Canada 1849 Retaliatory Rate Stampless Folded Letter Port Dover to Aix FRANCE

Stampless retaliatory period folded letter from France, with contents written in French, datelined ”Port Dover le 18 février 1849" addressed to Gouverneur General Bourely and prepaid to Aix-en-Provence France, Port Dover double split-ring dispatch with manuscript date, manuscript rate 1sh11d (sterling) in red for 2sh/d currency, carried by Cunard Line via Halifax to Liverpool during retaliatory rate period (until mid-May), Brantford, Simcoe (Mar 20), Montreal (Mar 27) and Aix en Provence (5 May) c.d.s. receiver backstamp, attractive and rare. The “Retaliatory Period” resulted from a British order of 9 June, 1847, which authorized its receiving offices to collect British packet postage on letters carried to England via subsidized American steamers. The British, whose transatlantic mail monopoly was exercised through the Cunard Line, had operated without competition since 1840, and they were anxious to see this monopoly continue. Through this order, Great Britain could collect 24c packet charges for every inbound letter. The following year, a similar American edict was applied to incoming British mail.