[Society for the Extinction of the Slave Trade and for the Civilization of Africa, advertisement to verso of One Penny Mulready letter-sheet]

Single leaf mulready letter- sheet, folded addressed to 'Mrs Clive, Sanderstead, Croydon, Surrey', postmarked Frome with the 306 duplex cancellation to folded front, and further post-marks of Croydon and Frome dated September 1844, to folded verso. Some tears to folds, margins, without loss of text, remains of opened wax seal and old paper repairs to recto. The earliest of several known variants of this rare plea for donations for the Society for the Extinction of the Slave Trade, and for the Civilization of Africa, printed on the reverse of a 'Mulready' penny postal stationary sheet. First issued on 1 May 1840, in parallel with the world's first stamp - the Penny Black - these pre-paid, self-folding letter sheets featured an engraved design by John Thompson after William Mulready (1786-1863) and were valid for use from 6th May. Much to postal reformer Rowland Hill's surprise, unlike their adhesive philatelic counterpart, the Mulready covers quickly proved unpopular both with customers and stationers - who relied upon the sale of writing paper for letters - alike. They were superseded by the introduction of simpler postal stationary, with impressions akin to stamps in the top left hand corner, in 1841; Mulready sheets were subsequently withdrawn from sale during the early 1840s. Despite their unpopularity, soon after issue the promotional opportunities provided by advertising on the verso of the Mulready letter-sheets were seized upon by commercial and voluntary associations alike. Insurance companies, banks, newspapers, publishers, and religious institutions are all known to have advertised in such a manner; many made this stationary available in quantity at a discounted rate to ensure wide circulation to the writing desks of the literate across Britain. Advertisements for The Society for the Extinction of the African Slave Trade are known to have featured on nine slightly different advertisements to the verso of the Mulready one- and two-penny letter-sheets; this is the earliest known, advertising that 'Shortly will be Published' an Abridgement of Buxton's The African Slave Trade (London, 1840), implying that these were issued in the very first year of the stationary's use. The fact that no fewer than four works published by John Murray are also advertised could indicate that the cost of producing these pre-paid advertising letter sheets was borne by the publisher. 'A subscription of One Guinea and upwards per annum constitutes an Annual Member. A donation of Ten Guineas and upwards constitutes a Life Member Subscriptions and donations of a smaller amount will be thankfully received.' Founded by English politician Fowell Buxton (1786-1845) in June 1839 with the aim not only of finally extinguishing the Slave Trade in Africa, some decades after the original abolition of the Trade in Britain, her colonies, and the United States, but also to 'watch over and befriend the interests of Africa', and form a commercial 'Company which shall cultivate portions of her soil'. As noted in this advertisement, which sought 'subscriptions and donations', this included persuading the British Government's sending an expedition (see item number 36), led by the Royal Navy, to explore the Niger river, which despite the death of a full third of the those involved, largely to fever, did secure the signing of several treaties against the slave trade with tribes in modern day Nigeria. As this advertisement - signed by secretary, Irish clergyman and missionary John Trew (1792-1869) notes, further expeditions 'into the interior of Africa' were envisaged at 'considerable expense' to the society; however, the Society was acrimoniously dissolved in 1843 - the year before this letter-sheet was used - before any such expeditions could be repeated. Stanley Gibbons, Queen Victoria Vol. 1 Pt. 1, SG MA480a. Dimensions unfolded: 220 x 200 mm; folded: 133 x 88 mm..