1856 (11 Oct) the earliest outgoing circular sent from Canton
postal office following the Arrow Incident on 8 Oct 1856 (i.e. the
outbreak
1856 (11 Oct) the earliest outgoing circular sent from Canton
postal office following the Arrow Incident on 8 Oct 1856 (i.e. the
outbreak of Second Opium War) This remarkable postal circular,
dated 11 October 1856, was dispatched from Canton (Guangzhou) just
three days after the infamous Arrow Incident on 8 October 1856—an
event that catalyzed the Second Opium War between Britain and the
Qing Empire. More than a routine piece of mail, this cover captures
the immediate aftermath of war’s outbreak. As tensions ignited over
the boarding of the British-registered Arrow by Qing
officials—under accusations of piracy and smuggling—Britain seized
upon the incident to reassert demands for greater trade rights and
diplomatic privileges in China [i.e. Arrow Incident]. Within days,
naval actions were being contemplated, and this letter likely
traveled under an atmosphere charged with urgency and uncertainty.
Route: Canton, China to Lyons, France via Marseilles per steamer
Malta Rate: prepaid rate 1s, local rate 20f charged at arrival
Marking: Small crown “PAID AT HONG KONG”, Indes V. Marseilles cds
(29 Nov 1856); and on the backside – HONG-KONG double arc d.s. (14
Oct 1856), manuscript rate of “1/-” in red, local handstamp of
“20(f)” in black
1856年10月11日 廣州寄出 — 第二次鴉片戰爭爆發後最早寄出的印刷品郵件
信函寄出時間距「亞羅號事件」僅三日，極具歷史紀念價值，本品為一封1856年10月11日自廣州寄往法國里昂的郵件，於10月14日抵達香港，是目前所知第二次鴉片戰爭爆發後廣州郵政局寄出的最早信函。信件寄出時間距10月8日「亞羅號事件」僅三日，反映當時局勢驟變，戰爭一觸即發。本件郵品寄出時正值中英關係劇變之際，是目前所知最早反映第二次鴉片戰爭爆發時局勢的實寄郵品，極具史料價值與郵政紀錄意義。
