black datestamp with matching straightline "Paid" and separate "3" rate on ca. 1852 folded lettersheet to Captain John Walsh in Benicia, California, very fine,
Captain John Walsh was born on Prince Edward Island in 1797. He commanded the John Gilpin, which sailed regular packet service between Valparaiso, Chile and Canton, China before retiring to Benicia in 1849. His residence, which currently serves as a bed and breakfast, was one of three identical prefabricated homes shipped around Cape Horn from Boston.