America has suddenly awakened to the fact that her mail service is not what it should be and-that the post-office department is making an exceedingly gond thing about it while mail connexion between the States and South America, Australia, China and the Orient generally grows weaker year by year. Once a month an American boat sails for Rio de Janeiro, for the rest of the time letters travel vid Europe and much valuable time is lost. For over ten years a bill advocating mail subsidies has been making its regular appearance in Congress to be as regalurly flung out. This has been resuscitated and remodeled so that now there is some hope that a mercantile marine to the aforementioned countries may be fostered. It is not expected that tht offered emolument of $4 & nautical mile on the outward going voyage will attract fast boats but itis believed that there is a number of 16-
Knot vessels that might be attached to the new service to the end that America shall be brought into closer touch with other countries and the Stars and Stripes more widely seen,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.