Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 18 Part 3.djvu/840

 810 POSTAL CONVENT[ON—Fltr\NCE. APRIL 28, 1874. égril %8ri874· Y Postal convention between the United States of America and the Republic b- ·. of France. · ‘ Contracting par- The undersigned, John A. J. Creswell, Postmaster-General of the ties. United States of America, in virtue of the powers vested in him bylaw, and M. 'Amédée Bartholdi, oftlcer of the national order of the Legion of Honor, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from France at Washington, &c., in the name of his government and by virtue of the powers which he has formally presented to this effect, have agreed upon the following articles, viz: ARTICLE 1. Matter to be ex- There shall be between the postal administration of France and the changed. `postal administration of the United States an exchange, in closed mails, of letters, samples of merchandise, photographs, and printed matter ot all kinds, by the following means of communication and transportation, viz: · Jliucsof exchange. 181.1. By HIS FIBDCD m3.lrp30k0i3S. ` 2d. By the packets of the Hamburg line. - 3d. By the way of England and the packets employed in transporting the mails between Great Britain and the United States. Expenses of ex- The expenses arising from the transportation of the mails byany one change. of the abovementioned routes shall be defrayed by the dispatching office; but it is understood that these expenses shall be defrayed in both directions by that of the two administrations which is able to secure'the transportation upon the most favorable terms, the other administration to reimburse to it its share of the said expenses. sea-rates by The United States postal administration, however, shall pay to the 1"¤‘<‘¤°h 1*******- postal administration of France, for the eonveyance of the mails sent from the United States to France by means of the French packets, the same sea-rates as those which the said United States postal administration would pay, according to American legislation, for the maritime convey- . ance of the same mails by steamers of commerce. It is also understood that these rates are not to be lower than those which the postal administration of France shall have to pay for the conve ance by the Hamburg packets of the mails which it shall send by Siese packets to the United States. ‘ Anrronn II. Postage on crqi- Persons who desire to sendordinary, that is to-say not registered, let- ";}*`Y  P’°P'*‘d ters, either from France and Algeria, lor' the United States and its ter- ° *’°“ lritories, or from the United States and its territories for France and Algeria, may, at their option, leave the postage on said letters to be paid by the addressees, or they can prepay said postage to destination. Anrxcnn Ill. names or charges The charge to be levied in France upon letters originating in or ad- ¤¤ i·>¤·f·¤>¤¤· dressed to the United States shall be 50 centimes per 10 grammes or fraction of 10 grammes, under the reservation for the French government of the power of hereafter applying the progression of 15 gram mes. The charge to be levied in the United States upon letters originating in or addressed to France shall be 9 cents per 15 grammcs or fraction of 15 grammes. Independently of the charges mentioned above, a fixed fee of 25 centimes, or 5 cents, as the case may be, shall be levied upon the unpaid letters.