UNITED STATES. 



KJ7 



prices filled out in writing, papers of legal pro- 

 ceedings, deeds of all kinds, way-bills, bill* of 

 lading, invoices, insurance policies, handbills, 

 posters, envelopes with printing thereon, en- 

 gravings, lithographs, etc., printed blanks, 

 prin tod cards, etc. There may bo placed upon 

 >vor or blank leaves of any book or of any 

 printed matter of the third class a simple manu- 

 script dedication or inscription that does not 

 partake of the nature of a personal correspon- 

 dence. All packages of third-class matter must 

 be so wrapped with open sides or ends that 

 their contents may be readily examined. The 

 postage on third-class matter is one cent for 

 each two ounces and fraction thereof. The limit 

 of weight of packages is four pounds, except 

 in cases of single volumes of books in excess 

 of said weight. Fourth-class matter embraces 

 blank cards, cardboard, flexible patterns, letter- 

 envelopes and letter-paper without printing 

 thereon, merchandise, models, ornamented pa- 

 per, sample cards, ores, metals, minerals, seeds, 

 cuttings, bulbs, roots, scions, drawings, plans, 

 designs, original paintings in oil or water-colors, 

 and other mailable matter not included in the 

 first, second, and third classes. The postage 

 rate is one cent for each ounce and fractional 

 part thereof. Mailable matter of the first, third, 

 and fourth classes can be registered. Unmail- 

 able matter embraces liquids, poisons, explosive 

 and inflammable articles, putty, substances ea- 

 sily liquefiable, live or dead animals (not stuffed), 

 insects and reptiles, fruits or vegetable matter, 

 confectionery, and substances exhaling a bad 

 odor ; and every letter upon the envelope of 

 which, or postal card upon which, indecent or 

 obscene delineations, epithets, terms, or lan- 

 guage may be written or printed ; also matter 

 which from its form or nature is calculated to 

 injure the contents of the mail-bags or harm 

 the persons of those employed in the postal 

 service, unless securely wrapped to prevent 

 such injury. 



The Secretary of State addressed a circular 

 to the United States ministers abroad instruct- 

 ing them to call the attention of the govern- 

 ments to which they were accredited to the 

 laws of the United States against polygamy, 

 and to whatever facts they might be informed 

 of, through the consular agents or otherwise, 

 concerning the emigration of Mormons from 

 the respective country to the United States, 

 and to prefer a request to the several govern- 

 ments to put in force what laws they have 

 against the gaining of converts and the organi- 

 zation of emigration by the Mormon agents and 

 missionaries. Some of the governments re- 

 plied to the representations of the ministers 

 that it was inconvenient for them to inquire 

 into the religion of people leaving their shores, 

 or their place of destination. Such letters were 

 sent to the diplomatic agents in Great Britain, 

 Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. It 

 was intended to take active steps to prevent 

 the landing of Mormon emigrants in United 

 States ports. The circular letter expressed the 



determined purpose of the United States Gov- 

 ernment to enforce the law against polygamy 

 contained in section 6,352 of the Revised Stat- 

 utes, the constitutionality of which bad been 

 recently sustained by a decision of the Supreme 

 Court, and to eradicate the institution of Mor- 

 monism. 



The intercession of the State Department 

 was required in the case of the brothers Bers- 

 selier, natives of St. Louis, of German parent- 

 age, whose father had taken up his residence 

 in Germany again while they were children. 

 Before attaining their majority they returned 

 to St. Louis, where they had since resided. 

 When they attained the military age the Ger- 

 man magistracy took steps to enforce penalties 

 against the property of their father in Ger- 

 many, after their failure to present themselves 

 for enrollment. On a statement of the facts 

 of the case by the Minister at Berlin, the Ger- 

 man Government interfered to prevent the 

 proceedings of the local magistrates against 

 the property or heritage of the younger Bers- 

 seliers. 



The causes of the decay of the American 

 ocean-carrying trade were discussed by Sena- 

 tor James G. Blaine in a letter to a number of 

 business men of New York who had invited 

 him to express his views on that subject in a 

 public meeting. lie attributes the decline to 

 the combined causes of the civil war, the sub- 

 stitution of iron and steam for wood and sails, 

 and the inflation of prices brought about by a 

 paper currency. In 1857 the entire foreign 

 trade of the United States, export and import, 

 amounted to $723,000,000, and of this total 

 $510,000,000 was carried in American bottoms 

 and only $213,000,000 in the ships of other 

 countries. When the country was precipitated 

 into war in 1861 there followed a series of 

 events the effect of which was utterly disas- 

 trous to the American carrying trade. Nearly 

 70,000 seamen were withdrawn from the mer- 

 chant service and enlisted in the navy to main- 

 tain the blockade that stretched from Delaware 

 Bay to the mouth of the Rio Grande. More 

 than a million tons of American shipping were 

 withdrawn from commerce to take part in the 

 blockade and to supply the transportation need- 

 ed for the maintenance of the armies that were 

 called to the defense of the Union. Added 

 to the direct loss, 800,000 tons of American 

 shipping, to escape destruction at the hands of 

 cruisers flying the Confederate ensign, but built 

 in British yards and manned by British sailors, 

 canceled their American registry and sailed 

 under the flags of other nations, and when 

 worn out their place was supplied by foreign- 

 built ships. Just at this time the screw was 

 generally substituted for the paddle, and the 

 compound engine took the place of the simple 

 one. Iron now became a general substitute for 

 wood, and hulls were built that would last as 

 long as the engines. A steamer of the old 

 kind, capable of carrying 3,000 tons, might sail 

 on a voyage so long that she would be com- 



