transatlantic post continued...

1838, GREAT WESTERN: Maiden Return voyage, Folded lettersheet endorsed "Per Steamer Great Western May 7" to London, charged with "1/6" and boxed "BRISTOL SHIP LETTER" applied, fine and scarce

1838, GREAT WESTERN: Folded lettersheet from Richmond to Paris, endorsed "p Great Western", sent outside the mails by an Express Company to New York, charged with "25" cents freight money, arrival Bristol with boxed "BRISTIL SHIP-LETTER" alongside, charged "1/6", fine

1838, LIVERPOOL: Maiden Voyage, folded letter dated "Falmouth 8 October 1838" and endorsed "p. Steamer Liverpool", privately carried to Liverpool, delayed in Cork for re-coaling, with red "NEW-YORK SHIP NOV 23" arrival, fin

1838, ROYAL WILLIAM: Maiden Voyage, folded letter dated "Liverpool 5 July 1839" endorsed "p Royal William Steamer for New York", addressed to Quebec with red "NEW-YORK SHIP JUL 25" and "MONTREAL JY 28 1838", charged with "2/-" resp "20¾" for triple rate, no apparent Canadian charges, small part of the address erased, a fine and scarce entire

1838, ROYAL WILLIAM: Final Atlantic Voyage, folded lettersheet endorsed "Royal William", addressed to London, reverse with two-line "LIVERPOOL SHIP LETTER", charged with "3/2", fine

1838, SIRIUS: Maiden return voyage, folded letter with full content endorsed "pr. Sirius" addressed to London, no apparent charge, arrival in Falmouth with red boxed "SHIP LETTER FALMOUTH", charged "1/8", scarce entire

1839, BRITISH QUEEN: Maiden Voyage, folded lettersheet (no side flaps) from "SMYRNE TURQUIE 19 JUIN 1839", endorsed "Pr. British Queen", addressed to Wooley, Bell & Co, the forwarder in Liverppl. On the "Eurotas" to Malta where it was disinfected with matching " PURIFIE AU LAZARET MALTE", from there put on the "Ramses" to Marseilles. Charged with "5/5" for the double rate, with further manuscript charge "20¾" for the 18¾ inland postage plus 2c. ship fee, reverse slightly reinforced, an attractive and very rare non-contract steamship letter showing disinfection, ex Dick Winter

1839, GREAT WESTERN: Folded lettersheet from "MOBILE JUN 5" and matching straight-line "PAID" alongside to London via New York forwarder, endorsed "Express", charged with "75" in red ink (25cents inland and 50 cents express fee), ocean crossing unpaid, two-line "BRISTOL SHIP LETTER" applied, fine and scarce

1839, GREAT WESTERN: Folded letter with printed letterhead from a director of the Transatlantic Steamship Co that provides evidence that many letters were sent as parcels to avoid Post Office charges "For parcels supposed to contain letters and which are desired to be put into the letter bags we do not give receipts", addressed to New York with adjacent "PAID AT Liverpool", fine

1839, LIVERPOOL: Folded letter dated "Western Bank July 5 1839" with red cds. "BALTIMORE JUL 4", endorsed "Steamer Liverpool", addressed to London, rated as quadruple letter and charged "100" (4x25 c. freight money) and in Liverpool rated as double-weight letter with "3/2", fine and interesting entire

1839, LIVERPOOL: Folded letter dated "Richmond 11th Dec 1839" with matching red cds. "RICHMOND DEC 11 Va", endorsed "p. Liverpool Steam Ship", addressed to Liverpool, reverse showing red two-line "PAID STEAM" which is peculiar to Richmond on Transatlantic mail, forced into Fayal to re-coal, charged with "8" uniform ship letter rate, fine and interesting

1839, LIVERPOOL: Folded letter dated "Quebec 8th May" with matching red cds. "QUEBEC MY 11 1839" alongside, addressed to Falkirk, reverse with two-line "LIVERPOOL SHIPLETTER", three strikes of "PAID" with manuscript ratings "11", "18¾" and "25", charged with "1/8" and Scottish wheel tax, fine and interesting entire

1840, PRESIDENT: Maiden Voyage, folded letter dated "Liverpool 25 July 1840" with red "SHIP-LETTER LIVERPOOL 31 JY 31", endorsed "pr. President", addressed to New York, charged with "8" d. for the ship letter rate effective 10th January 1840 from anywhere in the U.K., fine and scarce entire

1840, PRESIDENT: Maiden Return Voyage, folded lettersheet from New York, endorsed "p. Steamer President", addressed to Bordeaux, charged with "8" shipletter rate and finally "46" decimes, fine

1840, PRESIDENT: Folded letter dated "NORFOLK Virginia 28 October 1840" with matching cds. "NORFOLK OCT 29", straight-line "PAID" and manuscript charge "Inland 25 / Steamer 25", addressed to Paris, carried from New York to Liverpool with two-line "LIVERPOOL SHIP LETTER" on reverse, manuscript "8" due rating, "1/6" charge to France, very fine and attractive, letter was carried on the 2nd of 2½ round voyages before the "President" was lost at sea without a trace. The only recorded freight money letter from Norfolk, Va. 

1843, GREAT WESTERN: Folded letter dated "Edinburg 8th February 1843", franked with 1841 GB Victoria 2d. horizontal strip of six and horizontal pair, tied by maltese cross, endorsed "p. Great Western from Bristol", adressed to New York. Especially the first two stamps of the strip somewhat touched, vertical crease through the second stamp as well as further right, still and attractive entire

1845, GREAT BRITAIN: Maiden Voyage, folded letter dated "London 25th July 1845" to New York, endorsed "per Great Britain", red "SHIP LETTER PAID LONDON 25 JY 25 1845" struck alongside, charged with "8" for the ship letter fee, fine

1845, GREAT BRITAIN: Folded letter dated "Liverpool 26 Sept. 1845" to Portsmouth, pre-paid the ½oz ship letter rate of "8", red "NEW-YORK SHIP OCT 15 12 cts." alongside, fine

1846, GREAT BRITAIN: Folded letter dated "Liverpool 19 August 1846" endorsed "p. Great Britain", addressed to New York, charged "8" for ship fee, leaving Liverpool on the 22nd of September with matching "SHIP-LETTER LIVERPOOL SP 22 46" on reverse, during the journey the strip stranded on the rocks in Dundrum Bay of the Coast of Northern Ireland, the mails were quickly salvaged and sent on to New York, there charged with "7" cents., a very fine and rare entire with only a handful of covers from this Shipwreck known

1846, GREAT BRITAIN: Folded letter dated "Smyrna 8 Juno 1846" to Boston, endorsed "p Steamer via Liverpool", slit and fumigated, forwarded by J. Thompson & Co., missed the sailing of the "Cambria", reverse showing "SHIP LETTER LIVERPOOL JY 6 46" and put on the "Great Britain" for which the normal rate would have been 8d., fine