Corinphila Auction 291-297 Day 2

1849 (Oct 31): Entire letter from Perth to Lyon, France endorsed per "Overland Mail, via Marseilles", struck with fine strikes of "♛ / GENERAL / POST OFFICE / PERTH" handstamp in black and oval framed "SHIP LETTER / "♛ / WESTERN AUSTRALIA / PAID" in red alongside. Carried on the "Caspar" from Batavia and struck in London with "COLONIES / &c. ART.13" in red and charged '1/4d.' in manuscript, thence via Calais (Nov 27) and charged '15' décimes due on receipt. Very few Western Australia entires bear Accountancy markings, an extremely rare and famous entire letter in the foremost quality.rnNote: The writer was a Catholic priest, one John Brady, who had ministered to Irish convicts in New South Wales from 1838. Appointed Vicar-General of Western Australia in 1843, he published, in English & French, a dictionary of the local Aborigine language. Bardy was appointed Bishop of Perth in Rome in 1845 and returned with 27 missionaries, only one of whom was fluent in English. The letter, to the Propogation of the Faith in Lyon, explains the use of donations from France and is signed 'Jean Evelyn de Perth'.rnProvenance: Collection Cecil Walkely, Prestige, Melbourne, 27 Nov 2010, lot 33.