for this purpose after agreement between the Administrations concerned.

(2.) The two Administrations will regulate by mutual consent the mode of transmission of parcels between their respective offices of exchange.

II. Communication of Information and Documents
relating to the Exchange of Postal Parcels.

(1.) The two Postal Administrations shall acquaint each other which of the regular sea services maintained by them may be employed for the conveyance of parcels.

(2.) After an understanding has, if necessary, been arrived at with the other offices concerned, each Administration shall communicate to the other by means of a table in conformity with specimen A annexed,* and in the following order :

(a.) A list of the countries with which parcels may be exchanged through its intermediary;

(b.) The routes available for the transmission of the said parcels from the point of entry on its territory or into its service;

(c.) The total of the charges which the despatching Administration should pay for each country.

(3.) By means of this information each Administration will determine the routes to be employed for the transmission of its parcels and the postage to be collected from the senders, in accordance with the conditions under which the intermediary transit is effected.

III.-Limits of Dimensions.

(1.) Parcels exchanged between the United Kingdom and places in China on the "List of Chinese Offices open to the International Parcel Service" must not exceed 3 ft. 6 in., English, in length, or 6 feet in length and girth combined.

(2.) Parcels exchanged between the United Kingdom and other places in China may not exceed 2 feet in any one direction, and their volume may not exceed 1 cubic foot; but parcels containing umbrellas, walking-sticks, charts, or similar articles may be accepted if they do not exceed 3 feet in length and 8 inches in breadth or depth.

(3.) As regards the exact calculation of the volume, weight, and dimensions of parcels, the view of the despatching office should be accepted, except in cases of obvious error.

IV.-Packing, &c., of Parcels.

In order to be accepted for transmission, every parcel

must

*Not reproduced.

(1.) Bear the exact direction of the addressee (addresses in pencil are not allowed). In the case of insured parcels or of parcels containing specie, articles of gold or silver, jewellery, or cther precious objects, this address must be written on the actual covering of the parcel.

(2.) Be packed in a manner adequate for the length of the journey and sufficient for the protection of the contents. The packing must be such as to make it impossible to tamper with the contents without leaving an obvious trace of violation.

(3.) Be sealed by means of sealing-wax, lead or otherwise, with some special impress or mark of the sender.

(4.) In case of insurance, bear on the cover, and also on the despatch note, a statement of the sum for which it is insured, without erasure or addition, even if certified. When this statement is expressed in English or Chinese money, the sender, or the Post Office of the country of origin, must indicate, by new figures placed beside or below the others, the equivalent of the amount in francs and centimes.

(5.) Liquids and substances which easily liquefy must be packed in a double receptacle. Between the first receptacle (bottle, flask, pot, box, &c.) and the second (box of metal or of strong wood) a space is left as far as possible. This space must be filled with sawdust, bran or some other absorbent material.

V.-Despatch Notes and Customs Declarations.

or

The

(1.) Each parcel must be accompanied by a despatch note and by Customs declarations in conformity with, analogous to, specimens B and C hereto appended.* Administrations shall inform each other of the number of Customs declarations to be furnished for each country of destination.

(2.) The amount of postage paid when not indicated by postage stamps affixed to the despatch note should be notified upon the despatch note.

(3.) The exact weight of an insured parcel in kilogrammes and grammes must be entered by the office of origin, both on the cover of the parcel and on the despatch note in the place provided for the purpose.

(4.) The Administrations decline all responsibility for the correctness of the Customs declarations.

VI.-Distinctive Labels.

(1.) Each parcel, as well as the despatch note relating to it, must bear a label in conformity with, or analogous to,

*Not reproduced.

specimen D hereto annexed,* indicating the registered number and the name of the office of origin.

(2.) The despatch note is, moreover, impressed by the office of origin, on the address side, with a stamp indicating the place and date of posting.

66

(3.) Each insured parcel as well as the relative despatch note must bear a red label with the indication Insured" or "Valeur declarée

upon it.

(4.) The labels on parcels containing specie, articles of gold or silver, jewellery, or other precious objects, must be so placed that they cannot serve to conceal injuries to the cover. Moreover, they must not be folded over two sides of the cover so as to hide the edge.

VII. Parcel Bills. Description of Parcels.

The parcels shall be entered by the despatching office of exchange on a parcel bill, in conformity with specimen F appended* to the present Regulations, with all the details required by this form. The despatch notes, Customs declarations, and advices of delivery, if any, must be securely attached to the parcel bill.

VIII. Verification by Offices of Exchange.

(1.) On the receipt of a parcel bill the receiving office of exchange proceeds to verify the parcels and the various documents entered on it, and, if needful, reports missing articles or other irregularities by means of a verification note in conformity with the annexed specimen G.*

(2.) The bags, boxes, or baskets used for the mails are secured with the seals of the despatching office of exchange, and such seals must only be removed by the receiving office of exchange.

(3.) Any differences which may arise in the credits and accounting must be notified to the despatching office of exchange by verification note. The accepted verification notes must be attached to the parcel bills to which they relate. Corrections not supported by vouchers are not admitted by the auditors.

IX.-Advices of Delivery.

(1.) When an advice of the delivery of an insured parcel is asked for, the office of origin writes on the parcel and on the despatch note, in a very conspicuous manner, the words "Advice of delivery or stamps it with the letters "A.R."

Not reproduced.

(2.) The advice of delivery form is made out by the office of origin or by any other office which the despatching office may appoint. If it does not reach the office of destination, that office makes out officially a new advice of delivery.

The forms for advice of delivery must be in French, or must bear a sublineary translation in that language.

(3.) The office of destination, after having duly filled up the form, returns it, either directly or by way of the offices of exchange, to the office of origin, which delivers it to the sender of the parcel.

(4.) When, after a parcel has been posted, the sender applies for an advice of its delivery, the office of origin enters on a form of advice of delivery an exact description of the parcel (office of origin, date of posting, number, address). This form is transmitted from office to office, with an indication of the mail in which the parcel under enquiry was delivered to the corresponding office of exchange. The office of destination completes the form, and returns it to the office of origin in the way prescribed by the preceding section 3.

(5.) If an advice of delivery duly applied for by the sender at the time of posting is not received back in the office of origin after a proper interval, enquiry for the missing advice is instituted in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the preceding section 4.

The office of origin writes at the top of the form the words "Réclamation de l'avis de réception," &c.

X.-Retransmission. Non-delivery.

Customs Charges.

Cancellation of

(1.) Missent parcels are forwarded to their destination by the most direct route at the disposal of the office retransmitting them. When this retransmission involves the return of the parcel to the office of origin, the retransmitting office of exchange credits that office with the allowances received, after having called attention to the error by means of a verification note.

(2.) In the contrary case, and if the amount credited to the retransmitting office is insufficient to cover the expenses of retransmission which it has to defray, it recovers the difference by raising the amount entered to its credit on the parcel bill of the despatching office of exchange. The reason for this rectification is notified to the said office by means of a verification note.

When a parcel has been wrongly allowed to be despatched in consequence of an error on the part of the Postal Service, and has for this reason to be returned to the country of origin, the procedure followed is the same as if the parcel had to be

sent back to the despatching office in consequence of missending.

(3.) Parcels redirected to a country which participates in the Parcel Post Service with the United Kingdom and China are subjected by the delivering office to a charge, to be paid by the addressees, representing the share due to this latter office, to the redirecting office, and to each intermediate office, if there be any.

(4.) The redirecting office credits itself with its share by charging it to the intermediate office, or to the office of the new destination. In case the redirecting country and that of the new destination are not contiguous, the first intermediate office which receives a redirected parcel credits itself with the amount of its share and with that of the redirecting office by charging them to the office to which it delivers the parcel; and this last office, in its turn, if it is itself only an intermediary, charges its own share against the next office, with the addition of what has been credited to the preceding office. The same operation is repeated between the several offices taking part in the conveyance, until the parcel reaches the delivering office. If the amount chargeable for the further conveyance of a redirected parcel is paid at the time of its redirection, the parcel is dealt with as if it had been addressed direct from the retransmitting country to the country of destination, and delivered without any postal charge to the addressee.

(5.) Parcels are redirected in their original packing and accompanied by the despatch note prepared by the office of origin. In case the parcel, for any reason whatsoever, has to be repacked, or the original despatch note replaced by a substitute note, it is indispensable that the name of the office of origin of the parcel and the original number of registration appear both on the parcel and on the despatch note.

(6.) If a parcel cannot be delivered as addressed or is refused by the addressee, the sender shall be consulted through the Post Office of the country of origin as to its disposal.

When postal parcels which have been reported as undeliverable are claimed or are redirected before the receipt of the sender's instructions, the office of origin shall be informed immediately for the sender's benefit. After the receipt of the sender's instructions, only these latter instructions are valid and to be acted on.

(7.) If within six months after the despatch of a notice of non-delivery the office of destination has not received adequate instructions, the parcel, if uninsured, shall be treated as abandoned; if insured, it shall be returned to the office of origin.