Lot 10434 – 1792, Aug. 1. Entire letter from Corn Island (off the Nicaraguan coast) to Brist

1792 (Aug 1). Entire letter from Corn Island (off the Nicaraguan coast) to Bristol (Great Britain), conveyed via Havana to be embarked on a Spanish Royal Mail Service ship, after application of Italic “Islas De/Barlovento” hs (P.E. 31) in red at Havana, thence to Corunna in Spain to be forwarded inland to France, where this mail was censored as indicated by internal “Vue/Interprète” signed notation below contents, as well as the red crayon “880” & “G” markings on front and the oval cachet of the French Republic on reverse. One shilling manuscript rate in England crossed out and replaced with “1/5” one shilling five pence. Interesting extract of the letter: “The Mosquito Shore is in convulsion, but we have received no insult”. There is a manuscript docket of receipt inside of July 9, 1795, which lead to believe that the letter was retained in France for three years, including the period of the War of the First Coalition in which also England and Spain were involved against France. An exceptional example of censored transatlantic mail in this early and turbulent period in Europe, further enhanced by another very rare usage of the “Islas De Barlovento” postmark -denoting a Spanish American postal territory- on mail to England.

Provenance: Sitjà.