Saint Helena: 1807 Ship Letter entire headed "St. Helena/25th April 1807", addressed to his uncle in London by H.G. Hale, showing fine double oval "Ship Lre/(crown)/WEYMOUTH" and red "E/JUL 1/1807", rated "1/1" paying 9d. inland rate + 4d. ship letter charge introduced in 1796. Ex Heijtz. Photo. (Image1)

Saint Helena: The "ST. HELENA/PACKET-LETTER" Marking, 1817 (Mar. 29) a fine strike of this rare mark on packet letter entire to Fareham, Hampshire, rated "4/2" being 8d. inland rate + 3s.6d. packet charge and with "C/26MY26/1817" receiving c.d.s. in red on reverse. The letter is headed "Briars, St. Helena March 26th 17", Napoleon's first home on the island whilst Longwood House was prepared. Only fourteen letters are known with the rare first marking, most of the other examples being from the 'Dunlop' correspondence. Ex Groten and Heijtz. Photo. (Image1)

Saint Helena: THE LATEST RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE "ST. HELENA/PACKET-LETTER" MARKING ON A PACKET LETTER, 1819 (Apr. 2) Packet Letter entire from the 'Dunlop' correspondence to Edinburgh showing good strike, June 7 and 10 receiving c.d.s's, ms. rating "4/7" for 1s.1d. inland rate + 3s.6d. packet fee with framed additional "1/2" for border carriage toll alongside, the letter dated Mar. 29. Ex Heijtz. Photo. Surgeon George Dunlop had arrived with the 2nd Battalion of 66th Foot Regiment in Saint Helena in 1816 as part of the guard for Napoleon and left the island in Sept. 1819. The Packet service was suspended on 12 July 1819, the Post Office virtually closed and there was no further need for the Packet Letter handstamp. In its place the India Letter service was introduced and the Ship Letter system remained. (Image1)

Saint Helena: Early Incoming Mail, 1830 paid ship letter addressed to Maj. Gen. Sir Jasper Nicolls (then G.O.C. 7th (Meerut) Division, later Commander-in Chief, India) at St. Helena, with enclosed letter for the General's wife Anne, sent Oct. 15 from Cornwall with blue Launceston despatch, endorsed "To go by the first ship" and noted "pd 1/7" being charged at half inland and packet rate, with red London tombstone and unframed oval "POST PAID SHIP/(crown)/27OC27/1830/LONDON", ms. "6"(d.) noted for local delivery. The letter sent during a period when rates to the island continued unclear, is written to his sister-in law by Rev. James Duke Coleridge (1788-1857), a prolific writer but on themes more traditionally religious than those of his own celebrated uncle, the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Ex Groten and Heijtz. Photo. (Image1)

Saint Helena: 1839 Ship Letter entire from the 'Mead' correspondence, headed "St. Helena/4th July 1839"and sent by the wife of superintendent surgeon George Mead to her son in London, endorsed "Paid 1/4" being the ship letter rate + mileage to London and showing the rare "31/2"(d.) ms. handling fee, with stepped "DEAL/SHIP LETTER" and Sept. 19 arrival, subsequently redirected with additional 1s. charge. Photo. (Image1)

Saint Helena: 1856 (Jan.) wrapper to D. & A. Kingsland & Sutton in New York showing fine strike of "FORWARDED FROM ST. HELENA/BY/GEORGE W. KIMBALL/U.S. COMMERCIAL AGENT" type FAC.5, one of just three known examples of this cachet, with further fair strike across reverse, with New Bedford, Mass receiving c.d.s. of Mar. 5 and straight line "SHIP", charged "5"(c.) being the 2c. ship rate rate added to the 3c. U.S. inland rate. Ex Heijtz. George Washington Kimball (1822-1860) had married Sarah, the widowed daughter of William Carrol and was the U.S. Commercial Agent on the island from 1852, becoming the first U.S. Consul from 1857 to 1860. Photo. (Image1)

Saint Helena: 1869 (Mar. 12) pre-paid stampless entire letter to Coutences, France at 8d. rate with oval despatch datestamp in red and noted "4" in ms. for postage share, carried on the "Cambrian" showing London Paid Apr. 8 and French transit datestamps, a little soiled with small tear at top. The rate to France was reduced from 1s.4d. per 1/4oz. to 8d. per 1/4oz. in 1863 and remained at that level until 1870. Photo. (Image1)