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Auction: 17025 - Bermuda, Crossroads of the Atlantic: A Postal History from 1617 to 1877 - The David Pitts Collection
Lot: 156

(x) Packet Letters
The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, 1842-1850
The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was formed to take advantage of faster communications offered by steam power, initially for the West Indies though including a few Mexican ports. In 1847, as trade with Mexico increased, additional routes to the western Caribbean and east coast of Mexico were added. There were two contracts with the RMSP involving stops at Bermuda between 1854 and 1850. After 1 August 1850, RMSP ceased stopping at Bermuda, and Cunard's Halifax route became the principal one from Bermuda. There were four routes during the first contract and three during the second
First Contract
Route 3, 16 June 1843-6 July 1844
The steamer of the 2nd made for St. Thomas where the route split - St. Thomas to Bermuda branch as Route 2 and St. Thomas to Mexico, returning home via Bermuda. Thus, Bermuda had two homeward bound services a month, from St. Thomas and Mexico, but there was only one inbound from Great Britain, the St. Thomas branch
The new routes, reflecting the split, were
1. Southampton-Falmouth-St. Thomas-Bermuda-Falmouth, and 2. Southampton, Falmouth-Barbados-Grenada-St. Thomas-Mexican Ports-Havana-Nassau-Bermuda-Falmouth
There was no stop at Falmouth after 1 September 1843
1843 (1 Oct.) double rate entire from Mexico "Per M.P. Steamer" to Belgium, sent from Vera Cruz per Severn to Bermuda, per Trent to Southampton and then via Ostend to destination, showing rate handstamp inscribed "débours etrangiers" for "8/10" (2 x 4/6 less 1d. concession to London), "taxe reduite" for "114" (centimes = 1/-) and "port belge" for "20" (centimes Belgian internal postage) and showing, on reverse, superb despatch, London (7.11), "angleterre/par ostende" (8.11) and arrival (9.11) datestamps; full of character and a rare destination demonstrating the importance of Bermuda in transatlantic communication from the western Caribbean. Photo

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£480