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Auction: 8029 - Soldiers' Rates of the BE - Gerald Sattin Collection
Lot: 207

India 1850 (13 Nov.) entire letter "From No. 4793 Gunr. Jas. Henissy 1st. Troop Bgl H.A. Soldiers Letter" at Landour to Oxfordshire and redirected locally, countersigned by the Commanding Officer and showing manuscript "Paid 8 Pie", boxed "india/paid" London (21.1) and Thame (22.1) d.s.; the reverse (one flap missing showing part Landour d.s. and Abingdon c.d.s. (23.1); and content announcing the death of James West. A rare and unusual letter showing that the writer was pre-paying the Steam Postage. Photo Estimate £ 200-250 Note: Following the battle of Goojerat, the 1st. Troop 3rd. Brigade Bengal Horse Artillery, which took part in the battle, moved in to the hill cantonment of Landour By a Calcutta G.P.O. Nofification of 20 April 1845, letters conveyed by a P&O Company vessel could, at the sender´´s option, be carried either "bearing" or "pre-paid". This facility only applied to the mails carried via Southampton, and only to destinations within the U.K. Indian Inland postage had to be paid in addition, but this did not apply to soldiers whose letters were carried free. Paragraph 10 of the notice stated that the word "Paid" should only be applied to those letters where the sender intended to pre-pay the Steam Postage. Very few soldiers took up this pre-payment option

Sold for
£140