above stated. This precedence will be determined, among officers of the same rank, by the date of commission. For their relative rank among their colleagues representing other countries at the same place, see paragraph 76. FOREIGN INVENTIONS SUBMITTED FOR EXAMINATION OF 443. Persons in foreign countries desiring to submit inventions of any kind to the consideration or examination of the Government of the United States must address in writing the "Secretary of the Interior (Patent Office), Washington, United States of America." They must give a description of the invention, and must state whether or not they expect, or intend to ask, any compensation whatsoever. No expense incurred in connection with the invention or its presentation will be considered as giving any claim whatever to compensation or to indemnification. The Government of the United States will assume no responsibility whatever, whether for loss of time, for services, for expenses of any kind, for loss or injury to any models, drawings, or other things, or for any cause whatsoever in connection with the invention or its presentation, unless the same may have been specially and distinctly authorized in writing, under the signature of the Secretary of the Interior, and in this case the responsibility of the Government will be limited to the amount named in his letter authorizing the same. No claim for indemnification or for compensation will be entertained, unless accompanied by such letter of the Secretary of the Interior as is above contemplated; and no indemnification or compensation will be allowed to any inventor, or other person presenting an invention, unless there be an appropriation by Congress authorizing such payment. No indemnification or compensation will be made in any case, unless the invention be adopted or some advantage inures therefrom to the public service of the United States; and the Government of the United States, through its appropriate Department, will, in all cases, be the sole judge on these points. INFORMATION AS TO LIGHT-HOUSES, BUOYS, SHOALS, ETC. 444. Consular officers are expected to report all matters that may come to their knowledge affecting the navigation of waters in their districts, or that may be of public interest or advantage. All notices of the erection of new light-houses, removals or changes in those established, the discovery or survey of shoals and reefs, changes in channels, the fixing of new buoys and beacons, and all subjects that concern the interests of navigation should be communicated promptly to the Department of State. If published notices are sent, two copies should be furnished; and if they are in a foreign language, they must be accompanied by accurate and trustworthy translations. USE OF GOVERNMENT DISPATCH BACS. 445. The following matter only may be transmitted by consular officers in Government dispatch bags to the United States, where such bags are used: (1) Letters and packages addressed to the President or Vice-President of the United States, or to the Executive Departments of this Government or the heads thereof, or to the Speaker of the House of Representatives; (2) letters, newspapers, and printed matter intended for the Assistant Secretaries, the Assistant Postmasters-General, or the Assistant Attorneys-General, or for any of the clerks of the Department of State; (3) invoices. required by law to be transmitted to the United States; (4) the private letters to their families and friends in the United States sent by consuls or members of their families. Letters of unofficial persons, not being members of their own families, are not to be sent by consular officers to the Department of State with official dispatches, for transmis sion to persons in the United States. (Paragraph 546.) VERIFICATION OF POWERS TO TRANSFER STOCKS OF THE UNITED STATES. 446. To be verified by consuls. -All powers of attorney in a foreign country for the transfer of any stock of the United States, or for the receipt of interest thereon, shall be verified by the certificate and seal of a consul, vice-consul, commercial agent, or vice-commercial agent, if any there be at the place where the same shall be executed. (See Form No. 88 for a general form for the authentication of a signature and No. 89 for a certificate that an officer is qualified to administer an oath.) 447. No fee. No fee is to be charged for witnessing the execution and taking the acknowledgment of assignments of registered bonds or stocks of the United States, or of powers of attorney to assign such bonds or stocks, or to collect the interest thereon; it being apprehended that such charges might affect the value of our securities abroad. LETTERS UNCALLED FOR. 448. To be returned to local post-office. -All letters, except as below, addressed to the care or in the custody of consular officers remaining uncalled for for a period of six months should, on the 1st days of January and July in each year, be returned unopened and with stamps intact to the local postoffice from which the consular officer received them, in order that they may be returned to the United States, in pursuance of a provision in the Universal Postal Union Convention without expense, and go to the Dead-Letter Office. Consuls will not return uncalled-for letters by masters of vessels. 449. For navy and whaling vessels.-Letters intended for offi cers and seamen of the Navy in the Pacific and Asiatic squadrons, and letters intended for the crews of whaling vessels, may be retained one year before returning them as aforesaid. Upon returning such letters an indorsement should be made on each, giving the reason for detaining it beyond the six months above prescribed. LETTERS DETAINED AT FOREIGN PORTS. 450. It is provided by statute that the Secretary of State may empower the consuls of the United States to pay the foreign postage on such letters destined for the United States as may be detained at the ports of foreign countries for the nonpayment of postage, which postage shall be marked by the consul as paid by him; and the amount so paid may be credited in the account of the consul with the Department of State. In carrying out this statute consular officers are authorized to state the amount paid for such postage in their postage account with the Department; but it should be entered as a separate item, in order that upon its repayment by the PostOffice Department the proper appropriation may be credited.-R. S., sec. 4014. PRESENTS AND TESTIMONIALS FROM FOREIGN POWERS. 451. Consular officers are forbidden by law to ask or accept, for themselves or any other persons, any present, emolument, pecuniary favor, office, or title of any kind from any foreign government. This statute is substantially the provision of the Constitution in this respect. If consular officers are tendered presents, orders, or other testimonials in acknowledgment of services rendered to the citizens or the governments of foreign states, they may apply to Congress through the Department of State for permission to accept the same.— U. S. Const., Art. I, sec. 9, cl. 8; R. S., sec. 1751; 18 Stat. L., 77. 17824 C R- -12 CONSULAR UNIFORMS. 452. Diplomatic officers are forbidden by statute to wear any uniform or official costume not previously authorized by Congress. Consular officers are not authorized by law to wear any uniform, and the prohibition imposed by statute on diplomatic officers is hereby extended to consular officers. It is provided, however, that all officers who served during the rebellion as volunteers in the Army of the United States and have been honorably mustered out of the volunteer service shall be entitled to bear the official title and upon occasions of ceremony to wear the uniform of the highest grade they held, by brevet or other commissions, in the volunteer service. They may also, on like occasions, wear the distinctive army badge of the corps or division in which they served. These provisions are held to apply to consular officers whose service and discharge from the Volunteer Army bring them under its terms.-R. S., secs. 1226, 1688. CONSULAR OFFICERS ACTING FOR FOREIGN STATES. 453. A person holding an office of profit or trust under the United States is forbidden to accept an office from any foreign state.-U. S. Const., Art. I, sec. 9, cl. 8. Consular officers may, however, upon request and with the approval of the Department of State, discharge temporarily consular duties for other countries. Except in cases of emergency the permission of the Department of State should be first obtained. (Paragraph 174.) AUTHENTICATION OF PENSION PAPERS. 454. The Commissioner of Pensions is authorized by statute to accept the declarations and other papers of pension claimants residing in foreign countries made before a United States |