The 4 cents Straits Settlements stamp is probably the 4c violet on red paper King Edward VII issued in 1902 and it is postmarked SINGAPORE/ B/ DE 21/ 98. The letter is simply addressed to Malacca, part of the Malay peninsula British colony made up of Malacca, Penang and Singapore. Its administration had been transferred from India to the British Secretary of State for the Colonies in 1867, at which
The entire raises more questions than answers, for aspects of the letter are in doubt, particularly the name of the convict, but the story is worth reporting. The vendor describes it as follows: “1858 (16th Nov) entire from Port Arthur to Newtown, Hobart from the convict John Lester to the Governor of Tasmania appealing for a reduction of his sentence, franked with (the imperforate blue) 6d tied by barred numeral
This cover was sent to an interesting Scotsman, who gave much of his life to being an administrator in India during the British Raj period. It has significance for it was sent to him in 1905 less than a year after he started his illustrious career in India. The pair of the ‘ONE PENNY’ stamps of Victoria are cancelled MELBOURNE/ P.M/ 3.30/ 8.11.05/ 10, and the cover is addressed to
The On Her Majesty’s Service cover was addressed to His Excellency, The Earl of Ranfurly K.C.M.G., Government House, Wellington, New Zealand. There was a Department of Agriculture Frank Stamp, Victoria and an overlying partially illegible MELBOURNE/ 30 ( )/ ( )/ 7 postmark. The frank stamp was introduced in 1886 and Ranfurly was Governor of N.Z. from 1897 – 1904 (Figure 1). The reverse had no postmarks but there was
This long cover has a manuscript ‘No 14 of 1820’at upper left, ‘On H.M.Service’ at upper right and it was addressed to The Right Honble Earl Bathurst K.G., Downing St., London, plus a further manuscript at lower left, Govr Macquarie (Figures 1 and 1A). An additional Macquarie item was the letter he wrote to Messrs Wilson & Son, Bannockburn, Stirling, Scotland on 7 May 1810, relating to provision of the uniforms for the regiment ….. “purchased by the
The Victorian Governor’s frank stamp description is quoted in its entirety from G. Kellow’s “The Stamps of Victoria 1990, page 379: “The early history of this frank stamp is confusing. It was not part of the original allocation, and in fact the 1864 Act specified that the Governor’s signature was sufficient endorsement to allow the mail to be carried free. This was changed by legislation coming into force on 1
This cover was very interesting at first sight in regards to the sender and the postmarks, but a significant bonus was provided by the recipient, who will be dominant person in this paper. The front showed the SYDNEY/ DE 18/ 1-P-M/ 00/ 44 as the four-bar obliterator duplex (in use 9 April1900 until 31 August 1901) plus the early use of the bright blue 3 ring GOVERNOR-GENERAL/ FRANK STAMP/ AUSTRALIA,
This ‘On Her Majesty’s Service’ cover was addressed to His Excellency Sir Henry Barkly KCB, Government House, Mauritius and it has a small black MELBOURNE/ 6V/ OC 23/ 65, VICTORIA duplex postmark, as well as the faint blue GOVERNOR OF VICTORIA frank stamp. There is also a manuscript ‘Sir Charles Darling’ (Figure 1). A second cover with manuscript ‘On Her Majesty’s Service’ sent ‘pr Elizabeth’ was sent to His Excellency
This fairly unique mourning cover was sent by William Humble Ward, the 2nd Earl of Dudley when he was Australia’s fourth Governor General from 1908-1911. It was postmarked with a duplex ENGLISH MAIL T.P.O./ JY 3/ 10/ +, with the double ring GOVERNOR GENERAL/ FRANK STAMP/ AUSTRALIA in blue, as well as the oval VICTORIA/ crown/ OFFICIAL PAID in black. It is addressed to a long-standing English Company, Messrs Coutts &
Two covers at the same auction site unite the above 2 men who both became Knight Commanders of St. Michael and St. George, members of the second highest rank of the British order of knighthood. The first long blue cover is On Her Majesty’s Service stampless cover with a red GOVERNOR OF VICTORIA frank stamping, and a MELBOURNE/ 1 S/ JN 11/ 77 duplex and is addressed to The Rt.