Today in Postal History

This folded letter (shown unfolded) was datelined August 24 in Rosario de Santa Fe.
Rosario is in Santa Fe province about 150 miles inland northwest of Buenos Aires.

The sender requested French packet service.
It was postmarked in Buenos Aires with an
octagonal cancel on August 30 on its way to Marseilles.
The octagonal cancel was for the BUENOS AYRES | PAC. FR. 1 No. 2.
This indicated the date the cover went aboard the French packet.

French packets began serving South America in 1860 with a Bordeaux to Brazil route.
The packet route was subsequently extended to Argentina.
From 1867 another service was added between Argentina and Marseilles.
Such service continued until superseded by airmail.

The sender - A. Barran and A. Breit - stamped their oval mark on the address side.

The letter's arrival in Marseilles was marked by a September 28 CDS receiver.

The cover was rated at 90 centimes due.

The docketing records the history of the cover including what is probably the answer on October 6.

All of which reminds us how labor intensive communication
was when everything had to be done with paper and pen

Computers really do improve productivity!

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