Instructions No. 10, 1850. By Command of the Postmaster General. Notice to the Public, and Instructions to all Postmasters, Sub-Postmasters and Letter Receivers. California and Oregon, Option of Transmitting Correspondence, for Through United States

Great Britain, 1850. Broadside measuring 9 ⅞ x 15 ⅜ inches. Some chipping and wear to edge, ink number written in corner, two small section of loss due to improper mounting, very good overall. Coat of arms of the United Kingdom above printed text. Very Good. A scarce broadside relating to British postal rates across the Panama Route through the Chagres River, which supplied mail to California and Oregon beginning in 1848 before eventually being replaced by the Overland route in 1860. The service was characterized by long delay times, as steamships on either side of the isthmus were often not coordinated, causing major delays in the delivery. Several different steamship companies operated privately, some carrying express mail. The letters were transported by canoe or pack animal across the isthmus. Postmaster General Cave Johnson began establishing post offices in California in 1848. Johnson also oversaw the transition to the prepaid delivery system. The broadside here, of which we find no other records, does state that postage must be prepaid, and that the route can be accessed by writing "via New York" on the letters. A scarce postal history item relating to the expansion of mail services to California. We find no other records of this institutionally or in the trade.