Today in Postal History

The censored, registered commercial cover was sent from Genoa.
Genoa is at the northern end of the Mediterranean coast of western Italy.

The sender used a preprinted envelope.
The sender also stamped RECCOMANDATA (registered)
and corrected the address with blue handstamps.

Note that there is a
Vapor __________________
space for designating the steamship to carry the letter.

The cover is franked with 1908 25 c. blue and 50 c. violet
Victor Emmanuel III definitives (Scott 100 and 105).

Registration was accomplished by addition of a preprinted label.
I believe the CDS at the lower left on the reverse dated August 21 is a registry CDS.
Can someone confirm this?

There are three GENOVA SUCCLE. 26 | IMA(?) S. LORENZO CDS.
I hope someone can explain this CDS.

The contents were censored.
It appears that the censor tape was not a continuous
tape but rather simple rectangles inscribed:

Two rectangles were required to close the envelope.

The censor used five strikes of the handstamp to confirm his approval:

I believe the POSTA ESTERA indicates the
postal facility in which the censorship took place.
There is a transit mark for Posta Estera on the
reverse which appears to be dated August 22.

The destination was Montevideo.
The cover arrived there on what appears to be
September 21 (note CDS near left center on reverse).

The Montevideo post office entered the cover into its
registry system and added a preprinted registry label.

Near the center of the reverse there is a 4 inside a small circle.
I believe this is a carrier mark.

My thanks to Mauro Mowszowicz for providing this interesting cover.

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