1859 (27 Dec) a French military mail sent from France to Amoy,
China, franked with French Empire 80c large margins to touching at
left,
1859 (27 Dec) a French military mail sent from France to Amoy,
China, franked with French Empire 80c large margins to touching at
left, tied by "2188" lozenges cancellation with "Moulins-S-Allier
27 Dec. 59" double-circle datestamp on cover addressed to "Monsieur
Meplain, aide Commissaire de la Marine imperiale Francaise a bord
du Vaisseau pour la Chine (Expedition), Bureau restons au Cap de
Bon esperance (afrique)", further noted "si la lettre n'est pas
reclamee dans le mois de son arrivee, faire suivre sur la China
(flotte francaise)" ("if this letter is not claimed during the
month of his arrival, then redirect it to China, care of the French
fleet"), sender's directive "Voie de Suez et des Paquebot
Britannique", two red framed "PD" handstamps, cover evidently
arrived after he left and the Cape of Good Hope address crossed out
with "a amoy" added, Paris and Marseilles (Dec. 28) backstamps,
"PACKET LETTER MAURITIUS, FE 15, 1860" transit and red “Cape Town,
Cape of Good Hope, MR 14, 1860” arrival backstamps, further
transits in Hong Kong (May 31) where it was transferred to French
mails with “Corps Exp. Chine BAU A 31 MAI 60” (in Hong Kong) and
“Corps Exp. Chine BAU Central 15 JUIN 60” (in Shanghai) datestamps,
cover understandably has some soiling and a few edge tears of
little consequence A truly spectacular and well-travelled cover
chasing a naval soldier heading towards Amoy, China in the midst of
the Second Opium War. After missing him in the Cape of Good Hope,
it sailed through Mauritius, then forwarded to Hong Kong and
ultimately Shanghai. We presume the sender of this cover was
attempting to "beat" the French naval ships on their way to China
for the Second Opium War by addressing this cover to the Cape of
Good Hope. The cover was sent by British vessels through the
Mediterranean, overland via Suez, then onwards to Mauritius and the
Cape. The French ships would have travelled via the Cape. When this
cover did not arrive in time, it was forwarded by British ships to
Hong Kong before transferring over to the French military mails.
The use of the Bureau A datestamp in Hong Kong is quite rare, as it
was used there only briefly from May to November 1860. It is also a
very early strike of the Central Bureau in Shanghai datestamp; this
marking is recorded used in Shanghai starting in late May 1860.
Provenance: 1. Berkinshaw-Smith Collection – Corinphila Auktionen
Zurich, April 2006 2. Published in the article titled “The French
Military Post Offices in the Second Opium War (Second Campaign) in
France and Colonies Philatelist No.296 (Vol.65, No.2, page 47)
April 2009”, by Robert Schneider and Jeffrey S. Schneider 3.
Illustrated in Asian Philatelist 2011 (page 68)– The Second Opium
War 1857-1860 by Danny Kin Chi Wong, FRPSL
1859.12.27 法國軍郵封寄南非，改寄廈門， 貼80生丁，銷2188殺手戳。到達好望角後改寄廈門。5.31經法軍A局（香港）。
5.31抵上海法軍郵局。郵路曲折，為趕上收件人之船隻，由經英國郵船送至香港交法軍軍郵系統。而法軍A局日戳於香港使用亦甚少見，僅見於1869年5月至11月，同為上海法軍中央郵局之甚早例子。Berkinshaw-Smith舊藏。
