UPDATE in July 2020: I wrote this page (below) in 2010. Now in July 2020 I rediscovered this letter in a
Corinphila auction announced for September 2020:
Here's a summary of this offer.
In 1978 Stan Jersey wrote an article "Letters, New Hebrides Islands" published
by the 44th American Philatelic Congress", in which he mentions this letter and quotes from later letters.
You can download a PDF file of this document here.
Please click the image to download
And here is some further information, thanks to Karl Louis:
Source: John Parmenter and Ken Gordon, GB Used Abroad: Cancellations and Postal Markings. The Postal History Society (1993)
"....officers' mail from the Far East carried from Alexandria to Southampton on a British Packet went at the 6d rate, whilst mail annotated
'via Marseilles' went across France to the UK at the 10d rate. Officers' mail did not need any special annotation on the envelope...."
and, for the B56 postmark:
"A unique GB/New South Wales mixed franking exists, dated 28 July 1865 sent from the New Hebrides to Worksop."
I try a very cautious estimation what could have happened with this letter from the New Hebrides to England:
H.M.S. ESK left Sydney on July 19 for a cruise to the New Hebrides and Fiji. She arrived at Aneityum, New Hebrides, on 29 July and left on 10 August
to Fiji, stayed at Leouka and other islands until the return to Sydney on 3 September arriving there on 21/22 September.
CURACOA came to Aneityum on 6 August. Here the letter was transferred to ESK on 8 August. CURACOA proceeded to Tanna on 10 August.
I think the letter saw Ovalau again then (where it was written) after ESK took off to Fiji.
When ESK arrived at Sydney, the letter (or the postbag I think) went on board the R.M.S. NORTHAM which left Sydney on 22 September via Melbourne - King George Sound - Galle.
The mail went overland across the Suez isthmus to a P&O mailboat from Alexandria to Marseilles and Southampton. Mail was sorted on this Mediterranian steamer ( SS Syria ??)
and the letter cancelled with the "B56" Numeral which was kept on board this steamer.
The mail arrived at Marseilles on 9.11.1865 (and at Southampton on 15.11.) and hence at Worksop on 11.11. I saw a cover from Hongkong at a Pardy & Son auction about 6 years
ago from Hong Kong to Plymouth with the "B56" which was backstamped Plymouth 11.11.1865.
Sources: many internet pages and John S. White's "The Postal History of New South Wales 1788-1901", NSW 1988.
I'm a New Hebrides specialist and my knowledge about the British mail system is rather limited. Please feel free to correct my opinion here about the routing of the letter!
My email: Roland Klinger
The page as it was online since 2010:
This "Milton" letter was sold for £400 at the 13 December 1967 Robson Lowe auction. I don't know who owns it now.
28 July 1865
Here is the description in the 1967 catalogue: 1865 (28 July) cover with G.B. 4d. in combination with N.S.W. 6d.
both cancelled "B56". The enclosure is written from "H.M.S. Curaçoa, Ovalau, Fiji Islands and is
endorsed "Posted per H.M.S. 'Esk' at Aneityum, New Hebrides Islands". A photostat of the enclosure is included
with the lot. A great rarity. Photo in color on front cover. Estimate £300.
Information thanks to Alain Millet. And here is the
original page of the auction (click on the image which shows for a blow up) - thanks to "JGI"
H.M.S. Curacoa left Sydney on June 4th, 1865 and returned on October 13th, 1865.
She was met by H.M.S. Falcon with English despatches for Commodore Wiseman at Tongataboo on July 18th.
Curacoa reached Aneityum on 6 August and anchored in the bay between southern Aneityum and Whale Island, now Inyeug (with the air strip)
which is now sometimes called Mystery Island. H.M.S. Esk was already there and the mission brig 'Dayspring'
with the Reverends Gordon and Patton. (Source: "Jottings during the Cruise of H.M.S. CURAÇOA among the South Sea Islands in 1865"
by Julius L. Brenchley, M.A., F.R.G.S., London, 1873).
"H.M.S. Esk, which sailend hence on the 18th instant (July 1865), has gone down to the Fijis, with the English mail,
for the purpose of meeting the Curaçoa, Commodore Sir W. Wiseman."
(Sydney Morning Herald, Friday, 21 July 1865)
Esk returned to Sydney on September 21st, 1865.