Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1855-03-16
The New Postage Law.


The following is an official copy of the law in re
ation to letter postage passed at the last session
Congress and signed by the President, requiring pre-
payment on and after the 1st of July next. Postag
to California under this act will be ten cents:
AN ACT further to amend the act entitled "An &C
| to reduce and modify the rates of postage in tn
Unlted States, and for other purposes passed Marc
| Sd, 1851
BE at enacted 6y the Senate and House of Represen
tatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled, That in lieu of the rates of postage now
established by law, there shall be charged the follow
ing rates, to-wit:
For every single letter in manuscript or paper o.
any kind in which information shall be asked for OF
communicated it writing, or by marks or signs con-
yeyed in the mail for any distance between places in
the United States not exceeding three thousand miles
three cents and for any distance exceeding three
thousand miles, ten cents.
And for double letter there shall be charoed
double the rate above specified; and for trebble
letter. treble those rates and for quadruple letter
quadruple those rates and every letter or parcel
not exceeding half ounce in weight, shall be
deemed single letter. and every additional weight
OF half an ounce, additional weight of less than
half an ounce, shall be charged with an additional
single postage; and upon all letters passing through
or in the mail of the United Sates excepting such
are 10 or fIom foreign country, the postage as
above specified shall be prepaid, except upon letters
and packages addressed to officers of the Government,
envelope And from and after the first day of Jan
uary, eighteen hundred and fifty six the Postmaster
General may require postmasters 10 place postage
stamps upon all repaid letters upon which such
stamps may not have been placed by the writer's
And all dropetters. or letters placed in any post
office not for transmission through the mail, but for
delivery only, shall be charged with postage at the
rate of cent each and all letters which shall
hereafter be advertised remaining over or uncaled
for, in any postofce, shall be charged with one cen,
each, in addition TO the regular postage both to be
accounted for as other posages now are
SEC 2 And be 1t further enacted, That it shall not
be lawful for any postmaster or other person 10 sell
any postage stamp or stamped envelope for any lar
ger sum than that indicated upon the face of such
postage stamp or for larger than that charged
therefor by the Post Office Department and any per
son who shall violate this provision shall be deemed
guilty of msdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof
shall be fined in any not less than ten, nor more
than five hundred dollars. This act to take effect
and be in force from and after the commencement of
the next fiscal quarter after its passage PROVIDED,
That nothing herein contained shall so be construed
to alter the laws in relation to the franking privi-
lege.
Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That for the
greater security of valuable letters posted for trans
mission in the mails of the United States, the Post
master General be and hereby is authorized 10 estab-
sh uniform plan for the registration of such letters
on application of parties posting the same, and TO
require the pre- payment of the postage, we'll
registration fee of five cents every such letter or
packet to be accounted for by postmasters receiving
the same in such manner the Postmaster General
shall direct Prov,ded, hoaeevsr that such registra-
ton shall not be compulsory; and it shall not render
the Post Office Department it's revenue liable for
the loss of such letters packets the contents
thereof