3 November 1840 Waghorn Sidebottom 7 Cover

3 November 1840

1838, "CARE OF MESSRS. WAGHORN & CO./LONDON. ALEXANDRIA." (Sidebottom 7; Smith 7). Well-struck two-line handstamp and "C146/G.W.W." initials belonging to George W. Wheatley (Waghorn's agent in London) on folded letter datelined Welford Nov. 3, 1840, addressed to "Dr. Hobson, Macao Hospital, China", Wheatley's directive "via Marseilles", Bombay Ship Letter Dec. 14 transit backstamp, letter mentions "I was in London this fortnight and ascertained that the Land despatch leaves tomorrow, a letter under a ¼ of an ounce is 3/8d..." VERY FINE. A TRULY SPECTACULAR THOMAS WAGHORN OVERLAND COVER TO MACAU BEARING THE SCARCE TYPE 7 HANDSTAMP. THIS IS ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED WAGHORN COVERS TO MACAU. The Type 7 handstamp is quite scarce in its own right. Smith records just 18 examples, dated between Apr. 25, 1839, and Sep. 1841. Sidebottom notes just one other example addressed to Macau -- the latest known use of the same handstamp in Sep. 1841. We are aware of a third example with the Type 8 handstamp, addressed to Java and forwarded to Macau (Sidebottom considers Java to be the destination). The recipient, Dr. Benjamin Hobson (1816-1873), was a well-known Protestant medical missionary who served with the London Missionary Society in China. He was renowned for helping westernize medicine in eastern Asia. He arrived in Macau in December 1839, and by August 1840 he had opened a hospital in Macau. With 1987 Holcombe certificate. Ex Sidebottom and Sussex.

"Magnolia" Sussex Sidebottom