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WEST INDIES MARITIME MAIL- PRE 1842
SHIP LETTERS

A part entire from Port Au Prince, Haiti that originally contained letters written on 2nd, 11th
and 24th July 1821 and was stated to weigh 1 oz., a quadruple rate. In Cork, it was struck with Tabeart
S2 in red, and then sent to Dublin where it was struck with a very faint Ship Letter (S3), then to Holyhead
and finally to London. Irish Ship Letter rates were very different to those in the remainder of the
U.K. - 6d instead of 8d for a single rate and a maximum of 1/-. The rate was originally calculated
as lid , the single rate from Cork to Dublin, then 4/8d (4 x lid plus 1/- ship letter) and finally 9/8d
including the Dublin to Holyhead packet (4 x 3d) and British inland (4 x 1/-).

An entire written in Tobago on 23rd February 1821 and landed in Bristol where it was struck
with Tabeart S 7 in red. As a single letter, it was charged 1/10 ViA - 8d ship letter, l/2d inland for
400-500 miles and lA d Scottish wheel tax. It took 52 days, door to door, of which 14 were taken up
by the last 135 miles of circuitous track from Glasgow to Campbeltown and explains why the steamer
route was much quicker.