Sale No: 858
Lot No: 60
Symbol: C
Cat No: Collection
The Great Miramichi Fire Cover The Largest Forest Fire Ever Recorded in Eastern North America
Official Plea for Assistance from the Governor of New Brunswick to the Citizens of Philadelphia after the Great Miramichi Fire.
A legal size folded cover addressed to Messrs Robert Ralston, Roberts Vaux, John Goodman, S. Humphreys, John Sargeant & others. Citizens of Philadelphia with sender's endorsement at bottom left "Major General Sir Howard Douglas, Baronet" along with a lengthy plea for assistance at top reads: "This Letter being on the subject of the late Conflagration in New Brunswick, the different Postmasters are solicited to forward it free of Postage." Manuscript postmark at origin "H.M.P. P.M." and "Free" at upper left. Upon arrival at the Robbinston, ME cross-border exchange office, the plea evidently fell on deaf ears as the letter was marked in red "Robbinston, Jany 20" and rated "1 1/4 oz" and "$1.25" (postage due), with word "Free" crossed out for good measure, Docketing "Recd 2 Febr 1826"; a few edge wrinkles. A historically significant item from New Brunswick's colonial period that will certainly enhance any BNA pre-stamp postal history or New Brunswick collection, VF This letter was penned on behalf of Governor Douglas in desperation in the aftermath of the disastrous fire that swept through Fredericton and much of the Miramichi region in early October 1825. It has been documented that the fire consumed about one-fifth of New Brunswick's forests. Hundreds of homes & businesses were lost. In Newcastle and Douglastown over 90% of the buildings burned to the ground.Many of the affected moved to communities bordering the Bay of Chaleur and the southern Gaspé Peninsula. The event has become known as the Great Miramichi Fire of 1825. (Image)
Estimate 2500 $
Opening C$ 1,500.00
Sold...C$ 2,100.00
Closed..Nov-14-2019, 15:00:00 EST
Sold For 2100
Sale No: 858
Lot No: 61
Symbol: C
1862 (August 11) Folded lettersheet written from a brig docked at Shediac, mailed to Tornsberg, Norway, clear Shediac, NB AU 11 1862 dispatch and partial Bend of Petitcodiac, NB AU 12 and Sackville, NB AU 12 transits, via the UK with London AU 30 CDS in dark blue ink and via Hamburg with oval Hamburg 1 / 9 62 datestamp and other same-day backstamps. Three different rates are shown including a New Bk 1/d Claim handstamp which had been subsequently crossed off in transit. An extremely rare Decimal era cover to Norway, VF We were only able to find only one other cover from New Brunswick to Norway - a prepaid stampless cover dated August 16, 1859 (ex. Allan Steinhart, Warren Wilkinson), which at the time was stated to be "the only recorded cover to Norway". (Image)
