The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-02-09
POSTAL CONVENTION
BETWEEN
The United States Of America and the
Republic of France.


The undersigned, John A. j. Creswell, Post
General of the Uuited States of America,
virtue of the powers vested in him by law, and M
Amedee BarthOldi, officer of the national order o
the Legion of Honor, envoy extraordinary and MN
SC, in the name of his government and by virtue O
the powers which he has formally presented to thi
effect, have agreed to the following articles, viz:
ARTICLE I.
There shall be between the postal administration O.
France and the postal administration of the United
States exchange in closed mails, OF letters samples
of merchandise, Photographs and printed matter OF
all kinds by the following means OF communication
and transportation, viz:
LIST. BY the French mail-packet.
I'd. By the packets of the Hamburg line.
Sd. By the way of England and the packets en-
ployed in transporting the mails between Great
Britain and the United States.
The expenses arising from the transportation o.
the mails by any of the above mentioned routes
shall be betrayed by the dispatching office; but it II
understood that these expenses shall be betrayed in
both directions by that OF the two administrations
which is able to secure the transportation upon the
most favorable terms, the other administ alton to
20 y s 81
shall pay to the administration of France, for the
conveyance of mails sent from the United States tC
sea-rates as those which the said United States pos
tai administration would pay, according to the Amer
lean legislation for the maritime conveyance of the
same mails by steamers of commerce. 1t is also I'M
derstood that these rates not to be lower than
those which the postal administration Of France
shall have to pay for the conveyance by the Hamburg
packets of the mails which it shall send by these
packets to the United States.
ARTICLEH II.
Persons who desire to send ordinary, that is to
saw not registered letters, either from France and
Algeria for the United States and its territories
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 % destination.
ARTICLE III.
The charge to be levied in France upon letters
originating in addressed to the United States
shall be 50 confines per 10 grammes or fraction OF
10 grammes under the reservation of the French
government of the power of hereafter applying the
progression of Is grammes. The charge to be levied
in the United States upon letters originating in or
addressed to France shall be cents per Is grammes
fraction OF 15 grammes. Independently OF the
charges mentioned above, fixed fee OF % centimes,
or cents as the case may be, shall be levied upon
the unpaid letters.
In regard to the letters insufcently paid by
of postage stamps, they shall be treated as unpaid
letters saving deduction of the amount of the post
age stamps; but when the charges resulting from
this deduction shall give fraction of half decline
French, or of a cent American, an entire half de-.
cine or cent as the case may be- shall be levied for
the fraction.
ARTICLE ".
The public of the two countries may send letters
registered. form one country to the other.
The postage on such registered letters must always
be prepaid to destination.
Every registered letter from France and Algeria to
the United States and its territories shall bear. on
departure in addition to the postage applicable to an
ordinary paid letter of the same weight, fixed fee
S 20 @ s
to France and Algeria shall bear, On departure, in
addition to the postage applicable to paid letter of
the same weight, fixed fee OF 10 cents.
ARTIcLEv.
Samples of merchandise or of grains, photographs,
engravings, and Autographs newspapers, periodi-
Gals sewed OF bound books, pamphlets, sheets of
music, catalogues, prospectuses, announcements,
and various circulars, printed, engraved, ltho-
2raphed or autographed, which shall be sent either
from France and Algeria to the United States and
ritories to France and Algeria, must be prepaid,
both sides, to destination.
The rates of prepayment shall be fixed by the gov
eminent OF the country OF origin.
ARTICLE vi.
Each administration shall retain the whole amount
of the sums which it shall have collected by author
ity of Articles Ill, ~, and V preceding.
1t is formally agreed, between the two contracting
parties that such objects are designated in the
sand article which shall have been prepaid to desti-
nation, cannot under any pretext title whatever
be subjected, in the country OF destination, to any
postage or fee to the charge Of the addresses.
ARTICLE VII.
The two administrations may reciprocally deliver
in open mails ordinary letters and printed matter of
all kinds coming from addressed to the countries
to which they serve respectively Intermediates;
and also registered letters coming from addressed
to such Of those countries to which the payment of
ordinary letters can be effected to destination
This delivery shall take place according to the fol-
lowing arrangements:
The correspondence exchanged between France or
Algeria and the countries to which the United States
serve Intermediates shall be made subject to The
following settlements
list. To the payment, by the French administra-
ton to the American administration when the
postage shall be collected in France Algeria of a
of postage equal to that which is paid by the in
habitants of the United States for the correspondence
which they exchange with the same countries.
I'd. To the payment by the American administIa a.
tom to the French administration when the postage
shall be collected in ecountres to whchthe United
States serve as Intermediates, of rate of French
postage OF cents per 10 grammes traction of 10
grammes for ordinary letters, of cents per 10
grames OF fraction of 10 grammes for registered let
ters and of cent per 40 grammes or fraction of 40
grammes for printed matter of all kinds
The correspondence exchanged between the coun-
tries t. which France Intermediary and the
countries to which the United States serve as inter
mediaries, shall be made subject to the following set
Elements:
list. To the payment, by the French administra-
ton to the American administration if the postage