Lot 10422 – 1809, Nov. 6. Entire letter from Veracruz to Cádiz (Spain), with endorsement, de

1809 (Nov 6). Entire letter from Veracruz to Cádiz (Spain), with endorsement, deleted at top, indicating carriage by an indistinct frigate which was not available at that moment, then amended to “Frag.ta Ynglesa Lilly” at lower left, showing carriage by the English “Lilly” frigate, this letter leaving Veracruz after the application of Italic two-line “Nueva/España.” hs in black (P.E. 9) and, as per 1807 tariff, hs on arrival with “7R” rate marking for the single weight, to be paid by the recipient. This, the only cover recorded from Mexico carried by a British ship before 1815, also represents the earliest letter recorded carried by a non-Spanish ship from Spanish Caribbean ports. Of great fascination and interest, from both the historical and postal points of view.

Note: In 1815, when the commerce was opened to foreign nations, Spain allowed access to foreign vessels to their Caribbean ports. Nevertheless, there is but one instance recorded of a British ship touching port in Mexico, this exception being the British frigate “Lilly”, which directly carried this letter from Veracruz to Cádiz in 1809. At that time, Spain had been invaded by Napoleon and was fighting its War of Independence against France, an event which induced an alliance with England. Occasionally British warships were the sole means of maintaining communication with the Colonies, since part of the Spanish fleet had been taken over by the French.

Provenance: Rosenthal and Sitjà.