Postal Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Mexico. Concluded at Mexico, December 11, 1861. Ratifications exchanged at Mexico, May 20, 1862. Proclaimed by the President of the United States, June 20,1862.
WHEREAS a Postal Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Mexico was concluded and signed at the city of Mexico on the eleventh day of December, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, which Convention, being in the English and Spanish language is, word for word, as follows:
The United States of America and the United Mexican States, being desirous of drawing more closely the friendly relations existing between the two countries and of facilitating the prompt and regular transmission of correspondence between their respective territories, have resolved to conclude a Postal Convention, and have named as their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say: the President of the United States of America has appointed Thomas Corwin, a citizen of the United States and their Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary near the Mexican Government, and the President of the United Mexican States has appointed Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada, a citizen of the said States and a deputy of the Congress of the Union, who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon the following articles:
There shall be charged upon all letters, newspapers, reviews, or other periodical publications, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter conveyed either by United States or by Mexican vessels, between a port in the United States of America and a port in Mexico, the following sea rates of postage, that is to say:
1. Upon all letters not exceeding half an ounce in weight, the rate of seven cents; and upon all letters weighing more than half an ounce, an additional rate of seven cents for each additional half ounce or fraction thereof.
2. Upon every newspaper, daily or other, the rate of one cent.
3. Upon reviews or other periodical publications, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter, the rate of one cent for every ounce or fraction of an ounce weight.
The said newspapers, reviews, or other periodical publications, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter, shall be sent in narrow bands or covers, open at the sides or ends, so that they may be easily examined, subject to the laws and regulations of each country, respectively.
There shall be charged by the post office of the United States of America upon all letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter mailed in the United States and forwarded to Mexico by sea, whether by United States or by Mexican vessels, such rates of inland postage as are now or may hereafter be established by the laws of the United States, and the rate of sea postage prescribed in article first, which inland and sea postage shall be combined into one rate and paid always in advance.
Such prepayment shall be certified by the appropriate stamps of the United States post office, and the postage so paid shall belong exclusively to the United States of America.
There shall be charged by the post office of the United Mexican States upon all letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter mailed in Mexico and for warded to the United States of America by sea, whether by Mexican or by United States vessels, such rates of inland postage as are now or may hereafter be established by the laws of Mexico, and the rate of sea postage prescribed in article first, which inland and sea postage shall be combined into one rate and paid always in advance.
Such prepayment shawl be certified by the appropriate stamps of the post office of the United Mexican States, and the postage so paid shall belong exclusively to Mexico.
Upon all letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter received in the United States of America from Mexico by sea, there will be charged by the United States such rates of inland postage as are now, or may hereafter be, established by the laws of the United States, which shall be collected at the place of destination, and shall belong exclusively to the United States of America, and vice versa, upon all letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter received in Mexico from the United States of America by sea, there will be charged by Mexico such rates of inland postage as are now, or may hereafter be, established by the laws of Mexico, which shall be collected at the place of destination, and shall belong exclusively to Mexico.
All letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter mailed in the United States of America, and addressed to any place in the United Mexican States, or vice versa, when not conveyed by sea, shall be clerked with the rate of inland postage of the country from which such mail matter is sent, which shall be prepaid, and with the inland postage of the country receiving, which shall be collected at the place of destination
Such postage shall belong respectively to the country collecting the same.
All letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter mailed in the one country for the other, or received in the one country from the other, whether by land or sea conveyance, shall be free from any detention or inspection whatever, and shall in the one case be forwarded by the most speedy means to their destination, and in the other be promptly delivered to the respective persons to whom they are addressed, being subject in their transmission to the laws and regulations of each country, respectively.
So soon as steam or other mail packets, under the flag of either of the contracting parties, shall have commenced running between their respective ports of entry, whether under subvention from the United States or from Mexico, the contracting parties agree to receive at those ports all mailable matter, and to forward it as directed, the destination being to some regular post office of either country, charging thereupon only the rates established by the present convention.
Mails for the United States of America shall be made up at regular intervals by the Mexican post office, and dispatched to ports of the United States; and, in the same manner, mails for Mexico shall be made up at regular intervals by the United States post office, and dispatched to ports in Mexico.
The United Mexican States engage to grant to the United States of America the transit, in closed mails, free from any postage, duties, imposts, detention, or examination whatever, through the United Mexican States, or any of their posse; signs or territories, of letters, new papers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter, forwarded from the United States of America, or any their possessions or territories, to an other possession or territory of the United States of America, or to an foreign country, or from any foreign country, or possession or territory of the United States of America, t the United States of America, their possessions or territories.
A mail agent of the United State of America shall be permitted to accompany the closed mails in their transit.
The United States of America on their part, engage to grant to the United Mexican States the transit in closed mails, free from any post age, duties, imposts, detention, or examination whatever, through the United States of America, or any of their possessions or territories, or letters, newspapers, printed pamphlets, or other printed matter, for warded from the United Mexican States, or any of their possession or territories, to any other Mexican possession or territory, or to any foreign country, or from any foreign country, or Mexican possession or territory, to the United Mexican States, their possessions or territories.
A mail agent of Mexico shall be permitted to accompany the closed mails in their transit.
The means of making the transit of closed mails, under the stipulations of article seventh of the present Convention, shall be arranged between the general post office department of the two countries, subject to the approbation of each Government, respectively.
In case of the misfortune of war between the two nations, the mail service of the two post offices continue without impediment or molestation until six weeks after a notification shall have been made on the part of either of the two Governments and delivered to the other, that the service is to be discontinued; and in such case the mail packets of the two countries shall be permitted to return freely, and under special protection, to their respective ports.
The respective post office regulations and rates of postage of each of the contracting parties shall be communicated to, and all matters of detail arising out of the stipulations of this convention shall be settled between the General Post Office Departments of the two republics as soon as possible after the exchange of the ratifications of the present convention.
It is also agreed that the measures of detail referred to in this article may be modified by the two General Post Office Departments whenever, by mutual consent, those Departments shall have decided that such modifications would be beneficial to the post office service of the two countries; and Mexico proposes, so soon as her means of internal transportation will permit, to reduce her present rates of inland postage.
The present convention shall continue in force until it shall be abrogated by the mutual consent of the two contracting parties, or until one of them shall have given twelve months' previous notice to the other of a desire to abrogate it.
This convention shall be ratified in conformity with the Constitutions of the two countries, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at the city of Mexico within six months from the date hereof, or earlier it possible.
In witness whereof, we, the Plenipotentiaries of the United States of America and of the United Mexican States, have signed and sealed these presents.
Done in the city of Mexico on the eleventh day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the eighty-sixth year of the independence of the United States of America, and in the forty-first of that of the United Mexican States.
THOMAS CORWIN, [L. S.]
SEB'N LERDO DE TEJADA,[L. S.]
And whereas the said convention has been duly ratified on both parts, and the respective ratifications of the same were exchanged in the city of Mexico on the twentieth ultimo:
Now, therefore, be it known that I, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States of America, have caused the said convention to be made public, to the end that the same, and every clause and article thereof, may be observed and fulfilled by the United States and the citizens thereof
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the city of Washington, this twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, and of the independence of the United States of America the eighty-sixth.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
By the President:
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.
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Source: Statutes of the United States - Volume 12 |