Cachet of the Public Health Office of Corfu ("Disinfected Mail" by Meyer, page 180)
Cachet of Barletta
Handwritten notation: "Barletta tredici Giugno 1815 – Profumata da fuori, e non da dentro" and signature
(June 13th, 1815)
1815: Letter from Corfu to Naples – Disinfected at Barletta
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A comment from Denis:
... the words at bottom left mean that it was sent by the "Health Magistracy" in Corfu. This is confirmed by the illegible cachet over the letter-join on the reverse, which is just recognisable as the cachet of Corfu showing Jason and the Argonauts. I cannot read the boxed mark on the front, but I suspect it is the boxed FRANCA (paid) attributed to the British Military Occupation and noted for 1814 in the enormous book, Postal History of the Ionian Isles by Dmitri Zaphiriou, published by Christies/ Robson Lowe in1987. Zaphiriou shows the Jason & Argonauts cachet used 1816 by the Br. Mil. Occ. on page 223. But what is more exciting is that on p.117 he illustrates a cover quite like yours, with the Jason etc. cachet across the letter-join. It is dated 20 March 1816 and addressed to the Health Magistracy in Livorno. It differs from yours in having the linear mark CORFU struck (twice) on the front, and the double circle ISOLE IONIE cachet which (like the CORFU) is a French occupation period mark, but used during the subsequent British occupation. But it does not have the Venetian wording endorsement on yours, "Profumatada fuori, e non da dentro". This is a mystery to me, ...
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A comment from Franco Rigo:
"It is disinfected with heat (fire) at Otranto
Transit for Barletta where it is disinfected with heat (fire).
This letter is interesting because it has followed a different way by other ways,
Where disinfection took place at Otranto (in transit) or disinfected to Naples."
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"Correspondence having been fumigated at Otranto is readily recognized by the deep yellow brown color."
("Disinfected Mail" by Dr. Meyer, page 245/6)
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A comment from Denis:
"Thanks for sending me Frances Rigo's response to my comments on the 1815 cover from Corfu to Naples. He confirms that the scorching is characteristic of Otranto. From there it travelled 250 kms north to Barletta, from where it went west to Naples - this was the normal routeing. But it remains a mystery where and why it was "Profumata" externally only in an endorsement which is not characteristic of either Otranta or Barletta. It is a format known only for treatment in Veneto or in Austrian offices. It might have been by an Austrian Consulate, but it cannot have been at Otranto, since it was not "Profumata" - it was scorched. Does Franco know of any covers with this endorsement used anywhere in the Kingdom of Naples?"
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A comment from Vito Mancini (via e-mail):
The letter from the magistrate to the Health of Corfu arrived at
Barletta with an "express boat" was "scented by the outside", that is,
scented only externally (in Italian it is said: PROFUMATA DA FUORI).
Purification was by exposing the letter to the smoke of some herbs
Eromatic (camphor, rosemary, thyme, sage).Vito Mancini
P.S. For greater clarity: in Italian it is not said "profumatada", but It's correct "profumata da (fuori)".
