Meanwhile, under the authority given the Governor in Council by _The Post Office Act_, an agreement had been drawn up between the post office Departments of Canada and the United States for the purpose of establishing and regulating the interchange of mails between the two countries. This was signed on the 25th March, 1851, and was communicated to the Canadian post-masters by the first department order, as follows:-- DEPARTMENT ORDER [NO. 1.] LETTERS, ETC., BETWEEN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING CALIFORNIA AND OREGON. POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, TORONTO, _2nd April_, 1851. Commencing on and from the 6th instant, Letters, Newspapers, &c., will pass through the Mails between Canada and the United States, including California and Oregon, at the Rates of Postage and under the Regulations herein mentioned. 1. Letters posted at any Office in Canada, addressed to any place in the United States, except California and Oregon, are to be rated with a uniform rate of six-pence, currency, per half-ounce. 2. Letters posted in any part of the United States, except California and Oregon, addressed to Canada, will be rated there with a uniform charge of ten cents, equal to six-pence, currency, per half-ounce. 3. The Postage Rate on Letters passing between Canada and California and Oregon, will be a uniform charge of nine-pence, currency, equal to fifteen cents per half-ounce. 4. It is to be understood that the above rates include the whole charge for the transmission of a Letter between any place in Canada and any place within the United States, including California and Oregon. 5. The scale for computing the charge upon Letters weighing more than 1/2 ounce, will be the same as that for Letters passing within the Province. 6. Pre-payment of Letters passing between Canada and any place within the United States, including California and Oregon, will, in all cases, be optional. 7. Newspapers, Pamphlets, &c., posted in Canada, addressed to the United States, including California and Oregon, are, ... to be forwarded through the Post at the same rates of charge as if addressed to a place within the Province; the said rates must, however, be _pre-paid_--as, if the ordinary Canada Rate is not paid at the time of posting a Newspaper or Pamphlet, &c., it cannot be forwarded to the United States. 8. United States Newspapers, Pamphlets, &c., addressed to places in Canada, will be received in the Province with the American Postage thereon pre-paid--leaving the ordinary Canada Rate of charge from the Frontier Line to the place of destination, to be ... collected by the Post Master who may deliver the same in Canada. 9.-10.-11. [_Copies of newspapers or printed documents sent by or to publishers or editors are free of Canadian postage._]