Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 1.djvu/857



offence, one hundred dollars, and shall be rendered incapable of holding any office or appointment under the United States.

. And be it further enacted, That no ship or vessel arriving at any port within the United States, where a post-office is established, shall be permitted to report, make entry, or break bulk, until the master or commander shall have delivered to the postmaster, all letters directed to any person or persons within the United States, which under his care, or within his power, shall be brought in such ship or vessel, except such as are directed to the owner or consignee of the ship or vessel, and except also such as are directed to be delivered at the port of delivery, to which such ship or vessel may be bound. And it shall be the duty of the collector, or other officer of the port empowered to receive entries of ships or vessels, to require from every master or commander of such ship or vessel, an oath or affirmation, purporting that he has delivered all such letters, except as aforesaid.

. And be it further enacted, That the postmasters to whom such letters may be delivered, shall pay to the master or commander, or other person delivering the same, except the commanders of foreign packets, two cents for each letter or packet, and shall obtain from the person delivering the same, a certificate specifying the number of letters and packets, with the name of the ship or vessel, and the place from whence she last sailed; which certificate, together with a receipt for the money, shall be, with his quarterly accounts, transmitted to the Postmaster General, who shall credit him with the amount.

. And be it further enacted, That if any person, other than the Postmaster General, or his deputies, or persons by them employed, shall be concerned in setting up or maintaining any foot or horse post, stage wagon, or other stage carriage, on any established post road, or from one post town to another post town on any road adjacent or parallel to an established post road, or any packet boat or other vessel, to ply regularly from one place to another between which a regular communication by water shall be established by the United States, and shall receive any letter or packet, other than newspapers, magazines, or pamphlets, and carry the same by such foot or horse post, stage wagon, or other stage carriage, packet boat, or vessel, excepting only such letter or letters as may be directed to the owner or owners of such conveyance, and relating to the same, or to the person to whom any package or bundle in such conveyance is intended to be delivered, every person so offending shall forfeit, for every such offence, the sum of fifty dollars: Provided, that it shall be lawful for any person to send letters or packets by a special messenger.

. And be it further enacted, That the deputy postmasters, and other agents of the Postmaster General, shall duly account and answer to him, for all way letters which shall come to their hands: and for this purpose, the post riders, and other carriers of the mail, receiving any way letter or letters (and it shall be their duty to receive them, if presented more than two miles from a post-office) shall deliver the same, together with the postage, if paid, at the first post-office to which they shall afterwards arrive, where the postmaster shall duly enter the same, and specify the number, and rate or rates in the post-bill, adding to the rate of each way letter, one cent, which shall be paid by the postmaster to the mail carrier from whom such way letter shall be received. And that letters directed to persons living between post-offices may be delivered, and the postage thereof duly collected, it shall be the duty of the carriers of the mail to take charge of, and deliver all such letters as shall, for that purpose, be committed to them, by any postmaster, and collect the postage thereof, which shall be paid over to such postmaster on demand. And for every letter so delivered, the mail-carrier delivering the same shall be allowed to demand and receive two cents to his