LII.,) provide that couriers sent by commercial firms or by other persons to convey, occasionally, a single letter, or one or more newspapers, may pass unmolested through the respective territories of both powers, provided the said couriers exhibit on the French territory the letter or newspapers which they convey, to the first post-office on their route, which office shall tax the said letter or newspapers with the rate prescribed by the laws and regulations of the country. The said letters or newspapers shall be marked with the date and charge of the office at which the postage shall have been paid, and a certificate thereof shall be delivered to the courier, and annexed to his passport. And the same conventions between Great Britain and France, Art. XII,, and Belgium, Art. XI., further provide that the captains of packets engaged in the conveyance of mails are forbidden to take charge of any letter not included in their mail-bags, except, however, dispatches of their governments, and must take care that no letters are conveyed illegally by their crews or passengers, and must give information, in the proper quarter, of any breach of the laws which may be committed in that respect. Weight for single rate of postage. 452. The standard weight for the single rate of international postage shall be : 1. For correspondence of the first class, fifteen grammes; and, 2. For correspondence of the second class, one hundred grammes. The rule of progression shall be an additional single rate for each additional single weight, or fraction thereof. The weight stated by the dispatching department shall always be accepted, saving the case of manifest mistake. Subdivision 2 is new, in proposing an uniform unit of weight. The other parts of the Article are from the postal convention between the United States and Belgium, Aug. 21, 1867, Art. IV., 16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr..) 145. This unit of weight for letters is also authorized by the postal convention between the United States and Great Britain, Nov. 7, 24, 1868, Art. III., 16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 75. See, however, the convention with France, March 2, 1857, Art. VI., (16 Id., (Tr.,) 94,) wherein the unit of weight is fixed at seven and a half grammes. Rate of ocean postage. 453. The postage payable for each unit of weight, or fraction thereof, shall not exceed : 1. For correspondence of the first class, two one hundredth parts of a dollar; and, 2. For correspondence of the second class, one hundredth part of a dollar. This Article seekstoestablish an uniform charge for all nations uniting in the Code, it being considered that the facilities of communication and the amount of correspondence call for the adoption, between nations, of the principle of uniformity now universally adopted in domestic postage. The rate suggested is upon the principle of Ocean Penny Postage. Prepayment required. 454. International postage must be prepaid. The rule generally prescribed by the treaties is, that the prepayment of postage on ordinary letters is optional, subject to the fine for insufficient payment; but on registered letters, and on all other correspondence mentioned in class second of Article 447, it is compulsory. Insufficient prepayment. 455. Unregistered correspondence, which by mistake is unpaid or insufficiently prepaid, shall be forwarded to its destination, charged with double the deficiency, which charge shall be retained for the benefit of the department collecting the same. Several of the treaties require unpaid matter to be forwarded, but the above seems to be a better rule. The same treaties impose a fine, which, with the deficient postage, goes to the collecting department. Registered correspondence. 456. Any correspondence may be registered. 1 Registered correspondence may be sent by the same routes, whether direct or intermediary, as ordinary correspondence. 1 Postal convention between the United States and 2 See postal convention between the United States and Great Britain, Nov. 7, 24, 1868, Arts. VIII., IX., 16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.) 77. Postal convention between Great Britain and France, Sept. 24, 1856, Art. XVII., Accounts and Papers, 1857, vol. Belgium, Oct. 19, 1844, Spain, May 21, 1858, XVIII., (11,) 7 De Clercq, 152. Accounts and Papers, 1845, vol. LII. It is provided in Art. VII. of the Regulations attached to the postal convention between the United States and Belgium, Aug. 21, 1867, (16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 149,) and by the postal convention between the United States and that needful measures for the careful transmission of registered correspondence, and for pursuing it when lost, are to be taken; but neither assumes towards the other any pecuniary responsibility in case of loss. Registration fee. 457. In addition to the postage of registered correspondence, there may also be charged a registration fee,' the amount of which shall be fixed by the dispatching post department. Postal convention between Great Britain and Postal convention between the United States and Great Britain, Nov. 7, 24, 1868, Art. VIII., 16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 77. 1 Postal convention between the United States and Basis for settlement of accounts. 458. Accounts between any two post departments shall be settled on the following basis, unless otherwise provided by special compact: from the total amount of international postages and registration fees, collected in each country on letters, added to the total amount of prepaid postages and registration fees on other articles sent, the dispatching office shall deduct the amount required, at the agreed rate for the intermediate transit thereof between the two countries ; and the amount of the two net sums' shall be equally divided between the two departments. Postal convention between the United States and See, also, the postal convention between the United States and Great Britain, Nov. 7, 24, 1868, Art. VI., 16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 76. 1 By the postal convention between the United States and the Swiss Confederation, Oct. 11, 1867, (16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 246,) the “two net sums shall be divided between the two offices in the proportion of threefifths (3-5ths) to the United States, and two-fifths (2-5ths) to the Swiss office." And a similar basis for the settlement of accounts is to be found in the postal convention between the United States and Netherlands, Sept. 26, · 1867, Art. XI., 16 U. S. Stat. at L.,(Tr.,) 272. In the postal convention between United States and Italy, Nov. 8, 1867, Art. VIII., (16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 228,) there is added the following: There shall be excluded from the account all fines upon unpaid or insufficiently paid correspondence, and the deficient postages upon articles mentioned in the second subdivision of Article I., (class second, Article 447,) all of which shall be retained to the use of the administration which collects them." Dangerous substances. 459. No person shall post any thing containing explosive or other dangerous substances. 3 & 4 Vict. ch. 96, § LXII. Regulations for dispatch of correspondence. 460. Correspondence of the second class shall be dispatched under the following regulations, and such additional regulations as may from time to time be established by the dispatching post department: 2 1 1. No packet shall contain anything which is closed against inspection, nor any written communication whatever, except to state from whom or to whom the packet is sent, and the number and price placed upon each pattern or sample of merchandise;" 2. No packet shall exceed two feet in length, or one foot in any other dimension; 3. No office shall be bound to deliver any article the importation of which is prohibited by the laws or regulations of the country of destination;" 4. So long as any customs duty is chargeable on any article sent to any nation, it may be levied for the use of the customs of that nation; and, 5 5. Except as above provided, no charge whatever, otherwise than is expressly provided by special compact, shall be levied or collected on the correspondence transmitted," Postal convention between the United Belgium, States and V., 16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 76. XII., 16 Id., (Tr.,) 146. VIII., 16 Id., (Tr.,) 200. Aug. 21,1867, IX., X., 16 Id., (Tr.,) 228. And it is also provided in the convention with Italy, above, that "there shall be admitted no liquid nor other article which might injure the other correspondence.” 1 By the postal convention between Great Britain and Sardinia, Dec. 12, 1857, Art. XIV., Accounts and Papers, 1858, vol. LX., (28,) " a book-packet may contain any number of separate books or other publications, prints, or maps, and (subject to the consent of the French post-office,) any quantity of paper, parchment or vellum; and the books or other publications, prints, maps, &c., may be (subject to the like consent), either printed, written, or plain, or any mixture of the three. Further, all legitimate binding, mounting, or covering of a book, publication, &c., or of a portion thereof, shall be allowed, whether such binding, &c., be loose or attached; as also rollers, in the case of prints or maps, markers, (whether of paper or otherwise,) in the case of books; and, in short, whatever is necessary for the safe transmission of literary or artistic matter, or usually apper |