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Auction: 17025 - Bermuda, Crossroads of the Atlantic: A Postal History from 1617 to 1877 - The David Pitts Collection
Lot: 138

(x) Packet Letters
The Cunard Line, 1833-1886
The last Admiralty packet left Falmouth on 6 June 1840, Thereafter Cunard steamers assumed the transatlantic route under contract to the Admiralty, using Liverpool as their home base. From January 1848, Cunard's transatlantic service altered weekly between Boston and New York, however after July 1848 the New York steamers did not stop at Halifax. There are five different routes
Route 4, July 1854-December 1867
At this time Cunard stopped at Halifax on its bi-weekly run to New York, its bi-weekly service to Boston stopped at Halifax on the return trip only. Therefore, Bermuda received its mail by Cunard steamer from Halifax only once a month. Depending on the connection, mail on the "regular" New York-bound trip arrived in about 18 days while mail brought by the "intermediate" Boston-bound trip had to wait two weeks at Halifax and took 33 days.
The "regular" route was G.B.-Halifax-Bermuda-St. Thomas-Bermuda-Halifax-G.B.
The "intermediate" route was G.B.-Boston-Halifax-Bermuda-Halifax-G.B.
There was no direct organised service from the United States to Bermuda from 1854 until 1868. Mail was carried on an ad hoc basis from New York depending on availability. Some was carried through Halifax or St. Thomas. Direct services began on a private contract basis in 1868.
Route 4 North of Bermuda not involving St. Thomas
Mail Between Bermuda and Other Destinations
1859 (23 Apr.) envelope (opened-out) from Calcutta "via Marseilles" to Hamilton, per Europa to Halifax where misdirected to Hamilton, Ontario and re-routed back to Halifax and then per Delta to Bermuda, bearing 1855 blued paper 8a. carmine in combination with 1856-64 ½a. blue and 2a. yellow-buff (2) all clearly cancelled "B/1", showing manuscript "1/4d" packet rate and "5" credited to Great Britain, and with framed "india paid" handstamp, London (28.5) and Liverpool (29.5) datestamps, all on face, the reverse with "missent-to" handstamp followed by Hamilton datestamp (14.6) followed by curved-framed "canada" handstamp, together with Calcutta, Quebec and Hamilton datestamps; adhesives with a few small imperfections though a remarkable franking, full of character. The only recorded cover from Bermuda to India. Photo

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