Washington sentinel., 1853-12-16

sign, and the carrying OF the mails but an In
cidental purpose, the public treasury should
bear the cost. The amount of postage derived
from these vessels is but small, as has been
shown; and in view Of the extension of mail
accommodations asked for from every part of
the country, which has now TO be frequently
denied, would suggest that these lines be now
paid for in the manner now provided for in re-
fation to the other lines. The extending set
Elements Of our country, and the great increase
and activity of business of every description,
require all the mail accommodations that can
be given, and the department should not be
burdened with payment for services which do
not properly belong to it.
No material change has been made in our
postal convention with Great Britain since the
date Of the last annual report from the Post
master General. Under this convention the
additional articles, to which allusion was made
in that report, providing for regular exchange
of mails between the United States and the
West Indies, were duly executed, and the ar
rangement has been in successful operation
since about the 18th Of January last. A copy
of these articles is annexed, marked b.
Similar additional articles have been agreed
upon, and an arrangement concluded, which
went into effect in October last, with respect to
mails between the United States and the west
rangement the British packet office at Panama
is the exchange office on the part of Great
Britain and New York, Charleston, Savannah,
New Orleans, and San Francisco, are the Offices
of exchange on the part of the United States.
By this agreement the United States avails
itself of the facilities of communication secured
by existing postal treaties between Great Brit
ain and the several governments on the west
coast of South America, the mails being trans
ported by line of British steam packets plying
between Panama and Valdiyia, touching at the
prominent intermediate ports. On letters sent
from the United States, the rate of postage for
which the United States has to account to the
British post Office, under this arrangement, is
eight cents the single letter between Panama
and Bueneventura, New Granada; twelve cents
between Panama and Peru; and twenty four
cents between Panama and any other port on
said coast. On letters received the British
packet postage, as above, is required to be pre-
paid. To the above rates, respectively, the
United States postage Of twenty cents to New
Granada and Peru, and twenty flour cents the
single rate in all other cases, has to be added
On newspapers the British packet postage is
four cents, to which is added the United States
postage also, of four cents each. Ca copy of
the articles Of agreement is annexed, marked
C.)
The exorbtant rates of postage on pamphlets
and magazines between the United States and
Great Britain, the charge for works of this kind
above the weight of two ounces beiug four
cents an ounce on either side, having so long
been cause Of just complaint on the part Of
both American and British citizens, | en-
braced an early occasion to renew the PROPOSE
ton of my Immediate predecessor, for reduc-
tion of the United States postage from four
cents to one cent an ounce, on condition that
the same reduction be made in the British
postage. This proposal, ] regret to state, is
still regarded unfavorably, although not abso-
lutely declined, by the British government.
Should it be acceded to, it will remain only to
make like reduction to the west coast Of
South America, to have a uniform rate of one
cent an ounce United States postage on pam
phlets and magazines between the United
States and all foreign countries. Except as
aforementioned, have already reduced the
pamphlet and magazine rates, to and from all
foreign countries, to one cent an ounce, under
the authority of provision respecting foreign
postages, in the act of Sd March, 1851.
No reduction has as yet been made in the
high transit postage charged on the mails pass
ing through England, to and from the United
States; nor has any success attended the mea-
sures adopted towards effecting "such arrange
ments Contemplated by provision in the 18th
article of our postal treaty with Great Brittany
for the conveyance Of letters and newspapers
and closed mails, through the Territories of
the United States, of the United Kingdom, and
of France, respectively, as should be most con.
ducive to the interests of the three countries"
Whilst the British government has been pay
ing the United States l24 cents an ounce for
the transit of the British and Canada closed
mails between Canada, New York, and Boston,
it has been, think, most unjustly demanding,
and receiving, "a cents an ounce for the transit
Of the French mails through England, and the
effect has been greatly to Inconvenience cor
respondents both in the United States and
France, and to postpone, from the date of the
postal treaty with England in l848 to the pre-
sent time, Notwithstanding our repeated re-
quests and demands, the execution of an
agreement which would at least conduce to the
interests of two of the countries intended to be
benefited by the 18th article.
Relying, however, on the justness of the
claims of the United States, / have by COM
munication to the Secretary of State, under
date of 10th July last, in answer to one from
Lord Clarendon, taken pains to have this whole
subject presented in its proper light to our
minister at London, who, doubt not, will use
every honorable means to press it to q satisfac-
tory result.
Our negotiations with France with respect
to postal convention between the two coun-
tries are still in progress and, except in re-
gard to two or three important points of differ
ence, the basis of an arrangement has been
agreed upon. France proposes the quarter
ounce scale for letters, the partial introduction
of which into our postal system, it is appre-
hended, would create confusion and lead to in
Vulnerable Irregularities in charging and col
lecting postage / have deemed it advisable to
insist on the halfounce scale now in operation
in this country, in England and in most Of the
States on the continent. France proposes to
make distinction between prepaid and unpaid
letters, instead of adopting one and the same
rate for all letters whether prepaid or not;
which latter plan, being the more simple, am
inclined to regard as tho best in all interna-
tional arrangements Of this kind, where simpl-
city of detail in every point of view is so es-
sential. Another question is rs to the proper
ton each country shall receive ofthe inland post
age. On all prepaid correspondence between
the two, countries, France proposes to take