Boat Office Endorsement on Early Macao Cover to Wetmore’s in Canton from a destitute American, 1834

This is a potentially fascinating letter dated November 29, 1834 from a destitute American seeking help to return home) from Macao. The letter is addressed to William Shepard Wetmore in Canton (Guangzhou). Wetmore had traveled to Canton and took over a partnership in Dunn & Company. With Joseph Archer he established a new merchant house, Wetmore & Company. Wetmore traded tea, silks and spices as well as wines, ports, opium, hemp, pearl buttons, copper and coffee. They also transported a variety of foreign currencies, and delivered newspapers and letters via “Fast boats” between Canton and Macao.

According to the Derby auctioneers Cavendish:

“The letter is rare as it is stamped with the ‘Boat Office’ Post service. The Canton Boat Office did not employ a handstamp for this 10c charge, although Macao Boat Office did from 1832 to 1838. Only two examples of this Canton Manuscript “10. Cents” marking have been recorded – the other example was in the Richard Chan collection (here) and was from the same correspondence but dated 27 Sept. 1834. This first local Boat Office mail service linking Canton and Macao started in 1832. The Macao “Boat OFFICE/10 Cents” marks (1832-38) are well known, but this is one of only two recorded covers with this matching Canton “10 Cents” manuscript mark.”