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Rhode Island Stampless
Covers & Letters |
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This stampless folded letter was sent at
the 181/2 cent
rate set by the
Postal Act of April 9, 1816,
effective May 1, 1816
for mail traveling a distance
between 150 and 400 miles,
(New York to Bristol, RI). It
was mailed from New Orleans
on April 5, 1823 via the
Brig Anethura
to New York
where it received the 201/2
cent rate marking, (181/2 cent rate plus
the 2 cent fee for the Captain of the Brig). The letter
was then forwarded
on May 6, 1823
to Bristol, Rhode Island. The dimensions of the Red Ship Marking are 20 mm by 5 mm. According to the "American Stampless Cover Catalog" Volume II; this marking was used in New York in 1817 and a marking of 21 mm by 6 mm was in use during 1823. However, this marking is clearly 20 x 5 and used at New York in 1823. |
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The letter is from the factor A. R.
Taylor, writing from New Orleans, LA
concerning the loading of a Brig with cotton
for Nicholas Peck. It mentions current
prices and loading rates. It also mentions
three possible ports that the ship could visit and
talks about repressing the cotton bales.
(I believe the cotton bales were originally more loosely packed for shipping down river to New Orleans and by repacking them, room can me made to carry additional bales in the available space at a 4 for 3 ratio.) NICHOLAS PECK NOTE: Bristol did not become part of the state of Rhode Island until 1747. Nicholas was a successful Bristol Merchant and dealt in such diverse cargos as cotton, vegetables, grains, nails, lumber and rum. He was also engaged in the slave trade and there is record of Peck financing a fishing voyage to the northern Codfish Grounds. Peck owned several ships outright and also partnered in shipping ventures with John Brown, Thomas Church, Charles Collins, Nathaniel Gladding (Ship Captain), Henry Munro, Samuel Townsend, and John Wardwell. During the late 18th and early 19 centuries the value of the cargos was usually far greater than the cost of the ships that carried them and Peck had a reputation for sending his cargos to sea on ships that were less than seaworthy. NOTE: In the case of the letter below; the factor lists the brig as a class B.No.1, whereas a fully seaworthy vessel would have been rated at A.No.1 or A.No.2. Nicholas Peck was married to Elizabeth Smith (1766-1797), Jemima Gorham (1774-1798), and Sally Gorham who outlived him. Nicholas Peck died on June 11, 1847 in Bristol, Rhode Island. One of Nicholas's sons, Nicholas Peck Jr., emigrated to Gonzales, Texas in 1831. He purchased 4 lots in the town in 1835 and joined the Texas Republican Army, serving first under Captain Jacob Eberly and later under Captain Moseley at the Battle of San Jacinto. He returned to Rhode Island in 1837 for his wife and daughter and settled in Texana, Texas. He died in 1838. SEE ALSO: 1817 Letter - Philadelphia to Nicholas Peck - Safe Arrival of Brig Francis |
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VIEW: Annexed Price List |
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RI Historical
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