Office, he has never been able to get a single paper that we have sent him. Similar complaints were made by members of the Legislature last winter.