Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 16.djvu/955

 POSTAL CONVENTION WITII BELGIUM. JULY 31, 1863. 921 ARTICLE XX. Each of the two Post Departments concedes to the T”**¤¤l*,°Y other the privilege of transit across its territory, by its usual mail con- °1°S€d mms' veyances, of the closed mails exchanged by the other department with any foreign country to which it may serve as an intermediary, upon the following terms :— The Post Department of Belgium shall receive for such transit (in- Fw l>h€¤'°f°¤‘· cluding the service across the English Channel) at the rate of 15 centimes per 30 grammes of letters, net weight, and 50 centimes per `liilogramme for articles under band, net weight. The Post Department of the United States shall receive for the transit of Belgian closed mails across its territory at the rate of 5 cents per 30 grammes of letters, net weight; and 15 cents per kilogramme for articles under band, net weight. The Post Department of the United States reserves from these con- 0"°’l¤“d ditions of transit the overland route to the Pacific ocean. ;?2§°e§&;;°€,,g?` Whenexrer the Belgian Administration shall receive and deliver the Further proclosed mails exchanged between the United States and the countries be- visi°"s‘ youd Belgium on board the transatlantic steamers in the Channel, the British transit charge shall in such case be paid to the Belgian office: provided always, that the same international rate exists between the United States and such other countries, irrespective of the route of intermediate conveyance. Anrxonn XXI. Correspondence of all kinds which either depart- P°¤**”~B° °¤ ment shall despatch to the other for the purpose of beingthence for- 2;§:;°;,r£°€:ti.° warded in its mails to another country of destination, shall be subject to to be forwarded. the rates established by Article XI. of this convention, added to the ulterior rate in force beyond the frontier of the forwarding country; so that only one interior rate shall be received by the forwarding department. ARTICLE XXII. Small sums of money may be mutually transmitted §°°*°l m°¤°Y between the two countries by means of postal money orders, so soon as or m' the two departments shall have been duly authorized to this effect. ARTICLE XXIII. Until the same scale of weights shall have been Eq¤iV¤l¢¤*¤ of adopted by the two departments, it is agreed that, for the purposes of this ggggzcafd convention, 15 grammes shall be taken, for letters, as the equivalent of one half ounce; and 40 grammes as the equivalent of one ounce and a half, for articles under band, and so with their respective multiples in progression, as applied by the respective offices. It is also understood that the rates upon correspondence shall be applied according to the weight stated by the despatching department, except in case of manifest error. Anriorn XXIV. The provisions of the postal convention between rgggggfsg, the United States of America and Belgium, concluded at Washington iQ,.,,,,,,. comm, the 21st December, 1859, are continued in force, so far as they are not tion continued inconsistent with the present articles, or with the regulations which shall ‘“£*:;,°‘p_ 8% hereafter be made in pursuance thereof, by the two departments. i ARTICLE XXV. This convention shall take effect from a day to be _Thi¤h¤¤¤;’¤¤· fixed by the two Post Departments, and shall continue in force until one g3,",`;,,;;, gud year from notice given by one of the departments to the other of its in- howjong to tention to rescind it. It is understood that the rates provided by this °"gF,;;‘;’·mt€S convention shall not be applicable: First, to letters which shall be ex- ,,0; applicable gg changed between the two departments by way of the British intermedx- whatate service until the British office shall have reduced the amount of its charges for territorial transit, and sea conveyance, to a rate not exceeding I4 cents for a single letter. Second: Nor to documentary papers and manuscripts, corrected proofs, and samples of merchandise, in like manner exchanged between the two countries by the intermediate service of the British Post, until the British office shall have admitted these articles upon the same pecuniary conditions with printed matter.