The national Republican., 1861-07-19
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN.
Treaties Ratified at the Second Session
Of the Thirty-sixth Congress.
TREATIES,

lhEAllES.
Convention between the United stcs Of america and rvs
Majesty the King Of the Belgans. Concluded ana sghcu
at Washington, December a. 1859 Rtincai'ons ~
cnanged at washington, octoorr ~ lsSo a ISan
BY the President ofhe Unitcd &ateS. Of Amer
PROCLAMTlON.
WHEarAs a Postal Convention between the
United States Of America and his Majesty the
King of the Belgisns was concluded and sign.
ed at Washington, by the plenipotentiares of
the parties on the twenty.6rst day of Decem.
Der, one thousand eight hundied and ffty.nine,
which convention is, word for word, as follows
POSTAL CONVENTION BETWEEN THE UNITED
STATES AND BELGIuM.
Articles agreed upon between the General
Post Office Of the United States of America,
by Joseph Holt Postmaster General, in virtue
Of his constitutional powers, and the General
Post Office Of Belgium, by his Excellency NJ.
Blondeel Van Cuele brock, Envoy Extraord.
nary and Minister Plenipotentiary ofhs Males
tythe King Of the Belgiaus, and invested with
special powers to that effect, for the reciprocal
receipt aud delivery of letters and packets in
closed mails to be conveyed through England,
under the fifteenth article Of the postal treaty
between Belgium aud Great Britain Of the l4h
(2sth) August, 1857, as well as by any drec,
line OF steamships which may be established
between the United States and Belgium. In
pursuance Of this object the following details
are hereby agreed upon, viz:
Article l. There shall be periodical and
regular exchange Of correspondence between
Belgium and the United States of America at
the times and by the means of communication
and transport which shall be hereafter indica.
ted, Us well for letters, samples OF merchandise,
newspapers and printed matter, originating in
tho two countries, as for articles of the same
nature originating in or intended for countries
which shall be enabled TO make use of the pos
tai service organized by the present conven.
ton.
When the senders shall not have indicated
sny other route in the superscription, cores.
pondence Of every kind, either addressed from
Belgium to the United States and their Terri.
tories, or from the United States and their Ter
ritories to Belgium shall be invariably com
prsed in the closed mails which the Belgian
and Uuted States Post Offices shall exchange
in conformity to the second article OF the pres,
ept convention.
The Two aforementioned offices reserve to
themselves, nevertheless, the right to send and
receive by such other route es they may think
ht, correspondence originating in or destined i
for countries to which they respectively serve
ss intermediate points.
Article ii. Until other arrangements shall
be made, the correspondence 20 be exchanged
between the Post Offices of the United States
and Belgium shal! be delivered by each party
IN closed mails at the proper Post Offices il
the United Kingdom OF Great Britain and Ire
land, to be transported through Great Britain
in conformity with the convention of August
IA, (2s,) 1867, concluded between the Post o.
fees of Belgium and of Great Britain.
The Post Office of Belgium shall pay the
expenses resulting from the transportation in
transit of the said closed mails over the British
territory, aud across the British channel. The
United States Post Office, on its side, shal.
pay the expenses resulting from the transpor
ta,ion OF the said mails across the Atlantic
ocean by the United States packets or by those
Of Great Britain.
The Belgian Post Office engages itself, new.
ertheless, notwithstanding this last clause, and
until a contrary decision is taken by common
agreeNent between that Office and that of the
United States, TO pay the expenses resulting
from the transportation across the Atlanti,
ocean of articles Of printed matter, other than
newspaper and periodical works. for such Of
said articles of printed matter as shall be con
tanned in the mails transported by the British
packets.
Article ILL., The exchange of mails de
spatched from the United States for Belgium
and, rice versa, by the way of England, shall
take place through the following post offices, tc
wit:
!. On the part Of the United States througt
the post offices of New York and Boston.
2. On the part of Belg ium through the loca
Office Ostend, travelling office Ostend, and Ant
werp.
The exchange offices above designated shal
reciprocally make a despatch at least once
week, in coincidence as tar as possible with tn
regular sailing of the Anglo American steam
ers, until arrangements shall be made to estab
lish more frequent communication, or a di
rect communication, between Belgium and tn,
United States, in conformity with the provis
ions OF articles xxiii., xxiv., XIV, and XVI, o
this convention.
Correspondence sent from one Of the two
countries to the other ria England shall be di
rected conformably to the table, letter &, al
tached TO the present articles.
Article w. Independently of the exchang,
offices mentioned in the proceeding article
others may, by mutual agreement, b,
established upon other points OF the coasts o
the Two countries for which direct communica
ton may hereafter be deemed necessary.
Article V. Persons who may be desrous @
sending ordinary letters, either from Belgium
to the United States, Or from the United State.
to Belgium, shall have the option of leaving
the entire postage to be paid by the person I,
whoV they are addressed, or of preparing til,
same TO their destination. But no account sLal
be taken Of any sum less than the whole com
bned rate, nor OF any traction OF the wnoI,
rate.
Article vi. Each letter Or packet weigh
ing not over fifteen gramrnes, or half au ounce
shall be considered single.
If above fifteen, and not over thirty gyammea
Zone half ounce to one ounce,) it shall pa
double the charge Of single letter.
If above thirty aud not over sixty grammcs