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