The David Golden Collection of Hawaiian Stamps and Postal History continued...

THE EARLIEST OF THREE RECORDED COVERS FROM HAWAII TO THE UNITED STATES VIA MEXICO THAT ENTERED THE GULF PORT OF PENSACOLA, FLORIDA.

Peter Allan Brinsmade (1804-59) was the husband of Elizabeth Goodale of Hallowell, Maine. Brinsmade was a founding partner of Ladd & Company, an early business enterprise in Hawaii behind the first commercial sugar cane plantation and first international land speculation in the Hawaiian Islands. Financial difficulties and the withdrawal of Belgian investors caused the firm to collapse in 1844.

The USS Peacock was originally launched as a sloop-of-war in 1813. She served in the War of 1812, capturing 20 ships. Subsequently she served in the Mediterranean Squadron and in the "Mosquito Fleet" suppressing Caribbean piracy. She patrolled the South American coast during the colonial wars of independence. She was decommissioned in 1827 and broken up in 1828 to be rebuilt an exploration ship by the same name. When plans for the exploratory voyage stalled in Congress, the Peacock re-entered regular service in the West Indies from 1829-31 and was sent to Brazil in 1832. She carried diplomat Edmund Roberts to Siam in March and Muscat in September 1833, where he negotiated treaties of amity and commerce. Returning in 1835-37, she carried the ratification of those treaties. It was on this return trip that the Peacock stopped at Honolulu and carried this letter eastward to Mexico. The Peacock eventually joined the United States Exploring Expedition in 1838, where she did service before getting stuck on a bar of the Columbia River in Oregon and breaking up in July 1841. (Source: Wikipedia).

The Gregory census of trans-Mexico covers lists three that entered the port of Pensacola after departing Vera Cruz. The letter offered here was sent from Honolulu in 1836. The other two were mailed in 1846. Curiously, all three were rated at Pensacola without the usual 2c ship fee.

Gregory Census Eastbound No. 6. Illustrated in Westerberg article (Collectors Club Philatelist, Jan. 1955) and Mexican Maritime Mail, Schimmer-Heath, p. 139. Ex Fitzpatrick and Van Dyke (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE CONDITION AND ONE OF TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES OF MAIL FROM HAWAII TO THE UNITED STATES VIA MEXICO THAT WAS PREPAID AT THE WEST COAST PORT OF GUAYMAS.

Peter Allan Brinsmade (1804-59) was a founding partner of Ladd & Company, an early business enterprise in Hawaii behind the first commercial sugar cane plantation and first international land speculation in the Hawaiian Islands. Financial difficulties and the withdrawal of Belgian investors caused the firm to collapse in 1844.

This letter was carried from Honolulu to Guaymas on the Mexican ship Swallow, which sailed on Apr. 27, 1838. It has a twin dated two days earlier from the same correspondence that travelled in the same mail to Guaymas and on to New York. Both have the "FRANCO EN/GUAIMAS" handstamp and manuscript marking indicating that 25c, the equivalent of 2 reales, was paid by "L & Co." (Ladd & Co.) to cover Mexican postage from Guaymas to Vera Cruz. The other cover was marked "39-1/2" cents due for double 18-3/4c rate plus 2c ship fee.

Gregory Census Eastbound No. 10. (Image)

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VERY FINE. A RARE AND ATTRACTIVE COVER FROM HAWAII TO THE UNITED STATES WITH MAZATLAN, MEXICO, FORWARDER'S MARKING AND VERA CRUZ DATESTAMP.

This and the letter offered in lot 23 were carried on the schooner Morse, which sailed from Honolulu on Dec. 1, 1839. It carried the mail to Mazatlan via Monterey. After reaching Vera Cruz, both letters were carried to New Orleans, where they entered the U.S. mail as ship letters.

Gregory Census Eastbound No. 12. (Image)

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VERY FINE. A RARE AND ATTRACTIVE COVER FROM HAWAII TO THE UNITED STATES WITH MAZATLAN, MEXICO, FORWARDER'S MARKING AND VERA CRUZ DATESTAMP.

This and the letter offered in lot 22 were carried on the schooner Morse, which sailed from Honolulu on Dec. 1, 1839. It carried the mail to Mazatlan via Monterey. After reaching Vera Cruz, both letters were carried to New Orleans, where they entered the U.S. mail as ship letters.

This letter contains some interesting comments about local events: "There is a great change in the times here -- some things for the worse, some for the better -- the native population are dying off very fast -- nothing like before -- the American Missionaries are fast having their influence. The Catholic Priests will doubtless soon supplant them...", followed by further remarks about the appeal of the Catholic Church to native Hawaiians.

Gregory Census Eastbound No. 13. (Image)

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THE EARLIEST OF SEVEN RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE SCARBOROUGH & COMPANY OVAL HANDSTAMP ON MAIL FROM HAWAII TO THE UNITED STATES VIA MEXICO.

This letter was carried on the brig Joseph Peabody, which sailed from Honolulu on Aug. 5, 1841 (the lapse of time between the June 15 letter date and sailing is unexplained). After reaching Scarborough & Co. in Mazatlan, the letter was carried across Mexico to Vera Cruz, where it was marked paid and sent on to New York.

The letter includes comments on school, politics, religion ("The churches in general remain much as when I wrote last i.e. exhibiting no unusual interest in religion") and an important description of Kapiolani: "Another chief has fallen. Kapiolani the widow of Naihe, applied to me in March last to examine tumour in her breast which had been growing for some months. It proved to be a cancer. I of course prepared an operation as it did not appear to have advanced so far as to present an unfavorable case. As I could command no medical council here & not willing if it could be avoided to assume the responsibility of operating alone I advised her to go to Honolulu to Doct. Judd. Doct. J. in the presence of a physician resident at H. removed the breast. The wound healed speedily and she was on the point of sailing for another island to attend the national assembly of which she had been just appointed a member when she was attacked with erysipelas of which she died in a few days. She was one of the brightest ornaments of this nation, both as a christian and in point of civilization."

Gregory Census Eastbound No. 25. Ex Honolulu Advertiser (Image)

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VERY FINE. ONE OF SEVEN RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE SCARBOROUGH & COMPANY OVAL HANDSTAMP ON MAIL FROM HAWAII TO THE UNITED STATES VIA MEXICO.

Although the sender marked this letter to go on the Maryland, evidently that vessel did not sail as intended. Instead, the letter was carried on the schooner Shaw, which sailed from Lahaina on Jul. 18, 1842. The writer refers to an opportunity to send his letter on the Maryland and mentions arranging for mail to be carried on packets from Vera Cruz.

Gregory Census Eastbound No. 30. Ex Van Dyke (with his backstamp) (Image)

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VERY FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED COVER BETWEEN HAWAII AND THE UNITED STATES WHICH TRANSITED THE GULF PORT OF TAMPICO, MEXICO, RATHER THAN VERA CRUZ. IT IS ALSO THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THIS FORWARDER'S HANDSTAMP ON HAWAIIAN MAIL.

The "pr. Emeline/Davidson" notation cannot be matched with a sailing vessel of the period and might refer to a person. This letter was probably carried on the brig Maryland, sailing from Honolulu on Sep. 27, 1842. For an unknown reason, it was sent from Mazatlan to Tampico, rather than Vera Cruz, almost certainly on the overland route via Durango. From Tampico it caught one of the regular packets to New Orleans, where it entered the mails on Dec. 13. This is the only cover in the Gregory census that went via Tampico.

The letter includes an interesting endnote regarding the mail route chosen for this letter: "Your mother... has just written you a letter which will probably go around the cape. This is to go by way of Mazatlan. Please to write me immediately by way of N.Y. and Mazatlan."

Gregory Census Eastbound No. 37. Ex Van Dyke (with his backstamp) (Image)

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VERY FINE. ONE OF SEVEN RECORDED COVERS IN PRIVATE HANDS THAT MADE THE WESTBOUND TRIP FROM THE UNITED STATES TO HAWAII VIA MEXICO. A REMARKABLE POSTAL HISTORY ARTIFACT.

This letter has a twin from the same correspondence, dated Dec. 25, 1842, both of which were carried from New York to Vera Cruz on the same regular monthly packet. The letters entered the Mexican post office on Apr. 20. From there they made the overland trip to Mazatlan, where William Scarborough paid 4 reales Mexican postage for each letter and arranged to have them sent on the brig Maryland, which arrived in Honolulu on July 1, 1843. The letters were carried together to Lahaina, reaching the Reverend Baldwin on July 8.

Westbound covers to Hawaii via Mexico are very rare. The Gregory census records 61 eastbound (from Hawaii) and 25 westbound (to Hawaii), but a much larger percentage of westbound covers are held in institutional collections, leaving only seven in private hands.

Gregory Census Westbound No. 9. See lot 32 for another westbound letter from the Baldwin correspondence. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. ONLY THREE EXAMPLES OF THE SCARBOROUGH & COMPANY LARGE FRAMED HANDSTAMP ARE RECORDED ON COVERS BETWEEN HAWAII AND THE UNITED STATES VIA MEXICO.

This letter was carried on the HMS Champion, sailing from Honolulu on Dec. 23, 1843. Scarborough & Co. arranged for it to be carried overland to Vera Cruz, where it was marked paid (five covers are recorded with the "FRANCO EN/VERACRUZ." two-line handstamp). From there it was carried to New Orleans, where it and the letter offered in lot 30 entered the mail on Feb. 27, 1844.

Gregory Census Eastbound No. 39 (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. ONLY THREE EXAMPLES OF THE SCARBOROUGH & COMPANY LARGE FRAMED HANDSTAMP ARE RECORDED ON COVERS BETWEEN HAWAII AND THE UNITED STATES VIA MEXICO.

This letter was carried on the HMS Champion, sailing from Honolulu on Dec. 23, 1843. Scarborough & Co. arranged for it to be carried overland to Vera Cruz, where it was marked paid (five covers are recorded with the "FRANCO EN/VERACRUZ." two-line handstamp). From there it was carried to New Orleans, where it and the letter offered in lot 29 entered the mail on Feb. 27, 1844. The Mar. 8 receipt docketing corresponds to the Feb. 27 postmark date. We are not sure why the letter in lot 29 was not received until April, since both should have been carried in the same northbound mail.

Gregory Census Eastbound No. 38 (Image)

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