This document is a formal
dividend payment receipt issued by the Official Assignee’s Office in Calcutta
on February 17, 1888. It records a transaction regarding the insolvent estate
of Lyall Matheson & Co., a prominent merchant house of that era. The
receipt tracks a payout to the Delhi Bank (later the Delhi & London Bank
Ltd.), illustrating the legal process of debt recovery in colonial India.
The financial breakdown provides
a stark look at the reality of 19th-century business failures. The Delhi Bank
held a massive claim of 44,942 Rupees, yet this "6th Dividend" payout
was calculated at a rate of only 3 Annas and 6 Pies per 100 Rupees. After the
Official Assignee deducted a small commission, the bank received a net sum of
just 97 Rupees, 5 Annas, and 3 Pies.
Visually, the document is a rich piece of "fiscal ephemera." It features a pink One Anna Queen Victoria revenue stamp, essential for legalizing financial transactions. The bold red ink crossing the center, dated February 22, 1888, serves as a processing mark, while the various handwritten signatures and bank stamps confirm the multi-layered bureaucracy of the High Court of Calcutta.
