INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. 107 



acter, will be found as satisfactory as if they were those of a single 

 state. In later years the development and application of this general 

 idea, through the progress made by the physical sciences, have far ex- 

 ceeded the hopes of the most sanguine. Take, for example, the post 

 and the telegraph. A few years ago the wildest visionary would never 

 have dreamed of the cordiality which to-day exists between the dif- 

 ferent peoples in their international relations. The postal and tele- 

 graphic services have contributed largely to this result. The same 

 treaty unites Turkey and Russia, France and Germany, Montenegro 

 and the United States. 



Down to 1830 the postal system was not very well developed even 

 between different parts of the same country ; and of course was much 

 less efficient between different countries, where greater obstacles to its 

 progress would naturally be encountered. It was only after this period 

 and in consequence of the new relations to which a long peace had 

 given rise, aided by the development of means of communication by 

 land and sea, that the different countries felt the necessity of regulat- 

 ing their international postal communications. Without studying those 

 treaties as such, let us take a view of their object and utility. 



Two countries who wish to regulate their international postal ex- 

 changes in a secure way must come to an understanding on the means 

 of transportation they will use, whether it is by railroad, stage, steam- 

 ers, or sailing-vessels, and what contribution to the expense of carriage 

 will be made by the respective parties to the contract. The questions 

 to be considered are : What will be the expense of mails thus trans- 

 ported? Will the postage be paid by the sender or receiver? In 

 what proportion will the expenses be borne by the offices cooperating 

 in this transportation ? It is on these points also that naturally arise 

 the chief difficulties, in consequence of the conflicting interests of the 

 contracting parties, each viewing the matter from his particular stand- 

 point, and each seeking to obtain the greatest benefits from the regu- 

 lations adopted. 



In general, two postal administrations do not content themselves 

 with exchanging mails directly between the two countries ; each of 

 them, generally, has existing arrangements with other states which 

 they use as an intermediary. For instance, France, on account of its 

 geographical situation, plays this role for a number of countries ; it 

 serves as an intermediary for communications between the countries 

 of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Great Britain. 

 A letter may have to traverse many countries to arrive at its desti- 

 nation : thus, a letter addressed from Lisbon to the Hague passes 

 through Spain, France, and Belgium ; it has three intermediate coun- 

 tries to traverse. Therefore, regulations must be made between the 

 services of direct exchange and those of transit. By transit we mean 

 the countries traversed ; thus, the French transit is necessary to com- 

 municate between the IJnited States and Italy, under present regula- 



