OLD POST-MAMS FM SALE

Evening Star, Issue 22636, 30 April 1937, Page 2

OLD POST-MAMS FM SALE

' A valuable collection, of rare eigh-teenth-century colonial post-marks, recently found among the 200,000 records of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel wiir be sold shortly for the benefit of the society’s archives room (says the ‘Daily Telegraph’). The first year of sale will put 750 early letter covers, each worth several pounds at least, on the market. Of these 100 will be offered at auction by a Regent street firm. They include such rarities as the first i colonial mark, “ Derry,” probably in New Hampshire, dated 1746, and the first inland and packet postage mark, 1770. The society’s archives date back-to its foundation in 1701. They provide a record of Imperial history in letters from missionary clergymen all over the world. Since the opening of the new t archives room much valuable cataloguing and indexing has been done, but more expert help is needed to make the records available to students. The records of greatest historical importance are those which deal with American colonial history before and after the War of Of special interest are the Totem Signatures—depicting a wolf, a bear, and a turtle—of three Red Indian chiefs who visited England in 1710 and received a set of church plate (still treasured by their descendants) from Queen Anne. The society in 1717 received a testimonial from the “ Principal Indians,” praising their interpreter, who “did understand their languadge verry well” and saying “ that they had allways understand the Scripture, Sermons ; and the Church Services Bead! by him aa allso they understand verry well the Books that was translated by him into the Indian Languadge.” Nearly all the Church of England clergymen at the time of the War of Independence were members of the society and loyalists. Their letters will be invaluable for historians. Other letters illuminate many sides of early colonial life. A lady writes from England to thank her friend for sending a present of nuts. “ But Allas,” she says, “ye sea has robe’d me of yem; for yr Marchants sende me word ye veseell was-Cast away and all lost; but ye men.” The Rev. Aeneas Ross writes from Philadelphia in 1744:—“Please give my respects to Madm. Beercroft - the wife of the society’s secretary—- “ and am sorry I can’t yet be so good as my word, to send her a humming Bird’s nest.” A year later he records an “unhappy difference” with the parish clergyman because he baptised pr friend’s child free of charge. Other letters complain o.f living conditions in Pennsylvania villages, and ask for Bibles and church plate. From Salem come shocked accounts of witchcraft accusations. Mr J. W. Lydekker, the society’* archivist, is himself a descendant of an American loyalist of Dutch descent, and many of the documents he handle* are of interest for his own family history.