ON POSTAL COMMUNICATION.

7

E.—No, 5.

No. 3. Memorandum for the Honorable the Postmaster-General. San Prancisco and Japan Line of Steamers. "" Great Bepublic " and others run between San Prancisco, Kanagan Islands, Japan, and Hong Kong. They are vessels of 4,500 tons; their length is about 360 feet, and beam 50 feet, with 31 feet 6 inches depth of hold. Engines are beam construction, with 105 inch cylinder, and 12 feet stroke of pistonfitted with surface condensers. The propelling power by paddle, and average rate of steaming, twelve knots. The round voyage from San Prancisco until returning to the same port occupies sixty-two days. 27th January, 1869. G. A. Woods, M.S.

No. 4. Postal Convention between Great Britain and the United States of America. The General Post Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the General Post Office of the United States of America being desirous of regulating, by means of a new Convention, the Communications by Post between the two countries, the undersigned, duly authorized for that purpose by their respective Governments, have agreed upon the following Articles : — Article 1. —There shall be an exchange of correspondence between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of America, as well for letters, newspapers, book packets, and patterns or samples of merchandize, originating in the United Kingdom or in the United States, 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 Kingdom or through the United States. Article 2. —Each office shall make its own arrangements for the despatch of mails to the other office by well appointed ships sailing on stated days, and shall, at its own cost, remunerate the owners of such ships for the conveyance of the mails. Article 3. —The postage on a single international letter shall not exceed sixpence in the United Kingdom, or twelve cents in the United States, and the authorized weight of a single letter shall be half-an-ounce in the United Kingdom, or fifteen grammes (by the metrical scale) in the United States. Por other than single letters the same charge shall be made for every additional half-ounce or fifteen grammes, or fraction thereof. Article 4. —Every international letter insufficiently paid, or wholly unpaid, received in the United States from the United Kingdom shall, in addition to the deficient postage, be subject to a fine of five cents, such 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. Article s.—lnternational newspapers, book packets (including printed papers of all kinds, maps, plans, prints, engravings, drawings, photographs, lithographs, sheets of music, and so forth), and patterns and samples of merchandize (including seeds and grain), shall be transmissible by either office at such charges (not less than threepence in the United Kingdom, or six cents in the United States per four ounces on book packets and patterns or samples of merchandize), and under such regulations, as the despatching office may from time to time lay down. These regulations, however, shall include the following: — 1. The postage shall be fully prepaid. 2. 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. 3. No book packet must exceed two feet in length, or one foot in width or depth. 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. Except as above, no charge whatever shall be levied in the country in which international newspapers, book packets, and patterns or samples of merchandize are delivered. Article 6. —The postage collected in the two countries on international letters, newspapers, book packets, and patterns or samples of merchandize, 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, book packets, and patterns or samples of merchandize, which represents the charge for the sea conveyance between the United Kingdom and the United States, shall belong wholly to the despatching office. Por the purposes of this Article, the charge for the sea conveyance of letters across the Atlantic shall be computed on the basis of fourpence, 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 merchandize, shall be computed at threepence per pound, or twelve cents per kilogramme. Article 7. —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 Post Office 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.