Lot 1738

1858 (4 Jan) Military Cover to HMS Niger Envelope sent to Captain Arthur Auckland Cochrane who was on boarded HMS Niger, at Hong Kong naval station off China. The time was at the height of the first phase of Second Opium War when the Anglo-French troops won the Battle of Canton to take down the Canton City on 5 Jan 1858 and the capture of Viceroy of Liangguang兩廣總督葉名琛, leading to the subsequent signing of Treaty of Tientsin in June 1858 to open up 11 more Chinese ports to Western trade. Admiral Arthur Auckland Cochrane, KCB was a Royal Navy officer who joined the Royal Navy in 1839. Promoted to Captain in 1854, he was thereafter in command of HMS Niger in which he took part in the destruction of Chinese fleet in Oct 1856. HMS Niger, launched in 1846, was a screw sloop with 14 guns of 32-pdr and 1 heavy gun of 68-pdr. HMS Niger actively engaged in various battles of the Second Opium War. At the time of dispatching this letter, HMS Niger was carrying out the operation of firing Canton City towards the end of the Second Battle of Canton. Route: P&O from Southampton via Suez, Aden, Galle to arrive Hong Kong on 28 Feb 1858 Rate: 9d rate from UK to Hong Kong naval station off China Marking: two 4-pence and one 1-penny stamps canceled by “50” obliterator

1858年1月4日英國信封寄至駐中國香港 HMS Niger軍艦 第二次鴉片戰爭廣州戰役高峰期寄至皇家海軍柯克倫上校的罕見戰時軍郵。本信於1858年1月4日寄往駐中國香港外海的英國皇家海軍HMS Niger，收件人為該艦艦長 Arthur Auckland Cochrane 上校。信件寄出時正值第二次鴉片戰爭第一階段的高潮期，即**廣州戰役（第二次廣州之戰）**結束前夕。 歷史背景與軍事重要性在於（1）僅隔日（1858年1月5日），英法聯軍成功攻佔廣州城，俘虜兩廣總督葉名琛（Ye Mingchen），為戰事轉折點。（2）該戰役促成同年6月簽署《天津條約》，開放11個新通商口岸，並擴大西方在華權益。 HMS Niger（1846年下水，裝備14門32磅炮與1門68磅重炮）由柯克倫上校指揮，自1856年起即參與多次作戰，包括1856年10月摧毀清軍艦隊。郵政與軍事雙重價值：此信寄出時，HMS Niger 正參與炮擊廣州的軍事行動，為英軍在華戰艦軍郵中極為罕見。實寄對象為戰區核心指揮官柯克倫上校，反映戰時前線與本土間的通訊與協調。此封軍郵與廣州陷落及葉名琛被俘事件直接關聯，為研究第二次鴉片戰爭提供一手佐證。