£240
MELBOURNE - CLIPPER 'MARCO POLO' COVER TO G.B. WITH S. AUSTRALIA FRANKING DISALLOWED; 13 July 1855 E was clearly written from South Australia (it has a filing note of its date of writing - 13 July 55 - inside) and was probably written by the addressees brother Samuel (later Sir Samuel) Davenport who had emigrated to S.A. in 1843. It was correctly prepaid for the 6d Packet rate to England with a Strip of Three South Australia 1st-Issue 2d Reds (wide margins at top & left; shaved elsewhere - all affected by filing folds) and endorsed "Per Marco Polo" on the front, but oddly it was then not posted until it reached Melbourne. The P.O. notices in the Adelaide press during the days just before this letter was written made it clear that the S.S. Havilah was to leave Adelaide for Melbourne (to connect with the Marco Polo) on 13 July at 11am, and the ship did indeed leave on that day. So this letter - presumably carried by a passenger or the Captain on the Havilah, because it was too late to catch the mail from Adelaide P.O. - was posted at Melbourne in good time for the Marco Polos departure, on 22 July 1855 with mails from Melbourne 21 July, which fits with the MELBOURNE/ VICTORIA oval d.s. (20 July) on the reverse. The stamps were left uncancelled in Melbourne and a black manuscript 1[d] added as the claim for a 1d credit from G.B. to Victoria for a share of the postage. The Marco Polo duly reached Liverpool on 20 Oct. (AUSTRALIAN/LIVERPOOL/PACKET c.d.s. on reverse) and it was marked with the Liverpool h.s. d6 postage Due mark (as if it had been posted unpaid) and the South Australian stamps were therefore wasted. This is thought to be a Unique Usage of S.A. 1st-Issue stamps in Victoria. Cross Reference: SOUTH AUSTRALIA, POSTAGE DUE MARKS, POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS, MARITIME MAIL
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