French Internal Letter - Ceres 1852

Today we get to look at a folded letter sent by V Pailhas jeune, a banker in Libourne, France to a Mr Leurtault et fils in Coutras, France.  The letter was mailed on March 6, 1852 and arrived at Coutras, only 20 km away, on the next day (March 7)

What it cost to mail

The reduction in postage rates introduced in 1849 just might have been a bit too aggressive and France backtracked a bit with the new rates just a year and a half later.  The first rate was raised by 5 centimes and the second by 10 centimes.  Heavier letters remained the same.

This letter required 25 centimes in postage for the 1st Rate Level as it weighed no more than 7.5 grams.

This rate was effective from July 1, 1850 to June 30, 1854 and followed this rate progression:

The rate boundaries were inclusive - meaning the first rate would apply to items that weighed 7.5 grams and less.  For a broader look at the French Internal postage rates from 1849 until 1875, that post has been built and will be updated in the near future. At this time, there were different rates for local letters, but the price of prepaid and unpaid letters remained the same.

A new 25 centime blue Ceres stamp was issued in conjunction with the new rates and was released on the same day the new rates were placed into effect, replacing the black 20 centime value.  This stamp also featured Ceres, the Roman goddess of prosperity - a subject that may well have been chosen as a nod towards the agrarian economy and avoided making any particular political comment. 

How did it get there?

Libourne and Coutras are only 20 km apart and are located to the northeast of Bordeaux, in the department of Gironde.  With that distance, it is possible that this letter could have qualified for the local letter rate for mail within the arrondissement.  However, both settlements were separated by a river, which marked the boundary between two arrondissements - thus requiring the normal internal rate structure to be used.

The local rate would have been half the cost (10 centimes) if the letter would have qualified.

Coutras is bounded by the Isle River to the South and the Dronne on the West.  The Isle flows into the Dordogne at Libourne.  The portion of the map shown below is dated 1865.  The rail lines depicted were not active in 1852, but many rail lines followed the the primary carriage roads in the area.  There is a road noted from Libourne to S. Denis on this map.  It is likley a road ran from S. Denis to Coutras to cross the Isle River.

As a historical aside - the Battle of Coutras in 1587, a part of the religious wars fought in response to King Henry III's edict essentially giving precedence to the Catholics and prohibiting Protestantism in France.  This battle was won by the Protestants - led by Henry of Navarre.

What was in that letter?

The sender, V Pailhas jeune - Recouvrements in Libourne was a banker who could provide the service to buy bonds for various enterprises.  Or, apparently more standard banking services as was apparently the case with Monsieur Leurtault & Fils (Leurtault & Son).

Of interest to me is the use of "jeune" after the name, which translates to "young."  I have seen this a few times in period literature and letters and I presume, perhaps incorrectly, that this would be the equivalent to how we use "junior" to indicate the younger individual in a father/son lineage where each has the same given name.

As I was digging for Monsieur Pailhas, I found a few other possibilities that did not match the 1852 date.  Is it possible that his son was a brewer/maltster in 1877 - or did he move on to another job?  And is this his ancestor, getting into trouble in Libourne in 1793 during the first French revolution?  Or this his father or grandfather in 1811, selling drapes and canvasses in 1811?  Given the consistent location in the Libourne area, it is not at all unlikely that there is some relationship between these persons.  Maybe someday I'll figure it out.  Or, I'll just leave at this and someone else can solve the puzzle.

Once again, we have a standard ledger format that illustrated withdrawals and acknowledgement of the receipt of money for the account.  I wonder how many people could figure out accounts in this fashion without the help of computers in the present day?

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About the "Cover A Day - ish" Series:   These posts are my attempt to keep track of research on individual items in my collection.  They will show up when I have the time to make them show up and they are likely to come in 'batches' of similar items that reflect some of my recent efforts.  

I am always interested in learning more and appreciate additions/corrections.  Eventually, I may re-arrange Cover A Day-ish posts so similar material will reside in a particular order on this site.  Until that time, enjoy as you see fit.