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Auction: CSS111 - The Philatelic Collector's Series Sale
Lot: 725

Hong Kong
Postal History
Waghorn Overland Mail
1839 (10 May) a long and detailed entire letter from Russell Sturgis in Canton to Frederick Huth in London "via Bombay and overland" and "via Marseilles" and rated "3/6" and bearing a good strike of the boxed "To the care of/Mr WAGHORN" (Sidebottom type 10) plus faint "INDIA" in large oval. One flap with "Recd at Bombay 12th July 1839 ..." with London arrival c.d.s. (30.10), the other flap with Marseille transit (20.10) and a fine strike of "british/foreign" and manuscript "1.10/1.8". There are a couple of light vertical filing folds; fresh and a very presentable example of this very scarce mail, only six covers recorded sent from China.

The long letter gives an account of the start of the opium troubles. "On 22 March all communications between Canton and Macao, Whampoa was cut off; some factories surrounded by armed men and boats; we have been detained as close prisoners and deprived of the assistance of our servants, cooks, etc., and threatened with the stoppage of our supplies of provisions and water." 20,000 chests of opium were detained "... with severe penalties if we refuse to sign a bond agreeing to the punishment by death of every person concerned in a vessel found bringing opium to China". A very important cover


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Estimate

Starting price
HK$120000