Lot 10430 – 1798, April 16. Ship’s register envelope from Cádiz to Veracruz of the Spanish “

1798 (April 16). Ship’s register envelope from Cádiz to Veracruz of the Spanish “Nuestra Señora del Rosario y San Jacinto” xebec, bearing “Se Franqueó/En Cadiz.” two-line postmark, centrally and well struck in red, with signatures of the Cádiz and Veracruz postmasters recording dispatch and receipt, sealed on reverse with “Real Aduana de Cadiz-Comercio Libre de Yndias” red wax with coat of arms, and consequently, as sealed correspondence, being subjected to pay the postal fees. On reverse, marked in manuscript with “Pagó 60 Rs”, representing postage paid for a weight of 3 3⁄4 ounces. Of great importance, the earliest documented ship’s register cover carried from Spain to America, being the only example known before the publication of the additional Royal Order of 1818 regulating this postal service.

Note: It should be considered that these transatlantic stampless postal documents are scarcer if originating from Spain (no more than ten in the whole colonial period) than all those examples known from the Americas (less than twenty).

Provenance: Alemany and Sitjà.