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WEST INDIES MARITIME MAIL - THE FALMOUTH PACKET

An entire written by a junior naval officer on H.M.S.Magnificent stationed at Port Royal in
Jamaica on 20th February 1831. In Falmouth on 6th April it was struck with Tabeart FP 5 and
charged 2/6d (l/3d plus inland from Falmouth to Aberdeen of l/3d ). There does not appear to
have been any attempt to charge the 14d Scottish wheel tax. The cover went through Edinburgh
on the 8th and arrived in Aberdeen on the 10th. Ex Seaton.

An entire from the captain of HMS Snake in Port Royal, Jamaica written on 8th June 1838
to his father Admiral David Milne. It was sent by the packet, but although endorsed “Snake” it is
believed that this was the ship he was on, not the packet that carried the letter. In Falmouth it was
back stamped with an undated Tabeart FP6 in green and charged 2/514d - l/3d packet, l/2d
inland to Coldstream where it received a Penny Post mark, and a Vzd Scottish wheel tax. The
scarcity of the green Falmouth “F” marks is not completely understood. They may have been
applied to loose ship’s letters or only to the top letter in a bundle of letters.