Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 16.djvu/933

POSTAL CONVENTION WITH BELGIUM. Dnomnzen 21, 1859. 899 Gmvention between the United States of America and His May`esty the IGng·of the Belgians. Ooncluded and signed at Washington, December 21, 1859. Ratifications exchanged at Washington, October 19, 1860. Proclaimed by the President of the United States, October 20, 1860. BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: PROCLAMATION. Wnmnnss a Postal Convention between the United States of America Dec- 21. 1859· and his Majesty the King of the Belgians was concluded and signed at Seepost,p. 921i Washington, by the plcnipotentiaries of the parties, on the twenty-first S[0bS°l°*°· day of December, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, which con- °€p°8t’p'926'] vention is, word for word, as follows: POSTAL CONVENTION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND BELGIUM. Articles agreed upon between the General Post Office of the United goummg States of America, by Joseph Holt, Postmaster General, in virtue of Dutieshis constitutional powers, and the General Post Office of Belgium, by his Excellency M. Blondeel Van Cuelenbroeck, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of his Majesty the King of the Belgians, and invested with special powers to that effect, for the reciprocal receipt and delivery of letters and packets in closed mails to be conveyed through England, under the iiftcenth article of the postal treaty between Belgium and Great Britain of the 14-28th August, 1857, as well as by any direct line of steamships which may be established between the United States and Belgium. In pursuance of this object, the following details are hereby agreed upon, viz : ARTICLE I. There shall be a periodical and regular exchange of Exchange Og correspondence between Belgium and the United States of America at ¢¤¤€¤p<>¤d¤¤¤¢· the times and by the means of communication and transport which shall be hereafter indicated, as well for letters, samples of merchandise, newspapers and printed matter, originating in the two countries, as for articles of the same nature originating in or intended for countries which shall be enabled to make use of the postal service organized by the present convention. Wlien the senders shall not have indicated any other route in the su- Bmw_ perscription, correspondence of every kind, either addressed from Belgium to the United States and their Territories, or from the United States and their Territories to Belgium, shall be invariably comprised in the closed mails which the Belgian and United States Post Offices shall exchange in conformity to the second article of the present convention. The two above—mentioned offices reserve to themselves, nevertheless, the right to send and receive by such other route as they may think fit, correspondence originating in or destined for countries to which they respectively serve as intermediate points. ARTICLE II. Until other arrangements shall be made, the correspond- Closed m,;;,, ence to be exchanged between the Post. Offices of the United States and Belgium shall be delivered by each party in closed mails at the proper Post Offices in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to be transported through Great Britain, in conformity with the conven-