1847 (May 22) Washington D.C. to Mezingen, Württemberg, folded letter with red "Washington D.C. May 22" cds with matching arced "Paid" handstamp and manuscript "29" rating for 5¢ U.S. inland and 24¢ Am. Packet fees, carried by Ocean Line Washington from New York Jun. 1 to Southampton arriving June 15, red "Angleterre, Par Le Havre, 17 Juin '47" transit cds (one of only two recorded examples on Transatlantic mail, unknown by Salles), various ratings in red crayon and manuscript with final 43 kreuzer due by addressee in Mezingen, bright and fresh, Very Fine and rare, Carried on the Maiden American Packet Voyage of Ocean Line Washington. Estimate  $2,000 - 3,000. The Ocean Line was awarded the first USPO contract for US mails under the Foreign Mails Act of 1845. Two steamships were built, the Washington and the Hermann and they operated the contact over its 10 year term between New York and Bremen with a stop at Southampton. The "Washington" inaugurated the service leaving New York June 1st 1847 arriving Southampton June 15th.The commencement of the service led to Britain imposing a "Discriminatory Rate" on mails landed at Southampton with all US prepayment ignored and the One Shilling Packet Rate charged to the addressee. This led to the Retaliatory Rate period and subsequently (February 1849) to a postal convention between the two countries. Although discriminatory charges were intended to apply to mails for France, this letter did not go to London and, therefore, received no extra British charges. $0 (Image)