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1877 QUEEN VICTORIA 8d ORANGE STAMP PLATE1 ON COVER (FAULTS) TO ALFRED WILLIAM HOWITT POLICE MAGISTRATE AT BARNSDALE GIPPSLAND VICTORIA.
The primary highlight of this cover is its highly significant historical provenance, being addressed directly to the legendary Australian explorer, anthropologist, and naturalist ALFRED WILLIAM HOWITT. The manuscript address reads: \"ALFRED W HOWITT ESQ P M / EASTWOOD / BAIRNSDALE / NORTH GIPPSLAND / VICTORIA AUSTRALIA\". At the time this letter was sent, HOWITT was serving as the Police Magistrate (P.M.) and Warden of the Goldfields in BAIRNSDALE, GIPPSLAND.
HOWITT is one of the most famous figures in 19th-century Australian exploration, best known for leading the official relief expedition that successfully located John King, the sole survivor of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition, as well as a subsequent expedition to recover the remains of Burke and Wills for a state funeral. His later pioneering anthropological work on Indigenous Australian society, completed while living in GIPPSLAND, makes him a foundational figure in Australian history. A scarce and beautifully preserved piece of postal history connecting Victorian London to a premier Australian pioneer.
