lets, or other printed matter mailed in Mexico and forwarded to the United States of America by sea, whether by Mexican or by United States vessels, such rates of inland postage as are now or may hereafter be established by the laws of Mexico, and the rate of sea postage prescribed in article first, which inland and sea postage shall be combined into one rate and paid always in advance. Such prepayment shall be certified by the appropriate stamps of the Post-Office of the United Mexican States, and the post age so paid shall belong exclusively to Mexico. ARTICLE III. Upon all letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter received in the United States of America from Mexico by sea, there will be charged by the United States such rates of inland postage as are now, or may hereafter be established by the laws of the United States, which shall be collected at the place of destination and shall belong exclusively to the United States of America, and vice versa upon all letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter received in Mexico from the United States of America by sea, there will be charged by Mexico such rates of inland postage as are now, or may hereafter be, established by the laws of Mexico, which shall be collected at the place of destination, and shall belong exclusively to Mexico. ARTICLE IV. All letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter mailed in the United States of America and addressed to any place in the Mexican United States, or vice versa, when not conveyed by sea, shall be charged with the rate of inland postage of the country from which such mail matter is sent, which shall be prepaid, and with the inland postage of the country receiving, which shall be collected at the place of destination. Such postage shall belong respectively to the country collecting the same. ARTICLE V. All letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter mailed in the one country for the other, or received in the one country from the other, whether by land or sea conveyance, shall be free from any detention or inspection whatever, and shall in the one case be forwarded by the most speedy means to their destination, and in the other be promptly deliv ered to the respective persons to whom they are addressed, being subject, in their transmission, to the laws and regulations of each country, respectively. ARTICLE VI. So soon as steam or other mail packets, under the flag of either of the contracting parties, shall have commenced running between their respective ports of entry, whether under subvention from the United States or from Mexico, the contracting parties agree to receive at those ports all mailable matter, and to forward it as directed, the destination being to some regular Post-Office of either country, charging thereupon only the rates established by the present convention. Mails for the United States of America shall be made up at regular intervals by the Mexican Post-Office, and dispatched to ports of the United States; and, in the same manner, mails for Mexico shall be made up at regular intervals by the United States Post-Office, and dispatched to ports in Mexico. ARTICLE VII. The United Mexican States engage to grant to the United States of America the transit, in closed mails, free from any postage, duties, imposts, detention, or examination whatever, through the United Mexican States, or any of their possessions or territories, of letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter, forwarded from the United States of America, or any of their possessions or territories, to any other possession or territory of the United States of America, or to any foreign country, or from any foreign country, or possession or territory of the United States of America, to the United States of America, their possessions or territories. A mail agent of the United States of America shall be permitted to accompany the closed mails in their transit. The United States of America, on their part, engage to grant to the United Mexican States the transit, in closed mails, free from any postage, duties, imposts, detention, or examination whatever, through the United States of America, or any of their possessions or territories, of letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter, forwarded from the United Mexican States, or any of their possessions or territories, to any other Mexican possession or territory, or to any foreign country, or from any foreign country, or Mexican possession or territory, to the United Mexican States, their possessions or territories. A mail agent of Mexico shall be permitted to accompany the closed mails in their transit. ARTICLE VIII. The means of making the transit of closed mails, under the stipulations of article seventh of the present convention, shall be arranged between the General Post-Office Department of the two countries, subject to the approbation of each Government, respectively. ARTICLE IX. In case of the misfortune of war between the two nations, the mail-service of the two Post-Offices shall continue without impediment or molestation until six weeks after a notification shall have been made on the part of either of the two Governments and delivered to the other, that the service is to be discontinued; and in such case the mail-packets of the two countries shall be permitted to return freely, and under special protection, to their respective ports. ARTICLE X. The respective Post-office regulations and rates of postage of each of the contracting parties shall be communicated to, and all matters of detail arising out of the stipulations of this Convention shall be settled between the General Post-office Departments of the two Republics as soon as possible after the exchange of the ratifications of the present Convention. It is also agreed that the measures of detail referred to in this article may be modified by the two General Post-office Departments whenever, by mutual consent, those departments shall have decided that such modifications would be beneficial to the Post-office service of the two countries; and Mexico proposes, as soon as her means of internal transportation will permit, to reduce her present rates of inland postage. ARTICLE XI. The present Convention shall continue in force until it shall be abrogated by the mutual consent of the two contracting parties, or until one of them shall have given twelve months' previous notice to the other of a desire to abrogate it. ARTICLE XII. This Convention shall be ratified in conformity with the Constitutions of the two countries, and the ratification shall be exchanged at the city of Mexico within six months from the date hereof, or earlier if possible. In witness whereof, we, the Plenipotentiaries of the United States of America and of the United Mexican States, have signed and sealed these presents. Done in the city of Mexico on the eleventh day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the eighty-sixth year of the Independence of the United States of America, and in the forty-first of that of the United Mexican States. THOMAS CORWIN, [L.S.] SEB'N LERDO DE TEJADA. [L.S.] AND WHEREAS, the said Convention has been duly ratified on both parts, and the respective ratifications of the same were exchanged in the city of Mexico on the twentieth ultimo: Now, therefore, be it known that I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, have caused the said Convention to be made public, to the end that the same, and every clause and article thereof, may be observed and fulfilled by the United States and the citizens thereof. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight [L.S.] hundred and sixty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-sixth. ABRAHAM LINCOLN. By the President: WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. Regulations under the Treaty, and Rates of Postage between the United States and Mexico. POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT, By the recent Postal Convention with Mexico, proclaimed by the President on the twentieth of June, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, the following rates of postage are established, of which Postmasters will take notice: First. The single letter rate (inland three cents and sea seven cents) is ten cents per half-ounce; and for each fraction over, an additional rate; and prepayment is required. This applies to all letters sent to Mexico from the United States by sea. Second. On all letters received from Mexico by sea the United States domestic rate of postage is to be charged, rating them at the first United States post-office at which they are mailed to their destination, either three or ten cents per single rate. This is to be collected on delivery. Third. On all letters sent to or received from Mexico, when not conveyed by sea, the United States domestic postage only, of three or ten cents the single rate, is to be charged. This must be prepaid at the mailing office on letters sent, and collected at the office of delivery on letters received. Fourth. The sea rate on printed matter sent to Mexico is one cent for each newspaper and one cent per ounce (or fraction of an ounce) on all magazines, periodical publications, and other printed matter; and this is to be added, when sent by sea, to our usual inland rate of postage; and this combined rate must be prepaid at the mailing-office in the United States. When sent by land the United States inland rate of postage only is to be charged and prepaid at the mailing office. Fifth. On all such printed matter received from Mexico only our usual inland postage is to be collected, and this must be paid in all cases on delivery at the office of address. Sixth. These regulations must be strictly observed, as no accounts are kept with the Mexican Postal Department. JOHN A. KASSON, First Assistant Postmaster-General. Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Mexico, for the Adjustment of Claims; concluded July 4, 1868; proclaimed February 1, 1869. BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.- -A PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS a convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Mexico, providing for the adjustment of the claims of citizens of either country against the other, was concluded and signed by their respective Plenipotentiaries at the city of Washington, on the fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, which convention being in the English and Spanish languages, is word for word as follows: * WHEREAS, it is desirable to maintain and increase the friendly feelings between the United States and the Mexican Republic, and so to strengthen the system and principles of *The "Spanish" is omitted. |