Today's postal history item is a folded letter sent by Foret pere & fils, bankers in Yssingeaux, France to an individual in Bas,
France. The letter was mailed on Mar 30, 1853 and has a marked arrival on March 31 at Monistrol, which is near Bas. All locations are in the Haute Loire department of France.
What it cost to mail
The 1850 rate increments lasted for about four years, but the postage stamps that were used to carry the mail underwent yet another change. This item was heavier than 7.5 grams and weighed no more than 15 grams (2nd rate level), therefore it required 50 centimes in postage.
This rate was effective from July 1, 1850 to June 30, 1854 and followed this rate progression:
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.
The coup d'etat in December of 1851 allowed President Louis Napoleon III to continue as president and paved the road for a later proclamation that France was to become an empire under his leadership as emperor. In 1852, it was mandated that French postage stamps should depict Napoleon III and the Ceres stamps were removed from circulation. The heading at the top of the stamp still proclaimed that France was a republic (Repub Franc) the pair of stamps on this cover show "Repub." In 1853, the stamps would be modified yet again, changing the "Repub" to "Empire."
This is a case where the origin and destination are in the same department (Haute Loire), so the distances are not great. You might notice that a road runs from Yssingeaux to Monistrol, which identifies the most likely route for the mail to travel.
Also of interest for this item is the fact that there is no receiving postmark for Bas, instead, there is a postmark for Monistrol. This is a pretty good indicator that Bas did not have its own post office and was serviced by the Monistrol office - making them both a part of the same 'arondissement' or postal district. To further clarify, if a person in Monistrol wanted to send a letter to someone in Bas (or vice versa), it would qualify for the local postage rate. But, this item started in Yssingeaux, which was outside of that postal department, so it required the normal internal letter mail rate.
What was in that letter?
At present, this folded letter is only one sheet of paper, clearly not enough to require the second rate level that was paid for by postage stamps. This suggests that there were other enclosures that are no longer with the item. It could have been individual receipts, money, promotional material or reports. Or perhaps a separate sheet of outgoing moneys. If you notice some notations in a different hand, it is possible that the information on another sheet was transferred here on receipt. I will never know for sure what caused the letter to be heavier than 7.5 grams - but it can be interesting to consider the possibilities.
Like so many surviving pieces of postal history in Europe at this time, this is essentially another 'banking' account ledger. It certainly makes sense that this is the type of mail that might have a higher 'survivability rate' simply because these documents were kept as part of the bookkeeping for individuals and businesses. Of course, these businesses (or those who inherited the documents once the business is terminated) would have to allow disbursement of the documents to become part of postal history collections.
Foret pere & fils (father and son) focused on "recouvrements," or the collection of money, on behalf of their clients. The list in this ledger shows debts collected, including from whom, the location and the amount. Or perhaps they show amounts to be collected. I have to admit that I am not an expert on the accounting forms of the 1850s. It is also noted at the top right that Foret pere & fils also dealt in "escompte," which I presume would be the provision of a payment service as opposed to a collection service on behalf of the client.
As a postal historian, I can say I am grateful for this system. Without it, there would be much less people like myself could explore and enjoy as a part of the hobby.
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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.
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