TRANSATLANTIC MAIL STUDY GROUP British North American
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TRANSATLANTIC MAIL STUDY GROUP OF THE British North American Philatelic Society Newsletter No. 67 February 1999 GENERAL MATTERS In this Newsletter I intend to introduce the plan single theme to this letter; #68 will deal with the for the coming year, cover the correspondence adhesive period of Prince Edward Island, then I that I have received in the last couple of months propose to look at New Brunswick, interspersed and, in the accompanying letter, raise the touchy with more general matters. Your views would, as subject of finance and membership. There is no always, be appreciated. LATE FEES Figure 1: Late fee on a letter from Liverpool to New Brunswick, 2155 June 1851. The front cover illustration, for no particular The letter above was posted in Liverpool at the reason, shows one of the more famous `late fees' `Floating Receiving House' (FRH). This had and opens the question of where and when late been established at the South Landing Stage in fees were collected on trans-Atlantic letters. Jack 1849, specifically to handle late letters . An extra Arnell introduced this subject some years ago, shilling was charged until 1859, when it was since when it has more-or-less lain dormant. I reduced to sixpence (Colin Tabeart `Robertson would be grateful for examples of late fees, Revisited ' (after Post Office Archives, Post 48/138, particularly on letters to and from British North page 636)). The letter was carried by the British America, and will use the photocopies that you Packet `Africa' departing from Liverpool that day send me. I do not know whether the United (Hubbard and Winter, page 29) to New York, States Post Office authorised the practice, please thence overland to the Exchange Office at St. LATE FEES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM The information which follows is drawn Sheffield (1839): `The Box closes at 10 pm. Letters principally from a handbook `Late Fee and Too will not be taken in after that hour. When the Late Stamps' compiled by the late WG Stitt boxes are closed letters will be taken in at the Dibden and published by the Great Britain newspaper window in the lower passage on Philatelic Society in 1966. I have been unable to payment of Id until within 15 minutes of the identify the present owner of the copyright and departure of each mail and after that time until the hope that I will be forgiven for using the departure of the mail on payment of 6d.' information. The book quotes the following references to late fees: During the period 1834 to 1838 when the Post Office's working and revenue was under Oldham ( 1824): `Between 4 and 4.15 pm Id each considerable investigation both by the Treasury letter is required ...' and by the Select Committees appointed by the House of Commons, it was disclosed that most Birmingham (1825): `All letters intended to be of the late fee charges were regarded as forwarded by the same days post to Sheffield perquisites (perks' to those of a military should be put in to the post office before 6 o'clock, background) by local postmasters. The London and by the other mails half an hour before they set Inland Office letter fees had in fact bee paid into out (except for London which is one hour) or Id the Revenue from the inception of the system in must be paid with each letter between these times 1797, but it was not until 1822 that the same and the departure of the mail.' occurred in Edinburgh . The London fees, the produce from which amounted to £1175 in 1835, Halifax (1830): `The box closes at 9 pm. Letters were paid into a consolidated fund from which are received at Id each till 10 and afterwards at 6d staff were in part paid. each.' The `Instructions for the guidance of Letter Receivers in the United Kingdom, 1846' at para 22, Huddersfield ( 1830): `The office closes at 10 pm stated: `At Head Offices, and at such Sub-offices but letters are received till 10.30 by payment of 6d.' as may be indicated by the Surveyor `Late letters' etc must in all cases be received at the window or Leeds ( 1830): `Letter box formally closes for all moveable panel, either by the person on duty at the packets at 10 pm. After that a penny a letter is window, or in a box to be temporarily put in the charged until 11 and after that 6d each. Foreign place of the moveable panel or through a slit in the letters if brought to this office after 8.20 on foreign panel itself to be used exclusively for this purpose; post nights are charged with the usual fee of ld the mode in each particular case being determined until 8.50 and 6d the last 15 minutes.' by the Surveyor with reference to the circumstances of the office. During receipt of late letters at these Coventry ( 1839): `Box closed half an hour before offices a placard must be exhibited at the window the departure of each mail - London letters are as follows `Post here for this mail - one additional received at the Post Office without extra charge stamp', the latter clause to be exchanged when the until 9 pm and by the payment of Id from 9 to 10, fee is advanced for the following ` Three additional at which hour the office is closed.' stamps' or such other number as may be directed. During the interval of five or ten minutes (as the Dublin (1839): 'After the letter box is closed in the case may be) which elapses between the evening Irish Letters are received up to 6.30 for termination of the receipt of late letters and the threepence each and to 6.45 for sixpence each, in dispatch of the mails, all attendance at the window addition to the postage. English letters also for must be suspended except in those larger offices, at sixpence each, for Liverpool at 4.45 and London which in the opinion of the Surveyor, it is 7.45.' (In 1838, London was 6.15 pm.) (FJ unnecessary to withdraw the window clerk to assist Melville stated in his `Complete Philatelist' that in the making up the bags. To apprize the public of the posting box in Dublin also carried the legend such a suspension a placard must be exhibited at `This box intended for letters too late for the next the window throughout the interval. Late letters mail.') must be received till within five minutes of the dispatch of the mails, except in those large towns Rotherham ( 1839): `Post Office closes at 9 pm. where the Surveyor may deem an interval of ten London Mail leaves 9.30 am. Letters for London minutes necessary, and excepting that no office is received until 9 am and afterwards till 9.15 on to be kept open merely for this purpose after ten payment of Id each.' o'clock at night.' Paragraph 23 of the instruction is significant, for further fee of 1d. Thereafter, last posting times it may help to interpret some supposed `late fee' were changed from time to time. letters that have been recorded to the Americas: 'No letters, etc, must be forwarded by the mail A further change occurred following Rowland preparing for dispatch unless prepaid, and that in Hill's evidence to the Select Committee with the stamps, so as to include both the ordinary postage issue of a `General Notice to the Public' in April and the late fee'. However, having quoted that 1847: extract, it did not appear to have applied to those overseas letters which did not have to be 'On and after Tuesday, 4h May, the Receiving prepaid, or if prepaid could be prepaid in cash. Houses in London will be kept open from half past A significant notice had been issued by the Post five to six o'clock pm for the receipt of late letters Office on 101h August 1841: intended for the General Post Office, whether Inland, Foreign, Colonial or Ship Letters on `On and after 10`h August 1841, Offices at Charing payment of the Late Fee of one Penny provided the Cross, Old Cavendish Street and the Borough will postage as well as the Late Letter Fee on such receive Inland Letters, the postage on which is paid letters be paid by attaching the requisite number of by stamps affixed to them, also Foreign, Colonial, stamps. Any letter not bearing the requisite number and Ship Letters on which the postage is paid until of stamps will be detained till the next despatch.' 6.15 pm instead of the present hour of 5.45.' later times were introduced at other offices: at the The letter from Glasgow illustrated below Lombard Street Office the time was extended (Figure 2), was prepaid in cash, yet appears to from 6.00 pm to 6.30 pm; at St. Martins le have been accepted as a Late Fee Letter; Grand, the Chief Office, until 7.00 pm, all for a perhaps early overseas letters were exceptions. Figure 2: Glasgow to Quebec, 18`h June 1847. The letter at Figure 2 was posted prepaid the in Canada, but `Caledonia' made Boston on 4`h quadruple letter rate (up to two ounces), four July 1847. Unfortunately, the amount of late fee shillings and eightpence, for the British Packet to paid is not shown and I have no record of the Canada. The Cunard Line `Caledonia' was due to practices at Glasgow. In fact, there is a great sail from Liverpool the following day for Boston.