We found among our archives a interesting Letter, for its historic significance.

This is a letter sent from 1841 Chuquisaca to Cobija (old Bolivian port) for to contact Artola Co. (major traders). We can read in this letter the political developments affecting trade.
The autor wrote details of the battle of Ingaví. This battle has been part of the war between Bolivia and Peru that erupted between 1841 and 1842. The outcome of the Battle of Ingaví allowed advancement of Bolivians on territories of Peru.
We transcribe the letter in its original language and attach an image for to examine.
This item is available for to buy in our catalogue http://www.celestamps.com/product_info.php?products_id=1920

“Señores Artola Cobija

Chuquisaca y Noviembre 24 de 1841

Muy señores nuestros: Confirmamos a usted el  contenido del nuestra última de 17, desde entonces no tuvimos ninguna de ustedes a que contestar, ignoramos su usted había conseguido remitir los efectos prohibidos y demás que tenemos allá. Si hubiera inconvenientes se arrieros para Cochabamba pueden mandar todo a Potosí. Sus cartas que recibimos el 20 del cuartel general, nos anunciaban que nuestra solicitud respecto a los (¿renglones?) prohibidos iba a ser decretada favorablemente, Ayer ha llegado la noticia de la gran Batalla dada por los Bolivianos a las tropas del Perú, en los altos de la Paz a 5 leguas de la ciudad. Después de 55 minutos de combate el ejército de Gamarra quedó enteramente destruido excepto 1500 a 2000 prisioneros entre los cuales el General  Castilla,  San Román, (¿Coloma?) y toda la oficialidad. El presidente Gamarra apareció entre los muertos. Incluimos a usted tres (¿tornaguías?) de Cochabamba n. 146 147 y 148.”

The Battle of Ingavi occurred on November 18, in the 1841 in the town of Ingavi, Bolivia. There the Bolivian Army commanded by Jose Ballivian met an invading Peruvian Army commanded by Agustín Gamarra who would later die during the battle.
With the dissolution of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, the President of Peru, Agustín Gamarra, made the controversial decision to invade Bolivia, utilizing the political chaos occurring in the Bolivian government as an excuse.[1] Gamarra, from the beginning, supported a union between Peru and Bolivia, but preferred it to be completely dominated by the Peruvian government, rather than to form a confederation between the two nations.
Immediately, Jose Ballivian assumed power in the chaotic state of Bolivia, and proclaimed himself President. During this period there were three different governments attempting to rule Bolivia; a legitimate government headquartered in Chuquisaca headed by José Mariano Serrano, another headquartered in Cochabamba headed by José Miguel de Velasco, and that of Ballivian headquartered in La Paz.
Faced with the danger of a Peruvian invasion, the three governments joined under Ballivian and readied their armies, which in Ingavi, repelled the Peruvians.
On November 18, 1841, with Agustin Gamarra being dead, the Peruvian Army left Bolivia. The news generated chaos in Lima, where the vice-president, Manuel Menéndez struggled to maintain his authority. He was soon deposed, with Juan Crisóstomo Torrico assuming power, allowing order to return to the country. This would be the last attempt of Peru to try to assume control of Bolivia.

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En Filatelia se denomina Historia Postal al estudio y coleccionismo  de las marcas postales y sellos incluidos en sobres completos, pliegos, cartas envueltas o amplios fragmentos de estas piezas
	El estudio y coleccionismo de piezas exclusivamente de marcas postales se denomina Prefilatelia. Se incluyen dentro de este concepto los sellos y marcas anteriores a la circulación de los sellos postales propiamente dichos, esto es hasta 1840 para Gran Bretaña y  hasta la siguiente década para el resto de las regiones. Se entiende por marca postal todas aquellas marcas de salida, tránsito y llegada realizadas en los sobres o cartas completas, ya sea mediante mecanismos manuales o a mano (con pluma) También se incluyen las marcas fechadoras, las de “porte franco” y las de “porteo”.
En muchos casos son visibles también las marcas de mensajerías y las de las especificaciones respecto al envío y recorrido.
Mediante el estudio minucioso es posible, a través de una pieza de Historia Postal, recorrer el camino por el cual las personas se comunicaban entre sí cuando mediaban las distancias y no eran fácilmente franqueables como lo son actualmente. Hoy en día, los medios de comunicación alcanzan espacios fabulosos de inmediatez y abarcan casi todo el mundo. Muchos objetos destinados a comunicarnos acompañan a los hombres y las mujeres del siglo XXI en la vida cotidiana.
¿Cómo resolvían los hombres y las mujeres del siglo XIX su necesidad de comunicarse?  Arreglar negocios, comprar, vender, solicitar ayuda, enviar saludos, declarar el amor, declarar la guerra. Convocar a encuentros,  decidir los destinos de una nación, narrar un viaje. Notificar una muerte,un nuevo gobernante o cumplir con un saludo de cortesía.
	Estos eventos requerían comunicación ineludible y fehaciente. El hecho de que fuera costoso, complejo  y de que demandara mucho tiempo de tránsito complicaban las comunicaciones pero no constituía un obstáculo. Las cientos de miles de antiguas cartas en manos de coleccionistas lo demuestran. Las distancias, los problemas de transporte y las prohibiciones políticas complicaban asimismo el flujo del intercambio; los sistemas de correos se fueron organizando y salvando los obstáculos de manera cada vez más eficiente y confiable.Resulta apasionante comenzar y profundizar una colección de Historia Postal,  hay múltiples temas para elegir; la reconstrucción de rutas de transporte, la selección de marcas especiales o de agentes distribuidores.
También resulta interesante dedicarse a una colección centrada en un evento histórico, por ejemplo un conflicto bélico, allí se buscarán ejemplares de correo militar, de prisioneros de guerra de campos de entrenamiento. Otra posibilidad es elegir medios de transporte específicos, correo de tren, de vapor, marítimo. Otra posibilidad es abocarse al estudio exhaustivo de una marca postal en particular, ya sea oficial, de correo particular o de mensajerías. Una colección puede planificarse cronológicamente, geográficamente (por ejemplo por distritos locales o nacionales), por medio de transporte, por archivo de destinatario o de cualquier otra manera que interese a cada coleccionista.  La marcofilia es  una especialidad dentro de la filatelia que estudia específicamente los matasellos y cancelaciones realizadas por servicios postales oficiales o privados. Puede tratarse de marcofilia pre filatélica, cancelaciones a pluma, cancelaciones mudas o  matasellos fechadores.
Los seguidores de esta especialidad aprecian los ejemplares de la Historia Postal, ya que en cartas completas o grandes fragmentos pueden encontrar las cancelaciones completas y en un marco de referencia que las hace más interesante para su estudio.
En esta especialidad los temas a elegir también son numerosos, dentro del siglo XIX se puede elegir un matasellos en particular, la evolución y las reparaciones que pudieran haberse realizado en el mismo. Se puede reconstruir el primer y último de uso de cada matasellos, los colores de las tintas, las marcas especiales para indicar fechas, portes y distancias. Las marcas de correo oficial, marítimo, correo real o marcas de vapores y rutas especiales. Los invitamos a recorren nuestro catálogo de ejemplares destinados al estudio de la Historia Postal, Prefilatelia y Marcofilia. Podrán encontrar abundante material de Prefilatelia latinoamericana, especialmente de Bolivia. Así como vapores de Sudamérica y Centroamérica. Encontrarán también ejemplares de Historia Postal Europea, especialmente de Gran Bretaña, España e Italia. Que lo disfruten! Celeste

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Postal History of the River Plate

On 11 June 1580, Juan de Garay carries out the so-called second foundation of Buenos Aires. He names it "Ciudad de la Sant"sima Trinidad" ( City of the Holy Trinity), port of Santa Mar"a de los Buenos Aires. The "tree of justice" is put up in what is nowadays Plaza de Mayo and the city is planned in accordance with Felipe II"s Ordinance of Population in the Laws of the Indias, 1573. Lots are allocated and members of the Cabildo are appointed. Saint Martin of Tours is chosen patron saint of the city by means of a draw.

Until 1776 the government of Buenos Aires was part of and depended administratively on the Viceroyalty of Peru. Since the Spanish Crown kept the port of Buenos Aires closed for overseas trade, all the commercial activities were carried out through Lima. The inhabitants of Buenos Aires had to obtain supplies from Potosi. This situation kept them in relative isolation. Goods were expensive and as they were transported by cart, it took them a long time to arrive in Buenos Aires. The ban on direct overseas commerce was defied by local merchants who were forced to resort to smuggling to earn their living.

From the time of its foundation, Buenos Aires used the "Riachuelo de los Nav"os" (Small river of ships) to unload goods because it was a deep channel and the city had no port due to the shallowness of the River Plate at its littoral.
The unloading was done in a precarious way: ships ridden at anchor, passengers and goods were placed on boats and then got to the shore on big wheeled carts for there was no dock.

The three main routes of communication in the XVII and XVIII centuries were Buenos Aires-Asunci"n, along the Parana river; Buenos Aires-Lima, through C"rdoba, San Miguel de Tucum"n, Salta and Alto Per"; and Buenos Aires-Santiago, through the provinces of Cuyo.
The usual route of the correspondence with the metropolis was the long route of Peru; from Spain to Cuba, then to Porto Bello, from there to Lima and finally, to Buenos Aires through Charcas. That was the journey completed by the Royal Document issued on 1 April,1621 announcing King Felipe II"s death, which arrived in Buenos Aires on 5 February, 1622.

"Colonial society was formally "the laws of Indias- a confusing mixture of Castillian absolutism and Catalanian feudalism and some declarations of goodwill. In practice it adopted rules of its own due to the lack of efficient communication technologies: a consultation with the Counselor of Indias, administrator of the colonies, took much more than six months to go, be resolved upon, and come back."

Carlos III decided to establish fixed (monthly) maritime mail between La Coru"a and La Habana in 1764. This covered the Antilles, New Spain and Peru. Cevallos asked for a line to the River plate and they decided to try the route with the mail boat "Prince" that was part of the float destined for La Habana. It was that mail boat, the first official means of direct postal exchange between the metropolis and the River Plate, that arrived in Montevideo on 31 May, 1764.
The crown decided to appoint Domingo Basavilvaso first general administrator of the River Plate Post Office.

Terrestrial mail is incorporated in 1769 and the administrator becomes responsible for all the mail service, reporting directly to the Spanish Crown.
In 1772 Mr. Manuel de Basavilvaso (jr) is appointed General Administrator of the Postal Service.
In 1776, Carlos III decided the temporal creation of the Viceroyalty of the River Plate to ensure a more efficient control of his American domains. The enormous distance between the River Plate and the Viceroyalty capital contributed to the greed of the English and Portuguese who filled their pockets by smuggling goods into Buenos Aires and the Littoral area, to the detriment of the royal treasury.
The Viceroyalty of the River Plate became definite in 1778, and four years later a regime of Intendances was established to reinforce state supervision.
It was divided into three governments: of the River Plate, of Tucuman and of Cuyo and some intendances.

In Buenos Aires, due to habits and customs, the postage was paid by the adressee. Letters accumulated in the post offices waiting to be taken away, with the consequential delay in the collection of mailig charges. To put an end to this problem, the first postman was appointed. He kept 1 "Real" for himself for every letter he delivered, appart from the stamping.
For those senders who wanted to pay for the postage of their letters, a system of "FRANCA" seals was established. It indicated that the mailing charge had been paid. These seals were distributed among all of H.M. Post offices.
In maritime mail it was customary to indicate on the envelope the name of the ship one wanted the mail to be sent by. Some measures were implemented to prevent circulation of mail "out of bag", packages and letters sent without paying the official postage.
Before 1775, correspondence with other European countries other than Spain was not accepted, as from that year Rome was incorporated as a possible destination.

The three main postal routes of the Viceroyalty were: from Buenos Aires to Peru, Chile and Paraguay. In 1779 stamps came into use on the letters sent to Spain, indicating the post office of each region : stamped "Buenos Ayres" for the littoral, Tucuman, Cuyo and Paraguay; stamped "Chile" and stamped "Peru" for Potosi and the provinces of Lima. The seals of each administration would continue to be used for the letters that circulated within the "Kingdom of Indias".
In Spain, circa 1796, some additional marks were used indicating month and day (on which they were thrown into the mailbox and on which the arrived at the office of destination).

A fixed service of exchange with Montevido is established in 1784; the so-called "chasqueras" (boats) that covered the river line between Buenos Aires and Colonia del Sacramento and one across the land from there to Montevideo with caravan posts.
During the invasions by the English, between 1806 and 1807, this service was interrupted, and it was reestablished with the triumph of the defence of Buenos Aires.

However, the war situations in which the metropolis was involved prevented Spain from regaining control over the maritime mail service between La Coru"a and Terra Firma. Correspondence continued to circulate on private boats to and from Cadiz.

After the Revolution of May 1810, maritime mail services were interrupted for Buenos Aires, since behind the "mask" of fidelity to the King that the new government held, there hid some differences of criteria with Fernando VII and the representative metropolitan Government. Montevideo refused to support the revolutionaries. The new authorities in Buenos Aires made fruitless attempts to establish a departing port in Ensenada; the "chasqueras" were also done away with.
The only correspondence arriving in Buenos Aires during the revolution came in foreign ships (not Spanish ones), mostly English. It should be pointed out that the amount of mail of "clandestine" circulation increased considerably during those years.
The government imposed severe penalties on those who brought over mail without going through the post office.
At that time there was an English post office running in a commercial office in Buenos Aires. The government considered there were some irregularities and that it was contrary to the interests of Public Revenue, so they decreed it had to be closed down.

In order to restore maritime mail, Buenos Aires set up a contract with the English government; English ships took over the mail service between Europe and Buenos Aires. In this agreement Buenos aires had to make substantial concessions: the English ships enjoyed exemption from the right of port, as well as discounts on postage charges. Correspondence was barely checked and Buenos Aires had to provide terrestrial mail service to Chile in combination with the English packets.

The fixed maritime mail service with Montevideo was interrupted due to the blockade of the River Plate by Spanish ships, but a number of alternative changing routes were sought for to keep in contact with the oriental side, the terrestrial route was generally completed by posts of soldiers. In 1814, once Montevideo was occupied by the revolutionaries, the fixed weekly mail service was restored.

The postal service with Brazil had been run by private ship owners who had access to the mail patent. Along the same lines, a packet to Rio de Janeiro, "La Dorada", was set up as from 1818.

Maritime mail services to Uruguay as well as to Brazil, slowly increased in number and improved their organization. Always along the lines of granting mail patents to individuals, which was also the manner for national territories: in 1822 a contract is established in order to grant the patent of maritime mail with the port of Patagones.

In 1826 Rivadavia creates the Headquarter of Post Offices and Road Posts, appointing Juan Manuel de Luca as the director, who remained in the position until 1858. After the Agreement of San Nicolas, having Buenos Aires separated from the Argentine Confederation, (1852) the organization of the national mail service is divided into two jurisdictions.

In 1854, the Argentinian Confederation organized the postal service establishing previous postage charged to the sender for all the correspondence and systematizing internal fares. A postal sing with the legend "FRANCA" as a mark that prevented the reusing of seals.
As from the following year they started to plan the first stamps.

As to the service for the interior of the province of Buenos Aires, three monthly services were set up for the North, East and South routes.

In January, 1856 they print four stamp values with the image of a gaucho on horse who represented a courier riding towards the sun. They were worth four, six, eight and ten reales. But in July the government decides to adopt a new unit of currency and the "peso" replaces the "real". The "gauchito" stamps do not go into circulation because they have the previous currency unit.

In 1859, in the well-known Battle of Cepeda the forces of Buenos Aires are defeated and Buenos Aires becomes part of the Confederation. After the Battle of Pavon they definitely settle the issue and the Confederation becomes the Republic.