Office for the conveyance of mails across the Isthmus of Suez or the Isthmus of Darien, the Post Office of Hamburgh shall further pay to the British Post Office for book packets which the Post Office of Hamburgh shall forward or receive by British mail packets and by way of either Isthmus, viz. :

For the conveyance of book packets across the Isthmus of Suez, a transit rate of 4d. per zoll pound, net weight.

For the conveyance of book packets across the Isthmus of Darien, a transit rate of 1s. per zoll pound, net weight.

Reciprocally, the British Post Office shall pay to the Post Office of Hamburgh for the conveyance across the territory of Hamburgh of book packets in transit which the Post Office of Hamburgh shall convey through the territory of Hamburgh, on account of the British Post Office, the sum of 5d. per zoll pound, net weight.

XX. The Post Office of Hamburgh engages to grant the transit through the territory of Hamburgh of the closed mails which the British Post Office may exchange in either direction, by way of Hamburgh, with Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

The British Post Office on its side engages to grant the transit through the British territory, as well as the conveyance by British mail packets or private ships departing from or arriving at ports of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, of the closed mails which the Hamburgh Office may exchange in either direction, by way of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with the United States of North America.

XXI. The British Post Office shall pay to the Hamburgh Post Office for transit through the territory of Hamburgh of letters and book packets comprised in the closed mails which the British office may send or receive, by way of Hamburgh, in accordance with Article XX preceding, the sum of 4d. per ounce, British, of letters, net weight, and the sum of 5d. per zoll pound of book packets, also net weight.

XXII. The Hamburgh Post Office shall pay to the British Post Office for transit through the territory of the United Kingdom of letters and book packets comprised in the closed mails which the the Hamburgh Office may send or receive by way of the United Kingdom, in accordance with Article XX preceding, the sum of 4d. per ounce, British, of letters net weight, and the sum of 5d. per zoll pound of book packets, also net weight.

XXIII. The Hamburgh Post Office shall pay to the British Post Office for the sea conveyance of letters and book packets comprised in closed mails which the Hamburgh Office may send or receive, in accordance with Article XX preceding, by British mail packets or private ships departing from or arriving at ports of the United Kingdom, the sum of 18. per ounce, British, of letters, net

weight, and the sum of 5d. per zoll pound of book packets, also net weight.

XXIV. It is understood that the weight of dead letters of every kind, as well as that of the letter bills and other forms of account consequent on the exchange of correspondence conveyed in closed mails by one of the two offices on account of the other, and which are mentioned in the preceding Articles XXI, XXII, and XXIII, shall not be included in the weight of the letters and book packets, on which shall be assessed the rates fixed by the said Articles.

XXV. Ordinary registered letters and book packets mis-directed or mis-sent, shall be reciprocally returned without delay through the respective offices of exchange for the same weight and amount of postage at which they were charged by the despatching office to the other office.

The articles of a like nature addressed to persons who have changed their residence shall be mutually forwarded or returned, charged with the rate that would have been paid by the receivers.

XXVI. Ordinary or registered letters and book packets exchanged in ordinary mails between the two Post Offices of Great Britain and Hamburgh, which cannot be delivered, from whatever cause shall be mutually returned at the expiration of every month. Such of those articles as shall have been charged in the accounts shall be returned for the amount of postage which was originally charged by the sending office.

Those which were sent paid to destination shall be returned without postage or charge.

With regard to unpaid dead letters which have been conveyed in closed mails by one of the two offices on account of the other, they shall be admitted for the same weight and amount of postage which were charged in the transit accounts of the respective offices, on a simple declaration, or on nominal lists vouching for the amount of postage demanded when the letters themselves cannot be produced by the office which has to claim the amount of their postage from the corresponding office.

XXVII. The British Post Office and the Post Office of Hamburgh shall determine by mutual consent the direction of the correspondence reciprocally transmitted, and shall settle the arrangements relating to the form and the liquidation of the accounts arising out of the mutual transmission of correspondence, as well as every other matter of detail which may be necessary to ensure the execution of the stipulations contained in the present Convention.

The two offices shall have power to modify from time to time by mutual consent the arrangements made in virtue of this Article, as well as those fixed by all the preceding Articles.

XXVIII. Ordinary letters, registered letters, and book packets of

every kind exchanged between the two Post Offices of Great Britain and Hamburgh, which shall have been paid to destination, or for some part of the distance beyond the territory of the despatching office, shall be marked in a conspicuous part of the address with an impression in red ink of a stamp intended to denote to the respective offices of exchange the extent of prepayment.

The stamp P.D. shall be impressed on ordinary or registered letters as well as on book packets which shall be prepaid to destination.

The stamp P.P. shall be impressed on ordinary letters as well as on book packets which shall be prepaid for some part of the distance beyond the territory of the despatching office.

XXIX. Each of the mails exchanged between the Post Offices of the two countries shall be accompanied by a letter bill in which the despatching office shall state the nature of the articles which the mail contains, and the amount of postage due to each office. The office to which the mail shall be forwarded shall acknowledge its receipt to the despatching office by return of post.

The letter bills and acknowledgments of receipt for the mails sent from the Post Office of London to the Post Office of Hamburgh viâ Belgium, shall be according to the form Cannexed to the present Articles.

The letter bills and acknowledgments of receipt for the mails. sent from the Post Offices of London, Hull, and Leith to the Post Office of Hamburgh direct by private ship shall be according to the forms D annexed to the present Articles.

The letter bills and acknowledgments of receipt which the Office of Hamburgh shall use in its communications with the Post Offices of London, Hull, and Leith shall agree with the forms above described.

XXX. If it should happen on the usual days and hours for making up the mails that an office of exchange has not any letter to forward to the corresponding office, the despatching office shall nevertheless send, in the ordinary way, a mail which shall contain a blank letter bill.

XXXI. The British Post Office shall every month prepare separate accounts exhibiting the results of the transmission between. the respective offices of exchange of the correspondence mutually exchanged, whether in ordinary mails or in closed mails. Such accounts shall be founded upon the acknowledgments of receipt of the respective offices during the month.

XXXII. The separate accounts described in the preceding Article shall be incorporated every month in general accounts showing the result of the transmission of the correspondence

exchanged either in ordinary or closed mails between the Post Office of Great Britain and the Post Office of Hamburgh.

XXXIII. The general accounts mentioned in the preceding Article shall be compared and settled by the two offices, and the balance shall be paid at the end of every quarter by that office which shall be found to be indebted to the other.

XXXIV. The present Convention shall come into operation on the 1st day of January, 1863, and shall continue in force until one of the two Contracting Parties shall have announced to the other, one year in advance, its intention to terminate it.

During this last year the Convention shall continue to be fully and entirely carried into effect without prejudice to the settlement of the accounts between the British and Hamburgh Offices after the expiration of the said term.

It is, however, reciprocally agreed that none of the provisions contained in Articles XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, or XXIV of this Convention shall take effect until the British Office shall have announced to the Hamburgh Office, that satisfactory arrangements arising out of this Convention have been concluded with the Post Offices of Austria and The United States of America.

All the agreements which now regulate the exchange of correspondence between the United Kingdom and Hamburgh shall cease to have effect from the date of the day when the present agreement shall be put into execution.

Done in duplicate at Hamburgh, the 5th day of December, and at London, the 9th day of December, 1862.

(L.S.)

ROWLAND HILL. (L.S.) C. G. HENCKE.

(A.)-TABLE showing the Conditions on which shall be exchanged in Ordinary Mails between the British Post Office and the Post Office of Hamburgh Ordinary Letters despatched from the Countries the Correspondence of which is transmitted through Hamburgh for Great Britain and Countries in transit through Great Britain, and vice versá.

The rates marked thus increase according to two different principles. The sum of Threepence out of each rate is chargeable by the Zoll-loth and the remainder by the quarter ounce. The rates marked thus † also increase according to two principles, twopence being chargeable by the Zoll-loth and the remainder by the quarter ounce.