Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 9.djvu/615

 THIRTY-FIRST CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 20. 1851. 589 this section. And the postage on all printed matter other than newspapers and periodicals published at intervals not exceeding three months, and sent from the office of publication, to actual and bona fda subscribers, to be prepaid; and in ascertaining the weight of newspapers for the purpose of determining the amount of postage chargeable thereon, they shall be weighed when in a dry state. And whenever any printed matter on which the postage is required by this section to be prepaid, shall, through the inattention of postmasters or otherwise, be sent without prepayment, the same shall be charged with double the amount of postage which would have been chargeable thereon if the postage had been prepaid; but nothing in this act con- Matters free tained shall subject to postage any `matter which is exempted from the f“"“ P°““g°· payment of postage by any existing law. And the Postmaster-General, Rates to for-- by and with the advice and consent of the President of the United eign ¤°¤2°*i¤3 States, shall be, and he hereby is, authorized to reduce or enlarge, from §Qa;,,i’f,;f°° time to time, the rates of postage upon all letters and other mailable matter conveyed between the United States and any foreign country, ` for the purpose of making better postal arrangements with other governments, or counteracting any adverse measures affecting our postal ' intercourse with foreign countries; and postmasters at the office of delivery are hereby authorized, and it shall be' their duty, to remove the wrappers and envelopes from all printed matter and pamphlets not charged with letter postage, for the purpose of ascertaining whether there is upon or connected with any such printed matter, or in such package, any matter or thing which would authorize or require the charge of a higher rate of postage thereon. And all publishers of Exchanges. pamphlets, periodicals, magazines, and newspapers, which shall not exceed sixteen ounces in weight, shall be allowed to interchange their publications reciprocally, free of postage: Provided, That such inter- proviso, change shall be confined to a single copy of each publication: And provided, also, That said publishers may enclose in their publications proviso, the bills for subscriptions thereto, without any additional charge for postage: And provided, further, That in all cases where newspaper proviso_ shall not contain over three hundred square inches, they may be transmitted through the mails by the publishers to bona fda subscribers, at one fourth the rates fixed by this act. Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the dutv of the Postage stamps, Postmaster-General to provide and furnish to all deputy postmasters, °“d and to all other persons applying and paying therefor, suitable postage stamps, (a) of the denomination of three cents, and of such other denominations as he may think expedient, to facilitate the prepayment of postages provided for in this act; and any person who shall forge or { Penalty for counterfeit any postage stamp provided or furnished under the provis- ,‘;;§;§§n‘g' °°Q,‘;` ions of this or any former act, whether the same are impressed or stamps. i ' printed on, or attached to, envelopes or not, or any die, plate, or engraving therefor, or shall make or print, or knowingly use or sell, or 1845, ch. 69, 5 5. have in his possession with intent to use or sell, any such false, forged, or counterfeited die, plate, engraving, or postage stamp, or who shall make or print, or authorize or procure to be made or printed, any postage stamps of the kind provided and furnished by the Postmaster- General as aforesaid, without the especial authority and direction of the post-oflice department, or who, after such postage stamps have been printed, shall, with intent to defraud the revenues of the postoflice department, deliver any postage stamps to any person or persons other than such as shall be authorized to receive the same by an instrument of writing, duly executed under the hand of the Postmaster-Gem eral and the seal of the post-office department, shall, on conviction (a) For previous provision as to stamps, see act of 1847, ch. 63, § 11.