Empire originals Part 2
16 APRIL 1847, TRINIDAD
The stamp that nearly missed the boat
If the Lady McLeod was a proper stamp, it would pip the Post Office Mauritius by a matter of months. But until only recently it was regarded as a bogus issue, denied a catalogue listing and of very little monetary value. Today, it is highly prized and deserves a mention (if not an official place) in this listing.
The paddle steamer (named after the wife of Governor Sir Henry) had operated a weekly postal service between Port of Spain and San Fernando since 1845. Some users paid by subscription but most preferred to pay cash on the day. Captain (later shipowner) David Bryce frequently ran out of change and had to turn letters away or carry them for free. By 1847, he had the solution in the form of stamps, which could be bought in advance for 5c each or $4 a hundred. The stamps are professionally produced and printed by lithography; but nothing else is known about their production. They are cancelled by an inked cross or by tearing off a corner with the aid of a fingernail. 16th April is the date and it is assumed they were in use at least until Bryce sold the ship in 1849.
