persons, either wholly or partially, or temporarily or otherwise, from all or any of the provisions of this Act contained in any the sections subsequent to Section 5, and may at any time revoke any such exemption.

POSTAL CONVENTION between the United States of America and the Colony of New Zealand.-Signed at Wellington, New Zealand, August 3, 1870, and at Washington, October 5, 1870.

THE Undersigned, being thereunto duly authorized by their respective Governments, have agreed upon the following Articles establishing and regulating the exchange of correspondence between the United States of America and the Colony of New Zealand:

ART. I. There shall be an exchange of correspondence between the United States of America and New Zealand, by means of the direct line of colonial mail-packets plying between San Francisco and said Colony, as well as by such other means of direct mail steam-ship transportation between the United States and New Zealand as shall hereafter be established, with the approval of the respective Post Departments of the two countries, comprising letters, newspapers, and printed matter of every kind, originating in either country, and addressed to and deliverable in the other country, as well as correspondence in closed mails originating in New Zealand and destined for foreign countries by way of the United States.

II. The post offices of New York, Boston, and San Francisco shall be the United States' offices of exchange, and Auckland and Wellington the offices of exchange of the Colony of New Zealand, for all mails transmitted under this arrangement.

III.* No accounts shall be kept between the Post Departments of the two countries upon the international correspondence, written or printed, exchanged between them, but each country shall retain to its own use the postage which it collects.

The single rate of international letter postage shall be 12 cents in the United States, and 6d. in New Zealand, on each letter weighing half an ounce or less, and an additional rate of 12 cents (6d.) for each additional weight of half an ounce or fraction thereof, which shall, in all cases, be prepaid at least one single rate, by means of postage stamps, at the office of the mailing in either

Replaced by amended Article signed at Washington, August 28, 1877, and at Wellington, October 11, 1877.

country. Letters unpaid or prepaid less than one full rate of postage shall not be forwarded, but insufficiently paid letters on which a single rate or more has been prepaid shall be forwarded, charged with the deficient postage, to be collected and retained by the Post Department of the country of destination. Letters fully prepaid, received in either country from the other, shall be delivered free of all charge whatsoever.

The United States' Post Office shall levy and collect to its own use, on newspapers addressed to or received from New Zealand, a postage charge of 2 cents; and on all other articles of printed matter addressed to or received from New Zealand, a postage charge of 4 cents per each weight of four ounces or fraction of four

ounces.

The Post Office of New Zealand shall levy and collect to its own use, on newspapers and other articles of printed matter, addressed to or received from the United States, the regular rates of domestic postage chargeable thereon by the laws and regulations of the Colony of New Zealand.

Newspapers and all other kinds of printed matter are to be subject to the laws and regulations of each country respectively, in regard to their liability to be rated with letter postage, when containing written matter, or for any other cause specified in said laws and regulations, as well as in regard to their liability to customs duty under the revenue laws.

IV. The United States' office engages to grant the transit through the United States, as well as the conveyance by United States' mail-packets, of the correspondence in closed mails which. the New Zealand Post Office may desire to transmit, via the United States, to British Columbia, the British North American Provinces, the West Indies, Mexico, Central and South America, and at the following rates of United States' transit postage, viz. :

For the United States' territorial transit of closed mails from New Zealand for Mexico, British Columbia, Canada, or other British North American Provinces, when transmitted entirely by land routes, 6 cents per ounce for letter mails and 16 cents per pound for all kinds of printed matter.

For the United States' territorial and sea transit of closed mails from New Zealand for British Columbia or other British North American Provinces, Mexico, Central and South America, or the West India Islands, when transmitted from the United States by sea, 25 cents per ounce for letter mails and 20 cents per pound for all kinds of printed matter.

The New Zealand Post Office shall render an account to the United States' Post Office, upon letter-bills to accompany each mail, of the weight of the letters, and also of the printed matter contained

in such closed mails forwarded to the United States for transmission to either of the above-named countries and colonies; and the accounts arising between the two offices on this class of correspondence shall be stated, adjusted, and settled quarterly, and the amounts of the United States' transit charges found due on such closed mails shall be promptly paid over by the New Zealand Post Office to the United States' Post Office, in such manner as the Post master. General of the United States shall prescribe.

V. Prepaid letters from foreign countries received in and forwarded from the United States to New Zealand shall be delivered in said Colony free of all charges whatsoever, and letters received in New Zealand from the United States addressed to New South Wales, or Australia, will be forwarded to destination, subject to the same conditions as are applicable to correspondence originating in New Zealand and addressed to those countries.

VI. In the event of any of the Australian Colonies not agreeing with New Zealand to contribute to the maintenance of any line of mail-packets plying between New Zealand and the United States of America, and subsidized by New Zealand, the New Zealand Post Office may require the United States' Post Office not to forward by such subsidized packets any mails, letters, newspapers, or other articles addressed to such Colony; and the New Zealand Post Office may refuse to transmit to their destination all mails, letters, newspapers, or other printed matter addressed to such Colony, and received in New Zealand from the United States by such subsidized packets, and may refuse to forward to their destination by such subsidized packets, all mails, letters, newspapers, or other printed matter received in New Zealand from such Colony, and addressed to the United States of America, or elsewhere.

VII. The two Post Departments may by mutual agreement provide for the transmission of registered articles in the mails exchanged between the two countries.

The register fee for each article shall be 10 cents in the United States, and in New Zealand.

VIII. The two Post Departments shall settle by agreement between them all measures of detail and arrangement required to carry this Convention into execution, and may modify the same in like manner from time to time, as the exigencies of the service may require.

IX. Every fully prepaid letter despatched from one country to the other shall be plainly stamped with the words "Paid all” in red ink, on the right-hand upper corner of the address, in addition to the date stamp of the office at which it was posted; and on insufficiently paid letters the amount of the deficient postage shall be inscribed in black ink.

X. Dead letters, which cannot be delivered from whatever cause, shall be mutually returned without charge, monthly, or as frequently as the regulations of the respective offices will permit.

XI. This Convention shall come into operation on the 1st day of December, 1870, and shall be terminable at any time, on a notice by either office of six months.

Done in duplicate and signed in Washington the 5th day of October, 1870, and in Wellington, New Zealand, on the 3rd day of August, in the same year.

(L.S.) JNO. A. J. CRESWELL, Postmaster-General

of the United States.

(L.S.) JULIUS LOYD, Postmaster-General of New Zealand.

I hereby approve the aforegoing Convention, and in testimony thereof I have caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. (L.S.) U. S. GRANT.

By the President :

HAMILTON FISH, Secretary of State.
Washington, October 5, 1870.

POSTAL CONVENTION between the United States of America and the Provinces of Vancouver's Island and British Columbia.-Signed at Washington, June 9, 1870, and at Victoria, July 25, 1870.

THE Undersigned, being thereunto duly authorized by their respective Governments, have agreed upon the following Articles, establishing and regulating the exchange of correspondence between the United States of America and the Provinces of Vancouver's Island and British Columbia :-

ART. I. There shall be an exchange of mails between the United States and the Provinces of Vancouver's Island and British Columbia, at the following points, viz., on the side of the United States, at Boston, New York, San Francisco, Portland (Oregon), Olympia; on the side of Vancouver's Island and British Columbia, Victoria. The two Post Departments may at any time discontinue either of said offices of exchange, or establish others, by mutual consent.

II. The mails exchanged between the offices of Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Portland on the one side, and Victoria on the other, are to pass each way as through-mails, not to be opened at any intermediate office.

III. The authorized weight of a single international letter shall be 15 grammes (by the metrical scale) in the United States, and

half an ounce in Vancouver's Island and British Columbia. The postage on a single international letter shall be 6 cents if prepaid at the mailing office in either country, and 10 cents if posted unpaid; and for other than single letters the same charges shall be made for each additional 15 grammes (or half ounce), or fraction thereof. Letters insufficiently paid shall be transmitted as wholly unpaid. But, if one or more full rates shall be prepaid, the number of rates fully prepaid shall be always allowed, and the deficient postage only rated up for collection on delivery.

IV. No accounts shall be kept between the Post Departments of the United States and of Vancouver's Island and British Columbia, on the international letters exchanged between them, but each shall retain to its own use the postages which it collects.

V. Newspapers, pamphlets, magazines, and all other printed matter posted in the United States and sent to the Provinces of Vancouver's Island or British Columbia, or posted in those Provinces and sent to the United States, shall be chargeable with the regular domestic rates of postage, both to and from the frontier line in each country; which postage shall be collected at the office of mailing, on matter sent, and at the office of delivery, on matter received; and each country shall retain to its own use the postages which it thus collects.

VI. Each mail despatched from one country to the other shall be accompanied by a letter or post-bill, showing the number of each of the articles comprising the mail, and distinguishing the paid letters from the unpaid and insufficiently paid letters, with their postage in separate columns.

VII. Prepaid letters despatched from one country to the other shall be plainly stamped with the words "Paid all," in red ink, in the right-hand upper corner of the address, in addition to the date stamp of the office of origin; and in like manner and place, the letters insufficiently paid shall be stamped in black ink with the words "Short paid," in addition to the date stamp of the office of origin; and the number of rates unpaid shall also be expressed in black figures on the face of the same.

VIII. Dead letters, which cannot be delivered from whatever cause, shall be mutually returned, without charge, monthly, or as frequently as the regulations of the respective countries will permit. But newspapers and all other articles of printed matter, which from any cause cannot be delivered, shall be retained at the disposition of the receiving country.

IX. Letters alleged to be valuable, posted at any office in the United States or their territories, and addressed to Vancouver's Island or British Columbia, or posted in Vancouver's Island or British Columbia, and addressed to the United States or their