Lot
579 
Hong Kong, 1863 Hong Kong to Newark, New Jersey. Envelope with red 3.5 X 52mm "Via Marseilles" hand-stamp, oval "Bosman & Co Hong Kong" hand-stamp, with red crayon 2/. Faint red "Hong Kong Oc 31 63 Paid" cds, "London F.B. De 14 63 Paid" transit cds, and British 16c rocking horse hand-stamp credit to US for sea postage via American Packet. "N. York Am. Pkt Dec 29" receiving cds, with 5c due from addressee superimposed over 16c credit. Greenish-blue "Hong Kong Oc 31 63" cds on the reverse. Half ounce rate to US from Hong via Marseilles was 53c from June 63, of which 5c was for US inland and 16c sea postage from GB to US. This was prepaid 2/ or 48c US making up 53c rate when added to 5c collected from addressee, Very Fine. Estimate $300 - 400.
Carried per P&O steamers "Emeu": departing Hong Kong 1 Nov, mail transshipped to Columbian at Singapore on 8 Nov, and Columbian reached Galle 18 Nov; only one other Hong Kong cover recorded from this voyage. This very unusual transshipment resulted from Columbian having to dock at Singapore on her outward voyage to Hong Kong to have her boilers repaired. Mail departed Galle per Nemesis: 18 Nov, arriving Suez 3 Dec. Overland via rail to Alexandria, departing 5 Dec per Vectis, arriving Marseilles 12 Dec. There are two possibilities of service to the US: Hamburg-American Line steamer Hammonia: departing Hamburg 13 Dec, Southampton 16 Dec, arriving New York 29 Dec, or Inman Line City of Manchester: Liverpool 16 Dec, via Queenstown 17 Dec, to New York 29 Dec. Both lines were under contract to carry US mails during this period.
Realized: $850