VIII. The Post Office of Brunswick engages to allow the transmission through its territory of the closed mails containing the correspondence between the British Office and the colonies or the possessions of the United Kingdon in the East Indies, and also the Ionian Islands, and the British Offices established in the Levant, should the British Office deem it expedient to forward or receive those mails through the territory of Brunswick.

The British Office engages to pay the Brunswick Office, in lieu of transit postage, the sum of 57. sterling for every mail passing through Brunswick in the said direction.

The Brunswick Post Office in return engages to convey the mails, and the officer in charge of them, at its own expense, by means of the ordinary trains on railways or in the mail carriages or diligences employed by the Brunswick Office; it being, however, understood, that if the British Office should deem it expedient to make use of special trains or carriages, the expense of conveyance shall be defrayed by the British Office.

3.-Newspapers.

IX. The rate to be taken by the British Post Office on newspapers published in the United Kingdom, and duly stamped, when conveyed between the United Kingdom and Brunswick direct by packet-boat or private ship through Hanover, shall be 1d. sterling for each newspaper, and no higher rate of postage than two-thirds of a good groschen, whether on account of the Brunswick or the Hanoverian Post Office, shall be levied by the Post Office of Brunswick in that country on each newspaper.

Conversely, no higher charges than the above stated shall be made by the Post Office of Brunswick or by the Post Office of the United Kingdom on newspapers duly published in Brunswick, and printed in the German language, either when despatched from that Duchy or when delivered in the United Kingdom.

X. It is always understood that newspapers, when forwarded from the United Kingdom to Brunswick, or from Brunswick to the United Kingdom, shall be subject to the following conditions:

1st. That they are sent in bands or covers open at the sides, so that they may be easily examined.

2nd. That the preceding stipulation does not in any way invalidate the right of either of the said offices to refuse to convey or distribute such of those newspapers with respect to which the laws and ordinances concerning their publication and circulation have not been duly complied with.

4. Various Regulations.

XI. The present Convention is concluded for an indefinite period, to commence from the 1st October, 1845.

It cannot be annulled by either of the 2 offices except after notice given to the other office at least 6 months previously.

XII. The present Convention shall be duly ratified, and the Ratifications exchanged at London within 6 weeks, or sooner if possible. In witness whereof, the respective parties have signed the present Convention.

Done in duplicate, at the General Post Office, London, the 8th day of July, in the year of our Lord 1845. (L.S.) W. L. MABERLY.

(L.S.) FRIESLAND.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES between the General Post Office of Great Britain and the General Post Office of Belgium to the Postal Convention of October 19, 1844*.-Signed at B June, 1845.

[Signed in the English and French Languages.]

Brussels, London,

IN execution of the IIIrd Article of the Postal Convention of the 19th October, 1844, between Belgium and Great Britain, stipulating that new offices for the exchange of the correspondence may be established on those points of the coasts of the 2 countries, for which a direct intercourse may be judged necessary;

The Undersigned, duly authorized for that purpose by their respective offices, have agreed upon the following Articles :

ART. I. Dating from the 1st July, 1845, a direct communication. shall be established between the Belgian Office, at Antwerp, on the one part, and the British Office, at Hull, on the other part, by means of private ships navigating between the 2 ports.

II. The said offices of Antwerp and Hull shall conform in every thing relative to the manner of forwarding and exchanging the correspondence to the stipulations contained in the Convention of October the 19th, 1844, which have been since agreed upon according to the said Convention.

Executed in duplicate at Brussels, the 6th day, and at London, the 18th day of the month of June, 1845.

(L. S.) BARCEL.

(L. S.) DESCHAMPS.

(L. S.) W. L. MABERLY. (L. S.) LONSDALE.

* Vol. XXXII Page 66.

CONVENTION between the General Post Office of Great Britain and the General Post Office of Hanover.-Signed at London, July 8, 1845.

[Signed in the English and German Languages.]

THE General Post Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the General Post Office of the Kingdom of Hanover, being desirous to regulate by means of a Convention the communications by post between the 2 kingdoms upon a more liberal and advantageous basis for the inhabitants of both countries:

The Undersigned, William Leader Maberly, Lieutenant-Colonel in Her Majesty's service, and Secretary of the General Post Office, furnished with Full Powers from the Right Honourable William Earl of Lonsdale, Postmaster-General of Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and

The Sieur Henry Augustus Frederick Friesland, Chief Inspector of the Posts of Hanover, Companion of the 4th Class of the Order of the Guelphs, and Knight of the 3rd Class of the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle, furnished with Full Powers of the Directors-General of the Posts of Hanover;

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

1. Exchange and Conveyance of Correspondence.

ART. I. A direct and regular communication shall be maintained between the General Post Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the General Post Office of Hanover, for the transmission of letters and packets between the 2 Kingdoms, as well as for the transit and colonial correspondence which they shall think proper to forward to each other, or which shall be transmitted through

the said States.

The exchange of correspondence shall take place on the part of Great Britain by the Post Office in London; on the part of Hanover by the Hanoverian Post Office at Bremen; but other offices may be fixed upon for the exchange of correspondence when such a measure shall be deemed expedient by the 2 Post Offices.

II. The transmission of the correspondence shall take place twice a-week by means of the steam-boats carrying on the packet-service between London and Hamburgh, as long as the Government of the United Kingdom shall deem it expedient to maintain this communication.

The expenses of embarking or disembarking the mails in the Elbe, and also that incurred for conveyance between the Elbe or any port on the coast of Hanover and Heligoland, when the Elbe is closed by

ice, shall be borne, as hitherto, without charge to the British Government.

III. When the service is performed by vessels employed solely for the conveyance of mails and passengers, and their baggage and effects, these vessels shall be considered as vessels of war, and shall be entitled in Hanover to exemption from those tonnage and other dues which are collected on account of the Hanoverian Government.

But when the service is performed by contract by private persons, who, at the same time undertake to convey merchandize, the said privileges and exemptions shall not be claimed.

IV. In case of war between the 2 nations, the vessels employed in the conveyance of the mails shall continue their navigation without impediment or molestation until notice is given by either of the 2 Governments that the service is to be discontinued, in which case they shall be permitted to return freely, and under special protection, to their country.

V. In addition to the regular conveyance mentioned in the preceding Articles, the 2 offices shall forward to each other, reciprocally, by means of private vessels plying between the 2 countries, any letters which parties may wish to have forwarded by such opportunities.

The gratuities due to the masters for the conveyance of these letters shall be paid to them by either office, according to the regulations in force in each country.

VI. The correspondence of every description which the 2 offices may forward to each other reciprocally, shall be enclosed at the office from which it is forwarded, in sealed bags, and shall be accompanied by a letter bill, in which the particulars of each despatch shall be specified, and the safe arrival of which shall be acknowledged each time by the office to which they are sent.

These letter bills and receipts shall be in accordance with the forms annexed to the present Convention.

2. International Correspondence.

VII. The postage of letters originating in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and addressed to the Kingdom of Hanover, and reciprocally that of the letters originating in Hanover and addressed to the United Kingdom, may be wholly paid by the receivers, or may be prepaid, at the option of the sender in either country.

Prepayment for a part of the distance shall not be permitted.

VIII. Registered letters shall be excepted from the terms of the preceding Article. The postage of these letters shall be always paid in advance, as well with regard to the ordinary postage to the place of destination as to the additional postage to which letters of this

class are liable, according to the regulatious of the country from which they are sent.

IX. Letters originating in any place in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and addressed to any place in the Kingdom of Hanover, and reciprocally letters originating in any place in Hanover and addressed to any place in the said United Kingdom, shall be charged in the 2 countries with au uniform postage of 9d. sterling, or 6 good groschen per single letter, of which 6d. sterling or 4 good groschen shall represent the postage due to the British Office, and 2 good groschen or 3d. sterling that due to the Post Office of Hanover.

This rate shall also be applicable to letters not prepaid, as well as to those prepaid.

With respect to letters above the weight of a single letter, which is fixed at half an ounce in the United Kingdom and at a loth in Hanover, the 2 offices shall employ the scale of progression now in operation in the United Kingdom as follows, viz.:

1st. For every letter not exceeding half an ounce in weight, 1 single rate.

2nd. Above half an ounce, but not exceeding 1 ounce, 2 rates. 3rd. Above 1 ounce, but not exceeding 2 ounces, 4 rates.

4th. Above 2 ounces, but not exceeding 3 ounces, 6 rates.

5th. Above 3 ounces, but not exceeding 4 ounces, 8 rates; and so on, 2 rates being added for every ounce or fraction of an ounce.

It is understood, however, that 1 Hanoverian loth shall be considered to be equal to half an ounce British weight.

X. The 2 offices shall mutually account to each other for the portion which is due to each of the postage of the correspondence forwarded to them both for that of the letters not prepaid and for that of the letters which are prepaid.

As to registered letters, it is agreed that each office shall retain the extra postage which shall have been charged in its territory, in conformity with the stipulation in Article VIII, so that this surplus shall not give rise to any account between the 2 offices.

XI. When letters are not conveyed direct between the United Kingdom and Hanover, but are forwarded by the routes of Holland, Belgium, France, or any other foreign country, they must be treated as letters sent in transit between those countries and the United Kingdom.

3. Transit Letters.

XII. The rate of transit postage to be taken by the Post Office of the United Kingdom on letters posted in or addressed to Hanover, conveyed direct by packet-boat or private ship passing through the United Kingdom to and from its colonies and possessions and foreign countries, shall be that which is now or shall hereafter be taken upon