or otherwise injure the contents of the mail-bags or the persons of those engaged in the postal service, are prohibited from transmission in the mails exchanged with foreign countries, as are also obscene, lewd, or lascivious books, pamphlets, etc., and letters and circulars concerning lotteries, so-called gift concerts, etc., also excluded from domestic mails. 20. Certain articles, other than those above mentioned, which from their nature or form are liable to destroy, deface, or injure the contents of the mail-bags or the persons of those engaged in the postal service, may be transmitted as samples in the mails to foreign countries when inclosed in the form prescribed for such matter in domestic mails. 21. All articles prohibited from domestic mails are also excluded from circulation in the mails to or from foreign countries. 22. Packets of patterns or samples of merchandise for dispatch in the mails to foreign countries are restricted to bonâ fide trade samples or specimens having no salable or commercial value in excess of that actually necessary for their use as samples or specimens. Goods sent for sale, in execution of an order, or as gifts, however small the quantity may be, are not admissible. 23. Prices-current and trade circulars (unsealed) may be sent to Guatemala at newspaper rate of postage, but to all other countries at the rate of postage for "other printed matter."' 24. The domestic regulation requiring notice to be given by United States postmasters to publishers whose publications are refused, or not taken out of the post office by the persons addressed, does not apply in the case of newspapers and periodicals of foreign origin refused or not taken out of the post office by their addressees. 25. The public should bear in mind that all matter received in the mails from foreign countries which is subject to customs duties, such as watches, jewelry, lace, silk, etc., is liable to seizure by the officers of the customs. 26. The Post Office Department assumes no responsibility for the delay, injury, or loss of either registered or ordinary correspondence for or from foreign countries, but it will, at the instance of senders or addressees, use the means at its command for the purpose of ascertaining the causes of such delay, injury, or loss, and preventing the recurrence thereof. 27. Where no special regulation is made relative to the transmission of correspondence, the domestic regulations will govern. 28. Letters conveyed in vessels not regularly employed in carrying the mails (commonly called "ship letters ") are subject to double rates of domestic postage on delivery. REGISTRATION. By means of the United States Postal Agents at Panama and Aspinwall, and at Shanghai, China, letters may be registered to those places in direct mail. Attention is called to the fact that, in many cases, as stated in the Table of Foreign Postage, other correspondence besides letters may be registered. The postage chargeable is that applying to the same class of correspondence sent in ordinary mail. Where no fee is given there can be no registration. The "return receipt" used in the domestic mails is not to be attached to registered matter for foreign destinations, and the "return registered letter bill" should never be sent to the office of destination in a foreign country, but either to the distributing office or to the exchange office. A "return receipt," accompanying a registered letter received from a foreign country, should be forwarded (whether delivery of the letter has been made or not) direct to the United States exchange office which received it from abroad. In case of non-delivery, the fact and cause thereof should be stated on the return receipt before forwarding as above directed, and the letter itself should be sent registered to the Dead Letter Office, P. O. Dept., Washington, D. C. The only post offices in the Argentine Republic to which registered correspondence may be sent are those mentioned in the subjoined list : Las Flores.. .Buenos Aires San Isidro... ...Idem Idem S. José de Flores. .Idem .....Idem Santa Fé Lomas de Zamora. ..Idem Buenos Aires Lules... Cármen de Areco. ..Idem Magdalena.. .Buenos Aires ..Idem ..Tucuman Merlo..... ..Mendoza San Martin... Buenos Aires San Vicente... ...Idem . San Luis .Buenos Aires ..Salta San Juan .Buenos Aires ...Santa Fé ...Idem .San Luis .Buenos Aires ...Idem ...Idem Mendoza .Buenos Aires Santa Fé .Santa Fé ....Santiago ..Corrientes .Entre Rios .Buenos Aires ..Idem . Idem ..Buenos Aires! Paraná. .Buenos Aires Paso de los Libres. .....Santa Fé Patagones.. Exalt. de la Cruz......Buenos Aires Pilar... Entre Rios Quilmes. .Buenos Aires Ranchos... .Entre Rios Tapalquén. ..Buenos Aires Tigre.. ....Salta Trancas.. ..Entre Rios Buenos Aires Tucuman. .Tucuman ...Idem Entre Rios Veinticinco de Mayo....Buenos Aires ..Rioja .Entre Rios .Buenos Aires Córdoba Córdoba ..Jujuy ..Buenos Aires Federacion.. General Alvear. Gral. Rodriguez. Goya... ..Corrientes Rio 4.0 Graneros. ...Corrientes ...Idem ...Idem ..Idem ..Idem ..Idem Córdoba Yaví... Buenos Aires MONEY-ORDERS. Postal conventions for the exchange of money-orders have been concluded with the following foreign countries, viz: Switzerland, Great Britain and Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Canada. The exchange of money-orders between the United States and each of the countries mentioned is effected through the agency of "International Exchange Offices,” of which New York is the office on the part of the United States. Hence, an international moneyorder cannot be drawn by a postmaster in either country directly upon a postmaster in the other, but must be drawn upon the international exchange office. The postmaster at any foreign money-order office in the United States -the same being designated by the Postmaster General — will furnish a blank form of application, on which the sender must enter all the particulars of the amount (in United States money), names, address, etc., and must state the full name and exact residence of the person to whom the order is to be made payable. The postmaster will then issue an international order on the postmaster at New York, giving all the particulars furnished in the application, and transmit the same together with the coupon. The certificate attached to each order will, by the issuing postmaster, be given to the sender, the same serving as his receipt; but no "advice" will be issued, as in domestic money-orders, inasmuch as the order itself, instead of being delivered to the applicant for transmission, is forwarded directly to New York. The postmaster at New York, upon receipt of a foreign money-order from a United States office, will certify the same to the foreign international exchange office, through which payment is then made to the proper party. The coupon attached to the order will, by the postmaster at New York, be returned to the issuing office for the information of the sender, and will state the exact amount transmitted and other particulars. As the value of gold varies in the United States, the postmaster at the issuing office must not fill up and cannot give the sender the exact value of the order in foreign money; but this must be left to the postmaster at New York. Upon the receipt of a certificate from a foreign international exchange office, the postmaster at New York draws an international money-order on the foreign money-order office nearest to the residence of the person who is to receive the money, and the postmaster at the latter office notifies the person, who, on applying for the same, will, on due identification, receive payment and sign a receipt. One pound sterling (£1) is equal in value to $4.86 in gold, and one thaler (German) is equal to 71 cents gold. One dollar (gold) is equal to 5 francs 15 centimes (Swiss). DEPARTURE OF FOREIGN MAILS. The following schedule shows the time of departure of foreign mails from different ports of the United States, and the mails conveyed. For more exact information, reference may be had to the schedule issued monthly by the Office of Foreign Mails, Post Office Department. AS ARRANGED FOR JULY, 1879. (SEE NOTE BELOW.) MAILS FOR Great Britain and Ireland.. North of Ireland, direct mail.. Hong Kong, and dependent ports of Amoy, Canton, Foochow, and Swatow.... Japan.. Shanghai, China.. Straits Settlements, East Indies. Australia. Mexico. Mexico. July 10th and 26th. July 5th and 19th. July 10th, 19th, and 30th July 5th and 19th San Francisco. New York. San Francisco. Turks Island. U. S. of Colombia.. West Indies via St. Thomas. St. Jago and Cienfuegos, Cuba, direct mail... Bermuda. Porto Rico.. Argentine Republic... Brazil.. Venezuela.. West Indies via Bermuda. Greytown (Nicaraugua).. July 15th and 29th. New York. July 3d, 12th, and 26th... New York. Windward Islands.. ... July 9th and 23d. New York. Newfoundland. July 3d, 15th, and 25th. New York. Newfoundland. July 5th and 19th.. Boston. Nova Scotia... July 1st, 5th, 8th, 12th, 15th, 19th, 22d, 26th, and 29th... Boston. Miquelon... July 5th and 19th.. Boston. NOTE. Where days of week are given, the dispatches are expected to occur regularly on the days named, during the months of August and September next. In other cases, the dates of dispatch may vary in August and September next, except where otherwise indicated. FOREIGN POSTAGE TABLE. SHOWING THE RATES OF POSTAGE CHARGEABLE IN THE UNITED STATES ON LETTERS, NEWSPAPERS, ETC., SENT IN THE MAILS TO FOR- COUNTRIES AND COLONIES OF THE UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION OTHER THAN THE UNITED STATES. NOTE. For full information respecting postage rates, conditions of form, etc., relative to correspondence for the Postal Union, see first portion of Article "Foreign Mails" in this number of the Guide. GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, including Gibraltar, PORTUGAL, including the island of Madeira and the 1. In Asia: Goa, Damao, Diu, Macao, and part of 2. In Africa: Cape Verde, Bissao, Cacheo, Islands of ROUMANIA (Moldavia and Wallachia). SPAIN, including the Balearic Isles, the Canary Islands, 1. In Africa: Islands of Fernando Po, Annobon, and 2. In America: Cuba and Porto Rico. 3. In Oceanica: The Archipelagoes of the Mariana 4. In Asia: The Philippine Archipelago (Luzon with |