Today in Postal History

This multi-colored registered cover was posted at Victoria on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles.
The Seychelles are in the Indian Ocean 1800 km due east of Mombassa on the coast of Africa.

At the time Victoria was the only post office in the Islands.
It was opened in 1861 and administered by Mauritius.
The stamps of Mauritius were used until 1890 when the first Seychelles stamps were issued.
Another post office was added in 1901.

Each stamp received a CDS in addition to one in a clear space.

There is also a bold R in oval handstamp for registration.
The obligatory registration blue cross was added to complete the registry.

The destination was Ipswich.
Ipswich is a little over 100 km northeast of London just inland from the North Sea.

The red London REGISTERED receiver/transit mark is dated August 4.

There is also an August 4 Ipswich receiver on the reverse.

I'm not sure where the pencilled 3773 registry serial number was added.

The cover is franked with a complete set of the 1892
Die II Victorias (2c., 4c., 8c., 10c., 13c., and 16c. - SG 9-14)
In addition, there is a 48c. Die I from 1890 )SG 7).
Stanley Gibbons valued these stamps on cover as "Nos. 1/8 from x 20; Nos. 9/24 from x 30."
Adding all this up suggests a value of £1410!

*Thanks to Bjorn Munch for catching my attribution of the date to July rather than June.

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