WRECK OF THE S.S. EMEU - MATCHED PAIR OF "VIA MARSEILLES" CO...

Hammer

£750

WRECK OF THE S.S. EMEU - MATCHED PAIR OF "VIA MARSEILLES" COVERS TO G.B. (ONE MISSENT VIA SOUTHAMPTON); Remarkable 15 Sept. 1857 pair of ELs from Melbourne (Victoria) to the same London address and each endorsed "P. Emeu via Marseilles" - franked by 1854 1/- Blue octagon or 1854 3d Blue + 6d Orange (clear margins in places) all tied by "1" Numerals. The Emeu ran aground on 22 Oct. on a reef near Duberdabb in Sudan; these letters were then taken across the Red Sea in a small local vessel to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), and on in another small boat northwards where it fell in with the S.S. Madras by which the mails were taken on to Suez. Only a small proportion of the mails were prepaid at the Via Marseilles rates (9d and 1/-; under ¼oz, or ¼oz up to ½oz) but this 9d-rate letter was accidentally routed via Southampton and so arrived in London 7 days later (each with fine cds on the front; 30 Nov. & 7 Dec.) than this 1/- rate letter. Rare matched pair of Exhibition Quality covers from this fascinating incident, the mails from which unexpectedly (!) transited both Sudan and Saudi Arabia. With copious research notes. [Both ex Capt. Ward.] (2 covers) Cross Reference: VICTORIA, CRASH/WRECK MAIL, SAUDI ARABIA, SUDAN