FOREIGN RATES OF POSTAGE. The usual rates of postage to all parts of Europe, Persia, India, Egypt, Turkey, Japan, Cuba, Bermudas, Porto Rico, Honduras, Brazil, Chili, Peru, Argentine Confederation, Venezuela, Ecuador and Newfoundland, for letters, is 5 cents per half ounce, or fraction thereof. In view of many exceptional variations, however, it will be wiser to consult a postmaster for exact rates. Prepayment is optional. If not prepaid, however, a fine is collected on delivery. One cent additional to the impressed stamp is required on all foreign postal cards. Newspapers, 2 cents for each four ounces, or fraction thereof. On all other printed matter, and samples, 1 cent for each two ounces, or fraction thereof, and an additional I cent for each package. The least postage, however, on any such package is 5 cents. All matter, except letters, must be fully prepaid. By a prepayment of 10 cents extra, all mailable packages may be registered. FOREIGN MONEY ORDER CHARGES. Rates of commission charged for all International Money Orders: Over $30 " $40 .40 Over $80" " $90 .90 .50 Over $90 All letters, postal cards, printed matter, samples, etc., to the Dominion of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Mexico, etc., must be prepaid at the same rates as domestic postage. The postage on samples for the above countries is 10 cents for any weight package not exceeding 8 ounces, which is the limit mailable. SUGGESTIONS TO THE PUBLIC CONCERNING THE USE OF THE MAILS. Owing to the frequent handling all mail matter necessarily receives, it is advisable always to use good envelopes, as many of the thin ones split open, which excites sus picion and blame against entirely innocent officials. Prepayment of one full rate of postage on first-class matter insures its being forwarded but it is best to fully prepay, else the receiver of the letter must meet the deficiency. Al mail, except first-class matter, must be fully prepaid or it will not be forwarded. Postal cards with anything other than the address written or printed on the address side, will not be forwarded. When one full rate of postage has been prepaid on first-class matter, and all other matter when fully prepaid, may, at the request of the party addressed, be forwarded from one post office to another. Postmasters can return second, third and fourth-class matter only upon receipt of postage stamps to cover remailing. A printed or written request on such matter, asking postmasters to notify sender of non-delivery, and of amount of post age required to return same, is allowable and will be honored. All inquiries relating to lost mail matter of any sort, either domestic or foreign, should be addressed to the Chief Inspector Post Office Department, Washington, D. C. Inquiries relating to mail matter supposed to have been sent to the Dead Letter Office, should be sent to the Third Assistant Postmaster-General. In all letters of inquiry fullest information must be given, such as name and address of sender or writer, date and place of mailing, to whom and to what address the article was mailed, and a brief description of the contents. Whenever it is known when or why letter was sent to Dead Letter Office this should be stated, as should the number of any registered matter. Always write "Transient," or "General Delivery," on matter for persons not located where you send mail to them. The following articles are unmailable, viz.: Poisons, inflammable and explosive articles, fatty substances, easy liquefiable substances, insects (except queen bees), live or dead animals not stuffed, reptiles, confectionery, pastes or confections, fruits or vegetable matter, and substances exhaling a bad odor, and every postal card upon which, or letter upon the envelope of which, obscene, lewd, indecent or lascivious drawings, terms, epithets, or language may be written or printed, and all matter concerning lotteries, so-called gift concerts, or other similar enterprises offering prizes, or concerning schemes devised and intended to defraud the public, or for the purpose of obtaining money or goods under false pretences. Manuscript for magazines, periodicals, or newspapers, and music, and book manuscript, are subject to full letter postage, unless they are accompanied by proof-sheets of such manuscript, or of which proofs such manuscript is a correction or addition, in which case the rate will be one cent for each two ounces or fraction thereof. Be sure that there is a post office at the place to which you send your letters, as matter not addressed to a post office cannot be forwarded. When directing to cities, always add the street and number, or post office box, of the person addressed, unless marked "Transient," or "General Delivery." To insure certainty in despatch of mail, give the county in which the post office is, and spell out the name of the State in full. If you will write or print your name and address (and the contents, if a package) in the upper left-hand corner of your mail matter, it will be returned to you for correction, if improperly addressed, or insufficiently paid, and if not called for at its destination, it can be returned to you without going to the dead letter office. If a letter, it will be returned free. Register all valuable letters and packages. Registry fee ten cents, which with the postage must be fully prepaid. The name and address of the sender must be given on the outside of the envelope or wrapper of all registered articles. Registration does not make the Department responsible for lost letters, but it does so mark the progress of a Jetter that tampering with it is almost wholly impossible. HOW TO TAKE OUT A PATENT. No patent will be granted if the whole or any part of what is claimed has been patented or described in any printed publication in this or a foreign country, or been invented or discovered in this country. Prior Invention abroad will not prevent issue of a patent, unless the invention has been there patented or described in some printed publication. To prevent a subsequent inventor from obtaining a patent, an invention must have been reduced to a practical form, either by construction of a model or machine, or drawing, by which a mechanic could make the same. Merely conceiving an idea of an invention is not a discovery, and patentable. Foreign Patents.-The taking out of a patent in a foreign country does not prejudice a patent previously granted here; nor does it prevent obtaining a patent here subsequently. When a patent is granted here it will extend only seventeen years from date of foreign patent. Every foreign inventor must have in use, or for sale in the United States, a copy of their patentable article, within eighteen months from date of patent. Duration of Patent is seventeen years. Extensions are prohibited on all patents granted since 1861. Applications for extension must be filed, and requisite fee paid, ninety days before expiration of the patent. Granting of Patents.-Patents, on payment of same official fee, are granted to all persons, including women and minors, unless inhabitants of countries which discriminate against the inhabitants of the United States. Application for a patent must be made in the name of the inventor, who can alone sign the papers; an attorney for inventor cannot do so. Heirs of an Inventor can obtain a patent, papers to be signed by executor or administrator of inventor. Joint Inventors are entitled to a joint patent. An inventor can assign his entire right, before a patent is obtained, so as to enable the assignee to take out a patent in his own name; bnt the assignment must be first recorded, and specifications sworn to by the inventor. Oaths may be taken, in this country, before any one authorized by law to administer oaths; in a foreign country before any minister plenipotentiary, charge d'affaires, consul, commercial agent, or notary public of the country in which oath is taken, being in all cases properly attested by official seal of such notary. Stamps.-A stamp of value of fifty cents is required for each power of attorney, each sheet of an assignment to be stamped five cents, each certificate of a magistrate five cents. Drawings to be in duplicate, one on stiff paper, one on tracing cloth, to be 20 inches top to bottom, 15 inches wide; tracing to have 1 inch margin on right-hand side, for binding. Models to be of hard wood, or metal, not more than 12 inches in any dimension; name of the inventor to be engraved or painted conspicuously on it. For an improvement, only model of part to be patented is required, to show nature and operation of invention. Designs, no models required; either drawings or photographs, both in duplicate, with negative of photograph. New Articles of manufacture, sample of article; medicines, or medical compounds, ample of same, and minute statement of exact proportions and ingredients. CAVEATS. The filing of a caveat prevents, during its existence, the issue of a patent, without the knowledge of the caveator, to any person for a similar device. The caveator is entitled to receive official notice during one year, for any petition for similar or interfering invention filed during that time. The caveator, when so notified, must complete his own application within three months from the date of notice. A caveat runs one year; can be extended by paying $10 a year. Caveats can only be filed by citizens of the United States, or aliens who have resided here one year and declared their intention of becoming citizens. UNITED STATES PATENT FEES. On filing each caveat...... On filing each original application for a patent, except for a design............................ 15 On issuing each original patent... On every appeal from Examiners-in-Chief... On application for a reissue..... On application for extension... Granting an extension.. Filing each disclaimer.. ....... Certified copies of patents and other papers. 10 cents per 100 words Recording every assignment, agreement, power of attorney, and other papers, of 300 words or under..... Patents for designs (31⁄2 years).......................... Patents for designs (7 years)...................................................................................................................... FOREIGN PATENTS. Great Britain.-Duration, fourteen years, to first inventor or importer: cost, $350, of which $100 due at time of making application, balance in four months; three years from date of patent, a further sum of £50 must be paid; end of seven years, L100 additional For designs to protect shape of article, three years, $100, France.-Term of patent, fifteen years; annual fee, $20. Belgium.- Term of patent, twenty years; small annual fees. EXPENSE OF FOREIGN PATENTS, INCLUSIVE OF ALL FEES. ASTRONOMY. ASTRONOMY treats of the heavenly bodies, and tells all about the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, etc. As the earth is one of these planets, it tells all about it also. Planets. Some of the stars shine with a clear steady light, and as they change their position in the heavens they are called planets, meaning wanderers. Fixed Stars.-Then there are other stars that remain immovable, although their light is twinkling; these are called fixed stars. Milky Way.-Spanning the heavens diagonally is a whitish vapory belt, like a luminous cloud. It is really a stream of suns, divided into two branches, and consists of countless multitude of stars whose light blends. Herschel states that 258,000 stars passed across the field of his telescope in forty-one minutes. History. This is the most ancient of the sciences. The study of the stars is as old as man himself. The Chinese boast of their discoveries, and their emperor calls himself the Son of the Sun. They have the first record of an eclipse in 2128 B. C., and two of their chief astronomers, Ho and Hi, were put to death for failing to announce a solar eclipse, 2169 B. C. The Chaldeans were among the earliest observers. Their priests were astronomers, and their temples were observatories. When Babylon was taken by Alexander, 331 B. C., he found that observations had been made reaching back nineteen centuries, nearly 4000 years ago. The Greeks and Egyptians were also close observers. Among more modern astronomers, COPERNICUS was the first to teach that the earth revolved around the sun, and that it revolved on its own axis once in twenty-four hours. Kepler's Laws.-TYCHO BRAHE was a famous Danish astronomer, who did a great deal of work, but lacked the ability to apply it, but his pupil, Kepler, discovered three great laws that bear his name. The first law is, that "Planets revolve in ellipses, with the sun at one focus." The second law is, that "A line connecting the centre of the earth with the centre of the sun passes over equal spaces in equal times." The third law is, that "The squares of the times of revolution of the planets about the sun are proportional to the cubes of their mean distances from the sun." Galileo was contemporary with Kepler. He discovered the laws of the pendulum and of falling bodies. Learning that a Dutch watchmaker had invented an instrument for making distant objects appear near, he soon had a telescope completed, with which he examined the moon, and saw her mountains and watched the dense shadows upon her plains. On January 8th, 1610, he turned his telescope toward Jupiter, and near it saw three bright stars, and later on a fourth star. . Poor Galileo had the mortification of having to fight the prejudices of his time. In 1666 Newton, then a young man 24 years of age, was spending the summer in the country, on account of the plague. One day sitting in the orchard, he saw an apple fall from a tree, and reflecting on this, he was led to discover the famous law of gravitation, which is as follows: "Every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle of matter with a force directly proportional to its quantity of matter, and decreasing as the square of the distance increases." |