Packet Routes

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=185 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="040b9c00dduajq.jpg"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="70" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 76 WIDTH="66"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="76" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="66" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.multimap.com/world/places.cgi" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.multimap.com/world/places.cgi"><U><B>Map Locations</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>courtesy of multimap.com</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.caesium.fr/kiosque/racines/pub/p0433far.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.caesium.fr/kiosque/racines/pu"><U><B><IMG SRC="06db4400.png" border=0 width="180" height="64" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Falmouth Packet Archives 1688-1850</B></FONT>    |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Falmouth Packet Archives 16881850"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Spain Corunna, Gijon, Vigo, Cadiz"><U>Spain - Corunna, Gijon, Vigo, Cadiz</U></A>   |   <B>Packet Routes</B>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Portugal, Lisbon, Faro Oporto"><U>Portugal, Lisbon, Faro & Oporto</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mediterranean Gibraltar, Malta "><U>Mediterranean - Gibraltar, Malta +</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Portugal: Madeira the Azores "><U>Portugal: Madeira & the Azores </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Barbados, Jamaica Bahamas"><U>Barbados, Jamaica & Bahamas</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Leeward Islands"><U>Leeward Islands</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id150.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Trinidad Tobago"><U>Trinidad & Tobago</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pensacola Charlestown"><U>Pensacola & Charlestown</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Surinam"><U>Surinam</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id83.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Guyana"><U>Guyana</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mexico"><U>Mexico</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id140.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Florida, Carolinas, Virginia"><U>Florida, Carolinas, Virginia</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="New York"><U>New York</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="N. Atlantic, Halifax Bermuda"><U>N. Atlantic, Halifax & Bermuda</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Brazils Perna, Bahia Rio"><U>Brazils - Perna, Bahia & Rio</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Argentina (Buenos Aires) Uruguay (Monte"><U>Argentina (Buenos Aires) & Uruguay (Montevideo)</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Egypt India (via Malta)"><U>Egypt & India (via Malta)</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Branch Packets "><U>Branch Packets </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Other Packet Routes Europe"><U>Other Packet Routes - Europe</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ionia (via Malta) "><U>Ionia (via Malta) </U></A></div> <div> Packet Routes</div> <div> The postal packet routes were varied considerably between 1689 and 1850.</div> <bR> <div> In the early years of the service, just as Falmouth was chosen for the packet station, war dictated which country's navy and privateers had to be avoided.  In order to circumnavigate France, the service opened in January 1689 with packets carrying mails to the Groyne (Corunna, Spain).  They were then carried overland to Madrid, for onward conveyance to Seville, Cadiz, Gibraltar and Lisbon. </div> <bR> <div> Bernard Cadoret, editor of<A HREF="http://www.caesium.fr/kiosque/racines/pub/p0433far.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.caesium.fr/kiosque/racines/pu"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.caesium.fr/kiosque/racines/pub/p0433far.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.caesium.fr/kiosque/racines/pu"><U><I><B><U>Le Chasse Maree</U></B></I></U></A></FONT><A HREF="http://www.caesium.fr/kiosque/racines/pub/p0433far.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.caesium.fr/kiosque/racines/pu"><U><U>, </U></U></A>kindly sent me a paper written in Spanish; a thesis on the postal pacquets of Corunna, which, as Spain had her own vessels on the Falmouth route, makes Iberian postal history equally, of not more interesting.  The article details the inland delays which frequently led to complaints from our merchants, in London and Lisbon, and goes some way towards helping the reader to understand the methods of numbering and dating correspondence.</div> <bR> <div> It was not uncommon, particularly during periods of war, to write letters in triplicate; one copy being sent by the first available packet, or naval vessel traveling independent of convoy duties. The second via the next available 'fast sailer' and perhaps, a copy via a merchantman, especially if the communication involved the owners of the vessel or its cargo.</div> <bR> <div> Another significant influence on the Post Office was, of course, the City of London's  <a href="HTMLobj-168/Oxen_hauling_Sugar__hhd__116Gals__Jamaica__Queen_s_Empire__pub.JPG"><u>sugar & rum</u> </a>  merchants and the plantation owners in the British colonies.  Given that the British navy was almost fully employed in protecting the colonies <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > <a href="HTMLobj-173/HMS_L_HERCULE__Port_Royal__Jamaica_1806__Lady_Nugent__Diary_.JPG"><u>HMS L'Hercule, from Lady Nugent's diary</u> </a>  </FONT>and was obliged to escort the seasonal merchant fleets, it is not surprising to find the Packet records including many references to dispatches carried on board by King's Messengers, and naval or army officers fortunate enough to be assigned the onerous task of traveling home first class, expenses paid, to take leave they felt entitled to!  </div> <bR> <div> <U> <A NAME="lady_nugent_s_journals"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></U><U> <a href="HTMLobj-174/Lady_Nugent_s_Journal__Jamaica_1801-1805_.doc"><u>Lady Nugent's Journals (1801-1805)</u> </a>  </U><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >provide but five indexed references to packets, but upon closer analysis, and studying the sailing records of sailings from & to Falmouth, one can glean a great deal about which packets arrived and when they sailed from Jamaica. Her husband was Governor (1801-1805), and her firsthand account of colonial life, albeit from a privileged viewpoint, especially as she wrote the duplicates of his correspondence, is fascinating social history. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Anyway, records of the dispatches invariably included reference to the Messenger or carrier's name, place & date of writing, and usually an indication of which vessel was expected to carry the first copy message.  Similarly, arrival was usually recorded, helping considerably in deducing likely sailing and/or arrival dates of the vessel concerned.</div> <bR> <div> In the absence of a funded study, readers should bear in mind that cross referencing a flatfile database of almost 7,000 packet voyages is very time-consuming. However, the database enables one to list vessels by 'fields' such as the vessel name, sailing date, commander, route, etc., and, given a few textual pointers, it is relatively easy to zero down to a limited range of likely vessels involved.  Such is the joy of searching such clues, that just a few successes make up for the sweat, tears and disappointments most of us endure.</div> <bR> <div> Again, here is a solid reason for digitizing the history of the Falmouth Postal Packets!</div> <bR> <div> Sorry, back to more factual data.... such as <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> <a href="HTMLobj-166/1835_-_Method_of_preserving_plants_on_a_long_voyage__RCPS_paper_by_Capt._Gillies_HIBERNIA_.htm"><u>1835 method of preserving plants</u> </a>  </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>The packet captains were often asked to bring back exotic plants, all part of the story of why there are so many interesting and mature gardens in Cornwall. More anon! </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>+++++++++++++  <IMG SRC="10746460.png" border=0 width="70" height="70" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The Packet routes were varied... </B></div> <div> <B>some examples:</B></div> <bR> <div> Saverland Letters 7 and 13 Sept.,<B>1820</B>: <B>West Indies Routes:</B> </div> <div> Leeward Packet: To remain only 24 hours at Barbadoes - then proceed through the islands sending mail ashore, but not waiting: Remains at St. Thomas until arrival of the two Mail Boats  <A NAME="barbadoes_branch_packets_1820"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A> [branch packets], one from Barbadoes; on the same route picking up answers, the other from Grenada, Tobago, Trinidad & St. Vincent.  They will deliver mail aboard the packet.  Should arrive in about 8 days.  </div> <div> Packet will wait at St. Thomas instead of St. Kitts.  Captains say no good water at either Barbadoes or St. Thomas; only tank.  Good at St. Kitts, Captain Caddy will be the first to do this.  [<I>Swiftsure</I>, sailed 24 Sept. 1820, under new arrangement,"Left St. Thomas 10 Nov." - Arrived Falmouth 12 December, 1820.]   </div> <div> (Phil A/4/2: RIC, Truro)</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> </B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>   </div> </td> </tr></table></body>