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(b) Proposal by Italy, paragraphs 3 and 4, Article 19 of Detailed Regulations, as to deterioration of articles sent as samples— Italy proposes that the following paragraph be inserted between Nos. 3 and 4 as paragraph 4— "Articles of an intrinsic value must be defaced in such manner as to make them lose their mercantile value. "Provided, however, that odd articles which taken singly would have no appreciable value, as also articles of insignificant value clearly sent as specimens, may be despatched in perfectly sound condition, when any defacement whatever would make them lose their character of type or specimen which is the cause of their being forwarded." We recommend the adoption of this proposal. Present No. 4 paragraph to be No. 5. (c) Proposal by Italy, Article 16 of Convention, subsection (a), re transmission of coin, &c, also alteration No. 2 of paragraph 3, same Article — Proposed to substitute for section 2 : —"lt is forbidden — " (1) To insert in ordinary correspondence coin, gold, or silver bullion, precious stones, jewellery, and other precious articles, as well as articles of all descriptions liable to Customs duty. " (2) To insert in registered correpondence gold or silver bullion, precious stones, jewellery, and other precious articles ; but only in case their insertion or transmission is forbidden by the legislation of the countries concerned." We recommend the adoption of this proposal. (d) Proposal by France, Article 16 of Convention, paragraph No. 1, subsection (a), re manuscript correspondence in commercial papers, &c. Proposed that subsection (a) of Article 16 of Vienna Convention be modified as follows : — " (a) Commercial papers, samples and printed papers which are not prepaid at least partially, or ivhich contain letters or manuscript notes having the character of actual or personal correspondence, or which are so fastened as not to permit of an easy verification of their contents." We recommend that this be adopted. (c) Vote required re proposition by United States concerning articles of natural history— We recommend the adoption of the proposal of the United States, that in subsection 4 of Article 19 of Vienna Convention, after the words "Live bees," to insert " Specimens of Natural History." And to add a new subsection, No. 5, to read as follows: — " Natural History specimens, such as dried insects and cocoons, shells, botanic and geological . specimens, must be sent for non-commercial purposes, and must be packed in accordance with the general conditions attaching to samples of merchandise. But that the extension proposed by France to insert " silkworms' eggs" be not agreed to, for the reasons that silkworms' eggs are articles of value, and can be sent at a slightly increased cost by letter or parcel post, and it is undesirable to further extend the concessions under the packet regulations. (/) Correspondence re fraudulent stamps — Queensland and South Australia have, by legislation, already provided for a compliance with Clause 18 of the Principal Convention with regard to fraudulent stamps, and it is recommended that the other colonies should introduce similar provisions in any future Postal Bill. (g) Proposal by Holland, sub-paragraph (m), Article 18, of Regulations, re requisitions to libraries— We recommend that subsection (m) of Article 18 of Regulations be modified as follows : — To add after the word " communications," the following : " The front of the card form is exclusively reserved for the address." (Ji) Proposal by Italy, section 3, Article 11, Convention, and section 3, Article 6, of Regulations re "open sea" letters— That while we approve of the proposal by Italy as follows, that to paragraph 3 of Article 6 of Regulations be added : — " When necessary that office — i.e., the office in which the correspondence is delivered—to mark this correspondence independently of its ordinary date stamp with a stamp or impression of the word "Packet-boat," an indication which may also be made thereon in writing,"— we propose that future Conventions should provide that correspondence posted at port of arrival should bear the postage stamp of the country at which the letter was actually posted, and not of the country to which the ship belongs. (i) Proposals by France and Russsia, paragraph 4, Article 18 of Regulations, re writing on newspaper cuttings— The Russian Office proposes that to subsection (c) of paragraph 3 of Article 18 of Postal Union Regulations the following be added : — "To add, in writing or by a mechanical process, to passages cut from newspapers or other periodical publications, the title, date, number, and address of the publication from which the article is extracted." France