6786. POST OFFICE, Foreign mails.—
The person at the head of the post office here
says he proposed to Dr. Franklin a convention
to facilitate the passage of letters through their
office and ours, and that he delivered a draft of
the convention proposed, that it might be sent
to Congress. I think it possible he may be mistaken
in this, as, on my mentioning it to Dr.
Franklin, he did not recollect any such draft
having been put into his hands. An answer,
however, is expected by them. I mention it,
that Congress may decide whether they will
make any convention on the subject, and on
what principle. The one proposed here was,
that, for letters passing hence into America,
the French postage should be collected by our
post officers, and paid every six months, and for
letters coming from America here, the American
postage should be collected by the post officers
here, and paid to us in like manner. A second
plan, however, presents itself; that is, to suppose
the sums to be thus collected, on each side,
will be equal, or so nearly equal, that the balance
will not pay for the trouble of keeping accounts,
and for the little bickerings that the settlement
of accounts and demands of the balances
may occasion; and therefore, to make an
exchange of postage. This would better secure
our harmony; but I do not know that it would
be agreed to here. If not, the other might then
be agreed to.—
To John Jay. Washington ed. i, 410.
(P.
1785)
