The Post Office of France shall pay to the British Post Office as well for paid letters forwarded from France and Algeria addressed to the above-named British possessions, as for unpaid letters forwarded from the said possessions addressed to France and Algeria, the sum of 1 franc 6246 centimes per 30 grammes of letters, net weight. On its side the British Post Office shall pay to the Post Office of France for paid letters forwarded from the British possessions of Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland, and New Zealand, addressed to France and Algeria, the same rate as for paid letters from the British colonies in America; and for unpaid letters forwarded from France and Algeria addressed to the said British possessions, the same rate as for unpaid letters addressed to the British colonies of America.

III. The ordinary letters coming from or addressed to the foreign countries, the correspondence of which is transmitted through France, which shall be comprised in the closed mails referred to in Article I preceding, shall be subject to the same conditions with respect to prepayment as the letters exchanged between those same foreign countries and the Island of Malta by way of France.

The Post Office of France shall pay to the Post Office of Great Britain, for such of the said letters as shall be fully prepaid by the inhabitants of the foreign countries, the correspondence of which is transmitted through France, the same rate as for letters coming from or addressed to France.

As to the rate to be paid by the British Post Office to the Post Office of France, as well for paid letters forwarded from the British possessions of Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland, and New Zealand, addressed to the foreign countries, the correspondence of which is transmitted through France, as for unpaid letters or letters charged with a French transit rate forwarded from the said countries, addressed to the above-named British possessions, it shall be the same as for letters exchanged between those same foreign countries and the Island of Malta, by way of France.

IV. The office of Marseilles and the travelling office from Lyons to Marseilles may deliver to the British offices of exchange named in Article I preceding, registered letters addressed to the British possessions of Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland, and New Zealand.

On their side, the above-named British offices of exchange may deliver to the office of Marseilles and to the travelling office from Marseilles to Lyons, registered letters addressed as well to France and Algeria as to the foreign countries to which the inhabitants of the above-mentioned British possessions shall have the right of forwarding by way of France ordinary letters paid to destination.

V. The forms of letter-bills, and acknowledgments of receipt of which the office of Marseilles and the travelling office from Lyons to Marseilles shall make use in their communications with the offices of Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane, King George's Sound, Auckland, and Wellington, shall be according to the pattern S annexed to the Additional Articles to the Detailed Regulations arranged between the Post Office of France and the Post Office of Great Britain, for the execution of the Postal Convention of the 24th September, 1856, signed at London the 25th November, 1861, and at Paris the 27th of the same month.*

The forms of letter-bills and acknowledgments of receipt of which the offices of Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane, King George's Sound, Auckland, and Wellington, shall make use in their communications with the office of Marseilles and with the travelling office from Marseilles to Lyons, shall agree with the pattern above referred to.

VI. The provisions of the Articles XXIX, XXX, XXXII, XXXIV, XXXV, XXXVI, XXXVII, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLI, XLV, XLVI, XLVII, XLVIII, and XLIX of the Detailed Regulatious arranged between the Post Office of France and the British Post Office, for the execution of the Convention of the 24th September, 1856, signed at Paris the 27th October, 1856, and at London the 12th November, 1856, shall be applicable to the correspondence coming from or addressed to the British possessions of Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland, and New Zealand.

V1I. The present Articles shall be considered as additional to the Detailed Regulations referred to in the preceding Article, and shall be carried into effect the 1st day of April, 1862.

Done in duplicate, and signed at London the 3rd day of January, 1862, and at Paris the 6th of the same month.

(L.S.) STANLEY OF ALDERLY. (L.S.) ED. VANDAL.

CONVENTION between the Post Office of Great Britain and the Post Office of Hamburgh.-Signed at Hamburgh, December 5, and at London, December 9, 1862.

THE General Post Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Post Office of Hamburgh, being desirous of regulating, by means of a new Convention, the communications. by post between the United Kingdom and Hamburgh.

The Undersigned, Sir Rowland Hill, Knight Commander of the * Page 904.

Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Secretary of the General Post Office, furnished with full powers from the Right Honourable Lord Stanley of Alderley, Postmaster-General of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Carl Gustav Hencke, Director of the Hamburgh Post Office, furnished with full powers from the Senate of the Free Hanseatic Republic of Hamburgh.

After having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed upon the following Articles:

ART. I. There shall be a periodical and regular exchange of correspondence between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hamburg, as well for letters and book packets originating in the United Kingdom or in Hamburgh, as for articles of the same nature originating in or destined for the countries the correspondence of which is forwarded through Great Britain or through Hamburgh.

II. It is agreed that the British Post Office shall make use of the right which it possesses, under the Postal Convention between Great Britain and Belgium, of exchanging closed mails with the Hamburgh Post Office through the Belgian territory.

The British Post Office shall pay to the Post Office of Belgium the transit postage due to that office for the transit of the letters contained in the closed mails in both directions exchanged between the United Kingdom and Hamburgh, and the Hamburgh Post Office shall repay to the British Post Office, at the expiration of every quarter, one half of the total amount paid to Belgium on account of such transit during the quarter.

III. Independently of the correspondence which shall be exchanged between the British Post Office and the Post Office of Hamburgh by the route pointed out in the preceding Article, those offices may mutually forward from one to the other letters and book packets by merchant ships plying between the British ports of London, Hull, or Leith and Hamburgh.

IV. Persons desirous of sending ordinary letters, that is to say, letters not registered, either from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to Hamburgh, or from Hamburgh to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, whether via Belgium or direct by private ship, shall have the option of leaving the postage of such letters to be paid by the receivers or of paying the postage in advance to the place of destination.

V. The total amount of postage to be collected in the United Kingdom upon paid letters originating in the United Kingdom, addressed to Hamburgh, as well as upon unpaid letters originating in Hamburgh, addressed to the United Kingdom, whether conveyed via Belgium or direct by private ship, shall be as follows:

For every single paid letter, 6d.

For every single unpaid letter, 8d.

Reciprocally, the total amount of postage to be collected in Hamburgh upon paid letters originating in Hamburgh, addressed to the United Kingdom, as well as upon unpaid letters originating in the United Kingdom, addressed to Hamburgh, whether conveyed via Belgium or direct by private ship, shall be as follows:

For every single paid letter, 5 silver groschen.

For every single unpaid letter, 7 silver groschen.

VI. With respect to letters above the weight of a single letter, which is fixed at half an ounce in the United Kingdom, and at one zoll loth in Hamburgh, the British Office shall apply the following scale of progression for all letters the postage of which is collected in the United Kingdom, viz.:

For every letter exceeding half an ounce, and not exceeding one ounce, two rates of postage.

For every letter exceeding one ounce, and not exceeding two ounces, four rates of postage.

For every letter exceeding two ounces, and not exceeding three ounces, six rates of postage.

And so on, two rates being added for every additional ounce.

And the Hamburgh Office shall apply the following scale of progression for all letters the postage of which is collected in Hamburgh, viz.:

For every letter weighing a zoll loth, but under two zoll loth, two rates of postage.

For every letter weighing two zoll loth, but under three zoll loth, three rates of postage.

And so on, an additional rate of postage being charged for every zoll loth.

VII. The Post Offices of Great Britain and Hamburgh shall mutually account to each other for the portion of the postage which is due to each upon the letters despatched from one office to the other.

The British Post Office shall pay to the Hamburgh Post Office, for every single paid letter originating in the United Kingdom, addressed to Hamburgh, and conveyed via Belgium, the sum of 3d., and for every single unpaid letter originating in Hamburgh, addressed to the United Kingdom and conveyed via Belgium, the sum of 4d.

The British Post Office shall pay to the Hamburgh Post Office for every single paid letter originating in the United Kingdom addressed to Hamburgh and conveyed direct by private ship, the sum of 1d., and for every single unpaid letter originating in Hamburgh, addressed to the United Kingdom, and conveyed direct by private ship, the sum of 2d.

The Hamburgh Post Office, on the other hand, shall pay to the British Post Office for every single paid letter originating in Hamburgh, addressed to the United Kingdom, and conveyed via Belgium, the sum of 2 silver groschen, and for every single unpaid letter originating in the United Kingdom, addressed to Hamburgh, and conveyed via Belgium, the sum of 3 silver groschen.

The Hamburgh Post Office shall pay to the British Post Office for every single paid letter originating in Hamburgh, addressed to the United Kingdom, and conveyed direct by private ship, the sum of 3 silver groschen 9 pfenning, and for every single unpaid letter originating in the United Kingdom, addressed to Hamburgh and conveyed direct by private ship, the sum of 5 silver groschen 3 pfenning.

For every letter above the weight of a single letter each office shall pay to the other an increased amount according to the scale of progression adopted in that country in which the postage is collected.

VIII. When the postage stamps affixed to a letter forwarded from the United Kingdom to Hamburgh, or from Hamburgh to the United Kingdom, shall represent a sum less than that required for its prepayment, at the rate of 6d., or 5 silver groschen, for a single letter, such letter shall be considered as unpaid, and charged as such, after deducting the value of those stamps.

The amount of the sums paid, as well by the senders of insufficiently paid letters as by the persons to whom those letters are addressed, shall be equally divided between the Post Office of Hamburgh and the British Post Office.

IX. In all cases in which a fee or other charge, in addition to the rates of postage specified in this Convention, is levied in Hamburgh upon the delivery of paid or unpaid letters originating in the United Kingdom, one half of the amount of such fee or other charge shall be paid to the British Post Office by the Post Office of Hamburgh.

Reciprocally, in the event of a fee or.other charge, in addition to the rates of postage specified in this Convention, being at any time levied in the United Kingdom upon the delivery of paid or unpaid letters originating in Hamburgh, one-half of the amount of such fee or other charge shall be paid to the Post Office of Hamburgh by the British Post Office. It is understood, however, that this stipulation does not apply to the payments voluntarily made to letter carriers for delivering letters to persons residing beyond the prescribed limits within which a free delivery takes place in any town or village in the United Kingdom or in Hamburgh.

The two offices shall settle by mutual consent the mode in which the amount due to each as its share of the fees or additional charges