Cover, registered sent from Viļāni. This is the name in present Latvia.
In the postmark we see the Russian name ВЕЛIОНЫ [VELIONY], the German name is Welonen.
Other names for Viļāni: Vilon [Yiddish], Velena [Russian], Vilianai [Lithuanian], Wellan [German], Wielony [Polish], Weleny, Vilyany, Vilyani, Vilyane, Viljani, Vileni, Vilany, Velēny, Wielona, Veliony
The name Weleny we can find on this map: detail of the map, ‘Russische Ostsee-Provinzen’ from from the encyclopedia ‘Meyers Konversations-Lexicon’, 6e Aufl., 1905-1909
In present Latvia Viļāni is situated in the western part of the former Rēzekne District (Rēzekne is on the map indicated as Rjeshiza). Districts were eliminated during the administrative-territorial reform in 2009.
In the postmark is also indicated the government, ВИТЕБ., short for ВИТЕБСКАЯ [VITEBSKAYA] and Г [G.], short for ГУБЕРНIЯ (GUBERNIYA), Government Vitebsk. The type of the postmark is the crossed-date-type: in the middle the day stays first, under it the month (in Roman numerals), left of the whole the century and right the rest of the year.
According the EESTI-classification this is type 6C.
At the bottom in the postmark is placed the indication ПОЧТ. ТЕЛ. ОТД, the abbrevation for ПОЧТОВО-ТЕЛЕГРАФНОЕ ОТДЬЛЕНIЕ (POCHTOVO-TELEGRAFNOE OTDELENIE = Post-Telegraph Sub- Office), so type 6C2 in the EESTI-classification.
The handbook of Harry v. Hofmann gives a table with the standard Russian postmarks, used in Viļāni (part I, page107): 5 different.
The letter is registered. This you can see of course from the registry label, but also right above on the cover is handwritten:
ЗАКАЗНАЯ / ЗАКАЗНОЕ / ЗАК. (ZAKAZNAYA, ZAKAZNOE) ‘registered’.
The purple stamp in two lines: “Envelope of ….
The backside with postage stamps. The cover is sent to РѢЖИЦА [REZHITSA], Rēzekne in present Latvia, government Vitebsk.
Postal rates in this period, see: site of Sijtze Reurich: 15-03-1909 – 09-10-1913: registered inland letter is 14 kopecks. This registered letter 21 kopecks, I suppose it is a heavier inland letter: 7 kopecks more.