Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-10-23
10 F CT A L j
. L A w s
OF THE
UNITED STATES
POSTAL CONVENTION
BETwEEN
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND THE REPUBLIC OF FRANCE.

TNSSED Mt THE
FIRST SESSION OF THE FORTY-THlRD CONGRESS

POSTAL CONVENTION
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND THE REPUBLIC OF FRANCE.
Concluded 1pIiI 2s, 1874.
The undersigned, John A. J. Creswell,
Postmaster-General of the United States of
America, in virtue of the ,powers vested
in him by law, and NJ. Amedee Bartholdi,
officer of the national order Of the Legion
of Honor, envoy extraordinary aud minis
ter penipotentiary from France at Wash
ington, &c, in the name Of his government
and by virtue Of the powers which he
has formally presented to this effect, have
agreed upon the following articles, viz:
ARTICLE I.
There shall be between the postal admin
istration of France and the postal adminis-
tratOn of the United States an exchange,
in closed mails, of letters, samples Of mer-
chandise, photographs, and printed matter
of all kinds, by the following means of
communication and transportation, viz:
lst. BY the French mail-packets.
ID. BY the packets of the Hamburg line.
3. BY the way of England and the pack
cts employed in transp lrting the mails be-
tween Great Britain aud the United States.
The expenses arising from the transport
talion of the mails by any one Of the above
mentioned routes shall he betrayed 10y the
dispatching office; but it is understood
that these expenses shall lie betrayed in
both directions by that of the two admin
istrations which il able to secure the trans
portatiOn upon the most favorable terms,
the other administration to reimburse to 1t
its share of the said expenses.
The United States postal administration,
however, shall pay to the postal adminis-
tration of France, for the conveyance of
mails sent from the United States to France
by means Of the French packets, the same
seal rates as those which the said United
States postal administration would pay, ac-
cOrding to American legislation, ior the
maritime conveyance of the same mails by
steamers of commerce. 1t Is also under
stood that these rates are not to be lower
than those which the postal administration
Of France shall have to pay for the convey
anco by the Hamburg packets of the mails
which it shall send by these packets To the
United States.
ARTICLE II.
Persons who desire to send ordinary, that
is to say not registered, letters, either 1om
France and Algeria, for the United States
and its territories, or frOm the United States
and its territories for France and Algeria,
may, at their option. leave the postage on
said letters to be paid by the addresses, or
they can prepay said postage to destl lhation.
ARTICLE III.
The charge To be levied in France upon
letters originating in or addressed To the
United States shall be 50 centines per 10
grammes or fraction of 10 grammes, under
the reservation for the French government
of the power of hereafter applying the pro-
gression of Is grammes. The charge to be
levied in the Uuited States upon letters
originating in or addressed To France shall
be 9 cents per l5 grammes or fraction Of 10
grammes. Independently of the charges
mentioned above, a fixed fee of 25 cent?
mes, or cents, as the case may be, shall
be levied upon the unpaid letters.
In regard to the Letters insuffciently
paid by means of POSTAGE stamps, they
shall be treated as unpaid letters, saving
deduction of the amount Of the postage
stamps; hut when the charge resulting
from this deduction shall give Il fraction al
half decline French, or ofa cent American,
an entire half decline or cent, az the case
may be, shall be levied for the fraction.
ARTICLE ".
The public of the two countries may send
letters, registered, frome one country 10 the
ether.
The postage on such registered letters
| must always be prepaid TO destination.
Every registered letter sent from France
| and Algeria to the United States aud It's
| territories shall bear, on departure, in adj
| dition TO the postage applicable to an ordin-
ary paid letter of the same weight, fixed
fee of so centimes and, recipI ocally, every
! registered letter sent from the United States
and its territories to France and Atgeria
shall bear, on departure, in addition To the
postage applicable to paid letter of the
same weight, fixed fee of 10 cents.
ARTICLE V.
Samples of merchandise or of grains
| photographs, engravlngs, and Autographs
| newspapers periodicals, sewed or bounC
books, pamphlets, sheets OF music, cata
logues, prospectuses, announcements, ant
| various circulars, printed, engraved, lithO-
| graphed, or autographed, which shall h,
sent either from France and Algeria to tn,
| United States and its territories, or from
the United States and its territories /,
France and Algeria, must be prepaid, Ol
both sides, to destination.
The rates of prepayment shall be fixe'
by the government Of the country OF ori
gin.
ARTICLE VI.
Each administration shall retain tn
whole amount of the sums which it shal
have collected by authority of Articles Ill
~, and V preceding.
1t is formally agreed between the two con
tracing parties, that such objects as are des
gnated in the said article, which shall hav
been prepaid to destination, cannot, unde
any pretext or title whatever, be subjecte'
in the country of destination, to any post
age or fee to the charge of the addresses.
ARTICLE VII.
The two administrations may reciprocal
ly deliver in open mails ordinary letter
and printed matter of all kinds comm
| from or addressed to the countries to whic
they serve respectively as Intermediates
and also registered letters coming from c
addressed 10 such of those countries
which the payment of ordinary letters ga
be effected to destination.
This delivery shall take place accordin
to the following arrangements
The correspondence exchanged betweo
France or Algeria and the countries
which the United States serve as intermI
diaries 81 all be made subject TO the follow
ing settlements:
lst. To the payment by the French az
ministration, to the American adminstri
( tion, when the postage shall be collected
France or Algeria, of rate of postal
; equal TO that which is paid by the inhabi
ants of the United States for the corr
Q spondence which they exchange with Il
a same countries.
I'd. To the payment by the Americs
administration to the French administr
:, tion, when the postage shall be collected
: the countries to which the United STATE
serve as Intermediates, of a rate of FrenC
postage of cents per 10 grammes or fra
! iiou of 10 grammes for ordinary letters,
g 8 cents per 10 grammes or fraction of
q grammes for registered letters, and of
>, cent per 40 grammes or fraction of 40 graz
" mes for printed matter of all kinds.
d The correspondence exchanged betwe
J.. the countries to which France serves as /
a termediary and the countries to which /
= United States serve as intermediates, sh
be made subject TO the following sett
u ments:
LIST. To the payment by the French a
a ministration to the American administl
tion, If the postage on the correspondent
rs is collected In the countries to which Fran
Al serves as Intermediary, of a rate of po
70 age equal to the postage paid by the inha
- itants of the United States for the cor
10 spondence which they exchange with I
Ig countries to which the United States ser
b. as Intermediates.
" I'd. To the payment by the AmeriC
y adminislralion 10 the French adminisL