Funchal and Madeira stamps and covers

It was a pleasant surprise to find this 1906 cover from Portuguese Funchal with a connection to my home town of Liverpool, Nova Scotia. I suspect that Mrs. John Day was the wife of a prominent Liverpool seaman, Captain John Day. Liverpool was a busy little seaport since it's incorporation in 1759 till the age of steam. One could fantasize of Captain Day being in Funchal to pick up a cargo of Madeira wine. The Madeira postmark is not clear enough to get the date but the routing through Southampton on July 28, 1906 is. The letter arrived in Liverpool on August 7, 1906. That was pretty good time. 



This postcard shows the Liverpool wharf in the era of the cover. 



Captain John Day lived a good long life. There are relatives still in the area.