A.—2

46

Aeticle ll.—The Italian postal administration, and the postal administration of each of the British colonies of Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, and the Fiji Islands, shall be at liberty to hand over to each other reciprocally, either a decouvert or in closed mails, correspondence for those countries in regard to which they can reciprocally make use of each other as intermediaries. In such case the despatching office will have to pay the cost of the further conveyance, which shall be determined by the intermediary office as far as possible in accordance with the rules of the Universal Postal Union, whenever the service employed is not an extraordinary one. As to mails from or for the same British colonies carried by the service known as the Indian mail service, their conveyance through Italy will continue to be governed by the special conditions arranged for that purpose. Aeticle lll.—There may. be exchanged between Italy and the British colonies of Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, and the Fiji Islands : Ordinary letters prepaid to destination or unpaid, according to the wish of the senders ; commercial papers, trade patterns without value, and printed papers of all kinds, prepaid to destination (such articles shall not be forwarded unless prepaid at least in part). The postage payable on the correspondence in question shall be levied in accordance with the Table A annexed to the present agreement. On correspondence prepaid in accordance with this tariff no postage can be levied from the addressees. Unpaid letters shall be charged on delivery with double the postage at the prepaid rate. Insufficiently prepaid correspondence of all kinds shall be charged with double the deficient postage. Aeticle IV.—Correspondence of every kind shall be transmissible as registered, on payment by the sender of a fixed registration-fee, which each administration shall determine for itself, in addition to the postage payable on an ordinary article of correspondence of the same nature and the same weight. No special condition as to the shape or method of closing is prescribed for registered articles. Registered articles must be clearly marked by the despatching office with a special stamp or mark. The corresponding administrations shall notify to each other the registra-tion-fee which they adopt, and shall furnish specimens of the impression of the special stamp applicable in their service to registered articles. Aeticle V. —Prepayment of postage on all descriptions of correspondence can be effected only by means of postage-stamps valid in the country of origin. Each administration shall bear the whole cost of the intermediary conveyance of the correspondence which it shall hand over to the other administration, and shall keep entirely the postage which it collects on despatch for prepaid correspondence, and on arrival for unpaid and insufficiently prepaid correspondence. Aeticle VI. —The present agreement shall come into force on the Ist February, 1888, and shall abrogate from that date all earlier stipulations which are contrary to it. It shall remain binding until one of the parties interested shall have announced to the other, six months in advance, its intention to terminate it. Nevertheless, the adhesion of one of the Colonies of Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, or the Fiji Islands to the Convention of the Universal Postal Union shall entail, as a matter of course, the abrogation of the regulations of the said agreement as regards the mails to or from that colony, from the time of its entry into the Union. Done in duplicate, and signed at London the , and at Rome the , 1888. The Postmaster-General of the United Kingdom.

Draft Agreement to regulate the Postal Relations of Italy and the Australasian Colonies.

A. —Rates of Postage for the Prepayment of Correspondence sent from Italy to Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, and the Fiji Islands, and vice versâ.

Note. —Commercial papers, patterns, newspapers, and other printed papers must be placed in movable wrappers, in open envelopes, in bags, boxes, or cases easily opened, so as to render it possible to verify the contents. Such articles must not be closed with wax, with gum, or in any

Nature of the Correspondence. Rates of Prepayment in Italy. Rates of Prepayment in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, and the Piji Islands. Special Conditions to bo fulfilled. Drdinary letters 60c. per 15gr. or fraction of 15gr. 60c. up to 300gr.; above 300gr., 10c. per 50gr. or fraction of 50gr. 6d. per or fraction of-|oz. 6d. up to 12oz.; above 12oz., Id. per ounce or fraction of Commercial papers, not enclosing any letter or manuscript note of a personal character Maximum weight, 2 kilogrammes. Patterns of merchandise, without commercial value 10c. per 50gr. or fraction of 50gr. an ounce Id. per ounce or fraction of an ounce Maximum weight, 350gr. Maximum dimensions : 30 centimetres in length, 20 centimetres in breadth, 10 centimetres in depth. Maximum weight, 2 kiloNewspapers and printed papers of all kinds 10c. per 50gr. or fraction of 50gr. Id. per 4oz. or fraction of 4oz. grammes.