In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this twentieth day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty[L. s.] seven, and of the Independence of the United States the ninety-first. By the President: ANDREW JOHNSON. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. Convention between the General Post-Office of the United States of Britain and Ireland. Contracting THE General Post-Office of the United States of America and the June 18, 1867. General Post-Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, being desirous of regulating, by means of a new convention, the commu- parties. nication by post between the two countries, the undersigned, duly authorized for that purpose by their respective governments, have agreed upon the following articles: Exchange of correspondence; ARTICLE I. There shall be an exchange of correspondence between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, as well for letters, newspapers, book-packets, and patterns or to include samples of merchandise, originating in the United States or in the United what. Kingdom, as for articles of the same nature originating in or destined for the countries or colonies, the correspondence of which is forwarded through the United States or through the United Kingdom. ARTICLE II. Each office shall make its own arrangements for the de- Each office to spatch of mails to the other office by well-appointed ships, sailing on stated despatch mails. days, and shall at its own cost remunerate the owners of such ships for the conveyance of the mails. Rates of post ARTICLE III. The postage on a single international letter shall not exceed twelve cents in the United States, or sixpence in the United King- age. dom, and the authorized weight of a single letter shall be fifteen grammes Weight of sin(by the metrical scale) in the United States and half an ounce in the gle letter. United Kingdom. For other than single letters the same charge shall be made for every additional fifteen grammes, or half an ounce, or fraction thereof. Letters insuf ARTICLE IV. Every international letter insufficiently paid, or wholly unpaid, received in the United States from the United Kingdom shall, in ficiently paid or wholly unpaid addition to the deficient postage, be subject to a fine of five cents, such subject to fine. fine to be retained by the United States Post-Office; and every international letter insufficiently paid, or wholly unpaid, received in the United Kingdom from the United States shall, in addition to the deficient postage, be subject to a fine, the amount of which shall be fixed and retained by the British Post-Office. Fines, how disposed of. Postage on ARTICLE V. International newspapers, book-packets (including printed papers of all kinds, maps, plans, prints, engravings, drawings, photographs, newspapers, &c.; lithographs, sheets of music, and so forth), and patterns and samples of merchandise (including seeds and grain), shall be transmissible by either office at such charges (not less than three pence in the United Kingdom or six cents in the United States per four ounces on book packets and patterns or samples of merchandise), and under such regulations as the despatching office may from time to time lay down. These regulations, however, shall include the following: 1st. The postage shall be fully prepaid. 2d. No book packet may contain anything which is sealed or otherwise closed against inspection, nor must there be any letter, nor any communication of the nature of a letter, whether separate or otherwise, unless the whole of such letter or communication be printed. But entries merely stating from whom, or to whom, the packet is sent, shall not be regarded as a letter. 3d. No book packet must exceed two feet in length, or one foot in width or depth. VOL. XV. TREAT.-35 to be prepaid; book packets; 4th. Neither office shall be bound to deliver printed papers the importation of which may be prohibited by the laws or regulations of the country to which they are transmitted. 5th. So long as any customs duty is chargeable in the United States' on the importation from the United Kingdom of any of the articles enumerated above, such customs duty shall be leviable in the United States, and the proceeds shall accrue to the United States Treasury. 6th. Except as above, no charge whatever shall be levied in the country in which international newspapers, book-packets, and patterns or samples of merchandise are delivered. ARTICLE VI. The postage collected in the two countries on international letters, newspapers, book packets, and patterns or samples of merchandise, together with the fees for registration (but exclusive of fines for unpaid or insufficiently paid letters), shall be equally divided between the two offices. That portion of the postage of transit letters, transit newspapers, bookpackets, and patterns or samples of merchandise which represents the charge for the sea conveyance between the United Kingdom and the United States shall belong wholly to the despatching office. For the purposes of this article the charge for the sea conveyance of letters across the Atlantic shall be computed on the basis of four pence, or eight cents, per single letter rate, and the charge for the sea conveyance across the Atlantic of newspapers, book packets, and patterns or samples of merchandise shall be computed at three pence per pound or twelve cents per kilogramme. ARTICLE VII. The United States Post-Office may deliver to the British Post-Office letters or other postal packets which have been registered, addressed to the United Kingdom. Reciprocally, the British PostOffice may deliver to the United States Post-Office registered letters or other postal packets which have been registered, addressed to the United States. The postage of registered letters and so forth shall always be paid in advance. In addition to this postage, there shall also be charged a registration fee, the amount of which shall be fixed by the despatching office. ARTICLE VIII. The United States Post-Office may further deliver to the British Post-Office registered letters and so forth, addressed to those countries or colonies to which registered letters can be sent from the United Kingdom. The United States Post-Office shall account to the British Post-Office (in addition to the postage due to the British Post-Office) for such sum as shall be chargeable to the inhabitants of the United Kingdom for the registration from the United Kingdom of every registered letter and so forth addressed to the countries or colonies above mentioned. On its side the British Post-Office may deliver to the United States Post-Office registered letters and so forth addressed to those countries to which registered letters can be sent from the United States. The British Post-Office shall account to the United States Post-Office (in addition to the postage due to the United States Post-Office) for such sum as shall be chargeable to the inhabitants of the United States for the registration from the United States of every registered letter and so forth addressed to the countries above mentioned. ARTICLE IX. The British Post-Office engages to grant the transit through the United Kingdom, as well as the conveyance by British mail packets, of the closed mails which the United States Post-Office may exchange, in either direction, with the post-offices of the United States Possessions, or of foreign countries, and the United States Post-Office engages to grant the transit through the United States, as well as the conveyance by United States mail packets, of the closed mails which the British Post-Office may exchange, in either direction with the post-offices of British Possessions, or of foreign countries. The country which sends or receives closed mails through the other Account to be shall render an account of the letters, newspapers, book-packets, and rendered of conpatterns contained in such closed mails. tents. Rates of post transit of letters; ARTICLE X. The rates of postage to be mutually paid for the territorial transit (including the passage of the English Channel) of all letters age for territorial sent from one country to the other for transmission to places beyond, in closed mails, shall be one half the ordinary inland rates now charged in the two countries respectively, viz. for transit through the United States, one half of three cents per single letter, and for transit through the United Kingdom one half of a penny per single letter. of newspapers, The transit rates of postage to be mutually paid for newspapers, book packets, and patterns or samples of merchandise sent in closed mails, shall &c. be fourpence per kilogramme for transit through the United Kingdom, and six cents per pound for transit through the United States. Certain trans mails not to be ARTICLE XI. When, in any British or United States port, a closed mail is transferred from one ship to another, without any expense de- fers of closed volving on the office of the country owning such port, such transfer shall deemed territonot be deemed a territorial transit, and shall not give rise to any charge rial transit. for territorial transit. Rates of post veyance of ARTICLE XII. The rates of postage to be paid by the British PostOffice to the United States Post-Office for the sea conveyance, other than age for sea conacross the Atlantic, of correspondence sent from the United Kingdom to closed mails. the United States, in closed mails, for transmission to places beyond, or brought to the United States from places beyond, in closed mails, for transmission to the United Kingdom, shall be the same that are paid by the inhabitants of the United States; reciprocally, the rates of postage to be paid by the United States Post-Office to the British Post-Office for the sea conveyance, other than across the Atlantic, of correspondence sent from the United States to the United Kingdom, in closed mails, for transmission to places beyond, or brought to the United Kingdom from places beyond, in closed mails, for transmission to the United States, shall be the same that are paid by the inhabitants of the United Kingdom. Combined ter rates. ARTICLE XIII. The combined territorial and sea rates upon transit correspondence sent in ordinary mails, to be accounted for by one office to ritorial and sea the other, shall be the same that are paid by the inhabitants of the country through which the correspondence is forwarded. letter; British post ARTICLE XIV. The amount of postage chargeable by the United United States States Post-Office, on its own account, upon every single letter sent postage on single through the United Kingdom, in ordinary mails, addressed to the United States, shall be three cents; and the amount of postage chargeable by the British Post-Office, on its own account, upon every single letter sent age. through the United States, in ordinary mails, addressed to the United Kingdom, shall be one penny. Exchange of between the ARTICLE XV. There shall be an exchange of correspondence between the United States of America and Bermuda, and between those States correspondence and the British Post-Office Agencies, established in the Danish Colony of United States St. Thomas, in Panama, in Colon, and in San Juan (Porto Rico). The and Bermuda, St. Thomas, and postage to be accounted for on such correspondence shall be fixed from San Juan. time to time by the mutual consent of the two offices. ARTICLE XVI. The British Post-Office shall prepare, at the expiration of every quarter, separate accounts, exhibiting the results of the exchange of correspondence, whether in ordinary mails, or in closed mails, between the respective offices. Such accounts shall be founded upon the acknowledgments of receipt of the respective offices during the quarter. British Post Office to prepare quarterly sepa rate accounts. The separate accounts shall be incorporated in general accounts, which Accounts shall be compared and settled by the two offices, and the balance shall to be incorpo rated in general forthwith be paid, in the money of the country to which the payment is to be made, by that office which is found to be indebted to the other. accounts. Equivalent of the United States dollar. Official com munication beOffices not to be tween the Post accounted. Regulations to be made, and how terminable. Existing conventions to cease when this takes effect. When articles of this conven In converting United States currency into sterling, or sterling into United States currency, four shillings and two pence shall be considered as the equivalent of a dollar. ARTICLE XVII. Official communications addressed by the United States Post-Office to the British Post-Office, or by the British Post-Office to the United States Post-Office, shall not give rise to any account between the two Post-Offices. ARTICLE XVIII. The two offices shall, by mutual consent, make detailed regulations in accordance with the foregoing articles, such regulations to be terminable on a reasonable notice by either office. ARTICLE XIX. All the conventions which now regulate the exchange of correspondence between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of America, shall cease to have effect from the date of the day when the present convention shall be put into execution. ARTICLE XX. Articles one, five, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, tion take effect. twelve, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen, shall come into operation on the 1st October next, and the remaining articles on the 1st day of January, 1868. Convention what notice. ARTICLE XXI. This convention shall be terminable at any time on terminable upon a notice by either office of one year; and Article V. (except so far as relates to newspapers) shall be terminable on a notice of three months. Done in duplicate and signed in London, the 18th day of June, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven. Execution. Convention JOHN A. KASSON, Special Com., &c., &c. MONTROSE, [L. 8.] POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT, } Having examined and considered the foregoing articles of a new ratified and ap- Postal Convention between the United States of America and the United proved by the Postmaster-Gen- Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, which were agreed upon and eral; signed in duplicate at London on the eighteenth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, by the Hon. John A. Kasson, Special Commissioner, &c., &c. on behalf of this Department, and by His Grace the Duke of Montrose, Postmaster-General of the United King dom of Great Britain and Ireland, on behalf of his Department, the same are by me hereby ratified and approved, by and with the advice and consent of the President of the United States. approved by the President of the United States. In witness whereof, I have caused the seal of the Post-Office Department to be hereto affixed, with my signature, the day and year first above written. [L. S.] ALEX. W. RANDALL, I hereby approve the foregoing Convention, and in testimony thereof I have caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. [L. S.] By the President: ANDREW JOHNSON. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. WASHINGTON, July 8, 1867. |