Description:

1823 lengthy entire letter headed "Hobart Town 2nd June 1823" & signed "Harris Walker" to London with a wonderfully fine and clear strike of the very rare undated 'HOBART/TOWN' circular postmark, to London with light 'PORTSMOUTH/SHIP=LETTER' "step" h/s in red, rated "2/8" for a double-rate letter, very fine oval '10 F-NOON 10/ NO-7/1823' arrival b/s in red, redirected within London, neat internal repairs with archival tape. An exceptional pre-stamp entire which is the earliest recorded letter going overseas bearing a Tasmanian postmark. Ex John Cress.



Carried per "Deveron", departed Hobart 2/6/1823 via Straits of Magellan & Rio de Janeiro, arrived Portsmouth 6/11/1823, a five-months passage that was remarkably swift for the period. Indicative of Hobart's remoteness is that "Deveron" was the only 1823 sailing to London!



The writer states "...times get worse and worse here nothing in the money market but paper and little of that at present can be consolidated...I have been extremely ill used by that little turned out Sheesling [chisseling ?] Rascal Whitechurch...I have an order for 2000 acres of land and unless I can Exchange it for an Eligible farm near hand must secure it in the Interior...Society is Certainly fast Improving here...P.S. poor old Captn Blyth...has fallen a victim to his Excessive hard Drinking". Harris Walker arrived at Hobart Town per "Wellington" in December 1822. He was described as "late Commander of the Maria transport". Wickham Whitechurch was a Hobart merchant & money-lender.