EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS. Sess.II. Ch.64. 1825.

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moreover, within ninety days after the making of any contract, lodge aduplicate thereof, together with the proposals which he shall have receivedrespecting it, in the office of the comptroller of the treasury of the UnitedStates : Provided, That no contract shall be entered into for a longerterm than four years.

Sec. 11. And be it further enacted, That every postmaster shall keepan office, in which one or more persons shall attend on every day onwhich a mail shall arrive, by land or water, as well as on other days, atsuch hours as the Postmaster General shall direct, for the purpose ofperforming the duties thereof; and it shall be the duty of the postmaster,at all reasonable hours, on every day of the week, to deliver, on demand,any letter, paper, or packet, to the person entitled to, or authorized toreceive the same; and all letters, brought to any post-office half an hourbefore the time of making up the mail at such office, shall be forwardedtherein, except at such post-offices where, in the opinion of the Post-master General, it requires more time for making up the mail, and whichhe shall accordingly prescribe ; but this shall, in no case, exceed one hour.

Sec. 12. And be it further enacted, That no fees or perquisites shallbe received by any person employed in the general post-office, on accountof the duties to be performed by virtue of his appointment.

Sec. 13. And be it further enacted, That the following rates of postagebe charged upon all letters and packets, (excepting such as are exceptedby law) conveyed in the mail of the United States , viz : For every lettercomposed of a single sheet of paper, conveyed not exceeding thirtymiles, six cents. Over thirty, and not exceeding eighty, ten cents. Overeighty, and not exceeding one hundred and fifty, twelve and a half cents,Over one hundred and fifty, and not exceeding four hundred, eighteenand three quarters of a cent. Over four hundred, twenty-five cents.

And for every double letter, or letter composed of two pieces of paperdouble those rates; and for every triple letter, or letter composed of threepieces of paper, triple those rates; and for every packet composed offour or more pieces ofpaper, or one or more other articles, and weighing oneounce avoirdupois, quadruple those rates ; and in that proportion for allgreater weights : Provided, That no packet of letters, conveyed by thewater mails, shall be charged with more than quadruple postage, unlessthe same shall contain more than lour distinct letters. No postmastershall receive, to be conveyed by the mail, any packet which shall weighmore than three pounds; and the postage marked on any letter or packet,and charged in the post bill which may accompany the same, shallbe conclusive evidence in favour of the postmaster who delivers the same,of the lawful postage thereon; unless such letter or packet shall beopened in the presence of the postmaster or his clerk. Every four foliopages, or eight quarto pages, or sixteen octavo, or twenty-four duodeci-mo pages, or pages less than that of a pamphlet size, or magazine, what-ever be the size of the paper of which it is formed, shall be considered asheet, and the surplus pages of any pamphlet or magazine, shall also beconsidered a sheet; and the journals of the legislatures of the several states,not being bound, shall be liable to the same postage as pamphlets.

Any memorandum, which shall be written on a newspaper, or otherprinted paper, pamphlet or magazine, and transmitted by mail, shall becharged with letterpostage: Provided, The publisher of a newspaper maysend a printed or written notice to a subscriber, stating the amount dueon his subscription ; which notice shall be attached to the margin of thenewspaper, and the postmaster who delivers the paper shall charge forsuch notice the same pastage [postage] as for a newspaper.

Sec. 14. And be it furtlier enacted, That the Postmaster General be,and he is hereby, authorized to allow to each postmaster, such commis-sion on the postages by him collected, as shall be adequate to his services

Vol. IV.—14

Proviso.

Every post-master to keepan office, &c.

No fees &c., inthe post-office.

Rates of post-age.

Act of March3, 1845, ch. 43.

Proviso.

Proviso.

Each post-master to re-ceive such com-mission on the