Lot
351 
British Columbia & Vancouver Island, 1869, Seal of the Colony, 5¢ on 3d bright red, perf. 14, tied by "Victoria, B.C., Jul 12, 1869" cds on cover to New London, Pa., in combination with 1868, 10¢ green, F. grill (96) canceled by grid with matching "Portland, Orgn, Jul 16" cds and grid duplex alongside, partial "Nanaimo Post Office, Vancouver Island" origin oval handstamp at lower left, with original enclosure dateline "W.S. Str. "Mohican", Off Nanaimo, British Columbia, July 7th, 1869" with interesting content…I dropped you a line before leaving San Francisco informing you of the change I had made, in being ordered to duty on board this vessel, also of the proposed cruise to Plover Bay, Behrings Strait; to make observations during the coming eclipse of the sun. We have two professors aboard who were sent out here for that special purpose. We left San Francisco on Tuesday the 29th inst., arriving here today. The passage was quite a rough one and could have been made in half the time. This place is a coaling station, or rather there is a coal mine here; We are busily engaged in coaling which will occupy until sometime tomorrow. Strange to say in spite of the rough weather and the excessive rolling of the vessel I did not in the least feel seasick, while a great number who thought themselves proof against such a trivial matter, had to succumb. This vessel is a third-rate screw propeller, and rolls and pitches in even a moderate sea, but is a thorough seaboat. She carries 9 guns with a complement of about 200 men, officers included. The officers are very pleasant and sociable companions & the majority of whom I was acquainted with before I came aboard. Dr, Potter is the surgeon in charge of the medical dept who arrived only the night before we left San Francisco. Our mess consists of 12 officers, the number that are in the ward room. We intended stopping at Victoria but as we came through the Straits of Fuca it grew quite foggy towards evening making itt a little unsafe to run at night - we anchored off New Dungeness about 20 miles below Victoria. This morning we hurried off, being anxious to keep going as we have no time to spare. The captain is uncertain as yet whether to take the inside passage to Sitka (that is along the channels between the islands and mainland) or stand out clear of the coast - the former route at this season of the year is pleasant while the scenery is said to be perfectly grand. The whole trip will occupy about three months, and we will be back to San Francisco by the 1st of October., Very Fine; with 1993 P.S.E. certificate (erroneously calling 10¢ a #68).Scott No. 9 Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
A SCARCE B.C. & V.I. AND U.S. MIXED FRANKING COVER SENT FROM THE STEAMER MOHICAN OFF NANAIMO, BRITISH COLUMBIA.
The "U.S.S. Mohican" was assigned to the Pacific Squadron and departed for the west coast, steaming via St. Thomas, ports in Brazil, Montevideo, round Cape Horn, to Valparaíso, joining Rear Adm. Dahlgren in Powhatan at Callao, Peru on 25 April 1867 and then steaming up the Pacific coast, through Panama and the coast of Mexico, arriving at San Francisco, California on July 28th. The "Mohican" remained on the Pacific coast through 1872, cruising to South America in the fall and winter of 1867 and then decommissioning from April 3, 1868 to June 7, 1869 at Mare Island Navy Yard. The warship made one cruise to Siberia and the northwest coast during the summer of 1869 and then departed on 11 October to cruise to Hawaii, returning on 11 January 1870. She then made a second cruise to the Pacific Northwest and in May sailed to patrol off Mexico.