Lot
554 
Hong Kong, 1846 Canton to New York. Folded letter docketed Canton, 20 June 1846 on interior, hand carried, or enclosed with another letter to England, where it entered mail., postmarked red Great Britain Maltese cross "Paid L.S. 26AU26 1846" hand-stamp, red manuscript "2" shillings paid for letter weighing half to one ounce for transatlantic packet, and oval "L AU 27 C" Liverpool transit hand-stamp, red Boston hand-stamped 7 (Blake and Davis 549 used 1845-50), apparently applied in error so crossed through, and manuscript 12 cents due (2 cents ship, plus 5 cents per half ounce under 300 miles X 2) substituted, Very Fine, based on Canton and GB dates, letter was carried by P&O "Ariel" on her first of only two Alexandria to Southampton voyages. Per Cunard Line Cambria: Liverpool 4 Sep - Boston 18 Sep. Estimate $150 - 200.
Realized: $600
Lot
555
Hong Kong, 1849 Cover to the United States. Forwarded by Rawle Drinker & Co./Hong Kong perfect strike of red oval handstamp on reverse of 1849 cover to the United States with blue forwarder's oval "Lemuel Goddard/London" on flap, cover with black British transit postmark "19 Cents" & bold "24" handstamps, lengthy original enclosure with interesting contents, slight cover edge wear, Very Fine and scarce. Estimate $500 - 750.
Realized: $800
Lot
556
Hong Kong, 1850 Boston to Manila. Folded letter, apparently sent outside mail from United States to Great Britain, with "Liverpool Paid Ja 22 1850" cds, and London "Paid 23 Jan 23 1850" cds. Manuscript 2/2 overpaid the 1/10 rate for a ¼ ounce letter sent via Marseille, so apparently included an additional 4d GB ship letter or inland fee, part "Hong Kong" transit cds on reverse, and nearly complete Manila Iss Philips 30 Mar 1850 Baeza cds on front, with manuscript "2" Reales for up to a ½ ounce letter from Europe or US. This 2 Reales ship letter / inland fee is later than recorded by Peterson & Lewis as having been applied in manuscript (10 Mar 1850), Apparently extraneous "E. A. Hebevel / Aug 7th 1907" on back flap, but a very early packet letter from US to Philippines, Very Fine. Estimate $400 - 600.
Realized: $800
Lot
557
Hong Kong, 1850 Canton incoming to New York. Entirely unpaid folded letter with on front black "New York Sep 7" with 42 at top, Winter type 181 (25 May 1850 - 11 July 55), "London Paid 24 Sep 1850", and GB charges of 1/- for transatlantic service, and 4/1 for via Marseille packet service, paid by Baring Brothers London, to whose care letter was initially addressed. GB 1/- charge for up to ½ ounce letter would not have covered 42 cent debit by US, apparently including 10c US inland and 32c transatlantic for ½ - ? ounce letter, so letter was apparently incorrectly weighed by one PO or the other, backstamped with red "London 21 SP 1850" transit cds, and "Hong Kong 11 No 1850" arrival cds, Very Fine, carried by Admiralty mail steamer "Triton" from Marseille to Malta, then onward by P&O packets. "Triton" was seldom used on this route after 1848, performing only seven voyages in 1850-54. Estimate $200 - 300.
Realized: $425
Lot
558
Hong Kong, 1852 Canton to New York. Folded letter with double arc "Hong Kong" cds (mostly cut out on opening), and red Great Britain entry cds, "1852 13 AP 13" on reverse, but, unusually, no New York Exchange Office cds, manuscript $1.86 debit to US for 5 x 10c French transit = .50, + 4 x 34c British = $1.36; manuscript 10/5 or $1.86 + 4 x 16c transatlantic packet = $2.50 due, but omitted US inland of 4 x 5c, so should have been $2.70 due for 1 - 1 ¼ ounce letter sent via Marseille. Although letter dated 27 Jan, it is annotated "Duplicate" and was held for next mail, as indicated by the "_E" (i.e., FE) in the partial Hong Kong cds, and the 13 Apr London arrival, Very Fine. Estimate $400 - 600.
Sent by P&O steamers "Malta": departing Hong Kong 28 Feb, arriving Galle 13 Mar; Hindostan: Galle 13 Mar - Suez 1 Apr; Bentinck: Alexandria 4 Apr - Malta 8 Apr. Carried by British Admiralty mail steamer Banshee: Malta 8 Apr - Marseilles 10 Apr, arriving GB 13 Apr. Most likely per Havre Line Franklin: Southampton 15 Apr - NY 27 Apr., scarce high rate.
Realized: $625
Lot
559
Hong Kong, 1853 Canton to New York. Part entire from Canton, 10 Mar, either hand-carried on board P&O Singapore on her first voyage from Hong Kong, 11 Mar, to Singapore, 16 Mar, or missed Singapore, and sent by another vessel to catch her at Singapore. Entered mails in Singapore where "Singapore Bearing 18 Mar"applied. Manuscript rated 1/10 for up to a quarter ounce letter via Marseille, manuscript "70" cents debit by GB, with red "28AP28 1853" Great Britain transit on reverse, hand-stamped 75 cents due by New York Exchange Office for letter weighing quarter to half ounce, including 5 cents for US inland, but, unusually, no date-stamp, Very Fine. Estimate $300 - 400.
"Singapore" departed Singapore 18 Mar arriving Galle 25 Mar; Oriental: Galle 28 Mar - Suez 15 Apr; Bengal: Alexandria 19 Apr - Malta 22 Apr; Euxine: Malta 22 Apr - Marseilles 25 Apr. An early voyage after P&O took over Malta - Marseille route from British Admiralty in Feb 1853. Per Cunard Line Cambria: Liverpool 30 Apr - Boston 13 May. Letters from China entering the mail at Singapore are very seldom seen.
Realized: $900
Lot
560
Hong Kong, 1853 Canton, China to New York, N.Y. Folded entire with manuscript "Via Marseilles", "2/11" (70 cents debit) to the U.S. as if per British Packet, but crossed through, and reassessed 54 cents debit to the U.S. Hand-stamped "75" cents due, which includes 21 cents (5 cents U.S. inland & 16 cents U.S. Packet) retained by the U.S, rate for ¼ - ½ ounce letter via Marseilles from July 1849 through at least Oct 1854, partial "Hong Kong 10 No 1853" transit cds, with red "O T 27DE27 1853" G.B. transit cds on reverse, Very Fine and choice. Estimate $200 - 300.
Carried per P&O steamers Ganges: departing Hong Kong 11 Nov, arriving Galle, Ceylon, 26 Nov; Hindostan: from Galle 27 Nov, to Suez 12 Dec; Valetta: Alexandria 21 Dec - Marseilles 24 Dec. Per Collins Line Baltic: Liverpool 29 Dec - New York 12 Jan 1854. "New York Am Pkt" (Winter type 1), 13 Jan 1854.
Realized: $500
Lot
561
Hong Kong, 1854 Canton incoming from Boston, Mass. Folded letter with red Boston hand-stamped "Paid", pencil 75 cents total rate, and red 70 cents hand-stamped credit to GB, with partial orange-red London "Paid 23OC23 1854" cds. "Boston Br. Pkt. Oct 11" cds, red partial, light GB transit cds, and partial, light "Hong Kong De 1854" transit cds on reverse. Rate of 75 cents for quarter to half ounce letter via Marseilles, from June 1849 only through Sep.1854 per Starnes. However, this rate is recorded by the Moubrays as remaining in effect until 5 Nov 1854, F.-V.F., per Cunard Line "America": Boston 12 Oct - Liverpool 22 Oct, then by P&O. Estimate $200 - 300.
Realized: $700
Lot
562
Hong Kong, 1854 Canton to Bombay, India. Cover with red "Canton Paid" on front and "Canton 11 Dec 1854" cds on back. Also on back, fair "Hong Kong 12 Dec 1854" cds, and partial "Bombay" arrival cds, rated red manuscript "4d" (upper left) for Canton - Hong Kong ship letter fee, and red manuscript "1/-" (upper right) for Hong Kong - Bombay British packet fee. Carried by P&O Cadiz: from Hong Kong 12 Dec, Galle, 26 Dec, Bombay, 1 Jan 1855 (New Years Day cds), Very Fine, Webb Scarcity Guide (1991): 25-50 examples of "Canton Paid" recorded; Proud: 5,000 points. Estimate $400 - 600.
Realized: $1,050
Lot
563
Hong Kong, 1854 Hong Kong wreck cover to Harrisburg, Pa. Envelope with "Hong Kong 21 My 1854" cds, and red "Forwarded By Desilver & Co Hong Kong Late A.H. Fryer & Co" (not recorded in Rowe's 1996 revision), indicating that letter probably received by this Hong Kong firm from elsewhere in Orient, Great Britain "1854 7 AU 7" transit cds on back, and "New.York Am Packet Aug 19" cds on front. Although British ½ ounce rate via Southampton was lowered from 1/- to 6d effective 5 May 1854, GB-US accounting had not yet been adjusted at time of mailing of this letter. Manuscript markings: originally rated 1/8, struck through, and GB 24 cents debit noted twice, one of two occurrences of 24c struck through, and New York Exchange Office 45 cents (total due from addressee) hand-stamp also over-struck on 24c. This 45 mark is Winter type 319, applied three years earlier than recorded (Apr 57 - Jun 66), Very Fine. Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
The new P&O steamer "Douro", on her first return voyage from Hong Kong, was damaged in a hurricane that began on 24 May, and was wrecked on north shoal of Paracels Reef on 26 May. Several crew members spent eight days in a small open boat rowing back to Hong Kong for help. On 3 June P&O Agent sent Malta to lend assistance, followed by Tartar on next day. Mails and passengers were initially transferred to Malta, but when P&O Pekin came in sight on 8 June on her voyage to Galle, mails and passengers were transshipped to Pekin. Pekin not used on China-Galle line since 1851. It is believed she made this single Hong Kong-Galle trip in 1854 because regularly scheduled Malta was standing by Douro. Efforts to save Douro were unsuccessful, and on 10 June Malta with rest of passengers and large part of cargo proceeded to Singapore, etc. This cover is an addition to 3 recorded covers saved from the wreck of the Douro (recorded in Far East Mail Ship Itineraries, not listed in Maritime Disaster Mail).
Realized: $1,900