To commemorate the issue of its first postage stamp 100 years ago the colony of Grenada, West Indies, issued three large-sized stamps of the denominations of 3c, 8c, and 25c. Of these the outstanding design is the 25 cents value, which shows the paddle-steamer Solent of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, the pioneer mail steamship company on the service between Great Britain and the West Indies. It seems strange to read that the company's articles of agreement for the mail contract, made on the "20th day of March in the year of our Lord 1840," were not contracted between the company and the Post Office authorities. The Board of Admiralty were responsible for the management of the mail-packet service until 1860, and for contracts connected with sea mail, and so the agreement was arranged between the Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, for and on behalf of Her Majesty, of the one part, and the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company of the other part .That one of such steam vessels so approved of and equipped and manned as aforesaid, with the said mails on board, shall twice in every calendar month, on such days (but at equal intervals of days), and at such hour, and from such port in the British Channel as the said Commissioners shall at any time or times, or from time to time signify in writing, under the hand of their Secretary, to the said Contractors, put to sea as soon as the said mails are on board, and proceed to the Island of Barbados and after such an interval from her arriving there (not exceeding six hours) as the Governor or senior Naval Officer present may require, such steam vessel as aforesaid shall forthwith proceed, with the said mails on board, to the Island of Grenada, and there remain so long only (not exceeding twelve hours) as the Governor or senior Naval Officer present may require, and thence proceed, with the said mails on board, to the Island of Santa Cruz, from Santa Cruz to St. Thomas, from St. Thomas to Nicola Mole, in the Island of Hayti, from Nicola Mole to Santiago de Cuba, and from Santiago de Cuba to Port Royal in the Island of Jamaica."
Such was the itinerary of the Solent, a composite vessel, with diagonal iron frames but otherwise built of wood, which was launched on June 8, 1853, at the West Cowes (Isle of Wight) yard of John and Robert White when the launching ceremony was performed by Dona Manuelita de Roxas y Tivierro, daughter of a former dictator of Buenos Aires. Her engines of 400 h.p. were built by Miller and Ravens-hill and fitted in the West India Dock, London. On trials she steamed at 15 knots, a big improvement on the company's previous vessels.
Her maiden voyage to the West Indies began on October 3, 1853, from Southampton, under Capt. John H. Jellicoe, who became commodore of the Royal Mail fleet and lived to see his son, Admiral Jellicoe, afterwards Lord Jellicoe, in command of the Grand Fleet at the outbreak of war in 1914. In fact, Earl Jellicoe became a trustee for the holders of the company's first debenture stock, an office he held until October 1929, when he tendered his resignation, as he considered that the interests of the company and of the debenture holders would be better served if his office were held by an important corporation. The resignation was accepted with regret, as the directors valued his connection with the company, also having in mind the many years his father had been associated with it.
As may be seen in the reproduced engraving the Solent was a smart barquentine-rigged steamer and was the only composite paddle-steamer ever owned by the company. A vessel of 1,804 gross tons (according to details on the photograph; the company say 1,908 gross tons), she was designed as an intermediate ship, and as such spent most of her time on the West Indian local routes, with occasional voyages on the main mail services to the West Indies and to Brazil. She was sold out of the fleet in 1869.
In 1875 the company issued its own stamps for the prepayment of postage on items transported between West Indies ports outside the Government contract of the line. These stamps, showing the company flag, were printed in rose colour and cost 10 cents. Unfortunately the Postmaster-General of the time took a poor view of their use and they were withdrawn in 1880. When the motorship Eden was launched at Belfast in 1955, Lady Eden, who performed the naming ceremony, was presented by the company with one of these stamps issued 86 years ago.
Grenada SG210,Antigua SG144