The following tables, carefully prepared, fully prove that there is no surer test of the advance of business and commercial enterprise than that which is learned from the increase of postage. A glance at the table from 1790 shows a wonderful increase in the short space of eight or ten years, entirely unexampled in the history of the world; and taken in connection, as we think it may be, with a similar increase in other statistics, it sets all previous examples completely aside. The fact is, the country is ignorant of the history of our postal department, a knowledge of which would tend materially to strengthen that love of country which a state of ignorance naturally lessens. The post-office department should no longer be as a sealed book to the nation. Statement of Receipts and Expenditures of the Post-Office Department under Various Heads, and by States, for the Year ending June 30, 1862. ─────────────────────┬────────────┬────────────┬───────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬────────────── States and │ Letter │ Newspaper │ Registered│ Stamps │ Total │ Compensation Territories. │ postage. │ postage. │ letters. │ sold. │ receipts. │ allowed │ │ │ │ │ │ postmasters. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ─────────────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼───────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── Maine │ $16,151 48 │ $15,143 32 │ $364 75 │ $174,250 15 │ $205,909 70 │ $87,437 05 New Hampshire │ 5,270 41 │ 10,600 40 │ 245 15 │ 112,674 66 │ 128,790 62 │ 57,605 44 Vermont │ 5,040 02 │ 13,210 71 │ 107 80 │ 111,001 79 │ 129,360 32 │ 62,723 43 Massachusetts │ 53,960 83 │ 26,017 85 │ 938 25 │ 630,945 54 │ 711,862 47 │ 178,302 36 Rhode Island │ 4,597 27 │ 3,138 61 │ 124 00 │ 71,259 82 │ 79,119 70 │ 18,723 46 Connecticut │ 10,360 68 │ 16,560 24 │ 200 55 │ 199,995 04 │ 227,116 51 │ 78,643 49 New York │ 186,079 59 │ 82,877 23 │ 2,462 60 │ 1,543,349 08 │ 1,814,768 50 │ 375,647 15 New Jersey │ 17,902 57 │ 11,681 08 │ 254 10 │ 145,255 42 │ 175,093 17 │ 69,264 81 Pennsylvania │ 70,982 27 │ 41,634 24 │ 2,054 20 │ 770,025 27 │ 884,695 98 │ 248,695 26 Delaware │ 1,782 20 │ 2,265 95 │ 50 95 │ 26,431 57 │ 30,530 67 │ 10,867 93