Page 6 - Delcampe Collections classiques EN-008

Stamps

“1867, tracking

the Le Guichen aviso…”

Alain Vernot of the “Académie de Philatélie”

The study of classic letters sent to French easy access to military archives, it’s now
navy warships stationed overseas provides possible to use digitalised publications to
historians and collectors with two areas obtain very satisfactory results.
of research: recreation of the postal route The example presented in this report, docu-
taken by the correspondence and identifica- mented with precise references to the metro-
tion of the location of the warship to deter- politan press and the official colonial publi-
mine if the letter reached the intended reci- cations of Senegal and the Establishments
pient directly and quickly. in Oceania, relate to a letter addressed to a
The first of these two topics is often not lieutenant on the Le Guichen aviso. It had
particularly difficult for this period because just left Rochefort (A) on 22 January 1867
all of the major postal routes were managed for service in the Pacific after calling in at
by British and French companies and they Saint Louis in Senegal (B), Saint Vincent in
have often been reconstituted. As for the Cape Verde (C), Montevideo (D) and Valpa-
location of the warships, if you don’t have raiso (E). The ship reached Papeete on 4
June 1867.
The letter,
posted in Paris
on 23 January,
was addressed
to Senegal. It
was routed to
Bordeaux (1)
where it was
taken aboard the
mail-steamer
Guienne of the
Messager ies
Impériales, which

6 Delcampe Magazine