POTTER, CHANDLER E. 



A monthly branch line has also "been estab- 

 lished between Yokohama, Japan, and Shang- 

 hai, China, touching at Hiogo and Nagasaki. 

 On the completion of the Pacific Railroad 

 across the continent, this steam line will prob- 

 ably take the mails of Europe and America 

 to all the east. Monthly trips are also made 

 on the mail steamship routes between New 

 York and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, occupying 

 about twenty-seven days each trip ; and also be- 

 tween San Francisco and Honolulu, Hawaiian 

 Islands, with an average trip of twelve days. 



The post-office system, as planned by Frank- 

 lin, remained in operation from 1775 till 1851, 

 merely growing with the growth of the nation, 

 but receiving no material alteration. It ex- 

 panded, but did not alter. But in that year 

 three cents postage was established, and, since 

 then, many and marked improvements have 

 been made. In 1855 the registry of letters 

 commenced; confined at first to domestic 

 offices, it now extends to nearly all Europe. 

 In 1856 prepayment of postage was made 

 compulsory. In July, 1863, free delivery by 

 carriers commenced in our large cities. In 

 1864 the money-order system and the postal 

 car service were inaugurated. In 1867 and 

 1868 postal conventions were made with most 

 of the civilized nations of the earth, and 

 Oceanic mail service extended to Brazil, the 

 Sandwich Islands, China, and Japan. 



Postal facilities have been greatly increased 

 within the last six years. The service is now 

 superior to that of any other country in the 

 world, except England, and only territorial ex- 

 pansion, sparseness of population, and the 

 franking privilege, keep us behind England. 

 During the past year, postal service in the new 

 States and Territories cost $3,849,560, while 

 only $1,014,700 was reimbursed from those 

 States ; the postal deficiency, therefore, in 

 these States was over $2,800,000, and, in the 

 Southern States, the loss of the past year was 

 $1,337,000. Time and growth will cure these 

 deficiencies. Of the thousand million letters, pa- 

 pers, etc., that yearly pass through the mails of 

 the United States, nearly all arrive at their des- 

 tination. More than ninety -nine per cent, of 

 letters safely and speedily reach the persons ad- 

 dressed. Of the other one per cent., a great 

 proportion are returned to the writers : and it 

 is the fault of the writers, and not of the 

 department, that all dead letters are not re- 

 turned. Improvements, expensive at first, be- 

 come self-supporting by the postal increase 

 they produce ; for correspondence grows faster 

 than population or business. While the popula- 

 tion of this country, during the last eighty years, 

 has made a decennial growth of about thirty- 

 four per cent., the postal revenue has averaged 

 an increase of over one hundred per cent. 



POTTER, CHANDLER EASTMAN, a distin- 

 guished scholar, editor, 'and author, of New 

 Hampshire, born in Concord, N. H., March 7, 

 1807 ; died at Flint, Mich., August 3, 1868. 

 He fitted for college in his native' town, but 



POUILAT, CLAUDE S. 



633 



entered Dartmouth College rather late, grad- 

 uating in the class of 1831. After leaving 

 Hanover, he engaged in teaching in Concord, 

 Manchester, and Portsmouth. Subsequently 

 he read law with Ichabod Bartlett, of Ports- 

 mouth, where he commenced practice. While 

 preparing for his profession, he was one year a 

 member of the State Legislature. In 1844 he 

 removed to Manchester, where, for four years, 

 he was editor and proprietor of the Manchester 

 Democrat. In 1848 he was appointed Judge 

 of the Police Court of Manchester, a position 

 which he filled for several years. Afterward 

 he was for two years editor of the Farmer's 

 Monthly Visitor, and was also concerned in 

 the publication of the Granite Farmer and 

 Visitor. As an agricultural, historical, and 

 general newspaper writer Judge Potter was 

 very favorably known to the reading public. 

 He was the author of the extensive history of 

 Manchester. Much oY his time in former 

 years he devoted to the study of the Indian 

 language, in which he was, probably, better 

 versed than any other scholar in the State. 

 Many of his sketches of Indian life and char- 

 acter have been published. The civil and mil- 

 itary history of New Hampshire received much 

 of his careful and critical attention. He was 

 also editor and compiler of all that portion of 

 the recent excellent report of the Adjutant- 

 General of New Hampshire, which included 

 its military history from the commencement 

 of the Revolution down to the opening of 

 the late war. How well and faithfully he 

 performed that important work the reports 

 themselves will forever bear noble testimony. 

 He closed these labors only a few weeks be- 

 fore his decease, and was resting from them 

 by taking a "Western trip, when death came. 

 As commander of the famous Amoskeag Vet- 

 erans of Manchester, Colonel Potter became 

 extensively known to the military public of 

 our country. After commanding the organiza- 

 tion for two or three years, he was twice 

 called back to it by the most flattering voice 

 of its members, and was its colonel at his de- 

 cease. He was the chief officer of the Vet- 

 erans at the time of their celebrated visit to 

 Baltimore and Washington, under the admin- 

 istration of ex-President Pierce. His ad- 

 dresses at the public receptions of his battalion 

 in the various cities which they have visited 

 were admirable productions both in a literary 

 and historical point of view. For many years 

 he had been an active member of the New 

 Hampshire Historical Society. He very fre- 

 quently was on its roll of officers and was two 

 terms its president. Judge Potter was not 

 only an able man in various public relations, 

 but in social life he was courteous, genial, and 

 kind. He was a true gentleman ; his pleasant 

 manners and interesting conversation won 

 him many friends. 



POUILAT, CLAUDE SEEVAIS MATHIAS, a 

 distinguished natural philosopher, born at 

 Curanne (Doux), France ; died June 14, 1868. 



