shall be returned to the dispatching post department, at its expense, unopened and without delay. Correspondence addressed to persons who have changed their address, shall be forwarded or returned, charged with the rate that would have been paid by the receivers.' All other correspondence shall be at the disposal of the receiving department. Postal convention between the United States and XXV., XXVI., Accounts & Papers, 1857, vol. XVIII., (11,) 7 De Clercq.. 152. Accounts & Papers, 1845, vol. LII. (Id., 1858, vol. LX., 1 (28.) Id., '59, vol. XXXII., (18.) Portugal, Apr. 6, 1859, See, also, convention with Spain, May 21, 1858, Art. XIX., Id., 1858. vol. LX., (28.) Provision for the return of dead letters only is to be found in the postal convention between the United States and France, March 2, 1857, Art. XV., 16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 96, For the return of dead "letters and other communications in manuscript," in the convention between the United States and Venezuela, July, 1865, June, 1866, Art. VI., 16 U. S. Stat. at L..(Tr.,)312. For the return of "letters, newspapers, and other printed papers," in the postal convention between Great Britain and Spain, May 21, 1858, Arts. XIX., XX., Accounts and Papers, 1858. vol. LX., (28.) For the return of "letters, book-packets, and patterns of merchandise misdirected or missent," and "dead letters, newspapers, &c." in the regulations attached to the convention between the United States and Great Britain, Nov. 7, 24, 1868, Art. XIII., XV., 16 U. S. Stat. at L., { (Tr.,) 83. 16 Id., (Tr..) 95. But it is expressly stated that "newspapers" are not to be returned, in the convention between the United States and Prussia, July 17, Aug. 26, 1852, Art. XIV., 16 Id., (Tr.,) 186; and Venezuela, above; and this exception, extended to "samples of merchandise, prints of all kinds, &c.," is found in the postal convention between the United States and Italy, July 8, 1863, Art. XVIII., 16 Id., (Tr.,) 225. By the regulations attached to the postal convention between the United States and Great Britain, Nov. 7, 24, 1868, Art. XIV., (16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 83,) “letters forwarded for the purpose of annoying or injuring the parties to whom they are addressed, [the postage of which both offices are authorized to return to the public even after they have been opened,] may be included and admitted with the dead letters mutually returned.” Mail matter not to be detained. 465. Subject to the next article, all correspondence posted in one country for another, or received in one country from another, is free from all detention or inspection, and shall be forwarded by the most speedy means to its destination, or promptly delivered to its address, as the case may be; being subject, in its transmission, to the laws and regulations of each country, respectively. Postal convention between the United States and Mexico, Letters with contraband goods. 466. Any correspondence suspected to contain contraband goods, may be opened and examined in presence of the party to whom it is addressed; and if, on such examination, contraband goods are discovered, the letter and its contents may be detained. 3 & 4 Vict., ch. 96, § LXV. Violations of the mails. 467. The unlawful hindrance of the international postal service, or interference with or appropriation of any correspondence entrusted thereto, or violation of the secrecy of such correspondence, is a public offense. Suggested by Act of Congress of the United States, 1864, ch. 197, § 12, 13 U. S. Stat. at L., 337; and Acts of Parliament, 7 Will. IV.; 1 Vict., ch. 36, §§ XXV., &c. Matters of detail. 468. The designation of offices through which ex change of correspondence shall take place, the routes and conveyances, the settlement of accounts, and other matters of detail, not provided for in this Chapter, may be determined by special compact between the nations immediately concerned. CHAPTER XXXVII. POSTAL MONEY ORDERS. ARTICLE 469. International postal money orders. 470. Money order offices. 471. Language. 472. Charges. 473. Gold basis. 474. Indorsement. 475. Unclaimed money. 476. Settlement of accounts. International postal money orders. 469. The post department of each nation shall issue money orders for the transmission between persons in different nations, of sums specified, not exceeding one hundred dollars.' Fifty dollars is the limit set by the conventions for exchange of postal money orders between France and Prussia, July 3, 1865, Art. I., 9 De Clercq, 329. Switzerland, Mar. 22, 1865, Belgium, Mar. 1, 1865, Italy, Apr. 8, 1864, 9 Id., 205. 9 Id., 185. 9 Id., 10. 1 The French treaties fix the limit at two hundred francs. Money order offices. 470. Postal money orders shall be issued at the office. of the post department in the cities of London, Paris, New York, Berlin, St. Petersburgh, Vienna, and the other capital cities of the nations parties to this Code; and in such others as shall from time to time be designated by special compact between the corresponding nations. The existing treaties generally leave the designation of all the money order offices to special conventions; but in a general system, it seems proper that all nations should unite in fixing and promulgating the desig nation of certain central offices, correspondence with which shall be common to all. Language. 471. The postal money orders shall be in the languages of the corresponding nations. The French treaties prescribe the French language, providing, however, that the German shall accompany the French text, in the orders issued from the German offices. Charges. 472. There shall be charged on each remittance of funds, under this Chapter, a tax of one per cent., which shall always be paid by the sender.' Postal money orders, and receipts or acquittances therefor, are not subject to any other tax or charge. A tax of twenty centimes for ten francs, or fraction of ten francs, is provided by the convention for exchange of postal money orders between France and Switzerland, Mar. 22, 1865, Art. II., 9 De Clercq, 205. Belgium, Mar. 1, 1865, Apr. 8, 1864, 9 Id., 185. The convention between France and Prussia, July 3, 1865, Art. II., (9 De Clercq, 329,) is to the same effect, except that as to mandats delivered by a Prussian office, the tax is two silver groschen for every rate of three thalers. The above treaties provide that the tax shall be divided equally between the two postal departments concerned. Th postal convention between the United States and The Swiss Confederation, Oct. 12, 1867, Art. V., (16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 321, prescribes a complicated rule involving, 1, the domestic money order charge of the dispatching office; 2, a charge for international exchange to be fixed by the dispatching office, and 3, the domestic charge of the receiving office; the first two to be prepaid, and the third to be paid at the office of destination. Gold basis. 473. If, for the internal convenience of any country, any other currency than gold shall be paid to the beneficiary of the money order, it shall be made as nearly as practicable the equivalent of gold, according to the relative values existing at the time; and if the sender is allowed to pay for his order in any other currency than gold, the amount certified by the international office is, in all cases, to be the equivalent in gold. Postal convention between the United States and the Swiss Confederation, Oct. 12, 1867, Art. VII., 16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 322. Indorsement. 474. Postal money orders are transferable by indorsement. Convention for exchange of postal money orders between France and Prussia, July 3, 1865, Art. I., 9 De Clercq, 329. 475. Sums, unclaimed by those entitled to them, for a period of eight years, become the property of the administration which issued the orders. Convention for the exchange of postal money orders between France Compare, however, the postal convention between the United States and The Swiss Confederation, Oct. 12, 1867, Art. VIII., (16 U. S. Stat. at L., (Tr.,) 322,) which contains a provision that sums which, after a reasonable delay, cannot for any cause be paid to the beneficiary, shall be recertified to the dispatching administration, for the benefit of the sender, to be repaid in the manner conformable to the interior regulations of the country of origin. But the administration re-certifying the same shall have the right to first deduct its domestic charge of the same amount as if the remittance had been paid to the beneficiary. Settlement of accounts. 476. The post departments of the corresponding nations shall fix, by special compact with each other, respectively, the times and mode of stating and settling the accounts between them, under this Chapter, and of paying the balance found due from one nation to the other. |