Hong Kong, 1896. - Lot 294

Hong Kong, 1896. Rare postal stationery card from the British colony of Hong Kong, sent to Belgium, dated October 26, 1896. A four-cent gray preprinted stamp bearing the effigy of Queen Victoria and bilingual English/Chinese inscriptions (四先). The printed routing instruction “Via Brindisi & London” has been crossed out by the sender in favor of the French mail route: the card bears a fine impression of the French maritime post office “LIGNE N / PAQ. FR. No. 8” (October 96), the marking of the Messageries Maritimes Far East mail line via Marseille—a highly sought-after ocean liner marking. Hong Kong departure postmark and Wychmael (Limburg) arrival postmark from November 1896 (?). Addressed to Mr. L. Schutjes-Bijvoet, Hechtel (Wychmael), Belgium. The reverse bears a handwritten message in Dutch, in violet ink, headed “A.M.D.G.” (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam) and signed “your affectionate nephew in Christo Jesu, J. Wallet,” dated Hong Kong, Oct. 26, 96—indications strongly suggesting a missionary, most likely a Jesuit, traveling to the Far East. The writer recounts his arrival in Victoria (Hong Kong) that morning, describes resting in the gardens some 100 meters above a sea “like a mirror,” with the possibility of climbing another 500 meters to the summit of the island, and states that he is departing that same evening at 11 p.m. A vivid blend of Hong Kong’s postal history, French maritime mail, and a contemporary missionary’s account of the British colony at the end of the 19th century. Keywords: philately, marcophily, deltiology, postal stationery, Queen Victoria, QV, ocean liner, Messageries Maritimes, sea post, maritime mail, missionary correspondence, Jesuit, Victoria Peak, incoming mail from Belgium, Far East. The descriptions are based on our interpretation of the postmarks and handwritten inscriptions, which are sometimes difficult to decipher; they are provided in good faith and without guarantee.