large margins, tied by black grid to folded letter to Philadelphia, red "New York & Philadelphia R.R. Apr 25" datestamp and matching "5", letter datelined "New York Bar April 24th 1849", written by Captain Stephen Coulter to his "Dear fond beloved devoted wife" while waiting for the tide to lift the Maid of Orleans past the sand bar it was stranded on to reach the Atlantic Ocean, very fine, the letter was given to a pilot boat captain to mail on his return to New York City, it was handed to an agent of Boyd's at the dock who in turn took it to the train station where it was accepted by the route agent, Captain Coulter evidently paid the pilot in cash (2c to Boyd's, 5c to the post office), an extraordinary Boyd's use, for more information see John D. Bowman's article "Crossing the Bar: A Letter Carried by Pilot Boat Captain to Boyd's City Express" in the May 2017 Chronicle (Vol. 69, No. 2)