India Officers’ Letters 1868-1869

By Abhishek Bhuwalka

Sometime in 2010, I chanced upon a few Officers ’covers on Stanley Gibbons’ online shop.
The description of those covers mentioned that there existed a concessionary rate of 6a8p
via Marseilles instead of the normal rate of 8a8p and that it was valid for a very short while
from 1 April 1868 to 31 December 1869. Being the greenhorn that I was, I wondered how
Stanley Gibbons knew these dates so precisely! More importantly, these short-lived letters
intrigued me. Even after having collected them for some time now, I did not know how
interesting they could be until I started looking into them for preparing an online ‘short ’
presentation for the 8th ISC Zoom meeting on 15 August 2020. This article is a result of those
researches.

Background
Privileged (Note 1) postage rates have been often
given to soldiers and officers of the military forces
from time to time. In the United Kingdom, soldiers
and seamen as well as non-commissioned officers
were first given access to a concessional rate of
postage of 1d per single letter (Note 2) in 1795. (Note
3) This privilege was extended to the same category
of persons employed by the East India Company in
1815. (Note 4) Officers i.e., commissioned and
warrant officers, enjoyed such privileges, though at a
rate higher than the 1d one, during the Crimean War
and they were abolished once the war ended in 1856.
(Note 5) However, seamen and soldiers including
those in the service of the East India Company
continued to enjoy the 1d rate. (Note 6) This article
aims to cover the privileged rates applicable to
officers (but not soldiers) for sending and receiving
mails from and to United Kingdom.

The very next year, it was decided that, with effect

from 1 June 1857: (Figure 1 and Note 7)

“…on every letter not exceeding half an

ounce in weight, posted in or addressed to
any part of the United Kingdom, and sent
from or to any Commissioned Officer
(whether in the Navy or the Royal Marines),
or any Warrant Officer, Midshipman, or Figure 1: Extracts from the Treasury Warrant dated
Master's Mate, employed in any of Her 16 May 1857 effective 1 June 1857 introducing
Majesty's ships or vessels on any foreign or privilege postage rates for naval officers

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 1 of 12

 colonial station, and transmitted by the post between any place in the
United Kingdom and any such ships or vessels, direct or through any colony
or foreign country, there shall be charged and taken, in lieu of any rates of
postage now payable by law on such letters, an uniform British rate of six
pence.”

On second glance, this was not really a concession as it was made out to be since steam
postage from and to the United Kingdom and most of its colonies was already at 6d. Further,
this facility was available to officers “serving on board any of Her Majesty’s Ships on a Foreign
or Colonial Station”. (Note 8) However, to secure this privilege, such letters were to be sent
in bags made up on board the ship and only British stamps could be used for prepayment of
such letters. (Note 9) Hence Martin & Blair (Note 10) (pg. 19) point out that even if the mails
were sent from an Indian port, they cannot be construed to be ‘Indian’. Most curiously, this
privilege was not extended to officers associated with the army. This had to wait for a
decade.

Introduction of Officers’ Rates

In 1867, the British authorities decided to introduce
privilege rates for the army’s officers (Figure 2 and
Note 11) with effect from 1 January 1868 whereby:

“…on every letter not exceeding half an

ounce in weight, posted in or addressed to
any part of the United Kingdom, and sent
to or by any commissioned officer in the
army whilst actually employed in Her
Majesty's service, in any of Her Majesty's
colonies, and transmitted by the post
between any place in the United Kingdom
and any such colony direct or through any
Other colony, or any foreign country, there
shall be charged and taken in lieu of any
rates of postage now payable by law on
such letters, an uniform rate of postage
(British and colonial combined) of
sixpence.”

Given the British Treasury Warrant and its

publication in The Gazette of India, the Indian post
office had to ensure that they were in line with
these instructions. (Note 12) Accordingly, the India
Office in London informed the Indian government
Figure 2: Extracts from the Treasury Warrant dated 27
of this direction on 8 November 1867 and the same
September 1867 effective 1 January 1868 introducing was notified on 30 December 1867. (Note 13)
concessional postage rates for army officers

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 2 of 12

Rules Applicable to ‘Indian’ Officers’ Letters
Given that these reduced postage rates were a privilege, the attendant privilege came with
certain terms and conditions.

Eligible Classes
At first only commissioned officers in the army actually employed in Her Majesty's service
were entitled to this facility; military officers in civil employ (Note 14) as well as officers on
leave could not. Commissioned officers could be serving in a regiment, corps, or detachment
or could belong to a department within the army. A few months later, in May 1868, (Note 15)
the British government added superintending and first-class schoolmasters (Note 16) to list.
This was duly notified by the Indian post office on 5 August; the notification included warrant
officers. (Note 17)

Country
Letters could be addressed only to or received from the United Kingdom at the
concessionary rates.

Superscription
For letters posted in India, the letter
needed to be: (Figure 3)

• Signed by the Officer sending

the letter
• Signed by the Commanding
Officer of the Regiment, Corps,
or Detachment in which the
sender was serving, or the local
head of the Department to
which he belonged, and
• The name of such Regiment, Figure 3: The format of the superscription required by the Indian Post
Office in its notification dated 5 August 1868.
etc. Of course, the route through
which the sender wished to send
the letter (via Southampton or
Marseilles) would also need to be
superscripted as in the normal case
for all overland letters

In case the letter was being sent by

a Commanding Officer or Head of a
Department, it was later
recommended that he sign it twice
– once as the sender and once again
(cross-ways) as the Commanding
Figure 4: Clarifications on Self Certification by a Commanding Officer or Officer, “…so as to leave nothing to
Head of a Department issued vide Notification dated 12 January 1869 conjecture.” (Figure 4 and Note 18)

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 3 of 12

Similarly, for letters received in India, the letter needed to be:

• Addressed to the Eligible Officer

• As superscription, bear the rank of the addressee and his regiment, corps, or
detachment

French Packets from Calcutta and Madras

Letters sent by French packets were not entitled to any privilege rates. (Note 19) Apart from
the P&O, French steamers called at Calcutta and Madras (but not Bombay) and could carry
Indian mail via the overland route; sometimes they could get letters to their addresses
quicker. This is not to be confused with the ‘Via Marseilles route’ which could be taken by
either British or French packets.

Rates Applicable to Officers’ Letters

The privilege rates applicable to Officers’ Letters have been tabulated (Tables 1 and 2; also
see Figures 5 and 6) along with, for the sake of comparison, the rates available to the general
public. It should be noted that letters weighing beyond ½ oz are almost impossible to find.

First, a few general notes would be in order.

Increase in Steam Postage Rates from 1 April 1868

As the consequence of a new packet contract negotiated with the Peninsular & Oriental
Steam Navigation Company in late 1867, steam postage rates were supposed to increase
from 4a (=6d) to 6a (=9d) with effect from 1 March 1868. However due to delay in receiving
the information from London, the Indian post office notified the new dates to be effective 1
April and requested the London post office not to levy fines on letters prepaid at the old rate
previous to the latter date. (Note 20)

Table 1: Indian Letter Rates via Southampton

1 Jan 1868 to 31 Mar 1 Apr 1868 to 4 Aug 5 Aug 1868 to 31 Dec
1868 1868 1869
Officers’ Normal Officers’ Normal Officers’ Normal
Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters
Not R-A-P R-A-P R-A-P R-A-P R-A-P R-A-P
exceeding
½ oz 0-4-0 0-4-0 0-4-0 0-6-0 0-4-0 0-6-0
1 oz 0-8-0 0-8-0 0-8-0 0-12-0 0-8-0 0-12-0
1½ oz - - - 1-2-0 0-12-0 1-2-0
2 oz 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-8-0 1-0-0 1-8-0
2 ½ oz - - - 1-14-0 1-4-0 1-14-0
3 oz 1-8-0 1-8-0 1-8-0 2-4-0 1-8-0 2-4-0
3 ½ oz - - - 2-10-0 1-12-0 2-10-0
4 oz 2-0-0 2-0-0 2-0-0 3-0-0 2-0-0 3-0-0

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 4 of 12

 Figure 5: Letter
from Kussowlie
(16.6.1868) to UK
‘via Southampton’
stamped at the
privilege rate of 4a
when the public
rate was 6a.

Figure 1: Letter from

Kirkee (3.10.1869) to
UK ‘via Marseilles’
stamped at the
privilege rate of 6a8p
when the public rate
was 8a8p

Table 2: Indian Letter Rates Via Marseilles

1 Jan 1868 to 31 Mar 1 Apr 1868 to 4 Aug 5 Aug 1868 to 31 Dec
1868 1868 1869
Officers’ Normal Officers’ Normal Officers’ Normal
Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters Letters
Not R-A-P R-A-P R-A-P R-A-P R-A-P R-A-P
exceeding
½ oz 0-4-0 0-6-8 0-6-8 0-8-8 0-6-8 0-8-8
1 oz 0-8-0 0-13-4 0-13-4 1-1-4 0-13-4 1-1-4
1½ oz - - - 1-10-0 1-4-0 1-10-0
2 oz 1-0-0 1-10-8 1-10-8 2-2-8 1-10-8 2-2-8
2 ½ oz - - - 2-11-4 2-1-4 2-11-4
3 oz 1-8-0 2-8-0 2-8-0 3-4-0 2-8-0 3-4-0
3 ½ oz - - - 3-12-8 2-14-8 3-12-8
4 oz 2-0-0 3-5-4 3-5-4 4-5-4 3-5-4 4-5-4

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 5 of 12

 Figure 7: Letter from India to UK via Marseilles stamped 4a. The route taken was Nowshera (14.2) via Lahore (16.2) to
Bombay (24.2); onward on P&O SUMATRA leaving Bombay (29.2) to Aden (7/8.3) to Suez (14.3); then on the P&O
Nyanza leaving Alexandria (15.3) to Marseilles (21.3) to London (23.3); delivered Cullompton (23.3). The route indicates
that the letter could not have travelled from Alexandria to UK via Southampton in the available time frame and hence
this is not a case of a letter being superscripted ‘Via Marseilles’ but travelling ‘Via Southampton’ at the latter’s rate of
4a. Courtesy: Paul Allen.

Weight Scale
Since 1 June 1863, rates via Marseilles, from/to India to/from the United Kingdom were on
the ½ oz scale rather than the ¼ oz one.

Now, some notes with respect to the concessionary rates.

Start Date of the Privilege Rate

Martin & Blair (pg. 20) mention that the date of commencement of this rate in India is not
known and that covers a month or six weeks earlier to 1 January 1868 may be expected;
further their Table 2 of postage rates mentions a start date of 27 September 1867 i.e., the
date of the Treasury Warrant. Given that the British Treasury Warrant clearly mentions the
start date of the facility as 1 January, any date of the concessionary rate usage from India
before January 1868 is impossible.

Privilege Rates via Marseilles between January and March 1868

Paragraph 4 of the 27 September 1867 Treasury Warrant stated:

“All letters which shall be sent by the post under the regulations of this
Warrant shall be subject, in addition to the rates hereby fixed, to the
payment of any foreign postage which shall be chargeable thereon”.

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 6 of 12

The ‘foreign postage’ in the ‘Via Marseilles’ route was French transit of 2a8p (=4d) per ½ oz.
However, Table 2 of Martin & Blair (pg. 44) has Officers’ rates via Marseilles to be identical to
those via Southampton. This is substantiated with some covers seen.

In the absence of any documentation on this subject, one can only speculate that it may have
been a combination of two issues that allowed this anomaly. First, both the local and the
Bombay foreign post offices may have inadvertently missed the fact that foreign postage
was payable in addition to the 4a rate. Secondly, as we have seen, new postage rates could
not be implemented by the Indian PO from 1 March and they had suggested to the London
PO not to fine underpaid letters from India arriving in UK in March; this may have caused the
two letters that I have seen (Figure 7 and Note 21) (both arriving that month) to escape
postage due markings at the British end.

It may be added here that Jane and Michael Moubray (Note 22) are of the opinion:

“It seems that the Indian Post Office was prepared to subsidise the latter
route (i.e., the Marseilles one), for letters have been seen from India to
England addressed via Marseilles and stamped at 4a (=6d)”

This is unlikely. As we shall see later (see Note 33), the Indian post office likely did not bear
the subsidy and that it was entirely borne by the British post office.

Insufficient Postage on Officers’ Letters

In case of unpaid or insufficient postage, the addressee was charged the deficiency plus a
fine of 6d (=4a). (Figure 8) At the time of the introduction of the privileged rate, the fine on
Officers’ letters were the same as for the public; however, with effect from 1 April 1868 the
fine for the latter was increased to 9d (=6a) while that for Officers’ remained at 6d.

Weight Progression
While the Treasury Warrant dated 27 September 1867 has the weight progression at 1 oz
beyond the first oz for all letters to and from East Indies, Australia, and New Zealand (places

Figure 8:
Insufficiently paid
Letter from
Nyneetall
(17.10.1868) to UK
via Marseilles
stamped 6a rather
than the privileged
rate of 6a8p.
Charged the
deficiency of 8p
(=1d) plus the fine
of 6d or a total of 7d
marked in black
manuscript as
postage due.
Courtesy: Martin
Hosselmann.

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 7 of 12

 Figure 9: Double weight (i.e.,
weighing between ½ and 1 oz)
registered letter from Murree
(28.10.1869) to UK via
Southampton stamped 12a
paying the privilege rate of 8a
(4a x 2 times) and registration
fee of 4a. Courtesy: Martin
Hosselmann.

not named enjoyed a ½ oz scale),

the British Postmaster General
modified it to ½ oz later; these
changes were reflected by the
Indian post office in its notice
dated 5 August 1868. This is the
reason why we see a different set of rates from 1 April 1868 to 4 August 1868 and then from
5 August 1868 to 31 December 1869 in Table 1 and 2 above.

Officers’ Letters with Additional Rates

Very few Officers’ letters exist with additional rates. They are summarised in this section.

Officers’ Registered Letters

Officers’ Letters could be registered and an additional 4a, the same as applicable for the
public, needed to be paid. (Figure 9)

Figure 10: Express

letter from Madras to
UK via Marseilles
stamped 10a8p
paying the
concessionary rate of
6a8p as well as the
express fee of 4a.
Note that the letter is
self-certified. Many
letters exist sent by
Robert Cadell,
Colonel of the Royal
Artillery and
Commanding Officer
of the Ordinance at
Madras, to H. F
Cadell.

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 8 of 12

Figure 11: Late Fee paid
letter from Madras to
UK via Marseilles
stamped 14a8 paying
the concessionary rate
of 6a8p as well as the
late fee of 8a. Courtesy:
Martin Hosselmann.

Officers’ Express Letters

The express fee from Calcutta or Madras to Bombay to catch the overland steamer was 4a.
This was payable over and above the privilege rate. Given that expresses ran from only
Calcutta or Madras (Note 23) and given that many officers were serving in far-flung areas,
such letters would be some small fraction of all Officers’ letters. (Figure 10)

Officer’s late fee letters

At this this time, late fees of (usually) 8a were payable on all letters posted after the cut-off
time over and above the Officers’ rate. (Figure 11)

Withdrawal of the Privilege Rates

In August 1869, (Figure 12 and Note 24) the
British government decided to withdraw the
privileged rates enjoyed by not just army officers
but also naval officers. With effect from 1 January
1870, officers could only send letters at the same
rates as was applicable to letters sent by the
general public. Just as in 1867, the India Office at
London informed the Government of India of this
decision, (Note 25) and the Indian Officers’ rates
were withdrawn. (Figure 13 and Note 26)

The reasons behind the withdrawal were not

clearly disclosed. A close reading of the general
press as well as some post office documents
provide clues.

Abuse of the Privilege

The Times of India (Note 27) was of the opinion
that the chief reason for the decision was the
Figure 12: Extracts from the Treasury Warrant dated 17
abuse of the privilege by officers (not just army August 1869 effective 1 January 1870 abolishing officers'
privileged postage rates

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 9 of 12

 officers surely but also naval
ones) who had resorted to
inconsiderate and unfair
franking. (Note 28) In a letter
from H. M. Post Master
General’s office to The Under
Secretary of State for India,
(Note 29) the writer alludes to
Figure 13: Notification dated 26 November 1869 of the Financial Department of this when he says:
the Government of India withdrawing the privilege

“…and, adverting to the difficulties which have attended the arrangement,

in the attempt to confine it to those persons for whom alone it was intended,
their Lordships have come to a decision that it is not expedient to continue
such privileges after the termination of the present year”

Increased Postage Rates for the Public

Another contributing factor may have been the increase in postage rates to/from India for
the general public the previous year. The increase had resulted in great objections both in
the United Kingdom and India including by Chambers of Commerce and the general public.
The issue had also reached the halls of Parliament where one member wondered: (Note 30)

“…on what principle this privilege was granted…to many commercial and
professional men postage was as much a burden as it was to officers of the
army and navy.” (Note 31)

Postage Burden on the Colony

Finally, in an answer to a question posed in Parliament to the Secretary to the Treasury, the
reason given was: (Note 32)

“…it became necessary for Her Majesty’s Government to look at the matter
in relation to the contracts for the packet service, and to the fact that the
postage charge very often fell upon the foreign dependencies where the
officers were serving. It seemed, therefore, a matter of doubtful expediency
that the Government should of their own motion grant a special exemption
to their own subjects which fell upon the foreign dependencies.”

While this may have been the case in other colonies, it is doubtful if the Indian post office
bore the cost of the privileged rate of 2a (=3d). (Note 33)

In Conclusion
The formation of the General Postal Union (later the Universal Postal Union) in 1874 resulted
in a reduction in postage rates amongst the participating countries. Further the great

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 10 of 12

increase in mail volumes over the next quarter century led to the commencement of the
Imperial Penny Postage System with effect from 25 December 1898. While Officers’ rates
had been abolished three decades earlier, concessionary soldiers and seamen rates of 1d
became unnecessary thereafter.

Acknowledgements: I would like to thank Max Smith, Martin Hosselmann, Paul Allen, Colin
Tabeart, and John Copeland for their valuable inputs as also sharing images of documents, news
reports, and covers in their collection. Any feedback can be sent to my email id:
abbh@hotmail.com.

Notes
1
The words privileged and concessionary will be used interchangeably in this article.
2
With effect from 10 January 1840, a ‘single letter’ was later defined to mean one weighing ½ oz or less. Vide
Treasury Warrant dated 27 December 1839 published as Supplement to The London Gazette of Friday the 27th
of December on 28 December 1839.
3
Postage Act 1795 (35 George III c.53 dated 5 May 1795).
4
Postage Act 1815 (55 George III c.153 dated 11 July 1815).
5
Treasury Warrant dated 11 September 1856 published in The London Gazette of 16 September 1856.
6
British General Post Office Notice dated 13 September 1856.
7
Treasury Warrant dated 16 May 1857 published in The London Gazette of 19 May 1857.
8
British General Post Office Notice dated 8 September 1857.
9
British Postal Guide dated 1 July 1868.
10
Martin, D. R., and Colonel Neil Blair. Overseas Letter Postage from India 1854-1876. London: Robson Lowe
Ltd., 1975.
11
Treasury Warrant dated 27 September 1867 published in The London Gazette of 1 October 1867. The same
was included in a Financial Department notification no. 3357 dated 30 December 1867 and published in the
Gazette of India dated 4 January 1868.
12
Later, in a letter dated 26 May 1869 addressed to the Officiating Secretary in the Financial Department of
the Government of India urging for the abolition of this facility, the Director General of Post Office of India, A.
M. Monteath, argued that, “these treasury Warrants although professing to lay down the law for the levy of
postage in certain cases in India have no legal force in India, except in so far as their provisions are adopted
and promulgated by the Governor General in Council under Section 21 of the of the Indian Post Office Act.”
To support its view the Indian post office had also received a confirming opinion dated 13 January 1869 from
the Advocate General, T. H. Cowie. Published in Proceedings of the Financial Department, November 1869.
13
Logically a notice by the Indian post office should have been issued on the subject but it is not traceable; it is
quite likely that it was never issued.
14
Clarified as a measure of caution in Indian government’s Financial Department notification dated 30
December 1867 published in The Gazette of India of 4 January 1868. An Indian post office notification dated 5
August 1868 states that all military officers serving under the orders of the civil administration, for example
belonging to the survey, public works, education, telegraph, post office, police, jail, as well as secretaries to
the government, cantonment, magistrates, commissioners and deputy Commissioners, civil surgeons, and
chaplains (but not Presbyterian chaplains attached to some Highland Regiments in India), and not under the
orders of the Commander-in-Chief, are regarded as being in civil employ.
15
Treasury Warrant dated 1 May 1868 published in The London Gazette of 8 May 1868.
16
On the other hand, vide the aforementioned Treasury Warrant of May 1868, schoolmistresses in the army,
whether at home or abroad, could send and receive letters not weighing above ½ oz for only 1d! Clearly there
must have existed disparities in pay scales between schoolmasters and schoolmistresses that a much lower
rate (the same as soldiers and seamen) were applicable to the latter.
17
Notification dated 5 August 1868 issued by A. M. Monteath, Director General of the Indian Post Office.
18
Notification dated 12 January 1869 amending the 5 August 1868 notification.
19
Introduced in the notification dated 5 August 1868.

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 11 of 12

20
The Indian post office received instructions from H. M. Post Master General on 2 March 1868 and a
notification was issued on the same date. The initial print of the notification in The Gazette of India of 14
March 1868 mentions in the footnote, “Adverting to the lateness of the receipt of intimation of the charges
notified above with effect from the 1st March, it has been suggested to the London Post Office, that no fine
should be levied on Letters prepaid at the old rates which may be sent from India by the Bombay Mail of the
7th March.” However, the footnotes of the same notification published in The Gazette of India of 21 March
1868 changes the effective date to 1st April.
21
One of the letters is illustrated here and the other is illustrated on page 53 of Martin & Blair (now in the
Martin Hosselmann’s collection).
22
Moubray, Jane, and Michael Moubray. British Letter Mail to Overseas Destinations 1840 to UPU. 2nd ed.
London: Royal Philatelic Society, 2017.
23
There is some evidence that expresses could be booked from other places along the Calcutta-Bombay or
Madras-Bombay route like Allahabad or Bangalore. See Smith, Max, and Robert Johnson. Express Mail, After
Packets, and Late Fees in India Before 1870. Wheathampstead, Herts, UK: Stuart Rossiter Trust, 2007.
24
Treasury Warrant dated 17 August 1869 published in The Edinburgh Gazette of 24 August 1869.
25
Letter No. 87 dated 16 September 1869 from The Secretary of State for India to The Government of India.
Published in Proceedings of the Financial Department, November 1869
26
This withdrawal must have been met with glee by the Indian post office. They were never in favour of this
arrangement since it led to a lot of hardships at the post offices at Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay in making
up the letter mails. Further, in the opinion of the Director General, the privilege was “to a large extent held in
contempt” and the trouble faced by officers in getting the letters countersigned by their commanding officers
or head of the department outweighed the two-anna benefit. Letter dated 26 May 1869 from The Director
General of the Post Office of India to The Officiating Secretary to the Government of India, Financial
Department.
27
The Times of India 20 December 1869.
28
Earlier in late-1868, H. M. Post Master General had disallowed officers’ from affixing their names to their
wife’s letters! Post Office of India notification dated 30 November 1868 quoting a H. M. Post Master General
ruling of 7 October 1868.
29
Letter dated 31 August 1869 from Frank Ives Soudamore of H. M. Post Office to The Under Secretary of
State for India.
30
House of Commons proceedings of 7 July 1868; the member in question raising these questions being
Robert Wigram Crawford.
31
Whether officers were burdened with high postage rates would be a matter of debate. According to Dr
Gajendra Singh of the University of Essex, in the 1860s, a middle-ranking European officer such as a colonel
would earn Rs. 1,478, a lieutenant-colonel Rs. 1,032 and a major Rs. 929 per month. Meanwhile Indian officers
earned between 5-10% of their European counterparts and a Sepoy earned just Rs. 7, which was often lower
than the cost of subsistence. See https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Were-Army-pay-and-perks-
better-under-the-British/articleshow/47952190.cms (accessed on 15 Aug 2020).
32
House of Commons proceedings of 23 May 1870.
33
In the letter dated 26 May 1869 referred to above, the Director General, apart from requesting for the
abolition of the officers’ rates, also requests for a reduction in the postage between India and GB by 1d. He
says, “I am aware that in a previous correspondence a larger reduction was proposed, and that the proposal
was negatived by Her Majesty’s Government, but I think that if India is willing to give up the privileged rates
on the letters of military officers, the question of making a small immediate reduction of the general rate may
fairly be revived.” This indicates that the concession of 2a (=3d) was being borne not by the Indian post office
but by the British one.

India Officers’ Letters 1868-69 by Abhishek Bhuwalka Page 12 of 12