Lot no. 8076

1863: 1862/64, 3 d. bright carmine-rose used with horizontal pair of 6 d. deep lilac on cover, endorsed 'via Marseilles' to John Lamont Esq., Hong Kong, tied by Aberdeen / 1 duplexes (April 25). Red manuscript '1' (penny) credit marking on front and reverse with London transit cds (April 27) in red and HONG KONG arrival cds (June 9) in black. Faint file fold in the pair, the adhesives of rich colour, a fine and scarce franking. Opinion Holcombe (1987). Following the defeat in the First Opium War, the Chinese ceded Hong Kong to Britain. John Lamond was an early European settler in Hong Kong. He was a Scottish ship carpenter, settled in East Point as early as 1843 where barques and clippers could be easily looked after and repaired. In 1853 John Lamond built Hong Kong first Steam ship, the ‚Queen‘, a wooden boat of 137 tons. In 1859 he built Hong Kongs first dry dock!​ Provenance: 'Opening of China', John Sussex collection (Robson Lowe Zurich 1987, lot 3231)