POST OFFICE IN PARADISE - Early Treaty Period

This page last updated: 10 May 2006

::: EARLY TREATY PERIOD :::

JULY 1, 1851 TO MAY 16, 1855

A new United States postage rate, effective July 1, 1851, for mail going from San Francisco to New York via Panama defines the Early Treaty Period. This new United States rate was a major reduction in the cost of sending letters and soon was followed by Hawaii, when the Hawaiian foreign mail rate was reduced effective September 13, 1851. The combined effect of these rate reductions produced the following rates:

On a pre-paid letter, the United States rate dropped from 40¢ to 6¢ starting July 1;

On a collect letter, the United States rate dropped to 10¢ from 40¢;

The Hawaiian foreign mail dropped from 10¢ to 5¢ (pre-payment compulsory) starting September 13, 1851;

The United States ship fee of 2¢ per letter continued in effect.

Thus, from September 13, 1851, the combined cost of sending a letter via Panama dropped from 52¢ to 13¢ for a prepaid letter and dropped from 52¢ to 17¢ for a collect letter. A letter to a San Francisco resident still cost 6¢ per letter and one to a resident of inland California still cost 5¢ per half ounce. See Mail Rates.

Problems applying these rates are apparent in the recorded covers and in contemporary reports, letters and newspaper accounts. For example, Honolulu Postmaster Henry Whitney was unfamiliar with the 6¢ rate to San Francisco until March, 1852. Also, San Francisco Postmaster J. B. Moore may have forgotten to charge the 2¢ ship fee until about May, 1852. Other errors and misunderstandings contributed to a general confusion over the new rates. A clearer image of what was happening is obscured by a paucity of covers from mid-June, 1851 to mid-February, 1852.

See Log of Covers, July 1, 1851 to March 1, 1852. If you can add covers to the list, please send me an E-mail (scott31@hawaiianstamps.com).

May 16, 1855 is used as the termination date for the Early Treaty Period because on that day Hawaii learned United States rates increased on prepaid mail to the East Coast, effective April 1, 1855. From April 1 to June 6 (when the mail of May 16 arrived at San Francisco) the San Francisco post office seems to have allowed the old rate without taxing prepaid letters as underpaid (a forwarder cover carried outside the mail to San Francisco with only 6¢ postage was taxed 4¢ due).

WAS THE TWO CENTS SHIP FEE FORGOTTEN?

From the way San Francisco Postmaster Moore was rating letters transiting his office in 1851-1852 from Hawaii for East Coast destinations, it appears he was forgetting to add the 2¢ ship fee on letters with United States postage prepaid. He should have rated the letters with an "8" but he rated them with a "6." The beneficiary of this omission, if it was an omission, was the Honolulu Post Office because its account would have been charged only 6¢ instead of 8¢ per letter. On the other hand, perhaps Moore simply lacked a rating mark with an "8" so he applied the "6" mark since it would make no difference on a prepaid letter after leaving his office. In any event, there are a few months when prepaid letters are marked "6" instead of "8." The period starts July 1, 1851 and ends by May 1, 1852, when we see the "8" appear on prepaid letters.

Postmarked February 25, 1852 at Honolulu and March 20 at San Francisco. The PAID mark, applied at San Francisco, allowed this letter to pass as a prepaid letter because this letter was listed on the prepaid letter way bill completed in Honolulu and sent with the mail bag. Listing a letter on the prepaid letter way bill allowed the San Francisco post office to charge the United States postage to the account of the Honolulu post office. Click here for San Francisco Postal Markings. The Honolulu postmark with the words "U. S. Postage Paid" was only to highlight the letter so it would be rated as prepaid at San Francisco. Otherwise, the Paid declaration in the Honolulu postmark was of no effect. Click here for Honolulu Postmarks.

Postmarked at Honolulu on March 31, 1852, and at San Francisco on May 1. The manuscript "Paid 13" was placed on the cover in Hawaii. Could this cover have alerted the San Francisco Post Office about the proper rate for prepaid letters? Another cover postmarked May 1 at San Francisco was the earliest cover from Hawaii bearing the correct "8" rating.

Collect letters were rated with the correct amount of 12¢ postage as is seen in the next cover:

Datelined August 4, 1851 at Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) and sent to Salem, Massachusetts via Tahiti, Honolulu, San Francisco, Panama and New York. This letter was brought to Honolulu on the British brig Helen, arriving October 27, 1851, and was sent to San Francisco on the British brig Corsair, departing November 5 and arriving San Francisco December 2. It was postmarked December 4 at San Francisco and the Panama steamer departed December 5. The "12" was applied at San Francisco to indicate the incoming ship fee of 2¢ plus postage of 10¢ on collect letters sent to the East. Whether this letter was included in the Honolulu mail bag or handled by the British consul at Honolulu is uncertain.

Correct prepaid markings at San Francisco:

Postmarked September 11 at Honolulu and November 1 at San Francisco, with the proper 8¢ rate for a prepaid letter, including the ship fee, from San Francisco to the East via Panama. This letter missed the sailing of the brig Zoe on September 11 and was held over for the next mail, sent on the Hawaiian brigantine Wallace departing October 4, 1852, and arriving October 21. The Panama steamer departed San Francisco on November 1. San Francisco markings on November 1, 1853, are a deep magenta ink.

In September, 1853, the San Francisco post office stopped using the circle "8" rate mark (it was used again a decade later) and switched to the large "PAID/8/SHIP" mark shown on this cover postmarked November 5 at Honolulu and November 28 at San Francisco. The letter was carried to San Francisco by the American schooner E. L. Frost, departing November 5, 1853, and arriving November 27. The Panama steamer Winfield Scott departed San Francisco on December 1 bound for Panama but ran aground on Anacapa Island and was wrecked. The mail, including this letter, was salvaged.

Postmarked May 25 at Honolulu and July 1 at San Francisco, prepaid but with the Honolulu postmark for an unpaid letter and a manuscript 14. This letter was a prepaid double weight letter (2¢ ship fee plus 10¢ postage) and demonstrates the Honolulu marks were irrelevant to how the letter was treated as paid or unpaid. The San Francisco PAID mark is what mattered and was applied to all letters entered by the Honolulu office on the prepaid letter way bill. The letter was carried to San Francisco on the Hawaiian schooner Keoni Ana (John Young) departing Honolulu May 31, 1852, and arriving San Francisco June 29.

ABOUT THE EARLY TREATY PERIOD COVERS:
A total of 255 outbound covers are recorded from the Early Treaty Period. Of these covers, the vast majority (174) are stampless. Also, 139 covers were sent with United States postage prepaid and 86 with United States postage collect (the other 30 covers were sent by express, privately carried or were free of postage), disproving a notion that in the early 1850's collect mail was more the ordinary practice than prepaid. Stamped covers bear stamps of either Hawaii, the United States or both.

INTRODUCTION OF HAWAIIAN STAMPS:
Hawaiian stamps made their first appearance during the Early Treaty Period. First were the Missionary stamps in October, 1851. Next were the Boston Engraved stamps first issued in mid-1853. The 5¢ values of these stamps paid the Hawaiian foreign mail rate when the letter was sent with United States postage unpaid. The 13¢ stamps paid the full amount of Hawaiian and United States postage on a single letter. The 2¢ stamp was intended to pay the Hawaiian newspaper rate, but could also pay the ship fee.

Postmarked at Honolulu on August 16 and at San Francisco on September 10, this cover bearing a 5¢ Scott No. 5 was carried to San Francisco on the American brig Zoe, departing Honolulu August 16, 1853 and arriving San Francisco September 9. Because this letter was sent to a San Francisco address, it was postmarked the day after the Zoe arrived. This cover shows the classic marks of a collect letter - the bold "SHIP" and the clamshell SHIP 6 marks applied at San Francisco to show the addressee was to pay 6¢ when she called for the letter at the San Francisco post office. In all cases, the Hawaiian foreign mail rate of 5¢ was collected in cash or paid by Hawaiian stamps regardless of whether United States postage was prepaid.

For a census of Missionary covers, see the Advertiser Sale catalogue, vol. 1, listed in the General Bibliography. A complete census of recorded Missionary covers is set out at the back of the first volume of that sale. A total of 37 covers, 1 cover front and 1 large cover piece are recorded with the 5¢ Boston Engraved issue. Click here for a list of recorded Scott No. 5 covers. Of the 39 recorded covers and pieces, only nine were sent during the Early Treaty Period. There are 30 recorded covers bearing the 13¢ Boston Engraved issue. Click here for a list of recorded Scott No. 6 covers. Fourteen of the 30 covers were sent in the Early Treaty Period. Four of the 30 covers have opinions that the No. 6 did not, or may not have, originate on the cover. Please send me an E-mail (scott31@hawaiianstamps.com) with information about additional covers bearing a stamp of the Missionary Issue or the Boston Engraved Issue.

USE OF UNITED STATES STAMPS AT HONOLULU

Whitney stocked United States stamps for use at the Honolulu Post Office. The first record of his stamp purchases is September 11, 1852, when he ordered $50 worth of 3¢ United States stamps from the San Francisco post office. He probably had them in hand by December or late November, but only four surviving covers dated before May, 1854 bear United States stamps, and two of those covers are suspect. In all, thirty covers surviving from the Early Treaty Period bear United States stamps, one being the unique 2¢ Missionary cover. Click here for a list of Early Treaty Period covers from Hawaii bearing United States stamps. Please send me an E-mail (scott31@hawaiianstamps.com) with information about other covers from this Period bearing United States stamps. Included in the list is one cover with a United States stamp affixed in the East to pay a forwarding fee. Also included is a cover (cover number 3 in the list) where there is doubt over whether the stamps originated, and two covers handled by express companies outside the post office.

With three exceptions, United States stamps on Hawaiian covers in the Early Treaty Period were the imperforate 3¢ value of the 1851 issue, United States Scott Nos. 10 or 11. The three exceptions bear the 12¢, United States Scott No. 17. One of the latter three covers was handled by a forwarder rather than at the Honolulu post office. Another bears two halves of Scott No. 17 apparently canceled at Honolulu but this cover failed to win a favorable opinion at the Philatelic Foundation. The third 12¢ cover is listed without opinion. The 12¢ stamp was improper during this rate period as the rate when United States postage was prepaid was 8¢ for a single letter, 14¢ for a double letter and 6¢ for each additional half ounce. Debate exists over whether United States stamps were applied at San Francisco or in Honolulu.

So far as the covers with the 3¢ stamps are concerned, with one exception two or four stamps were affixed. I believe they were added at the Honolulu post office. The one exception is a single 3¢ stamp added in the East to pay a forwarding fee.

Why 6¢ instead of 8¢ or 14¢? Simply put, it made no difference and the United States had not yet issued an 8¢ stamp. Why did it make no difference? When the Honolulu post office included a letter on the prepaid letter way bill accompanying a letter bag, the San Francisco post office marked the letter paid and charged the Honolulu post office account with the proper amount of postage due. It was up to Honolulu to collect the correct amount or stand the loss. Honolulu could charge 8¢ to the sender but put only 6¢ in stamps on the envelope. In those cases, the San Francisco post office charged Honolulu's with the deficient 2¢ and for all appearances, a letter from San Francisco to the East bearing 6¢ in United States postage was indeed fully paid. Thus, it was unnecessary even to mark the cover PAID.

Postmarked November 9 at Honolulu and December 1 at San Francisco. This letter was carried to San Francisco on the USS Mississippi, a side-wheel steam naval ship, departing Honolulu November 9, 1854 and arriving San Francisco November 21. The Panama steamer left San Francisco December 1. This cover is typical of those bearing a pair of United States 3¢ stamps. There are no "PAID" marks of the San Francisco office. One interesting aberration is the Honolulu office first applied its collect postmark and then overstruck it with the prepaid postmark.

Why paste-over covers? In some cases, the Honolulu post office affixed the United States stamps over the Hawaiian stamp, creating a "paste-over" cover. It is thought this practice emanated from concern the Hawaiian stamp would create confusion, but the practice was inconsistent and may have been the preference of the patron rather than a practice of the post office. Of the twelve recorded covers bearing a 13¢ Scott No. 6 from the Early Treaty Period, one also bears a Missionary Scott No. 3, six are paste-over covers, and five bear a single Scott No. 6. Of the eleven Scott No. 3 Missionary covers, only one is a paste-over cover. Of the nine Scott No. 4 Missionary covers, only one is a paste-over cover. All paste-over covers are in 1854 or later.

A "paste-over" cover with the United States stamps lifted and moved so the Hawaiian stamp beneath them can be seen. The San Francisco postmark tying the pair of United States Scott No. 11 stamps can be seen on the envelope below the Hawaiian stamp. Postmarked July 29 at Honolulu and August 16 at San Francisco, the cover was carried to San Francisco on the Polynesia, departing July 29, 1854, and arriving August 12. The Panama steamer left San Francisco on August 16.

Mail sent through the United States to other destinations.

Once a letter from Hawaii was entered in the United States mail at San Francisco, it was treated the same as a letter originating there. Thus, once the sender of a letter from Hawaii paid the Hawaiian 5¢ postage and the 2¢ ship fee, the letter was charged whatever rate was due under the United States postal arrangement with the destination country.

Postmarked November 2 at Honolulu and December 1 at San Francisco. This cover was carried to San Francisco on the brig Baltimore, departing Honolulu November 2, 1852, and arriving San Francisco November 22. The Panama steamer left San Francisco on December 1. If nothing else gives the year date away, the blue San Francisco postmark and "PAID" mark will do it. San Francisco used blue ink for a short period in December, 1852 and January, 1853 on prepaid letters. The rate marks are consistent with United States rates on a letter to England. The red manuscript "31" refers to the total amount of United States postage plus the 2¢ ship fee paid on this letter. 5¢ Hawaiian postage was collected in cash before the letter left Hawaii.

Mail sent to destinations other than through the United States.

Few letters to other Pacific destinations in the Early Treaty Period have survived. These letters were usually handled privately but one was entered in the official mail.

Backstamps:

Postmarked at Honolulu on March 11, 1852, Manila on May 19, Hong Kong June 21, Canton July 2 and again at Hong Kong on July 22, this cover was carried to Manila by the Bremen bark Ceres, departing April 3, 1852. I do not yet understand the "48" rate marked in pen. This letter was carried in the official mail at least to Hong Kong, as evidenced by the postal markings.

Inbound Letters:

Contents datelined May 21, 1852 at Bradford. This letter is an example of a letter to Hawaii with United States postage unpaid, requiring Honolulu to collect the United States postage as well as the Hawaiian postage. The black "10" manuscript refers to the United States postage to be collected (charged to the Honolulu post office account by the San Francisco post office). The red "5" refers to the Hawaiian postage to be collected. On incoming letters, Hawaii paid the 2¢ ship fee from the 5¢ postage it collected so the addressee paid only 15¢ for this letter, whereas an outbound unpaid letter cost the sender 5¢ and the recipient 12¢. Ship captains bringing mail to Hawaii were paid nothing by the San Francisco office, which was authorized to pay only for letters brought to the office. Thus, captains demanded their fee from the Honolulu office on incoming mail.

Privately handled mail:

Owing to the absence of a contract mail route between Honolulu and San Francisco, it was necessary for an agent to retrieve Hawaii bound letters from the San Francisco post office. Where the letter was handled in the official mail, the letter was picked up by the appointed Hawaiian agent. However, private forwarders in San Francisco were also used to arrange for delivery of letters to an appropriate vessel.

One forwarder frequently used in this time frame was the firm of G. B. Post & Co. That firm also was the appointed mail agent for Hawaii in 1852-1855. Starting in early 1854, G. B. Post & Co. began using a handstamp to designate the name of the vessel carrying the letter, probably to promote the line of sailing ships. The handstamped ship name only appears on letters handled privately by that firm and is not known on mail handled in the official mail bags because G. B. Post & Co. could not open the bags.

Another handstamped ship mark applied by G. B. Post & Co.

An outbound letter handled by H. T. Fitch in Honolulu and G. B. Post & Co. in San Francisco with a blue SCHOONER "RESTLESS" mark.

An inbound letter handled by Gregory's Express in San Francisco.

Panama Railroad

Construction of a railroad between Navy Bay, near Chagres, and Panama City was commenced in 1850. By 1852, the railroad extended from Navy Bay to Gatun and the steamer terminus was transferred from Chagres to a new settlement on Navy Bay named Aspinwall (Colón). In July, 1852, the railroad reached the Chagres River crossing at Barbacoas, only an hour from Gorgona by river boat, where progress halted until a bridge was completed on November 26, 1853. Gorgona now was reached in less than a day from the Atlantic side, where it previously took three days. Construction started toward the summit from Panama City on the Pacific side in January, 1854, and reached the summit in October. On January 28, 1855, the first train crossed Panama from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Mail arriving at Panama from San Francisco on January 30 was the first carried the full distance by railroad. The trip that required four days from Chagres to Panama or two days from Panama to Chagres was reduced to four hours in either direction. Mail departing Honolulu on the schooner Restless on December 25, 1854 was sent from San Francisco by the steamer Sonora on January 16, 1855, the first mail to cross the full width of the Isthmus by railroad.

Another Isthmus Route was opened across Nicaragua in 1851, but was not an official mail route. Private expresses and forwarders directed some newspapers and mail to this route as it was perceived to be quicker.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bash, John K., "A Census of the Hawaiian Missionaries", The Collectors Club Philatelist, Vol. XXXI, No. 4., p. 183-192, July, 1952. Census and excellent descriptions of each Missionary cover Bash was able to record - still the standard reference even though in need of supplementing (see the census in volume 1 of the Advertiser Collection auction catalogue listed in the General Bibliography). Bash correctly notes Scott No. 4 was issued at least by April, 1852.