Portugal

A commercial treaty was concluded between the United States and Portugal in 1840. By the treaty of 1851 provision was made for the payment of certain claims of American citizens against Portugal. Post-Office. In the colonies, especially the more thickly-settled colonies of the North, some slight arrangements for postal communication were made before 1692, On February 17 of that year King William and Queen Mary granted to Thomas Neale a patent making him postmaster-general for the colonies. At once several colonies pa ed acts establishing and regulating a postal system. In 1710, under Queen Anne, an act of Parliament established a uniform system for all the colonies. Of the postmasters-gencral for America in the colonial period the most famous was Franklin, who in 1774 was deprived of his office for his attitude in the American conflict. William Goddard thereupon planned a ‘‘ Constitutional Post-Office,’? upon a plan which Congre adopted July 26, 1775, on that date establishing a system, with Franklin as postmaster-general. The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution gave Congre power over the matter. Congre , in 1790, continued the post-office with little substantial change. The plan to conduct the post-office system simply on an expense-paying basis originated about 18yo. At the International Postal Conference held at Berne in 1874 the Universal Postal Union was formed with rates of five cents per half-ounce on all letters pa ing between the countries composing the Union. In 1790 there were seventy-five post-offices in the United States; in 1820, 4,500; in 1860, 28,000; in 1884, 70,000; in 1898, 72,000. Post-Office Department. This department existed already before 1789. Congre continued it by several temporary enactments, and on May 8, 1794, gave it a permanent establishment. The postmaster-general was not a member of the President’s Cabinet until General Jackson’s administration (1829), the exigencies of the spoils svstem then requiring it. In 1820 a four years’ term of postmasters was instituted. (See art. Star-route Frauds. ) Postage. Letter postage is now two cents for any distance in the United States. From 1792 to 1845 letter postage ranged from six to twenty-five cents, according to the distance. In 1845 the rate was reduced to five cents for 300 miles and under, and ten cents for greater distances. In 1851 it was made three cents for 3,000 miies, prepaid, otherwise five cents, and was doubled for greater distances. In 1863 there was established a uniform rate of three cents, which was changed to two cents per ounce in 1883. Mailable matter is now divided into four cla es: first, letters; second, regular publications; third, books; fourth, merchandise. Until 1845 letters were single or double according as there was one piece of paper or two. Postage stamps were introduced in 1847 but did not become general till 1855, when letters were required to be prepaid. Stamped envelopes were first furnished in 1852 and postal cards in 1872. Registration was established in 1855; postal money orders in 1864; the free delivery system in 1865 in places containing a population of 50,000. In 1892 the free delivery system was extended. 117