t on orders of the department. Letters also which have lain
in their offices during the time for which they were required to be
advertised, are sent as _dead_ letters to the general post-office, where
they are opened; and such as contain money or other valuable matter are
returned by mail to the writers.

Sec.12. Postmasters are allowed for their services a commission on the
amount of postage received by them quarterly. Those at whose offices the
sums received are small, are allowed a greater per centage than those
where the receipts are large. Thus, the commission at present (1859) is,
on the first $100 received, sixty per cent.; on the next $300, fifty per
cent.; on the next $2,000, forty per cent.; on all over 2,400, fifteen
per cent. Stamped letters are considered as paid in cash. On newspaper
postages, fifty per cent, on all sums, large or small. If a postmaster's
commission exceeds $2,000 a year, besides the expenses of the office,
the excess is paid to the general post office. Postmasters may also
receive for pigeon-holes or boxes, not exceeding $2,000, the excess, if
any, to be paid to the general post-office. Postmasters whose
compensation amounts to $1,000 or more in a year, are appointed by the
president and senate.

Sec.13. Postmasters whose commission on postages has been less than $200
during the preceding year, may receive and send, free of postage,
letters on their own private business, weighing not more than half an
ounce. And members of congress, during their term of office, and until
the first of December after its expiration, may send and receive letters
and packages weighing not more than two ounces, and all public documents
free. A person to be entitled to send matter free, must write on the
outside his name and the title of his office. This is called _franking_.
Civil officers at the seat of government also may frank matter relating
to the business of their offices, by marking it outside, "official
business."

Sec.14. The _attorney-general_ attends to all suits in the supreme court of
the United States in which the United States is a party or is concerned,
and gives his opinions on questions of law when requested by the
president or heads of departments.

Chapter XLII.

Judicial Department.

Sec.1. We come now to the third article of the constitution. The first two
sections provide for the organization, and prescribe the powers, of the
courts of the United States. The want of a na