Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 15.djvu/597

 PQSTAL CONVENTION WITH BELGIUM. Aoousr 21, 1867. 555 Convention for the Regulation of the Postal Intercourse between the United States eyf America and Belgium. The Post-Office Department of the United States of America and of Aug. 1867. Belgium, being desirous to regulate by a new Convention the postal in- tercourse between the two countries, the undersigned, being duly author- C<?¤¤’¤¢*i¤8 ized by their respective Governments, have agreed upon the following pm‘°°”‘ articles :-— ARTICLE I. There shall be an exchange of correspondence, by Exchange or means of their respective Post Departments, between the United States °°“‘"P°¤d°¤°°¤ of America and Belgium, and this correspondence shall embrace; ,0 embmo 1. Letters, ordinary and registered. what. 2. Newspapers, Book-Packets, Prints of all kinds, (comprising maps, plans, engravings, drawings, photographs, litographs, and all other like productions of mechanical processes, sheets of music, etc.,) and patterns or samples of merchandise, including grains and seeds. And such correspondence may be exchanged, whether originating in either of said countries and destined for the other, or originating in or destined for foreign countries to which they may respectively serve as intermediaries. Anrrcrn II. The offices for the exchange of mails shall be (a) on 0;;;,,,,,, for Ex. the part of the United States: change of mails. 1. New York. 2. Boston. (b) On the part of Belgium : 1. Antwerp. 2. Ostend, (Travelling Office.) 3. Ostend, (local.) The two Post Departments may at any time discontinue either of said offices of exchange or establish others. ARTICLE III. Each office shall make its own arrangements for the A,~,-,,,%,,,,,,,,,5 despatch of its mails to the other office by regular lines of communica- ¤“<>r_desg¤t<¤b of tion, and shall, at its own cost, pay the expense of such intermediate ’““‘1“* °‘ transportation. It is also agreed that the cost of international ocean and gm of mus. territorial transit of the closed mails, between the respective frontiers, P°*¤¤*i<>¤· shall be nrst defrayed by that one of the two Departments which shall have obtained from the intermediaries the most favorable pecuniary terms for such conveyance ; and any amount so advanced by one for account of the other shall be promptly reimbursed. ARTICLE IV. The standard weight for the single rate of posting and _ Weight for rule of progression shall be: **%*55 gm °’ 1. For letters, 15 grammes. P g ` 2. For all other correspondence mentioned in the second paragraph of the first article, that which each Department shall adopt for the mails which it despatches to the other, adapted to the convenience and habits of its interior administration. But each office shall give notice to the other of the standard weight it adopts, and of any subsequent changes thereof The rule of progression shall always be an additional single rate for each additional single weight or fraction thereof. The weight stated by the despatching office shall always be accepted, saving the case of manifest mistake. ARTICLE V. The single rate of postage on the direct correspondence Rate of postage. exchanged between the United States and Belgium shall be as follows: