Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 12.djvu/1169

 POSTAL CONVENTION WITH BELGIUM. Dszonmsma 21, 1859. 1117 Convention between the United States of America and His Mejesty the Eng of the Belgium: Ooncluded and signed at Washington, December 21, 1859. Ratiyications exchanged at Washington, October 19, Proclaimed by the President of the United States, October 20, BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS a Postal Convention between the United States of America. Dev- 21, 1859- and his Majesty the King of the Belgians was concluded and signed at ____`-. Washington, by the plenipotentiaries of the parties, on the twenty-first day of December, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, which convention is, word for word, as follows: POSTAL CONVENTION BETWEEN THE Umrnn STATES nm BELGIUM. Articles agreed upon between the General Post Office of the United Contracting States of America, by Joseph Holt, Postmaster General, in virtue of P¤¤i¤¤· his constitutional powers, and the General Post Office of Belgium, by his Excellency M. Blondeel Van Cuelebroeck, _Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of his Majesty the King of the Belgians, and invested with special powers to that effect, for the reciprocal receipt and delivery of letters and packets in closed mails to be conveyed through England, under the fifteenth article of the postal treaty between Belgium and Great Britain of the 14th (28th) August, 1857, as well as by any direct line of steamships which may be established between the United States and Belgium. In pursuance of this object, the following details are hereby agreed upon, viz : ARTICLE I. There shall be a periodical and regular exchange of Exchau 8,,; correspondence between Belgium and the United States of America at ¤¤¤‘¤¤p¤¤£¤<>¤· the times and by the means of communication and transport which shall be hereafter indicated, as well for letters, samples of merchandise, newspapers and printed matter, originating in the two countries, as for articles of the same nature originating in or intended for countries which shall be enabled to make use of the postal service organized by the present convention. When the senders shall not have indicated any other route in the su- Bmw_ perscription, correspondence of every kind, either addressed from Belgium to the United States and their Territories, or from the United States and their Territories to Belgium, shall be invariably comprised in the closed mails which the Belgian and United States Post Offices shall exchange in conformity to the second article of the present convention. The two above-mentioned offices reserve to themselves, nevertheless, the right to send and receive by such other route as they may think fit, correspondence originating in or destined for countries to which they respectively serve as intermediate points. ARTICLE II. Until other arrangements shall be made, the correspond- Clom m,;], ence to be exchanged between the Post Offices of the United States and Belgium shall be delivered by each party in closed mails at the proper Post Offices in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to be transported through Great Britain, in conformity with the conven-