recognize Certificates of Origin issued by the French Customs and bearing their seal.

It is understood that the two Governments are at liberty to terminate at any moment the agreement now come to between them.

I would suggest that the new Regulations should come into force in both countries on the 1st of January, 1900.

I have, &c.,

EDMUND MONSON.

TUNISIAN DECREE respecting Quarantine on Ships and Goods from Plague-infected Countries. Tunis, October 24, 1900.*

NOUS, Ali-Pacha-Bey, Possesseur du Royaume de Tunis, Vu les Décrets des 30 Janvier, 1897, 24 Mai, 9 Juin, et 17 Juillet, 1899, relatifs à l'entrée en Tunisie des navires ou marchandises en provenance de pays contaminés de peste; Attendu qu'il y a lieu de mettre en harmonie ces différents textes;

Avons pris le Décret suivant:

ART. 1. Les navires en provenance de points contaminés de peste ne peuvent être admis dans les ports Tunisiens ni communiquer avec la terre que s'ils ont été préalablement admis en libre pratique dans un des ports de Marseille, Alger, Malte, Gênes, et Naples.

2. Les mêmes prescriptions sont applicables aux marchandises en provenance de localités contaminées de peste.

Ces marchandises ne peuvent, en conséquence, être importées dans la Régence qu'autant qu'elles auront été préalablement admises en libre pratique dans un des ports sus-visés. Il devra être justifié de l'admission en libre pratique dans les ports Français par un certificat de la Douane Française, et dans les ports étrangers par un certificat de l'Autorité Consulaire Française.

3. Est prohibée, toutefois, l'entrée en Tunisie de tous colis provenant directement ou indirectement de localités contaminées de peste, lorsque ces colis contiennent du linge de corps ayant servi ou n'ayant pas servi, des objets de literie ayant servi ou n'ayant pas servi, des tapis vieux ou neufs, ou toutes marchandises consistant en drilles, chiffons, cuirs verts, peaux fraiches, débris frais d'animaux, onglons, sabots, céréales, coton brut, laines en suint.

4. Les infractions aux dispositions du présent Décret seront

* "London Gazette," February 26, 1901.

in emprisonnement de un mois à deux ans et ne 1100 à 3,000 francs.

1cle 463 du Code pénal Français leur sera applicable Sont abrogées toutes dispositions contraires au present

pour promulgation et mise à exécution. Tunis, le 24 Octobre, 1900.

M. GRIMAULT, Délégué à la Residence Générale,

GERMANY.

ARRANGEMENT between the Post Office of Germany and the Post Office of India, for the Exchange of Postal Parcels between Germany and British India. Signed at Simla, July 28, and at Berlin, August 28, 1897.

In order to establish an exchange of postal parcels between Germany and British India, on the basis of the Vienna Parcel Post Convention of the 4th July, 1891, the Imperial German Postal Administration and the Indian Postal Administration have entered into the following arrangement. The terms of this arrangement apply, in general, not only to a direct exchange of parcels between Germany and India, but also to parcels sent in transit through the two countries.

ART. I.-1. Parcels with or without insurance (valeur déclarée) may, up to 5 kilogrammes (or 11 pounds) in weight, be forwarded, under the denomination of postal parcels, from one to the other of the two countries above mentioned. These parcels may be made subject to the collection on delivery of the amount specified by the sender for recovery. Insured for recovery is to be collected on delivery shall not however be parcels and parcels on which the amount specified by the sender forwarded by either country to the other, until the postal Administrations of the two countries have agreed to the terms 2. The working regulations determine the other conditions

of their transmission.

under which parcels may be forwarded.

provide for the transmission of parcels between the two II. The Postal Administrations of Germany and India will Ill-1. For each parcel despatched from India to Germany,

Countries by means of the services a

the Post Office of India pays the,

following transit rates:

t their disposal.

Se Post Office of Germany the

ia

the

*See "State Papers," y ac

ol. 83. Page 976.

2D 2

2. For each parcel despatched from Germany to India, the Post Office of Germany pays the Post Office of India the following transit rates:

By the routes via Bremen and Naples to Aden.

(1) A territorial rate of 1 franc, 75 centimes.
By the route via Brindisi to Aden.

(1) A territorial rate of 1 franc, 75 centimes.
(2) A sea-rate of 1 franc.

By the routes vid Bremen and Naples to Bombay.

(1) A territorial rate of 1 franc, 75 centimes.
(2) A sea-rate of 1 franc.

By the route via Brindisi to Bombay.

(1) A territorial rate of 1 franc, 75 centimes.
(2) A sea-rate of 2 francs.

3. Independently of these transit charges, the Administration of the country of origin is responsible, on account of the insurance of parcels to each of the Administrations taking part in the territorial or sea transit with responsibility, for the following insurance rates:

(1.) For each territorial transit—

5 centimes for each declared sum of 300 francs (127.) or part of 300 francs (127.);

(2.) For each sea transit

10 centimes for each declared sum of 300 francs (127.) or part of 300 francs (127.).

The territorial insurance rates due to the Italian and Austrian Post Offices on insured parcels despatched from India by the Naples and Brindisi routes shall be paid by the Indian Post

Office to the German Post Office.

IV. The pre-payment of postal parcels is compulsory.

V.-1. The postage on postal parcels is the sum of the territorial and sea transit rates, with the addition of any fees and charges specially provided for. The equivalents are fixed by the working regulations.

2. For insured parcels an insurance fee is added. Each Administration fixes its own scale of insurance fees, provided that the scale does not include any rate in excess of per cent. on the sum declared.

3. The sender of a postal parcel may obtain an acknowledgment of receipt by paying in advance a fixed fee of 25 centimes at most. The fee belongs entirely to the Administration of the country of origin.

VI. The country of destination may levy for the delivery of the parcels and for the execution of Custom House formalities a fee, the total amount of which may not exceed 25 centimes per. parcel. In the absence of arrangements to the contrary between the Administrations concerned, this fee is collected from the addressee at the time of the delivery of the parcel.

VII.-1. Parcels to which the present arrangement applies may not be charged with any postal tax other than those provided for by the foregoing Articles III, V, and VI, and by Article VIII following.

2. Customs dues must be paid by the addressees of parcels.

VIII.-1. The re-direction of postal parcels from one country to the other, in consequence of change of residence of the addressee, as well as the return of postal parcels which cannot be delivered, gives rise to the supplementary payment of the charges fixed by clauses 1 and 2 of Article V by the addressees or by the senders, as the case may be, without prejudice to the refund of the Custom duties or other special charges (storage, charges for Custom House formalities, &c.).

2. The re-direction from Aden to any other part of British India of a postal parcel originally addressed from Germany to Aden gives rise to the supplementary payment of a sea transit charge of 1 franc.

IX.-1. It is forbidden to send, by post, any parcels containing either letters or notes having the character of correspondence, or articles the importation of which is not authorised by the Customs or other laws or regulations. It is also forbidden to send specie, gold or silver, bullion, or other precious articles, in parcels without insurance, if insured parcels are admitted to the exchange. It is permissible to enclose in a parcel an open invoice restricted to entries which constitute an actual invoice.

2. In case a parcel falling within one of these prohibitions is sent by one country to the other, the latter proceeds in the manner and under the forms provided by its internal laws and regulations.

X.-1. Except in the case of vis major, when a postal parcel has been lost, stolen, or damaged, the sender, or in default of, or at the request of the same, the addressee is entitled to an indemnity corresponding to the actual amount of the loss or damage,

but this indemnity may not exceed, for ordinary parcels, 25 francs, and for insured parcels the amount declared for insurance.

The sender of a lost parcel is, moreover, entitled to a refund of the postage.

2. Countries that are willing to assume responsibility for risks arising from vis major are authorised to levy under this head, on parcels with insurance (valeur déclarée), a surtax under the conditions laid down in Article XI, paragraph 2, of the Union arrangement concerning the exchange of letters and boxes with value declared.*

3. The obligation to pay the indemnity rests with the Administration to which the despatching office is subordinate. To that Administration is reserved a claim against the Administration responsible, that is to say, against the Administration or the territory on or in the service of which the loss or damage took place.

In a case where the responsible Administration has given. notice to the Administration of despatch not to make payment, the former must repay to the latter Administration any costs which the non-payment may entail.

4. Until the contrary is proved, the responsibility rests with the Administration, which, having received the parcel without making any remarks, cannot establish the delivery to the addressee, or the regular transfer to the next Administration, as the case may be.

5. Payment of the indemnity by the despatching Administration ought to be made as soon as possible, and at the latest within a year of the date on which it is claimed. The Administration responsible is bound to refund to the despatching Administration, without delay, the amount of indemnity paid by the latter.

6. It is understood that a claim is only entertained, if made within a year of the posting of the parcel; after this period, the applicant has no right to any indemnity.

7. If the loss or damage has occurred in the course of conveyance between the offices of exchange of two adjacent countries, without its being possible to ascertain on which of the two territories the matter occurred, the two Administrations concerned bear the loss in equal shares.

8. Administrations cease to be responsible for postal parcels, when the persons entitled to them have taken delivery.

XI. Any fraudulent declaration representing the value of the contents of a parcel to be higher than it really is, is forbidden. In case of a fraudulent declaration of this nature, the sender forfeits all right to an indemnity, without prejudice to any legal proceedings under the laws of the country of origin. XII. Each Administration may, under special circumstances * See "State Papers," Vol. 83, page 947.