Page 26 - The Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia

used in duplex. Although stamps arc occasionally found bearing the
“23" cancellation, the complete postmark is very rare. It had a theo­
retical life of four years, from 1869 until it was superseded by the all-
India type in about 1873; but the first Muscat cancellation was still in
use in 1873 (and is recorded, by Rcnouf, as late as 1875), and these
dates greatly reduce the likely time span of the first Sind Circle
cancellation. According to Martin, it was broken in 1869 or 1870 and
the Post Office reverted to using Types 1A and 2; but Type 3 is known
as a complete strike in November 1871, so the damage must have taken
place after that date.
The Indian Postal Manual of 1873 included a directive “there
is no necessity to supply type denoting the year with any stamp”. This
directive was reflected in the removal of the year from the Type 2 date-
stamp some time after October 1873 and before the introduction of
the Type 4 canceller. By this time half the stem of the T’ had been
worn away.

K-a
MUSCAT.
/ v NOV I 0 y

Type 2 after 1873 Type 4

In 1873 the Indian Post Office introduced an entirely new
system of cancellations based on the combination of a letter identify­
ing the Circle, with a number identifying a Disbursing Post Office
within that Circle. In the case of the Sind Circle the letter was “K”
(for Karachi, the Head Office), and Muscat was allotted the cancella­
tion “K-4” which was struck in duplex with a c.d.s. with the name
MUSCAT across the centre and month and date (but not year) below
(Type 4).

The fact that neither the cancellation nor the receiving back-
stamp include the year makes it impossible to “date” an item accurately
unless one is fortunate enough to have a cover with a manuscript
notation of the date of receipt; and it is then necessary to decipher the

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