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Date
1848
Description
1848 INDIA COVER TO SCOTLAND JOHN HAMILTON ARMY CONCESSION AGRA LETTER SIGNED A beautifully detailed stampless concessionary soldier's letter mailed from the East India Company cantonment at Agra to Edinburgh, Scotland, in the spring of 1848. Continuing the extensive Hamilton family correspondence, this letter focuses entirely on the writer's life as a Military Schoolmaster ("Dominie"), offering a highly unusual, hour-by-hour breakdown of his daily routine. This lot includes the original outer folded wrapper and a 2-page modern typewritten transcription of the original manuscript. Philatelic Identification & Routing: Sender & Authorization: The front panel is endorsed "From School Sergt J Hamilton Hd Qrs 1st Bn Arty Agra, E Indies" and is countersigned by "C. G. R. Crawford, Lieut Colonel / Commanding 1st Battalion Artillery" to authorize the military concessionary rate. Routing & Marks: The cover bears a clear, curved red "INDIA" handstamp and a bold manuscript "2" indicating the 2d concessionary rate. The reverse features a faint red circular Agra dispatch mark alongside two clear receiving/transit datestamps: "APR / G 30 A / 1848" and "EU / AP - 29 / 1848". Address: Addressed to "Mrs Andrew Hamilton, No 19 Bristo St, Edinbro', Scotland". Historical Archival Content (Garrison Life & Raj Luxury): The enclosed transcribed text (dated March 3, 1848) provides an incredible, unvarnished look at the elevated lifestyle an enlisted European could achieve in India: The Daily Routine: Hamilton provides an hour-by-hour schedule of his day: rising at 5 AM to bathe and mend pens, school from 6 to 9 ("teaching, threatening, flogging &c"), learning the native language until noon, and dedicating his afternoons to poetry, geography, and evening parties. Diet & Luxury: He details a diet that would be unimaginably lavish for a working-class Scottish family of the era, noting breakfasts of "ham, beefsteaks, cutlets... eaten by the meanest soldier" and dinners of "different curries... washed down by a bottle or two of best wines". Servants & Status: Despite being an enlisted Sergeant, he casually notes that he keeps four native servants ("a cook, errand boy, bearer/house cleaner, & a syce or horsekeeper") simply to manage his life while teaching 30 scholars. Contrasting Empires: In a striking reversal of typical homesickness, Hamilton explicitly dreads returning home, describing Edinburgh ("Auld Reekie") as "that dirty, filthy hold compared with India". Condition Notes: The original folded wrapper exhibits standard transit wear, minor age-toning, and a manuscript ink smudge on the front panel. The address, countersignature, and postmarks remain legible. Sold with a full 2-page modern typewritten transcription of the internal letter's contents. Sold exactly as photographed. Full Transcription of the Letter Text John Hamilton Agra 3rd March 1848 My dear Mother, How do you get on at all I ask you? and have asked you for months past, but one might as well speak to a door nail as to you in expectation of an answer. Wee Donald, certainly, lets us know pretty regular that you keep well, seem happy & all that, but I think you might condescend to write us yourself. You cannot write - well, are there no lawyer, no penny scribes about Auld Reekie nowadays? Can you not get anybody to write a letter for you for money, love ot whiskey? I would wager my month's pay - and that is five good pounds sterling - that you do not forget the whisky at auld Andrew's on a Saturday night, & yet you forget to let your twa braw, bonny sons, as you sesignate Bob & I, hear that you are still hale & well & unco happy. For myself, dear Mirkie, I am still a Dominie - Gude defend us! - and am likely to be for many years if I behave myself. Which of you ever thought the douce quiet laddie who used of old time to sell pigs & whistles would now be seated in a Schoolmaster's chair, & rear the tawze (sic) over many urchins - even the children of exalted parents -. But it appears I am capable to do it, or I would not have kept such a respectable situation. On looking back on the time since I enlisted it appears short in comparison with the useful knowledge I have acquired from books & the world. I have seen, indeed, I constantly study - in eating - walking - riding, &ccccc - the book is never from me, &, in sleeping, I dream of it all, so you see I deserve an honourable situation like the one I fill. Remember me in your prayers that God may please to increase that knowledge for the good of the children entrusted to my care. Now, since I speak of myself, for I have nothing better to tell you, no news about India at present, did I ever tell you how I was situated since Bob left me. Well then, you must know I am a most regular systematic individual in all my doings. Get up at 5, winter & summer, - bathe, dress, rule out school copies & mend pens &c. then a short walk till 6. - School to 9. - teaching, threatening, flogging &c., "all things by turns, & nothing long" - breakfast - a couple or three eggs, coffee, &c. and learn the country language till 12. Read poetry, write notes, letters, & other business connected with the School till 2. dine, study Geography, compose articles for newspapers, read poetry &c. till 4. Dress again, walk, ride, & drink tea till 6, when I finish the evening with a party, sometimes the theatre, but oftener in my own house, engaged till 8 writing the native language, when I go to Bed. To breakfast I have not only eggs, but a various assortment of all sorts - ham, beefsteaks, cutlets, accompanied by pickles, sauces &c, for these articles of food are very cheap here, & eaten by the meanest soldier. The dinner consists of different curries, fruit in season, & prepared canxisters from England of fish, fowl, meats &c, all wasked down by a bottle or two of best wines. Then a long smoke & commence study. - It is a practice for all parties in this country to sleep after dinner, but I never do this, being of opinion that it brings on the liver complaint & engenders other diseases. I have about 30 scholars at present, and the school is only open from 6 to 9 daily on account of the great heat after that time, so you must think my work is not easy to knock into the heads of 30 urchins so much knowledge on 3 hours. I keep only 4 servants now, a cook, errand boy, bearer/ house cleaner /or , & a syce or horsekeeper, but it is plenty, as/the greatest pest in life /it is to have too many dependents. The following is a sketch of the native language with a translation, " with " the prince asked, "what hast thou done/that fruit?". But 3rd March 1848 - 2 But I am tiring you with all this nonsense. Well, how is Mary Henderson? She never writes us now. How are all your old friends Gibson, Ewings, Paton &cc? bye the bye, did you know if Andrew gave my note to Hood as I never heard. Do you know anything of Bill Foreman, or what he is doing - Andw Brown, I recd Andrew's letter dated 6th Dec 47 (No 7 of Andw jXunr) on the 9th Ult, which I transmitted to Bob. Glad Donald is getting on so well in writing &c - let him study Grammar and spelling a little better. If he was here I would make a man of him, but I expect to see him in a few years with more sense than the majority of persons nowadays. Remember me to old Andrew, Martha &c. I have no letter from them this month. Bob is well and hearty as usual, & doing remarkably well in Lahore. I receive near 50 Rupees (5£) a month from him, which all goes to the funds of the Agra Bank. Bob is a good, honest, kindhearted fellow, and deserves a good wife, and from all appearances that is not likely to occur till we see our flyten, talkative, best of mothers at 19 Bristow St. I am not sure whether we join one another this year or no, , but it is very likely, so we will be separated no more till death, & not before we arrive in Auld Reekie, that dirty, filthy hold compared with India. I beg you will pay particular attention to the postscript, & believe me, my very dear Mother, Yr Affectionate Son, John Hamilton Give the enclosed sheet to Andrew as the 6th I have sent him. From School Sergeant John Hamilton, Hd Qrs, 1st Bn Arty, Agra, E. Indies
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Other recorded marks at Agra
22 marks22 other pre-1854 postal markings of Agra are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
- Agra HG 1handstampBlack1823–1837
- Agra HG 2handstampRed1828
- Agra HG 3handstampBlack1835
- Agra HG 4handstampBlack1833–1837
- Agra HG 4AhandstampRed1837
- Agra HG 5handstampBlack1837–1850
+16 more at this office.View all Agra marks and postal history →
About this Agra pre stamp cover
COV-5709 is an Agra pre stamp cover of 1848 bearing the Agra HG 13 handstamp, struck in red, recorded in the census of Agra postal history, North Western Provinces. What is a pre stamp cover?
1848 INDIA COVER TO SCOTLAND JOHN HAMILTON ARMY CONCESSION AGRA LETTER SIGNED A beautifully detailed stampless concessionary soldier's letter mailed from the East India Company cantonment at Agra to Edinburgh, Scotland, in the spring of 1848. Continuing the extensive Hamilton family correspondence, this letter focuses entirely on the writer's life as a Military Schoolmaster ("Dominie"), offering a highly unusual, hour-by-hour breakdown of his daily routine. This lot includes the original outer folded wrapper and a 2-page modern typewritten transcription of the original manuscript. Philatelic Identification & Routing: Sender & Authorization: The front panel is endorsed "From School Sergt J Hamilton Hd Qrs 1st Bn Arty Agra, E Indies" and is countersigned by "C. G. R. Crawford, Lieut Colonel / Commanding 1st Battalion Artillery" to authorize the military concessionary rate. Routing & Marks: The cover bears a clear, curved red "INDIA" handstamp and a bold manuscript "2" indicating the 2d concessionary rate. The reverse features a faint red circular Agra dispatch mark alongside two clear receiving/transit datestamps: "APR / G 30 A / 1848" and "EU / AP - 29 / 1848". Address: Addressed to "Mrs Andrew Hamilton, No 19 Bristo St, Edinbro', Scotland". Historical Archival Content (Garrison Life & Raj Luxury): The enclosed transcribed text (dated March 3, 1848) provides an incredible, unvarnished look at the elevated lifestyle an enlisted European could achieve in India: The Daily Routine: Hamilton provides an hour-by-hour schedule of his day: rising at 5 AM to bathe and mend pens, school from 6 to 9 ("teaching, threatening, flogging &c"), learning the native language until noon, and dedicating his afternoons to poetry, geography, and evening parties. Diet & Luxury: He details a diet that would be unimaginably lavish for a working-class Scottish family of the era, noting breakfasts of "ham, beefsteaks, cutlets... eaten by the meanest soldier" and dinners of "different curries... washed down by a bottle or two of best wines". Servants & Status: Despite being an enlisted Sergeant, he casually notes that he keeps four native servants ("a cook, errand boy, bearer/house cleaner, & a syce or horsekeeper") simply to manage his life while teaching 30 scholars. Contrasting Empires: In a striking reversal of typical homesickness, Hamilton explicitly dreads returning home, describing Edinburgh ("Auld Reekie") as "that dirty, filthy hold compared with India". Condition Notes: The original folded wrapper exhibits standard transit wear, minor age-toning, and a manuscript ink smudge on the front panel. The address, countersignature, and postmarks remain legible. Sold with a full 2-page modern typewritten transcription of the internal letter's contents. Sold exactly as photographed. Full Transcription of the Letter Text John Hamilton Agra 3rd March 1848 My dear Mother, How do you get on at all I ask you? and have asked you for months past, but one might as well speak to a door nail as to you in expectation of an answer. Wee Donald, certainly, lets us know pretty regular that you keep well, seem happy & all that, but I think you might condescend to write us yourself. You cannot write - well, are there no lawyer, no penny scribes about Auld Reekie nowadays? Can you not get anybody to write a letter for you for money, love ot whiskey? I would wager my month's pay - and that is five good pounds sterling - that you do not forget the whisky at auld Andrew's on a Saturday night, & yet you forget to let your twa braw, bonny sons, as you sesignate Bob & I, hear that you are still hale & well & unco happy. For myself, dear Mirkie, I am still a Dominie - Gude defend us! - and am likely to be for many years if I behave myself. Which of you ever thought the douce quiet laddie who used of old time to sell pigs & whistles would now be seated in a Schoolmaster's chair, & rear the tawze (sic) over many urchins - even the children of exalted parents -. But it appears I am capable to do it, or I would not have kept such a respectable situation. On looking back on the time since I enlisted it appears short in comparison with the useful knowledge I have acquired from books & the world. I have seen, indeed, I constantly study - in eating - walking - riding, &ccccc - the book is never from me, &, in sleeping, I dream of it all, so you see I deserve an honourable situation like the one I fill. Remember me in your prayers that God may please to increase that knowledge for the good of the children entrusted to my care. Now, since I speak of myself, for I have nothing better to tell you, no news about India at present, did I ever tell you how I was situated since Bob left me. Well then, you must know I am a most regular systematic individual in all my doings. Get up at 5, winter & summer, - bathe, dress, rule out school copies & mend pens &c. then a short walk till 6. - School to 9. - teaching, threatening, flogging &c., "all things by turns, & nothing long" - breakfast - a couple or three eggs, coffee, &c. and learn the country language till 12. Read poetry, write notes, letters, & other business connected with the School till 2. dine, study Geography, compose articles for newspapers, read poetry &c. till 4. Dress again, walk, ride, & drink tea till 6, when I finish the evening with a party, sometimes the theatre, but oftener in my own house, engaged till 8 writing the native language, when I go to Bed. To breakfast I have not only eggs, but a various assortment of all sorts - ham, beefsteaks, cutlets, accompanied by pickles, sauces &c, for these articles of food are very cheap here, & eaten by the meanest soldier. The dinner consists of different curries, fruit in season, & prepared canxisters from England of fish, fowl, meats &c, all wasked down by a bottle or two of best wines. Then a long smoke & commence study. - It is a practice for all parties in this country to sleep after dinner, but I never do this, being of opinion that it brings on the liver complaint & engenders other diseases. I have about 30 scholars at present, and the school is only open from 6 to 9 daily on account of the great heat after that time, so you must think my work is not easy to knock into the heads of 30 urchins so much knowledge on 3 hours. I keep only 4 servants now, a cook, errand boy, bearer/ house cleaner /or , & a syce or horsekeeper, but it is plenty, as/the greatest pest in life /it is to have too many dependents. The following is a sketch of the native language with a translation, " with " the prince asked, "what hast thou done/that fruit?". But 3rd March 1848 - 2 But I am tiring you with all this nonsense. Well, how is Mary Henderson? She never writes us now. How are all your old friends Gibson, Ewings, Paton &cc? bye the bye, did you know if Andrew gave my note to Hood as I never heard. Do you know anything of Bill Foreman, or what he is doing - Andw Brown, I recd Andrew's letter dated 6th Dec 47 (No 7 of Andw jXunr) on the 9th Ult, which I transmitted to Bob. Glad Donald is getting on so well in writing &c - let him study Grammar and spelling a little better. If he was here I would make a man of him, but I expect to see him in a few years with more sense than the majority of persons nowadays. Remember me to old Andrew, Martha &c. I have no letter from them this month. Bob is well and hearty as usual, & doing remarkably well in Lahore. I receive near 50 Rupees (5£) a month from him, which all goes to the funds of the Agra Bank. Bob is a good, honest, kindhearted fellow, and deserves a good wife, and from all appearances that is not likely to occur till we see our flyten, talkative, best of mothers at 19 Bristow St. I am not sure whether we join one another this year or no, , but it is very likely, so we will be separated no more till death, & not before we arrive in Auld Reekie, that dirty, filthy hold compared with India. I beg you will pay particular attention to the postscript, & believe me, my very dear Mother, Yr Affectionate Son, John Hamilton Give the enclosed sheet to Andrew as the 6th I have sent him. From School Sergeant John Hamilton, Hd Qrs, 1st Bn Arty, Agra, E. Indies
Its recorded auction history runs through eBay lot 117466950141.
6 images of COV-5709 are recorded; the Agra HG 13 mark itself is recorded in use 1846–1850.
Questions about COV-5709
- What is COV-5709?
- COV-5709 is a recorded pre stamp cover of Agra, North Western Provinces of 1848, bearing the Agra HG 13 handstamp in red. 1848 INDIA COVER TO SCOTLAND JOHN HAMILTON ARMY CONCESSION AGRA LETTER SIGNED A beautifully detailed stampless concessionary soldier's letter mailed from the East India Company cantonment at Agra to Edinburgh, Scotland, in the spring of 1848. Continuing the extensive Hamilton family correspondence, this letter focuses entirely on the writer's life as a Military Schoolmaster ("Dominie"), offering a highly unusual, hour-by-hour breakdown of his daily routine. This lot includes the original outer folded wrapper and a 2-page modern typewritten transcription of the original manuscript. Philatelic Identification & Routing: Sender & Authorization: The front panel is endorsed "From School Sergt J Hamilton Hd Qrs 1st Bn Arty Agra, E Indies" and is countersigned by "C. G. R. Crawford, Lieut Colonel / Commanding 1st Battalion Artillery" to authorize the military concessionary rate. Routing & Marks: The cover bears a clear, curved red "INDIA" handstamp and a bold manuscript "2" indicating the 2d concessionary rate. The reverse features a faint red circular Agra dispatch mark alongside two clear receiving/transit datestamps: "APR / G 30 A / 1848" and "EU / AP - 29 / 1848". Address: Addressed to "Mrs Andrew Hamilton, No 19 Bristo St, Edinbro', Scotland". Historical Archival Content (Garrison Life & Raj Luxury): The enclosed transcribed text (dated March 3, 1848) provides an incredible, unvarnished look at the elevated lifestyle an enlisted European could achieve in India: The Daily Routine: Hamilton provides an hour-by-hour schedule of his day: rising at 5 AM to bathe and mend pens, school from 6 to 9 ("teaching, threatening, flogging &c"), learning the native language until noon, and dedicating his afternoons to poetry, geography, and evening parties. Diet & Luxury: He details a diet that would be unimaginably lavish for a working-class Scottish family of the era, noting breakfasts of "ham, beefsteaks, cutlets... eaten by the meanest soldier" and dinners of "different curries... washed down by a bottle or two of best wines". Servants & Status: Despite being an enlisted Sergeant, he casually notes that he keeps four native servants ("a cook, errand boy, bearer/house cleaner, & a syce or horsekeeper") simply to manage his life while teaching 30 scholars. Contrasting Empires: In a striking reversal of typical homesickness, Hamilton explicitly dreads returning home, describing Edinburgh ("Auld Reekie") as "that dirty, filthy hold compared with India". Condition Notes: The original folded wrapper exhibits standard transit wear, minor age-toning, and a manuscript ink smudge on the front panel. The address, countersignature, and postmarks remain legible. Sold with a full 2-page modern typewritten transcription of the internal letter's contents. Sold exactly as photographed. Full Transcription of the Letter Text John Hamilton Agra 3rd March 1848 My dear Mother, How do you get on at all I ask you? and have asked you for months past, but one might as well speak to a door nail as to you in expectation of an answer. Wee Donald, certainly, lets us know pretty regular that you keep well, seem happy & all that, but I think you might condescend to write us yourself. You cannot write - well, are there no lawyer, no penny scribes about Auld Reekie nowadays? Can you not get anybody to write a letter for you for money, love ot whiskey? I would wager my month's pay - and that is five good pounds sterling - that you do not forget the whisky at auld Andrew's on a Saturday night, & yet you forget to let your twa braw, bonny sons, as you sesignate Bob & I, hear that you are still hale & well & unco happy. For myself, dear Mirkie, I am still a Dominie - Gude defend us! - and am likely to be for many years if I behave myself. Which of you ever thought the douce quiet laddie who used of old time to sell pigs & whistles would now be seated in a Schoolmaster's chair, & rear the tawze (sic) over many urchins - even the children of exalted parents -. But it appears I am capable to do it, or I would not have kept such a respectable situation. On looking back on the time since I enlisted it appears short in comparison with the useful knowledge I have acquired from books & the world. I have seen, indeed, I constantly study - in eating - walking - riding, &ccccc - the book is never from me, &, in sleeping, I dream of it all, so you see I deserve an honourable situation like the one I fill. Remember me in your prayers that God may please to increase that knowledge for the good of the children entrusted to my care. Now, since I speak of myself, for I have nothing better to tell you, no news about India at present, did I ever tell you how I was situated since Bob left me. Well then, you must know I am a most regular systematic individual in all my doings. Get up at 5, winter & summer, - bathe, dress, rule out school copies & mend pens &c. then a short walk till 6. - School to 9. - teaching, threatening, flogging &c., "all things by turns, & nothing long" - breakfast - a couple or three eggs, coffee, &c. and learn the country language till 12. Read poetry, write notes, letters, & other business connected with the School till 2. dine, study Geography, compose articles for newspapers, read poetry &c. till 4. Dress again, walk, ride, & drink tea till 6, when I finish the evening with a party, sometimes the theatre, but oftener in my own house, engaged till 8 writing the native language, when I go to Bed. To breakfast I have not only eggs, but a various assortment of all sorts - ham, beefsteaks, cutlets, accompanied by pickles, sauces &c, for these articles of food are very cheap here, & eaten by the meanest soldier. The dinner consists of different curries, fruit in season, & prepared canxisters from England of fish, fowl, meats &c, all wasked down by a bottle or two of best wines. Then a long smoke & commence study. - It is a practice for all parties in this country to sleep after dinner, but I never do this, being of opinion that it brings on the liver complaint & engenders other diseases. I have about 30 scholars at present, and the school is only open from 6 to 9 daily on account of the great heat after that time, so you must think my work is not easy to knock into the heads of 30 urchins so much knowledge on 3 hours. I keep only 4 servants now, a cook, errand boy, bearer/ house cleaner /or , & a syce or horsekeeper, but it is plenty, as/the greatest pest in life /it is to have too many dependents. The following is a sketch of the native language with a translation, " with " the prince asked, "what hast thou done/that fruit?". But 3rd March 1848 - 2 But I am tiring you with all this nonsense. Well, how is Mary Henderson? She never writes us now. How are all your old friends Gibson, Ewings, Paton &cc? bye the bye, did you know if Andrew gave my note to Hood as I never heard. Do you know anything of Bill Foreman, or what he is doing - Andw Brown, I recd Andrew's letter dated 6th Dec 47 (No 7 of Andw jXunr) on the 9th Ult, which I transmitted to Bob. Glad Donald is getting on so well in writing &c - let him study Grammar and spelling a little better. If he was here I would make a man of him, but I expect to see him in a few years with more sense than the majority of persons nowadays. Remember me to old Andrew, Martha &c. I have no letter from them this month. Bob is well and hearty as usual, & doing remarkably well in Lahore. I receive near 50 Rupees (5£) a month from him, which all goes to the funds of the Agra Bank. Bob is a good, honest, kindhearted fellow, and deserves a good wife, and from all appearances that is not likely to occur till we see our flyten, talkative, best of mothers at 19 Bristow St. I am not sure whether we join one another this year or no, , but it is very likely, so we will be separated no more till death, & not before we arrive in Auld Reekie, that dirty, filthy hold compared with India. I beg you will pay particular attention to the postscript, & believe me, my very dear Mother, Yr Affectionate Son, John Hamilton Give the enclosed sheet to Andrew as the 6th I have sent him. From School Sergeant John Hamilton, Hd Qrs, 1st Bn Arty, Agra, E. Indies
- How scarce is the Agra HG 13 mark on this cover?
- The census grades Agra HG 13 as common, counted from surviving recorded covers rather than estimated. The mark is recorded in use 1846–1850.
- What is the provenance of COV-5709?
- Its recorded auction history runs through eBay lot 117466950141.
- When was COV-5709 posted?
- COV-5709 is dated 1848, within the recorded period of use of Agra HG 13 (1846–1850).
About this record
This 1848 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Agra HG 13 handstamp of the North Western Provinces, a mark graded “Common” in this census — one of 5 surviving covers with this mark recorded. It has appeared at auction with eBay, lot 117466950141.