Auction 333-341 Western Australia & Great Britain - Day 3

Crimean War 1854: Entire letter written on board H.M.S. Rodney off Balchik Bay, Bulgaria to Warwick endorsed "Black Sea Fleet" and "via Marseilles" and franked by Great Britain 1841 1 d. red-brown on blued paper, an imperforate strip of three HJ-HL, plate 157, shaved margins all round, tied by "*♚*" obliterators in black. Backstamped "POST OFFICE / BRITISH ARMY" cds (Aug 10) in greenish-black ink, London cds and Warwick arrival (Aug 21). Fine content: "We have again been off Sevastopol surveying the coast for the disembarkation of troops and attempting to entice the muscovite to the attack....for the last two or three days rafts for the landing of troops, pontoons etc. have been arriving here daily. Cholera that fearful scourge has made many sad inroads into the Allied Armies...this cholera may stop the intended expedition". An extremely rare usage of the 1841 issue from this Campaign and most attractive.
Provenance: Collection Hugh Wood.