Scan or Photo Courtesy of Gowtham BJ
Date
1793
Description
**1793 entire letter posted from Guernsey on 10th June 1793, addressed to Mr. Thomas Fiott de Havilland at Madras. The letter reached Madras after 177 days, carried by the East Indiaman *Earl Cornwallis*, a 755-ton ship which completed eight voyages between 1784 and 1800.** **The ship first arrived at Vizagapatam, situated on the coast north of Madras, approximately 490 miles away. This is confirmed by the manuscript endorsement: “Post Not Paid 5 Fannams from ship Vizagapatam 4th Dec 93.” As Vizagapatam did not have a “Post Not Paid” handstamp, the bearing postage of 5 fanams was recorded in manuscript.** This is the only recorded letter showing bearing postage in manuscript from Vizagapatam.
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Other recorded marks at Vizagapatam
7 marks7 other pre-1854 postal markings of Vizagapatam are recorded in the census. Compare their figure numbers, dates and colours to identify the mark on your cover.
About this record
This 1793 pre stamp cover of British India bears the Vizagapatam MN 1 handstamp of the Madras Presidency, a mark with 1 example recorded in this census — the only surviving cover with this mark recorded so far. It has appeared at auction with Private.