The Malayan Philatelist
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The Malayan Philatelist 61st National Day – Can You name the states? Volume 59 No.4 November 2018 No. 281 86 The Malayan Philatelist Vol. 59 The Malayan Philatelist JOURNAL OF THE MALAYA STUDY GROUP Editor: L. C. Stanway. Vol. 59 No. 4 November 2018 No. 281 CONTENTS Editorial 86 Singapore To Bangkok - An Early Letter 1846 to Rev. D.B. Bradley MD from Rev. Charles Robinson by Michael Waugh. 87 Unrecorded and Nuggets From The Tat Mine by Terry Russell 89 F.M.S. Railway Sorting Carriage Mark by Susan McEwen 92 BMA – Earliest Dates? by Gerald Brown 93 Letters To The Editor The Receiving Authorities Of Malayan Specimens: Country Overprints by Iain Dyce 94 New Catalogue Entries by Hugh Jefferies 95 Sir Hugh Cortazzi by Dominic Morris 95 Johore SG 7 - A Follow Up by Susan McEwen 96 Selangor and Perak Telegrams by Martin Roper 96 Selangor Overprint In Thin San-Serif Capitals 3mm High by Martin Roper 96 The Postal History Of Sabah On Becoming Part Of Malaysia by Fah Onn Liau 97 FMS 25c. Plate Flaw On Scarce Airmail Cover by Lee Teong Keong 102 New Issues Column 105 103 Newsletter No. 246 109 _______________________________________ EDITORIAL: A reminder that the next issue is a special one to mark the Group’s Diamond Jubilee, so the Editor would welcome, not only the usual articles (without which we will not have TMP at all), but also reminiscences of the early days of the group, reports of Group activity in our far-flung outposts, etc. If you have anything, large or small, that you have always meant to write, now is the time to get it into the Editor’s in-tray. _______________________________________ Vol. 59 The Malayan Philatelist 87 SINGAPORE TO BANGKOK - AN EARLY LETTER 1846 TO REV. D.B. BRADLEY MD FROM REV. CHARLES ROBINSON. by Michael Waugh. In August 2017 at auction in Edinburgh I acquired this pre-stamp letter (India paper) which is described here in an abridged version from original 4 pages. It is a letter of 20 April 1846 from Rev. Charles Robinson, an American Baptist missionary (1834-1846) at Singapore, formerly in Bangkok, to Rev D.B. Bradley MD at Bangkok, via forwarding agent Spottiswoode & Connolly per barque “Lion” under Capt. Royse. It was received 16 May 1846. 88 The Malayan Philatelist Vol. 59 “My dear Brother Bradley, I received your long and kind letter fro you by bro` (Asa) Hemenway for which I am very thankful. I feel more and more attached to the dear brothers and sisters in Siam” ... “We were quite surprised to see bro` Hemenway come in upon us one morning early as he did without us having any previous notice of his arrival. We were nevertheless glad to see him and family - they put up with us one week, but as our house cannot accommodate two families bro` Kingsbury invited them to stop with him.” … “The expense of living here is high. I found we were obliged to purchase some furniture, & a palanquin & horse which we hope to sell again when we leave at a small discount from cash. It costs $20 per month to hire a horse & palanquin thought it easier in the end to buy one & did so (cost $116). Before I leave here I hope to be able to make out my expenses here & send you an account of them by bro` Hemenway. Respecting my own health. For about 4 months after my arrival it gradually improved & Dr. Oxley (physician and surgeon Singapore) felt encouraged tho` occasionally I had a relapse. When I first came he wished me to make a fair trial of a course of treatment which he felt might restore me here, and I was glad to try it and not be obliged to go farther. But about two weeks since I had a more severe return of the disease than ever, and the remedies which had been somewhat effectual before seem to loose most of their power. Last Thursday I sent for Dr. Oxley and when he saw me, he said there is no hope of your recovery here, you must go to a cool climate as soon as possible. When I asked him that an American vessel was expected here in two months to return to Boston & asked if it would be safe for me to wait here two months, He implied,“No, you must not wait but if you cannot get a vessel here here, you must go to China and take a vessel there to America”. He then prescribed for me to take a wine glass full of fluid Magnesia three times a day & to eat or drink nothing but oat meal gruel 3 times a day. * (in the margin 2nd. page) I have stopped chewing tobacco for some time. Indeed for a year past I have but only chewed very little, & that the weakest kind leaf tobacco, about 25 cents worth for the past year. For three days I have somewhat improved on this regimen & hope I may not be obliged to go by the way of China - vessels are daily expected, that will go by the Cape & St Helena, & we are now looking for such an opportunity. I thank you, dear brother, for sending my account corrected. In the hurry of getting away I made a mistake in not carrying one, which made 100 ticals difference. There is however one little item which you added to my account which I think is incorrect - viz. $5 for the trunk. Mrs. R says she paid you for that out of ticals which we had rec` for things sold & of course need not go in the account, or the money should be credited as paid to the mission. There is another item which it is doubtless my duty to mention that it may be connected - viz .In the “copy of Messrs, Spottiswoode & Connolly’s Bill”, which you forwarded to Mr. Hill which I took the liberty to look at there is a charge of $100 to me - for Nov.26 in these words “ Nov26 Cash for two orders of Mr. Robinson”. I know that I have not received any cash from Connolly in Nov. because I had cash which I brought from Siam more than sufficient for that month. I went immediately to Mr. Connolly & told him the case & he showed me his books which made it plain - The account there was “Nov 26 cash pd. For two orders to Mr. Johnson” - Probably the clerk in the account sent you, made the mistake in writing my name instead of Mr. Johnsons`. Will you please correct this when you write to Mr. Hill. In your account with the Bible Society I noticed you gave them credit for only $2000, granted in 1835-6. Now it is my impression that the Bible Soc. has made our mission another grant of $10,000 since, I think in 1840 or41. When I commenced this letter I did not expect to write only a few lines - my strength is very little - & writing injures me much - but I know not where to stop there are many things I should like to say. Perhaps we shall see you in America before long - we think as we are obliged to go to a cool climate we had better go to America at once - particularly as we shall soon at the furthest be obliged to send our 2 oldest children there, & it will be expensive living at the Cape or St .Helena than at home. Truly yours Chs Robinson. April 21. I have this morning heard of an arrival of an English ship which will leave here in about 2 weeks, & the Capt. says he can take us to St. Helena. Thus the Lord provides. The name of the ship is Isabella - & has good accommodations. Have not yet agreed for the passage price not yet stated.” Notes on this letter: Vol. 59 The Malayan Philatelist 89 1. American Baptist missionaries were prominent in the early nineteenth century in their work in Asia, with limited success in China, but very little in Siam. In 1834, Charles Robinson and Stephen Johnson, with their wives, were assigned to South East Asia. There was another letter noted from Charles Robinson, from Macao 10 July 1840, where he took refuge after riots in Canton during the Opium Wars (Schuyler Ramsey Philatelic Auction 26-29 April 2012 Sale 47 Westpax lot 2971, (not sold at auction). 2. Baptist missionary work outside USA was well recorded and publicised to enable continued funding. Baptist Missionary Magazine 1842.22.39 mentions both Charles Robinson and Asa Hemenway. 3. Rev Dan Beach Bradley MD 1804-1873, the son of a pastor, studied at Harvard and later in New York, gaining MD in April 1833, and then, from 1838 until his death, working in Bangkok. The American mission introduced the first Thai-script printing press into Thailand, printing parts of the New Testament and the first Thai newspaper, “Bangkok Recorder”. Dr. Bradley also introduced smallpox vaccination into Siam and was successful in treating Prince Mongkut, thus gaining confidence of the Royal court. Philatelic References: The Prakaipet Indhusophon Collection of Siam, Bangkok 1989, reproduces five pre stamp letters from Bangkok until 1847. Thailand: Classic Siam Development of the Postal System 1833-1899. by Surajit Gongvatana FRPSL. David Feldman , Geneva 2016, reproduces eight pre-stamp letters, mostly concerned with the missionaries, two being inward mail 1843, Macao via Hong Kong to Bangkok and 1850 Maui, Hawaii via Hong Kong and Singapore (forwarded by Wm Spottiswood & Co.) to Bangkok. UNRECORDED AND NUGGETS FROM THE TAT MINE by Terry Russell 1.