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(Correspondence to the Salisbury Post Office beginning 1796)
Appointed Mr. Andrew Balfour Deputy Post Master at
Salisbury in North
Carolina and enclosed a Bond and
blank forms of the Oaths to John Steele esqr of that place.
Mr.
Andrew Balfour Sir
July
22, 1796
I
have just received your Letter of the 3rd Instant with your quarterly account
ending in June. Mr. Hawkin’s riders from some cause or other have failed in
several instances. I have lately written to him on the subjects, and hope it
will at least produce more regularity in future. It is very surprising to me
that Mr. Chambers would not produce his Contracts to you which would have
satisfied you as to the change I have made in his Schedule. The mail
being sent once a week on his route it became necessary to alter
the day of his arrival and departure at and from your Office. He will in
future leave your office on Friday and return on Thursday noon. This
is the schedule I fixed with Mr. Chambers and he is to observe it unless
altered by Mr. Sibley with his consent. I send a supply of Blanks
for your Office
and
am &c J. H.
[Joseph
Habersham, Postmaster General]
Mr.
Andrew Balfour Sir
May
1, 1797
I
send you three Letters which were sent from your Office to New York one of them
directed to Mr. Giles contains a Post Bill which dearly evinces that the
person who transacts the business of your Office must have been privy to this
indecent and highly improper transaction. Postmasters are sometimes imposed upon
and through the Channel of the mail insulting and trifling Letters are often
conveyed without any blame attaching to the Department; but if those who
are entrusted with the care of Offices are instruments of such insults it
must tend to bring the Establishment into Disrepute and contempt. Your will be
so good as to explain how this happened. P.S. Mr. Bauman the Postmaster at New
York mentions that no Bill accompanied the Letters but on opening the Letter for
Mr. Giles it was found enclosed in it.
1
am &c J. H.
Mrs.
E. Balfour Novem 27, 1799
Madam
I am favored with yours of the 3rd Inst and have written to Col Hawkins relative
to the failure that occurred in the arrival of the Mail at your office on the
2nd Instant. You may assure the citizens of Salisbury that the Contractor will
be fined for any failures that may occur on that route unless he makes it appear
that they were occasioned by unavoidable accidents. I had occasion some time ago
to exact fines of Col Hawkins to a very considerable amount, and I shall have
recourse again to that measure if he makes it necessary. If any expense
was incurred by sending the Post Boy back on the way to Halifax you will
be pleased to inform me of it that the Contractor may be charged with it.
I
am Madam &c J. H.
Andrew
Balfour Esqr.
Sir
Decem
6, 1799
I
wish you immediately to provide a new and suitable Portmanteau for Mr Chambers
route as the one now in use he informs me is worn out. One of the smallest kinds
will answer best the cost of which will constitute a proper charge in your
account of Contingent Expenses
lam&c
J. H.
Mr.
Andrew Balfour Sir
January
25, 1800
On
the 11 of January last (1799) I drew upon you in favor of Mr. John Hawkins
I
am &c J.H.
Mrs.
E. Balfour March 14, 1800
Madam
I have received your favor of the 26 Ulto. and am satisfied that the draft I
sent Mr. Hawkins in February 1799 on Mr. Balfour for sixteen dollars has been
paid though Mr. Hawkins receipt can not be found in this Office. I will write to
Mr. Hawkins on the subject and at the same time forward him a certificate of
having received the amount of the draft in question of Mr Balfour for his
signature which will answer the purpose of voucher at the Treasury if Mr Hawkins
receipt proves lost. The establishment of a Post Office at Mr Harris does not
appear necessary there being no village at or contiguous to the spot or a
sufficient number of Inhabitants to make it an object to accommodate them with
the Mail.
I
am &c J.H.
Mrs.
Eliza Balfour Dec. 1, 1800
Salisbury
N.C. Madam I have received yours of the 18th Ulto. covering a statement of Mr.
Balfour’s account with this office which on examination proves to be nearly
right - the balance due him on the first of October last is nine Dollars and
sixty six cents, thirty three cents less than you make it to that period. Your
draft in favor of Mr. Smith will be paid on being presented, there is no reason
for apology in making the remittance to Mr Smith by a draft on this office -
knowing the difficulty of obtaining bank notes in North Carolina and your
punctuality in paying our drafts it will always give me pleasure to accommodate
you in this manner. Mr. Balfour’s account is always credited with the amount
of our drafts at the time of their being drawn.
I
am J.H.
Mrs.
Eliza Balfour March 9, 1801
Salisbury
N.Ca. Madam I have received your favour of the 30 Jany. explaining the cause of
the failures that occurred on Mr Chambers route it appears to my satisfaction
that Mr Chambers made the alteration in his Schedule for the accommodation of
the Public. I have therefore remitted the penalties that were charged to him. I
have ever found him a faithful contractor and wish for the credit of the
department there were more of its agents equally as well disposed to do justice
to the Public in the execution of their Contract.
I
am J.H.
P.
M. Salisbury April 26 [1802]
North
Carolina lt is not in the power of this department to furnish you with a new map
at present.
G.G.
[Postmaster General Gideon Granger]
A.
Balfour Esq Salisbury N.C.
Feb.
2, 1812
with
the mail.
I
wish you to call at a Post Office established at D.W. Auley’s on your post
route
G.Gr.
Andrew
Balfour E P.M. Salisbury N.C. Decr. 16, 1812
It
is represented to this office that you detain the mail at your office for hours.
I pray you never to detain it over fifteen minutes and you will be careful to
forward the mail before you deliver the letters &c. to the citizens.
G.Gr.
Mrs.
E. Balfour P.M. Salisbury N.C. April 14, 1813
Your
favor of the 7th inst is before me, all packages for the Lincolnton route must
necessarily by sent from your office to Charlotte Ch, from whence they will
obtain a right direction.
G.Gr.
Mrs.
E. Balfour Jany 24, 1814
Salisbury
N.C. I have received your note of the 10th inst. I most highly of your
proceedings with the extra mail this is one of many instances in which your
proceedings have called for my applause.
G.G.
Hon.
Israel Pickens General Post Office
M.
of the House January 31, 1817
Sir
I have the honour to observe in reply to your letter of the 31 that Capt Ben.
Newland of Morgantown has stipulated with this office to transport the mail from
Salisbury via Statesville, Lincolnton, Morgantown &c to Asheville. He is to
go and return on that route once a week – from Lincolnton the mail is to
depart for Rutherfordton &c once a week in the mornings after the Salisbury
mail shall have arrived at Lincolnton to better accommodate the latter office
& offices in the county of Rutherfordton was our principal object in making
the existing arrangement I fear that the great fault is in Capt Newland’s
failing to carry the mail agreeably to his contract we some days ago made an
inquiry into this business, if Newland proves unfaithful he shall be superceded
the mail on that route shall be carried regularly.
R.
J. Meigs [Retum J. Meigs, Jr., Postmaster General]
Ben.
Newland near Morganton N.C.
Sir
January
31, 1817
If
you do not carry the mail from Salisbury by all established offices, on the
route and return the same way agreeably to your contract, I shall forthwith
place the mail in other hands now confined to you, and rigidly exact all
penalties by you incurred by your long experience in mail carrying you were
acquainted with your duty for extending your route by Lincolnton you were
allowed $100 a year.
R.
J. Meigs
Andrew
Balfour P.M. Salisbury N.C.
Sir
Jany.
31, 1817
I
will thank you to read the enclosed letter to the carrier of the mail in behalf
of Capt. Newland seal and send the letter to his employer does Newland carry the
mail agreeably to the letter here enclosed may we have your reply
R.
J. Migs
Hon.
Pickens & Fomey February 10, 1817
Members
of the House
Sir
In
reply to yours of the 7th I have the honour to observe that the Postmaster at
Salisbury N.C. is specially charged to forward and invariably so all mails by
the pending mails the route for Lincolnton, Morgantown &c. departs from
Salisbury on the days of the arrival of the mails from Salem, Raleigh &
Fayetteville and the mail for Rutherfordton &c departs the mornings after
the arrival of the mail from Salisbury has arrived at Lincolnton.
R.
J. Meigs
A.
Balfour Esqr P.M. Salisbury N.C.
Sir
February
10, 1817
Are
mails for the several routes which arrived at your office forwarded and
invariably so by the pending mail. no excuse can justify such delay if such
delay shall exit or have existed the mail confided to Mr Parkers of Wilksborough
which goes from your office via Lincolnton &c is to pass weekly from Febry.
by that mail you will forward mails for Lincolnton, Rutherfordton &c.
R.
J. Meigs
D.
Reinhardt Esqr February 28, 1819
P.M.
Lincolnton N.C. Sir I am again obliged by your attentions to the late failure
the Postmaster at Salisbury has not advised us of either of the failures
mentioned by you The contractor is fined and shall discharge his duty or retire
from the service
RJMJr.
A.
Balfour Esqr P.M. Salisbury N.C.
Sir
Feby
28, 1819
Report
says two failures have occurred in the Raleigh mails arrival at your office
is
it so?
RJMJr
Andrew
Balfour Esqr PM Salisbury N.C.
Sir
May
26, 1820
I
wish you to state whether Messrs Gallent &co. are now transporting the mail
in stages between your office and Union C.H.S.C.[Union Court House, South
Carolina] agreeably to their proposals.
RJMJr
Messrs
Polk Gallent & Co.
December
14th 1822
Charlotte
N.C. Sirs Until further advised you will continue your current mail arrangement
in stages between Salisbury & Union C.H. (S.Ca.). You will however view this
arrangement as no other than a temporary one.
R.
J. Meigs Jr.
Saml.
Reeves Esqr. P.M. Salisbury
N.Ca.
Sir
December
14th 1822
It
is my wish to have the mail stage line from Fredg [Fredericksburg] to Georgia
continued under its present arrangement for the present I wish you to advise the
carrier of the respective lines of my wishes upon this subject the arrangement
to be but temporary And I wish it so consider[ed] wish
a reply
James
B. Johnson Esqr. P.M. Halifax C.H. Va
Sir
R.
J. Meigs Jr. December 14th 1822
I
wish the present mail stage arrangement continued between Fredericksburg 8
Halifax c.h., Halifax c.h. & Salisbury N.Ca. &c
You will request the respective
carriers of those routes to continue they will pursue their present routes This
arrangement is to be considered only as temporary. I wish a reply
R.
J. Meigs Jr.
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