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to money, as hereinafter defcribed, every fuch Penalty on offender, being thereof duly convicted, shall, detaining or fecreting for every fuch offence, be fined, not exceed- letters. ing three hundred dollars, or imprisoned, not exceeding fix months, or both, according to the circumstances and aggravations of the offence. And if any perfon employed, as aforefaid, fhall secrete, embezzle or destroy, any letter, pac, ket, bag or mail of letters with which he fhail be entrusted, or which fhall have come to his poffeffion, and are intended to be conveyed by poft, containing any bank-note, or bank postbill, bill of exchange, warrant of the treasury of the United States, note of affignment of ftock in the funds, letters of attorney for receiving annuities or dividends, or for felling ftock in the funds, or for receiving the interest thereof, or any letter of credit,.or note for, or relating to the payment of money, or any bond or warrant, draft, bill or promiffory note, whatsoever, for the payment of money; or if any fuch perfon, employed as aforefaid, fhall fteal or take any of the fame, out of any letter, packet, bag or mail of letters, that fhall come to his poffeffion, he fhall, on conviction for any fuch offence, fuffer death. And if any perfon, who fhall have taken charge of the mail of the United States, fhall quit or defert the fame, before his arrival at the next postoffice, every fuch perfon fo offending fhall forfeit and pay a fum not exceeding five hundred dollars, for every fuch offence. And if any perfon, concerned in carrying the mail of the United States, fhall collect, receive or carry any letter or packet, or fhall caufe or procure the fame to be done, contrary to this act, every fuch offender fhall forfeit and pay, for every fuch offence, a fum not exceeding fifty dollars,

On perfons

mail.

Sec. 17. And be it further enacted, That if robbing the any perfon or perfons fhall rob any carrier of the mail of the United States, of fuch mail, or any part thereof, fuch offender or offenders fhall, on conviction thereof, fuffer death. And if any perfon fhall fteal the mail, or fhall fteal and take from or out of the mail, or from or out of any poft-office, any letter or paeket, fuch perfon fhall, upon conviction, for every fuch offence, be fined not exceeding three hundred dollars, or imprifoned not exceeding fix months, or both, according to the circumftances and aggravations of the offence.

Deputies to publish e

months a

ters then on hand, Sec.

Sec. 18. And be it further enacted, That the deputy-postmasters fhall, refpectively, publish at the expiration of every three months, or of very three tener, when the Poftmafter-General fhall fo lift of let direct, in one of the newspapers published at or nearest the place of his refidence, for three fucceffive weeks, a lift of all the letters remaining in their respective offices, or instead thereof, fhall make out a number of such lifts, and caufe them to be pofted at fuch public places in their vicinity, as fhall appear to them beft adapted for the information of the parties concerned; and at the expiration of the next three months, fhall fend fuch of the faid letters, as then remain on hand, as dead letters, to the -general poft-office, where the fame fhall be opened and infpected; and if any valuable papers or matter of confequence, fhall be found therein, it shall be the duty of the PostmasterGeneral to cause a defcriptive lift thereof to be inferted in one of the newfpapers published at the place moft convenient to the fuppof ed refidence of the owner, if within the United States; and fuch letter, and the contents fhall be preferved, to be delivered to the per

fon, to whom the fame fhall be addreffed, upon payment of the poftage, and the expense of publication. And if fuch letter with its contents be not demanded by the perfon, to whom it is addreffed, or the owner thereof, or his lawful agent, within two years after the advertifement thereof, as aforefaid, the faid contents shall be applied to the use of the United States, until the fame fhall be reclaimed by the proprietor thereof. The manner of fuch application to be specially fated by the Poftmafter-General to the Secretary of the Treafury.

Certain

be conveye

ed free of

Sec. 19. And be it further enacted, That the following letters and packets, and no other, letters to fhall be received and conveyed by poft, free of poftage, under fuch reftrictions, as are herein poftage. after provided; that is to fay: all letters and packets, to or from the Prefident or Vice-Prefident of the United States, and all letters and packets, not exceeding two ounces in weight, to or from any member of the Senate, or Houfe of Reprefentatives, the Secretary of the Senate or Clerk of the Houfe of Reprefentatives, during their actual attendance in any feffion of Congrefs, and twenty days after fuch feffion; all letters to and from the Secretary of the Treafury, Comptroller, Regifter and Auditor of the Treafury, the Treasurer, the Secretary of State, the Secretary at War, Commiffioner of the Revenue, the Poftmafter-General, his affiftant, and deputies: And the deputy-poft. masters shall receive, befides their other allowances, two cents for each free letter or packet (their own excepted) which fhall be deliver. ed to the perfon addreffed out of their refpective offices. Provided, That no perfon fhall frank or inclofe any letter or packet, other than his own; but any public letter or packet

Counter

from the department of the treasury, may be franked by the Secretary of the Treafury, or by the Commiffioner of the Revenue, Comptroller, Register, Auditor or Treasurer: And that each perfon before named fhall deliver into the poft-office, every letter or packet inclofed to him, which may be directed to any other perfon, noting the place from whence it came by poft, and the ufual postage shall be charged thereon: And provided alfo, That no letter to or from a deputy-poftmafter shall be free of postage, if it exceeds half an ounce in weight.

Sec. 20. And be it further enacted, That if Penalty on any perfon fhall counterfeit the hand-writing of any other perfon, in order to evade the payfeiting the franking of ment of postage, fuch perfon or perfons fo offending, and being thereof duly convicted, fhall forfeit and pay, for every fuch offence, the fum of one hundred dollars.

letters.

Sec. 21. And be it further enacted, That Privilege every printer of newspapers may fend one paof newf- per, to each and every other printer of newfprinters. papers within the United States, free of postage, under fuch regulations, as the PostmasterGeneral fhall provide.

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Sec. 22. And be it further enacted, That all newspapers conveyed in the mail, fhall be under cover, open at one end, carried in separate bags from the letters, and charged with the payment of one cent each, for any distance not more than one hundred miles, and one 'cent and a half for any greater distance: Provided, That the poftage of a fingle newspaper, from any one place to another in the fame state, fhall not exceed one cent. And that where the mode of conveyance, and the fize of the mails

:

counts of

will admit of it, magazines and pamphlets may be transported in the mail, at one cent per fheet, for conveyance, any diftance not exceeding fifty miles, one and a half cent for any distance over fifty miles and not exceeding one hundred, and two cents per fheet, for any greater distance. And it fhall be the duty of Poftmafterthe Postmaster-General and his deputies, to general and deputies to keep a feparate account for the newfpapers, keep fepamagazines and pamphlets; and the deputy- rate acpoftmafters fhall receive fifty per cent on the them. poftage thereof, exclufively of their other allowances And if any letter, memorandum in writing, or other thing be inclosed in, or placed among fuch newspaper, or if any note or memorandum, other than the name of the person to whom it is addreffed, be written upon any fuch newspaper, the letter, memorandum, or other thing fo inclofed or placed, and the newfpaper on which fuch memorandum fhall be written, fhall be detained by the deputypostmaster, until a fum fhall be paid him equal to the poftage of the whole packet in which they fhall be found, calculating fuch postage, at the rates established by this act for letters Fine ou caand packets. And that any printer, or other clofing letperfon, who fhall conceal a letter, or any me- in newp morandum in writing, in a newspaper, or pers among any package of newspapers, fhall be liable, on conviction, to a fine for each offence, not exceeding five dollars. And if any of the perfons employed in any department of the poft-office, fhall unlawfully detain, delay, em- On embezz zling newf bezzle or deftroy any newspaper, magazine or papers. pamphlet, with which he fhall be entrusted, fuch offenders, for every fuch offence, fhall forfeit a fum, not exceeding fifty dollars: Provided, That the Poftmafter-General, in any

ters, &c.

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