22 October 1847 folded letter from Raleigh, Canada West to Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. This family letter travelled via London, C.W., Montreal and Quebec, C.E., thence probably by Cunard Line feeder service to Pictou, NS. arriving there on 8 November 1847; it passed through Charlottetown, P.E.I. on 12 November 1847 (all marks on reverse). The letter was charged two shillings and threepence Currency to Prince Edward Island' and a further twopence from Charlottetown to Cavendish in Queen's County.

As late as 1847 letters from Canada were still being rated by the distance carried; thus charges remained very high - a letter from Canada West (previously Upper Canada) to Prince Edward Island was charged the rate for 901-1000 miles, two shillings and threepence Currency.

10 December 1847 folded letter to St. John, New Brunswick to Boston, Massachusetts with red "X" postage due rate marking.

Letters from St. John, New Brunswick to the United States were sometimes carried privately to the United States (often by ship) and posted privately at the first port of call. This letter was carried to Eastport and placed in the post unpaid. 10 cents was the rate for a half ounce letter carried more than 300 miles as of 1 July 1845.

Passengers travelling to Europe from the United States by the British packets had the luxury of being able to write letters during the first part of their journey from Boston and then place them in the post when the vessel called at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Such letters from Nova Scotia to the United States had to be prepaid to the border, United States postage could be prepaid or left unpaid.

S.S. 'Cambria' out of Boston to Sowell, Massachusetts, via Halifax, Nova Scotia, 3rd September 1847.

'At Sea, Sept. 2. 1847
My Dearest Wife - We were detained by the fog in Boston Harbor, not five miles from you till 2 oclock this morning. This delay, as you may suppose was not a little trying, & the more so as you may suppose as we might have gotten outside of the Islands if the Boat had sailed promptly at 12 oclock. The delay of a single half an hour occasioned the further delay of twelve hours.'

A letter written on board 'Cambria' out of Boston on the 1st of September; the letter was posted at Halifax and travelled overland via St. Johns to be exchanged between St. Andrews, N.B. and Robbinston, Maine. Postage to the border, one shilling and a penny halfpenny Currency had to be prepaid. United States postage could be paid or unpaid - in this case charged at ten
cents (at which time the 'PAID' portion of the Halifax handstamp was deleted.}

31 May 1848 folded letter from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The letter was posted unpaid and sent overland to Halifax, charged elevenpence halfpenny Currency (tenpence Sterling) the rate for an half ounce letter carried 200-300 miles. The actual distance from Sydney to Halifax was calculated at 286 miles.

Letters from the northern extremities of Cape Breton Island to the remainder of Nova Scotia were often sent by sea utilizing the regular feeder services connecting Newfoundland, St. Pierre Miquelon and Halifax - such letters could travel at the port-to-port rate of fourpence Sterling, the overland route was more expensive and thus preferable for postal revenue.

Red Feb 3 New Orleans integral rate marking 5 cents, collect "Via Red River" on folded cover to Texas.

Contract Mail Steamboats carried Postal Department Route Agents, who took on-board mail, sorted, delivered to, and collected from, postal authorities along the way. This letter traveled from Alexandria, La. , overland to Jasper, Texas, to Zavala.

The Steamboat "Red River" ran from New Orleans to Shreveport, 1852 1857.

This is the earliest recorded cover, one full year before the ASCC listing.

New Orleans, La. to Lesa, Kingdom of Sardinia, Nov 29 1853 printed circular with red "New Orleans Nov 29" cds and matching "Paid 4" rating handstamp. New York large red "2" credit handstamp. to Great Britain carried by Ocean Line Hermann from New York Dec. 4 to Southampton arriving Dec. 19, Calais (12.20) entry cds, Lesa (12.30) arrival backstamp. Very Fine, an exceedingly scarce example carried by American contract steamship.

Under U.S.-British Treaty of 1848, newspapers could be sent to Kingdom of Sardinia via England at 4 cents each. Unsealed printed circulars were treated under the newspaper rate. Until April 1853, letters prepaid 4 cents show a 2 cents credit to Great Britain.

Blue "Fredk Loison's Printed Circular" handstamp with red New Orleans "PAID 2" handstamp on Feb 7 1855 unsealed printed circular from New Orleans, La. to Saulxures, France. Sent under the newspaper rate of 2c by British open mail, carried by Collins Line Atlantic from New York Feb. 21 to Liverpool arriving Mar. 4, red manuscript "15" centimes postage due rating, Very Fine.

Rated 2 cents paid for circular rate by British open mail and 15 centimes postage due in Saulxures.

November 1858 folded letter from Boston to St. John, New Brunswick with black oval "United States 6d" exchange office marking.

Black Haverhill, Ms Nov 14 1859 cds and "U. States" exchange office arced handstamp on folded letter to Nova Scotia.

The envelope of a letter posted unpaid in Haverhill and charged ten cents, sixpence Currency, the cross-border rate at the time. It was passed to Boston and, judging by its journey time, was included in the mail carried by British coastal steamer to Halifax, arriving there on 19th November 1859. The dates coincide with the scheduled sailing times of the Cunard Line 'America'

New York to Kentville, Nova Scotia, via Boston, Massachusetts, 16 July 1859. Partial wrapper of an entire posted unpaid in New York directed 'Pr Steamer from Boston for St. John'; charged ten cents, the cross-border rate at the time, it was marked with the exchange office charge of sixpence (Currency) and sent from St. John, New Brunswick to Kentville, via Windsor, Nova Scotia arriving there on 21 July 1859.

Letters from New York for Nova Scotia were sent by land to Boston for express steamship to St. John, then passed across the Bay of Fundy for Annapolis and on to destination. The New York exchange office used an oval '6d' handstamps for letters to the Maritime Provinces.

Boston, Massachusetts to Georgetown, Prince Edward Island, via Halifax, 1 June 1859.

This folded letter prepaid five cents in Boston and carried by British packet, the Cunard Line 'Canada', to Halifax. At Halifax the sea postage of fourpence Sterling was raised to which twopence Sterling inter-Provincial postage was added for a total of sixpence Sterling, ninepence Prince Edward Island Currency. On the reverse are Halifax and Prince Edward Island transit marks for the 2nd and 7th of June.

Brampton, Canada West, to Summerside, Prince Edward Island, 22 April 1860. A family letter (brother to sister) charged five cents. The letter travelled via Lennoxville and Montreal, 26 - 27 April 1860, and arrived in Charlottetown in May 1860. On the reverse, there is a large red arrival handstamp of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, dated 7th May 1860.

The letter reads:
"What are they getting the Rifle companies for, do you expect an invasion from some foreign enemy or is it to keep down civil commotion. I hope the conservative party in politics, now in power, is not driving the democrats into rebellion. Even this would be better than that you should devise a scheme to rush into republicanism and throw off by force of arms your allegiance to Great Britain!"

Canada adopted decimal currency on 1" July 1859 and letters to Prince Edward Island were charged five cents per half ounce if prepaid, although the threepence handstamps remained in use for some time, occasionally modified locally.

1835 Portsmouth Ship Letter
Portsmouth accounted for between 6 and 6.5% of all British ship letters.

FERRIAGE - "PAID 9 & 25"

In addition to the Canadian internal rate a 'ferriage' charge of 2d per letter was levied on mail from Upper Canada crossing the border, usually a river or lake, with the U.S.A. This applied from February 3rd 1929 until March 6th 1937,

Toronto, Canada to London, England via New York - July 20th 1835

The cover is marked “via New York”

Postmarks: -
“CITY of TORONTO U.C. JY 20 1835”
“PORTSMOUTH SHIP LETTER” Robertson type $13 recorded in black 1815-39,
“E24 AU 24 1835” (London)

Transit time to London 35 days.

Rate Markings: -
“PAID 9 & 25” (9d Cy & 25 cents U.S.) 9d Cy. made up of 7d + 2d ferriage,
“1/4” (Stg) 8d ship letter and 8d inland postage Portsmouth-London,

DUNNVILLE U.C. 4 July 1836 to New York folded letter with "Dunnville U.C." double-circle postmark with manuscript "Paid 6" and "Paid 25"

FERRIAGE - "PAID 1/11 & 75"

In North America the letter was treated as a three sheet letter but in Britain as a two sheet letter. It may have had an enclosure as the item above is one folded sheet. Note the ferriage charge is fixed regardless of the number of sheets.

FERRIAGE - "PAID 9 & 25"
Toronto, Canada to London, England via U.S.A. and Hastings - July 17th 1836

Postmarks: -
"CITY of TORONTO U.C. JY 17 1836" in red
"SHIP LETTER HASTINGS" Robertson type S4 only recorded in red 1837-40
"F 17 AU 17 1836" (London)

Transit time to London 31 days. The 'TOO LATE' mark shows late posting in the day.

Rate Markings: -
"PAID 9 & 25" (9d Cy & 25 cents U.S.) - 9d Cy. made up of 7d + 2d ferriage
"1/4" (Stg) - 8d ship letter and 1/- inland postage Hastings-London

FERRIAGE - "PAID 9 & 25"
Toronto, Canada to London, England via Falmouth - April 18" 1836

Postmarks:
"CITY of TORONTO U.C. AP 18 1836"
"FALMOUTH SHIP LETTER" Robertson type S6 recorded in red 1812-49,
"C 2 JU 2 1836" (London). Transit time to London 45 days

Rate Markings: -
"PAID 9 & 25" (9d Cy & 25 cents U.S.) - 9d Cy, made up of 7d + 2d ferriage,
"1/8" (Ste) - 8d ship letter and 1/- inland postage Falmouth-London

Montreal, Canada to Birmingham, England via Liverpool - June 26 1836

Postmarks: -
"MONTREAL L.C. JU 26 1836" in red
"LIVERPOOL SHIP LETTER" Robertson type S13 recorded 1834-38.

There is no arrival date.

Rate Markings: -
"PAID 6" (Cy) This is not in line with known rates
"PAID18 ¾" (U.S. Cents) 150 to 400 miles from Canadian border to U.S. port
"1/5" (Stg) - 8d ship letter and 9d inland postage Liverpool-Birmingham

Montreal was only about 30 miles from the nearest exchange point so the postage should have been 4½d Cy.

Postmarks:
"MONTREAL L.C. DE 28 1836" in red
"SHIP LETTER DEAL" Robertson type S10 in red recorded 1836-39,
"18 JAN 18 1837" - London in red

Transit time 21 days

The lower panel of the ship letter is 27 mm wide and should properly be type 10a. It was the last Deal ship letter mark to be introduced but an earlier mark is recorded up to 1851.

Rate Markings: -
"PAID 1/-" (Cy.) This is double the special rate from Montreal to the U.S. border
"PAID 37½" (U.S. Cents) double the 150 to 400 miles U.S. rate to the port
"1/4" (Stg) - 8d ship letter and 8d inland postage Deal-London

Montreal was only about 30 miles from the nearest exchange office. The 6d rate was in force from 1818-1837 and was reduced to 4 1/2 Cy in March 1837 when the ferriage charge was dropped elsewhere. The Letter appears to have been charged a single rate in Britain, but a double rate in N. America.

Mersea, nr. Windsor, Canada to Chelsea, England via Liverpool - April 15 1836

Postmarks: -
"MERSEA U.C. 15" Apl 36" in red, date in manuscript
"LIVERPOOL SHIP LETTER" Robertson type S13 recorded 1834-38
"EX 6 JY 6 1836" (London)
"10 Fn 10 JY 7 1836" (London) in red
"10 Fn 10 JY 7 1836" (London Twopenny Post) in red

Transit time 83 days, confirmed by "Received July 7 1836".

Rate Markings: -
"1/1" Cy. - Rate for 201-300 miles
"U. States. 1/3" Overwritten 25 (U.S. cents) - the rate in the U.S
"PAID 2/4"
"1/7" (Stg) - 8d ship letter and 11d inland postage Liverpool-London,
"?? 2" (Stg) - 2d for the London Twopenny Post,

Using the nearest exchange point at Windsor, only 30 miles from Mersea, would only have cost 4½d in Canadian postage. Instead the letter probably went via the Lewiston exchange office. The Mersea Post Office had only been open 6 months on 15/4/1836 so the postmaster probably had little experience of cross border mail.

"PAID 1/2 & 50"

Ferriage in Upper Canada was abolished in 1837 reducing the combined rate to New York from "9 & 25", (Cy. & U.S. cents), to "7 & 25"

A double letter was therefore rated "1/2 & 50"

The letter is marked "via New York"

Postmarks: -
"CITY of TORONTO U.C. DE 29 1837"
"LIVERPOOL SHIP LETTER" Robertson type S13 recorded in black 1815-39
"N 2 FE 2 1838" (London)

Transit time to London 35 days.

Rate Markings: -
"PAID 1/2 & 50" in red, (1/2d Cy & 50 cents U.S.)
"3/2" (Stg) - 2 x 8d ship letter and 2 x 11d inland postage Liverpool-London,

The letter states: - "I now send it" (an important document) "enclosed herein". The enclosure made the letter liable to double postage.