This letter originated in Hankow, China,
one of
the British Treaty Ports.*
It traveled via Siberia to arrive in Edinburgh on the 20th of March
according to the recipient's docket.
Transit time was 25 days accounting for the added leap year day.
Apparently the Transiberian Railway was a faster route than going
through the Suez to Brindisi.
Hong Kong stamps were used in the British Treaty Ports.
The stamp is a 4c carmine red Edward VII watermarked multiple crown
and CA from the 1907 to 1911 issue on chalk surfaced paper (SG 93).
I believe that the addressee is the wife of
Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour, Professor of Botany, who became the
Regius Keeper
of the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh from 1888 to 1922.
Under his leadership, it became a leading taxonomic center.
*Thanks to David Benson for correcting my use of Hong Kong treaty ports.
Of course, the treaty was a British Treaty.
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