East Indiaman Atlas 1813

My friend Rachel sent me this nice card showing a portrait of the East Indiaman ‘Atlas’,  off South Foreland, near Dover, in broadside view. She sailed on her first voyage to India in 1813 and made at least nine more thereafter until 1830. As the picture is dated 1826, it was probably made at the end of her seventh voyage to Madras and China. Unusually for East Indiamen, the Honourable East India Company’s ship ATLAS was built not on the Thames but on the Humber, by Thomas Steemson of Hull. Her first voyage was to Madras, India, and Whampoa, China, in 1813. This was the year the Company lost its monopoly on trade to and from India, although it retained that of the lucrative China tea trade until 1834.

She made a further voyage to Madras, Penang and Whampoa before the end of the Napoleonic War in 1815, carrying an outward cargo of various goods as well as mail, letters of credit and bullion, all of which facilitated trade. On her homeward voyage she brought tea, porcelain, silk and saltpetre for gunpowder. After two transfers of ownership and nine voyages, Captain Charles Otway Mayne, who had commanded her since her commissioning, sold her for £4,100 in August 1830, by which time she was considered fit only to be broken up.

She sailed on her first voyage to India in 1813 and made at least nine more thereafter until 1830. As the picture is dated 1826, it was probably made at the end of her seventh voyage to Madras and China. The ‘ATLAS’ was built in 1812 by Thomas Steemson at Paul's Yard near Hull, her managing owner being James Staniforth. She was mounted with 26-guns and had a complement of 130 men at full strength.
Tonnage 1267 ton (bm), dimensions 134.0 x 42.2 x 17.0ft.

During her East India Company service she sailed to Madras, Bengal and China under the command of Captain Charles Otway Mayne, who was able to accumulate a fortune as a result of these voyages. This was not always without problems, since in 1817, the surgeon and second mate of the ‘ATLAS’ complained to the council at Canton that Mayne had taken all the extra 30 tons of private cargo normally allowed by the Company to ships officers. Their claim was upheld. 1820 Sold to Jasper Vaux, still under command of Captain Mayne.

After seven voyages Captain Mayne became the ship's owner when he bought the ship from the Executors of Jasper Vaux who died in 1823.and he placed the command of the vessel under Captain John Hine, after which the ATLAS undertook a further two regular sailings. She arrived at Gravesend at the end of her last voyage in August 1830 and was sold in May 1831 for £4100 to Charles Carter for breaking.

Thank you very much Rachel for this nice card.

Olavinlinna Castle

This card deoicting Olavalinna Castle was desinged by my friend Ella. Erik Axelsson Tott began the construction of this castle in 1475 to protect the Savo region. The history of Olavinlinna Castle is one of medieval sword fighting, roaring cannons and normal everyday chores of those days.

The stamp on this maxicard is part of a 5 stamp set issued on the 20th January this year on the theme of Ancient Castles of Finland.

Thank you Ella for this lovely card. 

Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day maxi card was also issued on 20^th January, depicting teddy bears. The stamp on it with a lovely postmark illustrates the endearing teddy bear around the theme of friendship and remembrance. Henna Takkinen, a graphic artist from Kemi, who designed her first ever stamps, knows the theme thoroughly; after all, she describes herself as a teddy bear artist. Through the stamps, Takkinen wishes to convey the ideas of universal peace, love and caring.  

Teddy bears are a passion around the world. Not just of children but, of adults as well. A friend of mine in Finland is absolutely passionate about them, and has a huge collection of teddy bears. The teddy bear is a soft toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the US and Richard Steiff in Germany in the early years of the 20th century, and named after President Theodore "T.R." Roosevelt, Jr., the teddy bear became an iconic children's toy, celebrated in story, song and film. Since the creation of the first teddy bears which sought to imitate the form of real bear cubs, "teddies" have greatly varied in form, style and material. They have become collector's items, with older and rarer "teddies" appearing at public auctions. Teddy bears are among the most popular gifts for children and are often given to adults to signify love, congratulations or sympathy.

Thank you Ella for this lovely card.

Winter Greetings

Yes, Ella this maxicard is perfect for various winter greetings. Janne Harju, an award-winning illustrator, has designed this stamp which depicts two snowmen admiring a bright evening star in mild snowfall.

Thank you Ella.

Panorama of the Danube in Budapest

The Danube is a river in Central Europe, the European Union's longest and the continent's second longest (after the Volga).

Classified as an international waterway, it originates in the town of Donaueschingen--which is in the Black Forest of Germany--at the confluence of the rivers Brigach and Breg. The Danube then flows southeast for 2,872 km (1,785 mi), passing through four Central European capitals before emptying into the Black Sea via the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine.

Once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire, the river passes through or touches the borders of ten countries: Romania (29.0% of basin area), Hungary (11.6%), Serbia (10.2%), Austria (10.0%), Germany (7.0%), Bulgaria (5.9%), Slovakia (5.9%), Croatia (4.4%), Ukraine (3.8%), and Moldova (1.6%).^[1] Its drainage basin extends into nine more.

view of Budapest with the building of Hungarian Parliament,

The Hungarian Parliament Building (Országház or House of the Country or House of the Nation) is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, one of Europe's oldest legislative buildings, a notable landmark of Hungary and a popular tourist destination of Budapest. It lies in Lajos Kossuth Square, on the bank of the Danube. It is currently the largest building in Hungary^[1] and still the tallest building in Budapest.

Budapest is the capital and the largest city of Hungary, and one of the largest cities in the European Union. It is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre, sometimes described as the primate city of Hungary. In 2011, according to the census, Budapest had 1.74 million inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2.1 million due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter Area is home to 3.3 million people. The city covers an area of 525 square kilometres (202.7 sq mi) within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with a unification on 17 November 1873 of west-bank Buda and Óbuda with east-bank Pest.

Sochi 2014

Ludmila sent me this card that depicts the Bolshoy Ice Dome is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Sochi, Russia, that was opened in 2012. "Bolshoy" literally means "Huge or big", hence the correct English name for the Bolshoi Ice Palace would be the "Huge Ice Palace". It was opened in 2012. It will host some of the ice hockey events at the 2014 Winter Olympics along with Shayba Arena. The venues will be located 300 m apart.

It cost about $180.1 million to build the venue, including the temporary works for the Olympics. After the Olympics, it will serve as a sports arena and concert venue.

Hong Kong

I can say without any hesitation that HK will always be my favourite destination for a short or even a long holiday. I had thoroughly enjoyed my stay there in the years 2002 and 2007. The last time I went to HK the skyscraper in the picture to the top right was the tallest building in Hong Kong. However, another building on the other side of the bay, namely, in Kowloon is now I believe the tallest building there.

Hong Kong alternatively known by its initials H.K., is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Macau. It is situated on China's south coast and, enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is known for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a land mass of 1,104 km² (426 sq mi) and a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Hong Kong's population is 93.6% ethnic Chinese and 6.4% from other groups. Hong Kong's Cantonese-speaking majority originate mainly from the neighbouring Canton (now Guangdong) province from which many of them fled to escape wars and Communist rule in China from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). The Hong Kong Island was first ceded to the UK in perpetuity, followed by Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and then the New Territories was put under lease in 1898. It was occupied by Japan during the Pacific War (1941–45), after which the British resumed control until 1997, when China resumed sovereignty. The region espoused minimum government intervention under the ethos of positive non-interventionism during the colonial era. The time period greatly influenced the current culture of Hong Kong, often described as "East meets West", and the educational system, which used to loosely follow the system in England until reforms implemented in 2009.

Under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has a different political system from mainland China. Hong Kong's independent judiciary functions under the common law framework. Hong Kong Basic Law, its constitutional document, which stipulates that Hong Kong shall have a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign relations and military defence, governs its political system. Although it has a burgeoning multi-party system, a small-circle electorate controls half of its legislature. The head of the government, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, is chosen by an Election Committee of 400 to 1,200 members, a situation that will be in effect during the first 20 years of Chinese rule.

Hong Kong is a world city. It is one of the Al­pha+ cities and it is usually considered as the fifth most important city in the world, after New York City, London, Paris and Tokyo. Also, a Time Magazine article in 2008 coined the phrase "Nylonkong", which referred to New York City, London and Hong Kong, that these three cities form a global network that facilitates the global economy. As one of the world's leading international financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade, and the currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the eighth most traded currency in the world. The lack of space caused demand for denser constructions, which developed the city to a centre for modern architecture and the world's most vertical city. Hong Kong has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. The dense space also led to a highly developed transportation network with the public transport travelling rate exceeding 90 percent, the highest in the world. Hong Kong has numerous high international rankings in various aspects. For instance, its economic freedom, financial and economic competitiveness, quality of life, corruption perception, Human Development Index are all ranked highly. According to estimates from both UN and WHO, Hong Kong had the longest life expectancy of any region in the world in 2012. Hong Kong also has the highest average IQ score in 81 countries around the world.

Thank you Cadence Chan Sin Ting from Hong Kong for this lovely card.