The Nostalgia Collection The French Connection Mail to and from China, Indochina and Japan Auction Sunday June 26, 2016 Lots 653 - 791 commencing at 5:30 pm at The Excelsior Hotel, Hong Kong Marina Room Level 2 281 Gloucester Road Causeway Bay Hong Kong Auction telephone : +852 2868 6046 Viewing at The Excelsior Hotel, Hong Kong Kellett Room Friday June 24 9 am to 6 pm Level 3 Saturday June 25 9 am to 6 pm 281 Gloucester Road Causeway Bay Hong Kong Front Cover Illustration Lot 677 Back Cover Illustration Lots 766, 784, 734, 673, 735, 785 & 690 Dr. Jeffrey S. Schneider Cecilia Vong Robert Schneider Daniel Wong Interasia Auctions Limited Suite A, 13/F, Shun Ho Tower, 24-30 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong Telephone: +852 2868 6046 Facsimile: +852 2868 6146 Email: [email protected] Website: www.interasia-auctions.com Table of Contents Early Mail, 1770-1860 653 - 663 Second Opium War French Expeditionary Forces, 1860-62 664 - 677 French Post Office in Shanghai 678 - 688 Accountancy Markings and Depreciated Currency 689 - 691 Mail from France to China, including Ligne M 692 - 700 Mail from China by Private Ship 701 Mail from Hong Kong and Treaty Ports by French Packet 702 - 710 Hong Kong Mail Cancelled on Board French Mail Boats 711 - 715 Mail from or to Other Countries Carried by French Packets 716 - 724 The Evans and Rainbow Correspondence 725 - 729 Indochina, 1864-68 730 - 733 French Post Offices in Shanghai/Chinese Customs and Imperial Post 734 - 741 French Post Offices in China (towns other than Shanghai) 742 - 749 French Military Mail 750 - 761 Indochina, 1873-1918 762 - 763 Early Mail to Japan via British Post Offices 764 - 765 Early Mail to Japan by British Ship 766 Early Mail to Japan via French Post Offices 767 - 771 French Post Office in Yokohama 772 - 781 French Annex Lines, and Lignes R and S 782 - 788 P & O Line 789 - 790 Hong Kong Stamps Cancelled on French Mail Boats 791 Introduction Commencing with a January 1770 entire letter, one of the earliest recorded letters from Canton to France with postal markings, and concluding with Yangtse River patrol mail from the 1930’s, the treatment of this subject covers the myriad aspects of postal history in general within the specific historical context of the evolution of the French presence and influence in China, Indochina and Japan. As such, there is significant crossover in reference to the efforts of the various Foreign Powers to gain an economic foothold in Asia, as well as the concurrent growth and struggles of China and the opening of Japan to the West. The latter is particularly interesting, as nearly all the mail matter of the period is commercial with the cachets of the British, French, and German merchant firms already established in Nagasaki and Yokohama serving as documentation of this phenomenon. In a similar vein is an 1864 envelope from Bern to the newly established Swiss Commercial Legation in Yokohama sent through the mails to Shanghai and then forwarded outside the normal mails to Japan. Earlier that year, Switzerland and Japan had signed a Treaty of Friendship and Commerce, which was the eighth such treaty signed by Japan with a foreign country. The French were relative latecomers to the Western commercial and political expansion into China. By the 1850’s, France had become an active participant and joined Britain in the Second Opium War with the specific intention of gaining further concessions from China, including the opening of an additional eleven ports to Western trade under the onerous Treaty of Tientsin. There is a fine representation of the French military build up and troop movements of this military campaign depicted by both soldier’s and officer’s mail of the various military post offices. The undoubted highlight of the collection is the stunning 1862 registered envelope from Bureau C, which had been transferred from Canton to Hong Kong following the withdrawal of French troops from northern China. The ever-growing French pretensions in China are best illustrated by the Sino-French War (1884-85), with French suzerainty over Annam and Tonkin and the unsuccessful military expedition to Formosa. The opening of the French Post Office in Shanghai for civilians at the end of 1862 marked the permanent presence of France in China. Whereas mail to France was originally carried by British packets, which provided a more frequent and regular service, the subsequent development of mail routes by French packets through the Messageries Impériales confirmed French expansion in China and Indochina. The treatment of the mails, both by the British P & O Line and the French Messageries Impériales, is an important theme which runs throughout the collection, and the latter illustrates the evolution of the French presence in Asia through the various French shipping lines established in the 1860’s. Of particular note are the Ligne d’Indochine, Ligne M (connecting with Ligne N for the Far East), Ligne N, Ligne R, Ligne S, and Ligne V packet services, with fine first year usages. As the Messageries Impériales grew in importance in the Far East, it handled some of the mails from Hong Kong and the Treaty Ports, even though these were under British control, as well as that of Great Britain and other countries. Interestingly, there is also a cameo section of the Chinese Customs and Imperial Post, which parallels the ever-increasing importance of the posts, with mail sent overseas through the French Post Office in Shanghai or by French packet. Such usages include a rare 1878 envelope sent through the Customs Post in Peking before the issuance of the Large Dragons stamps and an outstanding Customs Mail Matter official usage from Peking to Brazil with the envelope exceptionally carried on Ligne J. The opening of Japan to the West is ably handled, with an early 1860 example of mail from France to Nagasaki and a magnificent 1864 entire letter from Shanghai to Nagasaki franked with four examples of the Laureated 4 centimes paying an early interport rate, and both carried by British ships. The French Post Office in Yokohama, which had been established in 1865, was destroyed in the Great Fire of 26 November 1866 and an alternate anchor canceller was provided by a passing ship. It is the recurring maritime theme which demonstrates the importance of the European settlement and presence in Japan, with initially, the opening of the Hong Kong- Shanghai and Shanghai-Yokohama Annex Lines, and then Lignes R and S. Having been built up over a number of years, the “Nostalgia” collection was truly a labour of love, and, understandably, of the numerous subjects this astute collector studied, this was his favourite. His vision in pursuing this area is best exemplified by the scope of the collection and the imagination he displayed when selecting the items he wished to acquire for inclusion in the collection. The best illustration of this is the famous provenances of the material offered in this fascinating collection. J.S.S. Early Mail 653 653 1770 (6 Jan.) entire letter from Canton to Aire en Artois, France “(par) Le Vapor Le Beaumont” showing “Auray” straight-line h.s., manuscript ratings, with short annotated reply of recipient dated “A Aire Le 12 Janvier 1771” (one year later), very fine and rare very early mail from Canton. HK$ 30,000 - 40,000 This predates by nearly one year the letter (28 December 1770) from the same correspondence, which was in the Ryohei Ishikawa (lot 473) and “The Opening of China” (lot 3003) collections. One of the earliest recorded letters from Canton with postal markings. 654 1844 (6 July) envelope to the Attaché of the French Embassy in China at Canton “par Voie d’Alexandrie”, showing “Romanche” double-ring origin d.s., “Bombay/Str Postage/Inld Do” unframed d.s. (8.8) and “P.P.” framed h.s. in red, fine early mail from France to Canton. HK$ 2,000 - 2,500 654 5 655 658 656 655 1845 neat envelope to Paris (25.11) redirected to Marly-le-Roy (25.11), showing on reverse “Hong Kong” double arc d.s. (30.9) without serifs (Webb type 9), and on front “Paquebots/de la/Mediteranée” oval h.s., rated “20” (décimes), fine. HK$ 1,200 - 1,500 656 1846 (23 May) entire from Canton to Paris (23.7), showing “via Marseilles/Bell & Co.” framed sender’s cachet in red and “Paid” double-lined framed h.s. (Webb type 10) in red, accompanying “Hong Kong” double arc d.s. without serifs (Webb type 9, on reverse), and “Indes Or./1 Marseille 1” c.d.s. in red, rated “20” (décimes), manuscript docketing inside. Very fine. HK$ 3,000 - 4,000 Provenance Eddie Lawrence, Cavendish (Derby), 11.9.2014, lot 608 657 657 1853 (15 Apr.) ecclesiastical entire letter from Father Giuseppe, Bishop of Arcadia and Vicar Apostolic of Huquang, datelined “Hong Kong 15 Aprile 1853”, to Paris (26.6) “Via Southampton” and London (25.6), showing on reverse “Hong Kong” double arc d.s. (20.4) without serifs (Webb type 9), and on front “Colonies/& c. Art. 13” framed accountancy h.s. in red and “Angl./(Am. 2) Calais” French entry c.d.s. (26.6), rated “15” (décimes), letter offers interesting insight into Catholic missionaries of the period, vertical filing fold at top resulting in tear which has been mended with sellotape, a fine missionary letter of Huquang, China, which was posted in Hong Kong. HK$ 2,000 - 2,500 658 1853 (25 Nov.) entire letter to Chalons sur Saone (12.1.54), showing “Paid/at/Hong Kong” small Crowned Circle in red (Webb type 11) with accompanying “Hong Kong” double arc d.s.