Many lines in Joseph Matkin's letters are devoted to the
complexities of the post, which went with any British ships traveling
anything close to the desired route for the mail, and so he greatly anticipated
letters from home and tried to predict at what port letters would reach
him. He confidently advised his correspondents to address his mail as
simply as, for example, "HMS Challenger, Teneriffe" and so on,
and was clearly confident that the letters would eventually catch up to
him despite the apparent haphazardness of the delivery system.
 January
6th, 1873
The English mail does not go for a fortnight so I think I had better
do as a great many are doing, put a 6d stamp on the letter & send
it overland & write again by the mail in a fortnight's time after
I have been on shore--I am going tonight. Write "at once", to Gibraltar,
Via South (or elsewhere, & to Madeira 'Via Liverpool' when the next
mail goes & mark it "By Africa S.S. Cos Steamer" also to "Teneriffe"
Via Liverpool, by the first Febry mail, penny stamps will do, &
1/2 for news papers. We shall leave Gibraltar about the 25th Jany
for Madeira. Hoping Father is better & with best love to all.
P.S. I wish I had some of this foreign note paper. I have to get
some at New York. I hope this will not be over weight. Whenever
you write, enclose one stamp for we can't always get them. JM
P.P.S. A Liverpool steamer is just going to start and will take
our mail. |
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