France to Spain - 1868

Today's cover has some similarities to the item I highlighted in my last France to Spain post.  In this case, the letter was mailed as a double rate letter from Marseille, France to Madrid, Spain.  Unfortunately for the recipient, the letter was found to be underpaid and they were required to pay 30 cuartos to receive this piece of mail.

 

Really - We Tried to Pay the Postage!

This letter is very similar to the one highlighted in the prior post - for more clarification, you can go there.  

The Bordeaux post office apparently served as the exchange office for this item, though the markings on the reverse make it hard to be certain.  Once again, the red box with "Affranchissement Insuffisant" was applied to indicate that the postage was insufficient to pay for the letter to get to the destination without further payment.  The bold, red "30" indicated that 30 cuartos were due at delivery.

Once again, the process for short paid mail between France and Spain at the time was to determine the postage by using the higher UNPAID mail rate.  Once that amount is calculated, credit is given for the amount of postage paid.

The weight of this item was greater than 8 adarmes (roughly 14 grams).  Once again, it is possible that the problem comes in part from the difference between France running rates at every 7.5 grams and Spain at every 7 grams.  However, there is no way to prove that supposition with what is on this folded letter wrapper.

Once again, unpaid mail from France to Spain is charged 18 cuartos for every 4 adarmes in weight.

Triple rate due = 54 cuartos
Less amount paid = 24 cuartos   (80 centimes in France)
Total due = 30 cuartos

Getting from Here to There

Readable markings on this cover:

Marseille Jun 22, 1868
Cette A Bordeaux Jun 23 (verso)
Bordeaux Jun 23 (verso)

There were actually two land access points between France and Spain over which mail (other than border mail) could travel.  One in the east at Le Perthus/La Junquera and the other at Irun/St Jean de Luz.  The rail crossing at Irun progressed much more quickly, so even though this letter originated in southeastern France (Marseille), it was actually more efficient given rail schedules and the eventual Madrid destination to use French rail services to get to the western border crossing.  

In viewing the map below, Marseille would be located just off the far right edge of the map.

 

A Word or Two About the Correspondents

Leon A Laffitte pops up as giving testimony regarding the status of an early art collection in 1863, presumably as part of his profession as a banker.  The profession, is, at present a guess, given other references to a Laffitte (or Lafitte) family in Madrid involved in banking.  A Guide to Sources of Information on Foreign Investment in Spain by Teresa Tortella (2000) includes all types of information that could be useful for tracking business people down in Spain.  The following was taken from that resource.

 

The origination of this letter is also a company that can be seen as a watermark style printing on the paper and a black company marking on the front of the cover.  As near as I can tell, the watermark reads V Bouzigues Ely Fils Aine & Cie.

Open Questions:

1. I suspect I won't find many higher rate items that remain in my price range for this sort of material, but I do wonder what some of the higher short paid rates might be for the 1860s from France to Spain.
   

France to Spain - 1866

Today's cover was mailed in August of 1866 from Bordeaux, France and mailed to Jerez de la Frontera (near Cadiz), Spain.  The sender paid the postage for a single weight letter, but it was found to be too heavy and required more postage.

Paying the Postage - Sort of

If you wanted a reason why I was attracted to this postal history item, you need go no further than the fact that this item was paid 40 centimes, which was deemed to be insufficient to get to the destination, so the recipient had to pay 24 cuartos to receive the letter.  The story is in the 'why' of it - so that's where we go next!

The French and Spanish agreed to a postal convention that was put into effect on February 1, 1860 and to make matters simple for explanation, the basics were as follows:

If someone in France wanted to mail a letter to Spain, they would have to pay 40 centimes (French currency) for every 7.5 grams of weight.  If someone in Spain wanted to mail a letter to France, they would have to pay 12 cuartos (Spanish currency) for every 4 adarmes in weight (4 adarmes is about 7 grams).

Do you see a possible problem?  I sure do!  Technically, an item that weighed 7.2 grams would be light enough for a single rate in France, but it would require a double rate in Spain.  Clearly a recipe for potential problems.

The treaty also allowed people to send letters UNPAID.  If they opted for this service, the recipient would have to pay a different rate to receive their letter.  If a Spaniard received an unpaid letter from France, they would have to pay 18 cuartos for every 4 adarmes in weight.

So, what happened if a person paid for a letter that they thought was light enough for a single rate letter (40 centimes), but it actually required double rate postage?  Well, we get to find out because that is exactly what happened with this item.

Apparently, the French post office was aware that this item weighed too much, so they put the red boxed handstamp on the cover which reads "Affranchissement Insuffisant" (insufficient postage).  I believe it was the French traveling post office on the train to Irun that calculated the amount due and put the big red "24" on the front of the cover.  

Hm, so the recipient in Jerez had to pay 24 cuartos for the honor of receiving this letter.  Why?

Unpaid rate of mail from France to Spain was 18 cuartos / 4 adarmes

Double rate due = 36 cuartos
Less amount paid = 12 cuartos    (40 centimes in France)
Total due = 24 cuartos

And there you have it.  Underpaid mail was penalized for failure to prepay the service properly by charging the unpaid mail rate to calculate the total fee due.  However, unlike many other mail agreements of the time, this one actually gave some credit for the attempt to prepay the postage.

How Did It Get There?

Route markings on this cover:

Bordeaux - Les Chartrons Aug 23, 1866
Bordeaux Aug 23 (verso)
Bordeaux A Irun Aug 24 (verso)
Jerez - Cadiz Aug 27 (verso)

Les Chartrons is a district that borders on the Garonne River in Bordeaux and the first two markings likely show the progress from a branch post office in that neighborhood to the main Bordeaux office.  From that point, the Bordeaux A Irun marking shows that this mail item boarded a train and the traveling post office on that train served as the exchange office for France.  From there, we have no markings to confirm the direction of the voyage through Spain, though we can certainly speculate the most likely route.  The remaining marking is from Jerez - Cadiz, which apparently served as Spain's exchange office in this case.

The map shown above illustrates a generalized view of the mail route via Paris for mail from England to Cadiz, Spain.  Of particular note is the fact that France and Spain ran their railways on different gauge (sized) tracks.  The Spanish were quite a ways behind the French and other European nations in developing rail services.  Needless to say, with fewer rail options, it is a bit easier to make an educated guess regarding the route.

The map of the border between France and Spain from 1863 shown above clearly indicates that a rail route via Irun was planned.  On April 8, 1864, an agreement was reached between the two countries that trains from France to Spain would terminate in Irun (in Spain) and trains from Spain to France would terminate in Hendaye (in France).  The two countries would run track to the terminus of each location on their own gauge and each train would return across the border empty, though they could load with return traffic in their own country's territory.  This site provides both modern and historical context.

Since my best reference at present is this map, I cannot be certain that rail service was available for the entire route in 1866, nor can I be sure that the rail line south of Madrid to Cadiz was in service.  That will be work for some other day.

Bordeaux - Must Be a Wine Company?

This folded letter wrapper includes no contents, but it is likely that this was some sort of business correspondence between A. de Luze & Fils in Bordeaux and Ysasi & Cie in Jerez de la Frontera (Cadiz).  And, sure enough, this was likely a correspondence somehow related to wine, since both Bordeaux and Jerez de la Frontera have long histories as wine making areas.  In fact, this AP article from 1988 discusses the modern fates of the Spanish sherry businesses in the area after 'flourishing for over two centuries.'  Not a surprise, multi-national corporations were taking over many of the best known sherry houses in the area.  Of particular note, one of the persons mentioned in the article is Jose Joaquin Ysasi-Ysasmendi - likely a descendant of the recipients of this piece of letter mail.

Alfred de Luze set up his winery in Bordeaux in 1822 and some of his winery's product can bring a pretty penny.  For example, this bottle with 1890 vintage was being offered at over $3800.  While I am not interested in the wine, I was interested in the history that was appended to the description of this lot (and is likely the reason it popped up when I was searching for information about the de Luze company.

Born Georges Henri Alfred de Luze in Frankfort, Germany (1797-1880), de Luze and his brother went to New York to establish a company for trading in fine wines.  Alfred returned to France to secure the supply in 1820 once they had established the agency in New York.  De Luze had a winery established by 1822 in the Bordeaux region.  In 1862, Alfred bought the Domaine de Chaigne, near Touzac (grand champagne district), but I presume this letter came from the 'agency' in Bordeaux rather than from this location, which is quite a ways east of the city (see red symbol for location).

Open Questions

1. The development of rail in Spain is an ongoing question, especially at the West border location near Irun.
2. The use of exchange offices in Spain does not seem to operate in the same way that it does in France and other countries I am more familiar with.  It would be nice to gain more secure knowledge on this.
3. Spain collected an additional cuarto for carrier delivery of the mail (but that's another story).  I am not certain how this is indicated on items and I am guessing it is inconsistent depending on the city.
   

In Print - Postal History Sunday

 

It is Sunday and we're going to do a different sort of looking back by looking at some postal history.  This one will be a bit different because we're actually looking at some of what you might consider to be 'Junk Mail!'  Yes, postal services around the world have provided discount services to bulk mailers for quite some time.  And, yes, postal historians do actually collect some of that stuff!

The item above was some sort of printed matter that was sent to Switzerland in the 1890s.  At a guess, it probably held some sort of advertising papers that had a Christmas theme (note the "Compliments of the season" printed at top left).  To qualify for the reduced rate at the time, envelopes had to be sent unsealed so the postal clerks could inspect the contents to be sure that the sender was not trying to sneak personal correspondence or other unqualified material along for the ride.

This item, again from the 1890s (shown above) actually illustrates another way a mailer could accomplish making contents available for inspection.  This is called a 'wrapper,' which was simply a wide strip of paper that was glued together on one end to make a tube.  Typically, the contents would stick out of either end (at the right or left of this piece).  Often, newspapers were sent with a wrapper to keep the newspaper together.  

And yes, mailing newspapers used to be a thing.  Actually, it used to be a very big thing.  Postal treaties between countries in the 1850s and 1860s typically included whole sections on how newspapers would be handled.

It is hard to find examples of printed matter from earlier years because the content was not typically of a personal nature - and most people saw no reason to hold on to it.  A newspaper was read and then discarded or used in a bird cage as a liner.  The wrappers or envelopes carrying these items had a slim chance of being saved.  But, finding something with both the content AND the wrapper/envelope?  That can be even more difficult - especially if you prefer material before 1900!

The Morning News item above was mailed in 1893 from Georgia to Germany and it does not have any content either.  But, what it does show is that 'mass mailing' short cuts were already in use at the time.  Preprinted labels for mailing addresses, for example!  And, apparently, the Morning News from Savannah, Georgia was willing to spend the money to have pre-printed wrappers or envelopes for their materials.

Here is an example of something from the late 1800s to early 1900s that DOES have contents.  The contents include multiple sheets highlighting the implements being offered by Childs & Jones.  While we do not have a spring tooth harrow at our farm, we certainly considered one.

It might be a little easier to understand how something might still have the contents if the recipient was potentially interested in a product.  They might hold on to the envelope and the contents figuring they could reference it later on should they decide to make a purchase.  It goes into a pile of papers or a file.  Then one day, it all gets cleaned up by a person who realizes someone might be interested in collecting it.... or... not - and it goes into a dumpster or burn barrel. 

And that's why it can be hard to find these things.  Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of them out there for collectors to enjoy.  But, consider how many of these were probably mailed and what a tiny percentage of them most likely survive to this day!

And there you have it!  A postal history post that might have something new for you to learn today.  I hope you all have a great week!

US to England - 1867/68

Today's cover is a favorite and it also shows up in this post.  This piece of letter mail was sent from San Francisco, California in November (or December) of 1867, arriving in England January of 1868.  

This item was mailed at the tail end of the 24 cent per 1/2 ounce treaty letter rate period.

How Much Did It Cost to Mail?

This cover weighed more than 1.5 ounces and no more than 2 ounces. Since the rate of postage for mail from the US to the UK was 24 cents per 1/2 ounce, 96 cents of postage were required to mail this item.  The effective period for the postal convention that dictated how mail was handled between these entities was 1848 to the end of 1867.  A new treaty became effective on January 1, 1868 that set the postage rate at 12 cents per 1/2 ounce.

And that is where the story starts to get a bit more interesting for this particular cover!

This item entered the US postal system in 1867, so it was correctly rated for postage to be collected under the old treaty.  The accounting between the British and American postal systems would have been as follows:

The United States would keep 20 cents

• Surface Mail (from San Francisco to New York City) postage = 5 cents x 4 = 20 cents

The United States would send 76 cents to the British postal system

• Trans-Atlantic mail packet postage = 16 cents x 4 = 64 cents
• Surface Mail in the UK = 3 cents x 4 = 12 cents
  

But, as luck would have it, this item did not leave the United States until the new year (1868) had begun.  That means the ACTUAL accounting that would have been done would be:

The United States would keep 84 cents

• Surface Mail (from San Francisco to New York City) postage = 3 cents x 4 = 12 cents
• Trans-Atlantic mail packet postage = 6 cents x 4 = 24 cents
• Extra postage as a bonus to the US postal system = 48 cents
  

The United States would send 12 cents to the British postal system

• Surface Mail in the UK = 3 cents x 4 = 12 cents

This is actually an even 'bigger deal' to someone like me who studies this material closely.  Why?  Well, the treaty made some major changes for accounting between the two postal services.

1. The sending country was always responsible for paying the trans-Atlantic shipping company.  Under the old agreement, certain companies were under contract with one country or the other.  The contracting nation was responsible for paying the shipping company.  That is part of the reason why breaking down the credits for covers is often more interesting prior to 1868.
2. The regulations that required marking credits and debits on mail removed the need for these markings.  From this point, you will not find them on mail between these two countries unless postage is DUE from the recipient.

And, of course, suddenly the 24 cent stamp was no longer as useful as it once was - with the postage rate now 12 cents instead of 24 cents.

So, Why Was This Item Delayed?

If this piece of letter mail had gone on its way immediately, we would never have had the opportunity to talk about the change in postal convention and the new postage rates.  As it was, this item sat at the San Francisco post office for ten days before continuing on its journey.  That makes this cover even more fun for me!

A company marking for Eric W Pierce shows a date of November 30, 1867 on the back - yet there is a docket on the front left that reads November 29, 1867.  So, why in the world would there be a December 10, 1867 postmark from San Francisco?

A typical reason for this sort of delay on a cover usually lies with the sender of the item.  They put some docketing on the cover and maybe a company handstamp, but then they did not get around to mailing it until later.   Well, that is sort of what seems to have happened with this cover.  But, we have a few clues that tell us that it is highly likely that the item was received by the San Francisco post office on November 30 and was held there due to instructions given on this envelope!

First, it is important to know that exchange offices and post offices that put mailbags aboard steamships were instructed to postmark the item with the date of departure for the ship it was to board.  The docket at the top left reads "Steamer,"  which tells the postmaster to send it on a steamship via Panama rather than sending it overland. 

The steamship departure schedule for mail carriage around the time this item was mailed was:

• November 29 - steamer Golden City departs SF
• December 10 - steamer Sacramento departs SF
  

It is clear that Eric W Pierce wanted this item to go via the November 29th steamer, but his own handstamp betrays the fact that he was not able to get this heavy letter to the post office on time for the steamer.  He has clearly directed that it was to go by steamer.  The docketing for "Steamer" is in the same hand as the directive that this item was to go "Care of Adelphi Hotel" in Liverpool.   

Upon receiving the item, the post office realized there would be some wait until the next steamer departure for Panama.  As a result, they struck the envelope with a bold and clear "Too Late" marking, postmarked it for the next departure (Dec 10) and probably opened up the new mailbag for the next steamer and put this letter into it.  There it sat until the whole bag was placed aboard the Sacramento for its departure ten days later.

The rest of the journey was fairly typical for an item via Panama. 

San Francisco, Cal Dec 10
     Pacific Mail Steamship Company Sacramento
Aspinwall (Dec 23)
     Pacific Mail Steamship Company Henry Chauncey
New York (Dec 31) 

Boston (Jan 1)
     Cunard Line Africa
Queenstown (Jan 12)
Liverpool Jan 13 68 (verso)

Here's where we notice one more thing.  The Cunard Line was still alternating departures between Boston and New York.  One departure every week, alternating ports.  Once again, New York was the exchange office that held the letter.  They marked it for the January 1 departure in Boston and put it in the mailbag.  Once mails closed, that mailbag was sent on to Boston for departure from the port the next day.  If there had been a trans-Atlantic ship departure on December 31, it is possible that this item would have left on that ship - which means it would have gone under the old convention's accounting.  How's that for cutting it close on the difference between a nice, long, complicated story and a simple one?

Why Did Eric W Pierce Choose via Panama?

After a very short dig into the archives of the Sacramento Daily Union, I found this little snippet indicating mail up to November 12 from New York via overland routes had been received (reported in the December 2 paper).  There is mention of some big storms in the Chicago area around November 30.  Perhaps there was some knowledge of potential overland mail delays that I fail to find with a quick look.  But, this seems to indicate that mail is at least coming TO California in a fairly timely fashion (16 to 18 days) as opposed to the normal 21 days via steamship.

The main difference here is that steamships left on a well-known departure schedule that were often a week (or more) apart.  Overland mails left much more frequently.  So, why would Mr. Pierce choose the steamer?

In fact, most letter mail, by the time we reached 1867, was carried overland.  It would still be a year and a half before the 'Golden Spike' was driven at the trans-continental rail line completion, but much of the route did have rail service. Possible reasons might be:

• There were reports of delays due to weather via the overland route, there is some evidence in contemporary reports that there were some difficult storms around that time.
• Perhaps Mr. Pierce was sending something he felt was valuable and he had rumor that overland mail was less secure?  If that was the case, why not also use registered mail?
• Since it was a heavier letter, is it possible that it was still required to go via Panama?  Printed matter, newspapers, etc typically took the slower modes of transportation.
• Perhaps Eric Pierce had something to gain from a delay?  Since there are no contents with this envelope, I will never know the answer to this question.
  

More About the Adelphi Hotel

The current Adelphi Hotel is actually the third hotel to be built in that location.  At the time this letter was sent, the first building was still an active concern.  Originally constructed in 1826 and was replaced in 1876.  The building currently holding the name and location was opened in 1914 and designed by Frank Atkinson.    Apparently, this hotel was a favorite of Charles Dickens - according to this article.  

The first photo comes from the hotel's own history page linked in the prior paragraph.  The second photo, shown below, comes from the Liverpool Record Office according the Dickens' article linked above.  Take a moment and appreciate the differences between these two renderings.

The center portion of this building is sufficiently different to call into question accuracy.  However, there are enough similarities, including the configuration of the windows, number of floors and the odd curve in the structure at the left.  It seems to me that perhaps the first photo shows less detail at the roof line and may be the least accurate of the two.  However, it is also possible that some rebuilding of the front facade and roof-line occurred at some point in time.  

More About Cunard Line's Africa

This cover gets even better when you consider that this is the final mail sailing of the Cunard Line's wooden-hull, paddle-wheel steamship Africa.   This ship was sold and fitted as a sailing ship in 1868.  Details about this ship can be found at the Norway Heritage site.  

The Africa was part of a series of ships commonly referenced as the "America-class" steamship, though I have seen other designations as well.  She was replaced by speedier screw-propelled steamers that also had iron-clad hulls.  Still, 17 years and 120 round trip voyages was a significant accomplishment for this ship using the paddle-wheel and wooden hull technologies!

 The image above can be found at this location.

Open Questions:

1. It is possible that I might be able to confirm weather and overland mail conditions for the November/December 1867 period looking at contemporary accounts.  This could either confirm or deny the possibility that Eric Pierce was responding to overland mail concerns with is choice to send via Panama.
2. It is also possible that I can confirm postal procedure for heavier letters.  If anyone has information that will point me to the procedure, please let me know.
3. Should I also mention this is the last mail sailing of the Cunard's Africa?  Yes, I probably should.  Perhaps I'll add more on that later?
   

Belgium to France - 1865

This is the fifth in a series of posts that will highlight items from my collection that were sent from Belgium to France.

Below is a folded letter from Ypres, Belgium to Paris, France - March of 1865.  This item was heavy enough to require an extra rate of postage (double rate letter).

How It Got There

Markings on the cover:

Ypres March 19, 1865 - 2S
France Par Mouscron March 19  (verso)
Belg Valenciennes March 20 (verso)
Paris March 20 (verso)

The "par Mouscron" marking is typically an excellent indicator that this item crossed the border at Tourcoing.  However, the French exchange indicates that the Valenciennes mail train carried the mail bag that held this letter.  It is highly unlikely that the train from Lille met up with the train from Valenciennes to pass mail.  Therefore, the Valenciennes mark is the stronger indicated that it crossed at Quievrain.  

Ypres is located north and west of Courtray and the existing rail service at the time from Ypres would be only to Courtray.  The letter would have headed south from Courtray to Mouscron, where the junction of rail lines to Lille (France) and to Courtray (north branch) and Tournay (south branch) was located.  

How Much Did It Cost to Mail?

Like the past couple of items in this series, this item was mailed during the treaty period that started April 1, 1858 and ran through December 31, 1865.  The rate for prepaid mail was 40 centimes per 10 grams.  

This item was mailed with 80 centimes in postage, so clearly this sheet was a wrapper that held additional materials to cause it to weigh more than 10 grams (but no more than 20 grams).  The written letter contents seem to confirm this supposition.

 Letter Contents:

"I confirm to you my letter of the 16th advising you of my dispatch of 335 Austrian bonds of the Mexican Loan annuity.

You will find attached the two proxies for the sales of eight Northern Railway shares of 350 francs of ??? 3%. Please kindly tell me how much the costs are."

This piece of letter mail was addressed to E(mile) Delegarde, Agent du Change in Paris.  An "Agent du Change" could be likened to a stock broker - an individual who would execute transactions of public stock on behalf of others.  The writer clearly has done business before and is asking to liquidate some of his ownership in the "Chemin de fer du Nord" or the Northern Railway in France. 

Open Questions:

1. Who sent this order to M. Delegarde?  The blue handstamp is difficult to read and so is the signature.  But, the Ypres origin gives us some clues and this is probably solvable.
2. I wonder if I could find a couple of printed proxies from the period - or perhaps printed shares for Chemin de fer du Nord?  That might be a fun display page.  But, I might be satisfied with finding a digital copy to include in the blog.
   

Can't Get There Right Now - Postal History Sunday

 Welcome to our Sunday postal history foray!  For those not familiar, in recent weeks Sunday blogs have provided Rob with an opportunity to share a little of his hobby in a way that gives everyone a glimpse into what makes some of the things he collects interesting.  Like so many things, these will last as long as they don't become a chore for me.  If they do, I'll back off until I feel like writing them again.  Seems fair enough...

Here is a piece of mail that was sent in December of 1940 from Louisville, Kentucky to Paris, France.  At the time, airmail services overseas were becoming much more prevalent, but mailers had to pay the cost for the faster service.  The cost for a letter to France via airmail was 30 cents per half ounce instead of the 5 cent rate for surface (by boat) mail.

The back of this letter has some Christmas Seals, which probably gives us a clue that the envelope probably held a Christmas greeting of some kind - perhaps a card given the size?  But, that is not what makes this item interesting to this postal historian!

On June 14 of 1940, Germany took control of Paris.  A significant part of the population evacuated Paris and mail services were interrupted to occupied France (which included Paris).  A new, semi-autonomous government for 'unoccupied France' was established with its headquarters in Vichy in July.  Mail sent to France would be directed to Vichy-France, but there was no way to exchange mail with occupied France.  Essentially, mail for the occupied zone simply built up until...

In September of 1941, by order of the occupying authorities (Germany), mails were suspended to occupied France.  All of the mail built up waiting for a chance to be sent forward were returned to their origins.  Estimates at the time suggested between 100,000 and 180,000 pieces of letter mail were returned to the United States between September 17 and October 1 in 1941 - of which this is one!

In addition to the interesting journey, this item has a paper tape seal with the word "Controle" printed on it.  Between that paper tape and the football shaped marking, we know that a censor in Marseilles opened this envelope to inspect the contents.  Mail censorship was not an uncommon practice as authorities were concerned that military information could be leaked via the mail services - both intentionally and unintentionally.  

And this item illustrates yet again why I enjoy postal history.  A simple Christmas greeting opens the window on a broader story in history.

Belgium to France - 1864

This is the fourth in a series of posts that will highlight items from my collection that were sent from Belgium to France.

Below is a folded letter from Mons, Belgium to Paris, France - July of 1864.

How It Got There

Markings on the cover:

Mons Jul 4, 1864 - 6S
Belg 5 - VALnes - 5,  July 5
Paris July 5

VALnes was a shortened version of Valenciennes and once again, the "5" markings in the red circular exchange mark was applied in Paris rather than in Valenciennes or on the train from Valenciennes.   The Mons post office in Belgium could exchange mail with the Paris exchange office.  So, this folded letter went into a mailbag in Mons after it had the "5" in diamond dots cancellation applied to the postage stamp and the Mons circular date stamp applied.

It rode in that mailbag on the French Valenciennes to Paris train and was only taken out of the mailbag in Paris, where they applied the red circular handstamp.

Mons is not situated very far from the border and also not very far from Valenciennes.  The actual border crossing is at Quievrain. 

Mons was very much a junction point for many rail lines to various locations within Belgium and two border crossings could be taken directly from the city (the other is Erquilinnes). 

How Much Did It Cost to Mail?

Like the past couple of items in this series, this item was mailed during the treaty period that started April 1, 1858 and ran through December 31, 1865.  The rate for prepaid mail was 40 centimes per 10 grams.

One exception to this rate would be if both the origin and destination were within a certain distance of the border.  The border rate showed a reduction in postage.  The other exception was a 60 centime rate per 10 grams for mail that was not prepaid and sent collect to the destination.

The "PD" represents "payée à destiné," which translates to "paid to destination."  It is interesting to note that various postal agreements between countries had their own requirements to indicate prepayment.  Belgium and France tended to favor the "PD" markings.  The Netherlands, on the other hand, preferred to use the word "franco" which was often handwritten rather than stamped on the mail.

Who Was It To?

I admit that I am more interested in the address at this point than I am the addressee.  Perhaps that is because I can't quite decipher the addressee's company name completely.

4 Rue de la Vrilliere

The red circle would show the approximate location of this address.  The map is a colorized Turgot map from 1739.  So, clearly it is not a perfect representation for 1864, but I liked the three dimensional rendering to show the location.  The prominent feature, the Place des Victoires has a very interesting history, which is summarized on the wiki.

The 1864 map - source of which I have carelessly misplaced for the time-being - shows the location reasonably well.  Rue de la Vrilliere is the diagonal street southwest of the Place des Victoires.  The royal gardens are just a bit further southwest and the Palais Royale is just south of that (where "Louvre" is printed).   The history of these sites alone can keep a person busy reading for some time.  I have only linked in wiki pages for now.  If I find something I like better some day I'll add those sources in.

Who Was It From?

V Dessigny in Mons leaves a fair number of footprints in contemporary records.  If you wish to view any of these in a larger format, simply click on the image.

A Société Anonyme (SA) would be a general equivalent to a corporation in the United States, an Aktiengesellschaft (AG) in Germany or a Public Limited Company (PLC) in the United Kingdom.  This book, located via Google books, shows the record for V Dessigny in 1857.  

This shows a registration for a coal mining company in the Hainaut province, centered around Elouges, which is West of Mons (on the way to the Quievrain crossing).  Victorien Dessigny served as the 'banker' and an administrator for this concern at the time. 

And, here is another notification that shows V. Dessigny as the banker for the payment of dividends for another company.  While business transactions, of themselves, may not be very exciting - these clippings bring a person and his business further towards reality by showing real impact on the world around them.

Victorien Dessigny was also involved in oversight of business in the Mons area, being assigned a spot on the Tribunal of Commerce in 1864.  A short monograph on the Industrial Revolution in the Mons area by Hubert Watelet mentioned a Victorien Dessigny multiple times.  I suspect this was likely the father of the Victorien referenced by these other sources, but I cannot confirm that point.

Open Questions:

1. Who are the receiving correspondents for this piece of mail?

Belgium to France - 1861

This is the third in a series of posts that will highlight items from my collection that were sent from Belgium to France.

Below is a folded letter from Antwerp (Anvers), Belgium to Paris, France - February of 1861.

How It Got There

Markings on the cover:

Anvers Feb 27, 1861 - 3S
Ambt de MIDI No 1, Feb 27 - 7S (verso)  
Belg 5 - Valenciennes - 5 Feb 28
Paris Feb 28 (verso)

The Belgian markings give us a time of day with 3S being three o'clock in the afternoon and 7S as four hours later.  The crossing should have been Quievrain, but it would be good to confirm the rail schedule to be absolutely certain. 

MIDI Station in Brussels was initially located in the city, but it was moved to St Gilles (just outside Brussels) in 1864 to handle the higher volume of traffic.  So, at the point this letter was mailed, MIDI station was inside the city.

MIDI station often served as an exchange office, putting a marking on outgoing mail and placing it into a mailbag where it would not be opened until the item arrived in France.  In this case, the receiving office in France was Paris (see below for more).  Exchange mail to and from MIDI Station could pretty much come from most identified French exchange offices and enter Belgium at nearly every crossing. 

Belgian railway map from 1875

As early as the 1847 convention, the MIDI traveling rail office would exchange with Valenciennes and Paris offices.  Valenciennes was scheduled for two mails in 1847 (and was increased later). 

The Valenciennes marking was actually applied at the Paris exchange office, despite the indication that it is a Valenciennes marking.  In other words, this letter was not taken out of the mailbag until it reached Paris.  As the mailbag was opened, the Paris clerk struck the mail item with a Valenciennes - 5 marking which indicated the route it took on its way to Paris.  The Valenciennes exchange office did not actually open this mailbag, nor was it opened on the train, but it passed via that railway location.

How Much Did It Cost to Mail?

As of April 1, 1858, a flat rate of 40 centimes per 10 grams was established for prepaid mail from Belgium to France regardless of distance.  This rate was effective until December 31, 1865 after which the rate was reduced to 30 centimes.  If an item were sent unpaid, the cost would be 60 centimes to the recipient.

The "PD" represents "payée à destiné," which translates to "paid to destination."

Who Was This To/From?

This is a very simple letter outlining some sort of transaction between two companies.  The recipients were B Fould & Cie (Company).  The Fould family established a banking company in Paris in the 1780s.  A cursory look for Havenith and Company in Antwerp only resulted in finding a single litigation in 1861 that found for Havenith.  At the moment, I am not finding any of these connections to be compelling, but they could eventually be of use.

Open Questions

1. As with all Belgium to France (and vice versa) items, rail schedules and other details could provide more insight into routes taken.  This is a broader topic that may or may not be given time.
2. How did Belgium and France split the postage for mails between their two countries?  This is normally found in the convention language, which I need to review.
3. It would be good to confirm time of day markings for AM/PM
   

 

Belgium to France - 1859

This is the second in a series of posts that will highlight items from my collection that were sent from Belgium to France.

Below is a folded letter from Antwerp (Anvers), Belgium to St Etienne, France - October of 1859. 

 

How It Got There

Markings on the cover:

Anvers Oct 14, 1859 - 9-10 S

? 1859 (verso)

PD in a box (Paid to Destination)

Belg Amb Calais Oct 15, 1859 - E

Paris Oct 15, 1859 (verso)

Non-local mails between Belgium and France crossed the border at Tourcoing, Quievrain, Erquelinnes, Jeumont, Vireux-Molhain, Givet and Luxembourg.  The exchange office markings indicate where the mail was placed in mailbags in Belgium and where they were taken out of those mailbags in France.

Unfortunately, part of the reverse of this cover is missing, so there is evidence of a partial Belgian marking that owuld have given us the Belgian exchange office.  The French exchange office was the mail car (traveling post office) on the train to Calais (Amb Calais).  This leads me to the assumption that this item crossed the border at Tourcoing.

Also, since St Etienne is south of Lyon, there is likely at least one more French marking after the Paris postmark that is missing from the cover.  Typically, there would at least be a receiving date at St Etienne.

With origins such as Antwerp (Anvers) and Brussells (Bruxelles) the routing will have more to do with railway schedules and how the Belgian and French trains link up than it has to do with location.  There is additional information in both postmarks in front that have the potential for further decoding.   The "9-10S" in the Anvers marking indicate a time of day that would correspond with a train departure.  The "E" in the Calais marking, if I recall correctly, would correspond to a sorting crew.  If a person could locate train schedules, it is possible the route could be determined.

How Much Did It Cost to Mail?

As of April 1, 1858, a flat rate of 40 centimes per 10 grams was established for prepaid mail from Belgium to France regardless of distance.  This rate was effective until December 31, 1865 after which the rate was reduced to 30 centimes.  If an item were sent unpaid, the cost would be 60 centimes to the recipient.

The only markings that are related to the payment of the postage are the obliterating cancels on the postage stamps and the "PD" in a box.

The obliterating cancels are a round circle of bars with a "4" in the center.  Many European countries assigned numerals in canceling devices to particular offices or towns/cities.  The "4" was assigned to Antwerp.  Typically, postage stamps were canceled at the location where the item entered the mails.  Obliterators were used, in a large part, to prevent the re-use of stamps to pay for the postage on another piece of mail.  It is also possible that this process was used as a recognition that the postage was recognized and credited.

The "PD" represents "payée à destiné," which translates to "paid to destination."

Who Was This To?

As a person who sometimes looks at his, or other person's writing, from even a day or two prior and wonders "what does this say?" it is not so hard to understand why this might be difficult for me to read.  

Apparently, this is to a Mr. Evrard.  I am not certain what the additonal "M_" might indicate.  

The rest of the address may read something like: "fugeniem des mines, gernus les houiller de la Chazotte." Mr. Evrard must have had something to do with the Chazotte coal mine.  A quick search resulted in finding the following scan from a document from 1843.  I do not own this item (nor will I, given the price).  

This article just might provide an excellent rabbit hole regarding mining in the St Etienne region.  And, if you want to read about the formation of coal beds, including the one for the Chazotte mine, you can go here.  

M. Evrard is mentioned in this document reporting on the Paris Universal Exposition.  Relevant text is below.  You can click on the images to view them.

 

In any event, the addressee appears to be someone of prominence regarding these coal mines.  There is no content to add to this story, so we'll just leave it at this.

The mining region (the Loire) is shown in the map below - taken from the wiki to give an idea as to location.

Open Questions:

1. Can I get help figuring out the words on the address panel that I was unable to decipher?
2. Can I decipher an actual route for this item if I can identify rail schedules for 1859?
3. How far down the mining rabbit hole will I go just because I have this item?