Letter Mail from and to the Old Italian States 1850 - 1870

by Mario Mentaschi & Thomas Mathà

1 - Domestic mail of the Old Italian States 5 frames

2 - Mail exchanged between the Old Italian States:
Mail exchanged between the States of the Austro-Italian league: Lombardy-Venetia,
Modena, Parma, Tuscany and Papal States. 5 frames
Mail exchanged with the Sardinian Kingdom. 2 frames
Mail exchanged with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. 2 frames

3 - The evolution of the postal system of the territories annexed, to the postal system of the Kingdom of Sardinia/Italy. 7 frames

4 - Mail exchanged with the Kingdom of Italy and San Marino

5 - Emphasis is given to the illustration of mail from and to the Old Italian States from and to the foreign countries.

Mail exchanged among the Old Italian States

The Austrian Italian Postal League
Effective on April 1, 1851, the Austro-Tuscan postal agreement introduced the Austrian rates for the mail exchanged between the two States. The convention indicated that it could also be extended to other Italian States. On April 1, 1851, the Tuscan postage stamps were issued, as the use of the postage stamps was a prerogative for the participation in the postal agreement.

On June 1, 1852, when the Duchy of Modena and the Duchy of Parma issued their postage stamps, they were able to participate in the Austro-Italian league. The Papal States, which issued postage stamps on January 1, 1852, joined the Austro-Italian league on October 1, 1852. While the other postal agreements indicated how rates had to be divided among participating States, which implied lengthy computations, the Austro-Italian convention used the revolutionary concept that had been introduced by the Austro-German postal agreement. Each participating State retained entirely the prepaid postage of mail sent. These concepts anticipated the main points of the 1875 G.P.U agreement.

The letter rates
Letter rates were in agreement with the domestic Austrian rates rounded for the different currencies of the States involved:

• 1 Italian lira = 0.865 Austrian lire
• The currency of the Duchies of Modena and Parma was the Italian lira.
• 1 Tuscan lira, divided into 12 crazie = 0.84 Italian lire; hence, 1crazia = 7 centesimi = 0.07 Italian lira.
• 1 Papal scudo, divided into 100 bajocchi = 5.375 Italian lire

It was possible to send unpaid letters, but the addressee had to pay an extra fee.

Each State had its weight system therefore there were slight differences in the progression of the rates.

The printed-matter rates
The Austrian rate of 5 Austrian centesimi for every lot of weight (17.5 grams) was converted into the different currencies of the participating countries. To enjoy the reduced rate, the postage of printed matter had to be prepaid.

Fig. 7 June 7, 1852, wrapper used to send 4 newspapers from Florence to Udine. Only two wrappers are recorded with a pair of the 2 soldi postage stamp.

The rates of registered letters
The Austro-Italian agreement indicated that the registry fee had to be prepaid with postage stamps which had to be applied on the reverse of the letters.

Lombardy-Venetia
From January 1, 1854, new rates of mail exchanged between the kingdom of Sardinia and the Austrian Empire were introduced. These rates were based on the Austrian system; therefore, they depended also on distance. The Sardinian Kingdom was divided into two distances, the Austrian Empire into three distances. The Austrian rate progression in relation to the weight was 1 Viennese lot (17.5 grams), while the Sardinian weight progression was 15 grams. The same rates applied to unpaid letters.

Fig. 8 May 2, 1857, single-rate letter from Cuneo (2nd Sardinian distance) to Vicenza (3rd Austrian distance). Only 3 letters are recorded with the 40 centesimi stamp of the 3rd Sardinian issue in a three-colour-franking with the 4th Sardinian issue.

Modena
The Sardinia-Modena postal convention, effective from March 1, 1855, established a prepaid rate to destination of 40 centesimi for each 7.5 grams of weight for letters exchanged between the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Duchy of Modena. The printed-matter rate was set at 5 centesimi for every 20 grams of weight. From November 1, 1858 the single prepaid rate of letters was reduced to 30 centesimi. Registered letters required the doubling of the rate of letters.

Parma
Before the effects of the 1855 convention, letters could be prepaid only to the Sardinia-Parma border and were charged for the postage due on arrival. The Sardinia-Parma convention, effective January 1, 1855, established a rate of 30 centesimi for every 7.5 grams of weight, for letters prepaid to destination.

Fig. 9 May 15, 1856, double-rate letter from Piacenza to Turin. Only some 30 three-colour-frankings with Parma postage stamps are recorded.

Tuscany
The Sardinian-Tuscan postal convention, effective on August 1, 1852, allowed the exchange of prepaid mail. The progression of letter rates was for each 6 denari (7.1 grams) for letters coming from Tuscany and 7.5 grams for letters coming from the Sardinian Kingdom. When carried "via di mare" the sending Administration had to pay for the sea carriage. It was also possible to mail samples, by paying the letter rate.

Papal States
Since a postal convention between the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Papal States was never signed, it was possible to exchange overland mail only by paying postage to the boundary or by sea by paying postage to the disembarkation port. It was possible to exchange letters paid to destination with the Austrian mediation. The Austro-Papal convention of 1852 and the Austro-Sardinian convention of 1854 provided the following rates to destination for every 7.5 grams of weight: 60 centesimi for letters posted in the Kingdom of Sardinia, 12 bajocchi for letters posted in the Papal States. Postage of letters carried overland from the Papal States, without the Austrian mediation, had to be prepaid 5 bajocchi for each 6 denari of weight (7.1 grams) to the Papal border. The addressee had to pay the transit and the Sardinian inland rate. Letters "via di mare" could be carried either by the French packets or by other vessels. Letters could also be carried between Genoa and Civitavecchia by other steamers, often with a Sardinian contract.

Mail exchanged with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

Lombardy-Venetia
Via Sardinia
A few letters are known prepaid to the disembarkation port of Naples "via Sardinia" where the rate to Genoa was increased to 15 Austrian centesimi for every 17.5 grams of weight to pay the sea carriage from Genoa to Naples; prepayment of postage was compulsory.

Fig. 10 October 26, 1856, single-rate letter from Milan to Palermo via Genoa. The letter was posted on September 14, 1856, but it was detained until October 26, when the payment in cash of the carriage by sea to Naples was made. From Naples the letter was carried to Palermo, where 21 grana was charged to the addressee: 16 grana due in Naples increased by 5 grana per single sheet for the carriage from Naples to Palermo by a Bourbon packet (French packets did not call at the port of Palermo). The 45 centesimi prepaid postage was for a single-rate letter from Milan (1st Austrian distance) to Genoa (2nd Sardinian distance). On the back the handwritten indication that the sender prepaid 12 krCM, corresponding to 60 centesimi. The 15 centesimi paid in addition to the 45 centesimi was the required rate for the carriage from Genoa to Naples by a Sardinian vessel. This is the only recorded letter where the rate was partially prepaid in cash, and the only recorded letter carried via Genoa and Naples to Palermo.

Via Papal States
Letters could be sent to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies via Papal States, these letters were handstamped, generally on the reverse, "Transito per lo Stato Pontificio". After October 1, 1852 no transit fees were paid to the Papal States.

Modena and Parma
From October 1, 1852 letters could be sent from the Duchies of Modena and Parma, paid to the Bourbon border 40 centesimi for each 17.5 grams of weight. These letters received, generally on the reverse, the Papal handstamp "Transito per lo Stato Pontificio" impressed in Rome, and were charged on arrival 10 grana for each sheet of paper.

Tuscany
Overland
From October 1, 1852 until 30 June 1857 letters could be sent overland from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany to the Bourbon domains, paid to the Tuscan border 3 crazie for each 6 denari (7.1 grams) of weight. From July 1, 1857 the compulsory prepayment to the Tuscan border was increased to 6 crazie. These letters received, generally on the reverse, the Papal handstamp "Transito per lo Stato Pontificio" impressed in Rome, and were charged on arrival 10 grana for each sheet of paper. In accordance with the Austro-Italian treaty no Papal transit fees were charged on these letters.

By sea
From October 1, 1852 until 30 June 1857 letters could be sent from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, paid to the Bourbon port of disembarkation (Naples, Messina or Palermo) 4 crazie for each 6 denari (7.1 grams) of weight. The same rate applied to letters carried by French packets or by other vessels. From July 1, 1857 the compulsory prepayment to the Bourbon port of disembarkation was increased to 6 crazie. These letters were charged on arrival the same rate of letters paid to the disembarkation port of Leghorn.

Papal States
In 1818 a postal convention between the Papal States and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies became effective. The convention defined the following:

A posting right which had to be paid by the sender; the amount was retained by the posting Administration,

" Porto " corresponding to postage due to the Administration of destination,

The registration fee ("insurance" fee, according to the old terminology), which had to be paid by the sender.

On the basis of the above definition it was possible to send letters as follows:

- Paid to the Papal-Bourbon border: the sender paid the posting right and the addressee paid the "porto."

- Paid to destination: the sender paid both the posting right and the "porto." The posting Administration kept the posting right and had to transfer the "porto" to the Administration of destination.

- Registered letters ("insured"): the sender had to pay the posting right, the "porto" and the registration fee. The posting Administration kept the posting right and had to transfer to the Administration of destination both the "porto" and the registration fee.

The rates changed many times and depended both on weight and distance. At the time of the issue of the postage stamps, the rates in effect in the Papal States depended on distance, and were established in 1845 as a result of the Tosti reform. The registration fee also increased with the distance. For letters addressed to the 1st distance it was 4 bajocchi for each 6 denari of weight.

Fig. 11 September 1, 1860, eight-time rate registered letter from Rome to Naples prepaid 1.36 scudi. On the front ROMA / FRANCA and ASSICURATA impressed in Rome.

These rates were in effect only for letters sent overland, or with the contract packets.

Sardinia
Until the occupation of the Bourbon domain by the Sardinian army no postal treaty was agreed between the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Sardinian Kingdom; therefore it was impossible to exchange mail paid to destination, mail was generally exchanged by sea, paid to the port of disembarkation. From the Sardinian Kingdom it was possible to use either the French packets or the non contract or Sardinian packets.

Fig. 12 Letter of 3½ sheets from Messina paid 88 grana to the disembarkation port of Genoa. It was put on board of the French packet Bosphore and disembarked in Genoa on December 30. On the front the red marking impressed in Genoa confirming the carriage by a French packet, and the charge of 60 centesimi paid by the addressee for a letter weighing between 20 and 30 grams.

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