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INTER ISLAND MAIL

A partial wrapper from British Guiana addressed to St Lucia in December 1861. It
underpaid the 14 oz rate with a 4 cent adhesive which was cancelled by an A 03 barred oval and
charged 8 cents due, to make a total rate of 12 cents. A similar letter from a year earlier was
franked 2 cents and charged 4 cents with a large “ 1” in black. The inland letter rate at the time was
4 cents (2d) per 14 oz, the rate to the U.K. was 12 cents (6d) so the inter island rate should have been
8 cents. It is not clear whether the blue “2” is an inland rate, an indication that the letter was a
double rate or an accounting mark. The most likely explanation which would apply to both letters is
that the manuscript marks were applied in St Lucia, and the clerk misunderstood the exchange rate.
Using 3 cents to the Id the first letter was a single rate and the second a double. NB 6 years earlier
the Georgetown P.O. was charging 6 bits for an inter-colonial letter which because of FX
fluctuations was worth 6d.

A very tatty prices current (a supplement to “The Colonist” of 22nd October 1863) back
stamped with a Demerara thimble on the 23rd and sent to Trinidad. It was franked with a 2 cent
adhesive which was cancelled by an A 03 barred oval.