The Express.
London, England, 1863-08-26 00:00:00

INTERNATIONAL POSTAL REGULATIONS.

The following are tbe regulations agreed to by
International Postal Commotion, held in Perla a short tiro,
@Moe, as the bases of future postal law awl practice
1. The articles which moat or may be forwarded by th,
post from one country to another are divided into
classes : —Ordinary letters. Registered letters, with°
declaration of value. Registered letters containing drenro
value. Corrected proof sheets, business papers and other
written documeota not of the nature of letters. Sample
of merchandise (including grains and seeds) of limited wrier
and without mercantile value. Printed matter of ■ll kiel,
in sheets, stitched or bound, sheets of music, engrasitga
lithographs, photographs, drawings, mare and plans.
• • • •

2. Wherever it is pool We, the prepayment of pomp
upon ordinary letters should be at the option of the Bengt,
bet in mss of such optional preps) meet, unpaid letters
must bear a moderate additional charge.

3. Letters insufficiently prepaid by the portal stamps
the despatching country must be rated as unpaid, deductut,
however, the value of the stamps allied.
4. Registered letters, whether with or without declarsti
of value, most in sll cases be prepaid to destination.

5. All articles under bands, in order to take the beeet
of a rote of postage less than that applicable to letters, n 0,4
be prepaid.
- • • • - - -

6: International correspondence of all kinds, duly pref.,
todestiriatiou, shall oot be charged with any additioual ft;
whatever oil delivery.
7. The rates uppoon international oorreepoudence 012114
established aoeatling to the same scale of weight is 4
countries,.

8. The metrieal decimal system, being that which WI
satisfies the demands of the postal service, shall be adopt
for international postal relations, to the exclusion of erir
other system.
- -

9. The single rate upon internation►l letters shall Is
applied to each st►ndard weight a 15 grammes or (maim
part of it.
- - • • - •

10. The tingle rates upon corrected prodaheete, spa
written document'. not of the nature of Jetties, and
samples of merchandise (including seeds) shall be appl64es
each standard weight of 40 grammes or fractional pin
thereof, to one address.
11. The standard weight for the single rate upon *Aida
under band embraced in the sixth class of the first resole.
tics aforesaid must be established by special conseatiee
between the contracting parties. _ _

12. The rate epos kites must be fixed aceordieg to the
weight stated by the despatching office, except io cased
manifest error.

13. Registered letters without declaration of value shrp
be rated with • moderate fixed charge in addition to tta
rate applicable to ordinary letters of the sum weight.
14. Registered letters containing declared value shall
rated with a charge in proportion to the amount of the:
eland value, in addition to the postage and to their
charge applicable to the other clamed registered lettem

regA
15. In ease of ken of • registered letter without
eland val and in case of lose or spoliation of a register
letter with value, each office will be held res
We for acts upon its own territory, and in the service f
which it has received. premium of insurance. Irdty f
should be allowed to the leader of an unvalued •
letter lost ; and fora raked registered letter, so much
the declared value as shall have been lost or abstracted.

16. Wherever intermediate transit charges may be pries
ticable, the rates upon international correspondence shook
be the same, by whatever routes the mails are conveyed.
17. Where there are different m►il routes, correspooderce
once shall be despatched by the route indicated by that upon
the address, or by rate of postage prepaid where present
rates exist. In the absence of such indication the degatch•
iog office will determine the route which it deems most
advantageous to the public interest.

18. Unpaid letters, delivered by one administrator to ass.
thee, toe country for which prepayment is counted, shale
returned to the despatching office as wrongly sent.
19. Articles under band, and subject to a lower poser,
with compulsory prepayment, shall, in case of insufficient
repaymeet, be despatched to their destinations with sm.
able extra rate. If such articles are wholly unpaid they
shall not be despatched.
20. Internatioual postal accounts cannot be expressed by
a rule of general application : but they should be 'imolai
an far as possible. °dire of exchange should not he rt.
quired to return acknowledgments of receipts of mails,
air for the correction of errors of the despatching office.
21. International post-ofEkva, accounting with each elle
for the rules and charges upon correspondence earlier
between them, whether in open or closed mails, shall sr
count, as far as possible, by the piece for the correspee
dance in the open mails, and by the net weight for the car
respondence in closed mails.
22. Correspondence re-forwarded by reason of a chair
of residence of the person addressed, shall not, on that sc-
count, be liable to • supplementary charge in favour a.
offices interested in the postage previously accrued.
23. Registered letters addressed to persons who have de
parted for a foreign country not interested in the poetap
preinid, shall be forwarded to the new residence of the
persons addressed, charged with additional postage.'
and with • supplementary registration fee, to be paid ce
delivery.
24. International correspondence which shall have become
dead shall be returned, without cost, to the despatching
offl

23. As high transit charges upon correspondence present
►n unsurmountable °lnmate to the establishment of an m•
binational system of correspondence upon conditions ad.
yantageous to the public, the transit chute for each country
shall never be higher than one-half of the interior rate of
the transit oountry ; and for countries of small territorial
extent the transit charge shall be even less.
26. The cost of sea conveyance claimed by one country
from another shall in Pm case be higher than the rate
charged upon it, own correspondence by the country by
whose vessels the conveyance shall be effected.
27. It is desirable that postal administrations having so.
counts with each other should seine as intermediaries for
the transmission of sums of money from one country to
another, by mean■ of international money ordeni, whenever
thiscan be effected without complications disproportiooed
to the advantages resulting from it.
28. In case of the nonpayment ►t the stipulated time of
the balance due upon sa adjustment of an international
postal account, the amount of the balance shall bear in.
terest from the expiration of the stipulated period, at the
rate seised upon by convention.
29. In the adjustment of uniform nodal rates the greatest
possible number of countries should be included in the same
tone, and subject to the same rate.
30. Free conveyance to its official communications with
other postal administrations should be granted to each
postal administration.
3L There should be a clan of letters denominated
"urgent," for delivery by express, mesengers, for which a
special supplementary charge shall be made.

THUNDERSTORM IN THE METROPOLIN —Yoke.
day afternoon the metropolis was visited by a storm which
continued for about half an hour, acclmpanied with vivid
flashes of lightning. The effects of the tempest were more
seriously felt io the district. of Hackney, Kinplaod, and
various pasta of Essex. The Roman catholic church
in Higb-street, Deptford, was struck by lightning. the cross
being shivered, many windows broken, and much interior
damage done. The electric eurreot spread to the adjoining
houses ; and Mr. J. L Pulling, solicitor, residing neat door,
who happened to be holding • dinner knife. received alight
shock in the right hand. No further consequeuees have
resulted ; but much alarm was naturally caused in the
neighbourhood.
RUCCWSPUL WHALE HuNT IN ORKNEY.—At
Helm, on Monday evening, all the boats had a grand whale
hunt, when they drove ashore the whole flock of 70 or eO,
and killed them in • bay at the east end of Holm. They
were sold by reap on Wednesd say, and fetched fair prices,
bringing upwards of 2001- to the naptairen. Some 20 boats,
with 80 men, were engaged in the capture. and all made a
good night's work of it. The chase lasted five hours before
they got the whales stranded.
CONVICTION FOR HAYMAKINO ON SUNHAT.—
At the Atherton petty semions, on Monday, Peter Cleworth
and 13 others were convicted, under an act of parliament
of the reign of Charles IL. for getting hay in no the Sun.
day. The cum had been adjourned for a month to enable
the magistrates to consider the state of the law on the
subject. The chairman of the beech (Mr. Silveeter) told
the defendant Cleworth that they had considered the cases,
and had decided that they were guilty of a desecration of
the Lord's Day, and a penalty of 50. and costa would be
inflicted. Defendant Clewortb— I don't intend to pay. I
am advised that your dee:sine is not legal. Mr. Silvester
You are very foolish ; for a distress warrsot will be granted
against your goods, and you have no appeal. Charles Ben-
oett, a Collier, was fined in a similar sum " for aiding and
abetting." He and several other, were told that if they
wood pay the coats (Ca. Gd.) no conviction would be re•
corded against them. They, however, refused, protesting
i against paying anything for saving produce from injury.
It is understood that distress warrants will be Weed
against these defendants who are householders, and the
others, will be incarcerated in the stocks, in accordance
with the provisions of this ancient statute. The cases
have excited much indignation throughout the neighbour-
hood. many considering that such convictions are calculated
to bring justice into contempt.
SERIOUS RIOT or basil REAPERS.—On SundAy
night last, about six o'clock, a number of Irish miners
commenced to quarrel among themselves in the streets
of Wooler. Northumberland, and on Sergeant Murray,
who was the only police officer in the town during the
whole day, ieterferiog with the intention dwelling the
disturbance, he received some severe kicks and blows,
and was ultimately brought to the ground by a severe
blow with a stone on the beck part of the head. He was
taken up quite insensible, and carried to bin home, where
he yet lies in a pm-Arlon. state. The inhabitants of the
town rendered all the Resistance posaiMe, and on the Irish
taking to their heels followed hard after them. Eight of
the men were apprehended by the townspeople anal taken
to the lock-up the same evening. Several, however, made
their escape, amongst whom was the ringleader ; hot ma he
can be identified, it is hoped that he will speedily he se-
cured. Those in custody were brought before Matthew
Tewart Culley, Esq., on Monday, and identified by the
townspeople, and remanded until the let September seat,
the usual justice meeting day.