#.— i.

The mails must be delivered in good condition. Nevertheless, the receipt of a mail cannot be refused on account of its bad condition. In the case of a mail for an office other than that which has received it, it must be packed up afresh, but the original packing should be preserved as far as possible. The repacking is preceded by a verification of the contents, if there is reason to suppose that they are not intact. 2. When the office of exchange detects errors or omissions, it immediately makes the necessary corrections on the letter-bills or lists, taking care to strike out the erroneous entries with a pen in such a manner as to leave the original entries legible. 3. These corrections are made by two officers. Except in the case of an obvious error, they are accepted in preference to the original statement. 4. A verification certificate, in conformity with the pattern C annexed to the present regulations, is prepared by the receiving officer, and sent without delay, officially registered, to the despatching office. At the same time a duplicate of the verification certificate is sent by the receiving office to the administration to which the despatching office is subordinate. In the case contemplated in paragraph 1 of the present article, a copy of the verification certificate is inserted in the repacked mail. 5. The despatching office, after examination, returns the verification certificate with any observations to which it may give rise. 6. In case of the failure of a mail, of a registered article, of the letter-bill, or of the special list, the fact is immediately reported, in such form as may be desired, by two officers of the receiving office, and notified to the despatching office by means of a verification certificate. If needful, the latter office may also be advised thereof by telegram, at the expense of the office which sends the telegram. 7. In case of the loss of a closed mail, intermediate offices become responsible for the registered articles contained in the mail, within the limits of Article VIII. of the Convention, provided that the non-receipt of such mail shall have been notified to them as soon as possible. 8. In case the receiving office shall not have forwarded by the first mail to the despatching office a verification certificate reporting errors or irregularities of any kind, the absence of that document is to be regarded as evidence of the due receipt of the mail and its contents, until the contrary be proved. XV. — Stiindations respecting Registered Articles. 1. Correspondence addressed to initials or in pencil is not admitted to registration. 2. No special conditions as to form or fastening are prescribed for registered articles. Each office has the right to apply to such articles the regulations in force in its inland service. 3. Eegistered articles should bear labels in conformity with or analogous to the pattern D annexed to the present regulations, indicating the name of the office of origin and the number under which the article is entered in the records of that office. Nevertheless, administrations whose inland regulations do not at present admit the use of labels may postpone the introduction of this arrangement, and continue to use stamps for the indication of registered articles. 4. Eegistered articles marked with trade charges must bear a manuscript inscription, or the impression of a stamp or a label 'bearing the word "Bembourseinent" [" Eecovery of trade charges "]. 5. Unpaid or insufficiently paid registered articles are forwarded to the addresses without charge, but the office which receives an article in these conditions is bound to report the case to its administration, in order that it may inform the administration to which the office of origin is subordinate. That administration proceeds in accordance with the rules followed in its inland service. XVI. — Post-cards. 1. Post-cards must be sent unenclosed. The face is reserved for the postage-stamps, for indications relating to the postal-service (registered, acknowledgement of delivery, &c.) and for the address, which may be written in manuscript or be shown upon a gummed label not exceeding two centimetres by five. Moreover, the sender has the option of indicating his name and address on the face or on the back, either in writing or by means of a stamp, autograph-stamp, or any other typographical process. Engravings or advertisements may be printed on the back. Except stamps for prepayment and the labels mentioned in paragraph 1 and paragraph 6 of the present article, it is forbidden to join or attach to post-cards any article whatsoever. 2. Post-cards may not exceed the following dimensions : Length, 14 centimetres; width, 9 centimetres. 3. As far as possible, post-cards issued for circulation in the Postal Union must bear on the face, in the French language, or with a sublineary translation in that language, the following superscription:— POST-CARD. Univeesai. Postal Uxion. (Side reserved for the address.) 4. The postage-stamp representing prepayment appears in one of the top corners of the face, as should also any supplementary stamp which may be added. 5. As a general rule, post-cards with reply paid must bear on the face the printed superscription, on the first half, " Post-card with reply paid ; " on the second half, " Eeply post-card." Each of the two halves must, moreover, fulfil the other conditions laid down for single post-cards; onehalf is doubled over the other, and they must not be closed up in any manner whatsoever. ,

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