The  Post-office  being  situated  so  low  down  in  the  city,  it
has  been  found  necessary  to  establish  branches,  called  "  Sta-
tions," in  the  upper  part  of  the  island.  They  are  distin-
guished by  the  letters  "A,"  "B,"  '0,"  etc.  Many  persons
receive  and  mail  their  correspondence  here.  The  drop  letter
system  places  an  immense  amount  of  business  in  the  hands
of  these  stations.
street  boxes,  for  letters,  are  scattered  through  the  city.
They  are  never  more  than  a  block  or  two  apart,  in  any  of  the
streets  below  Fifty-ninth  street,  and  the  distances  are  not
very  great  in  the  other  portions  of  the  island.  Letters
dropped  in  these  boxes  are  collected  seven  or  eight '  times
during  the  day,  and  there  is  a  delivery  of  letters  and  papers
by  the  postman  every  hour.  These  are  left  at  the  houses  of
the  parties  to  whom  they  are  addressed,  without'  additional
charge.  The  system  is  excellent,  and  is  a  great  convenience
to  all  classes  of  the  population.
CHAPTER  LXX.
THE  PATTERERS.
