Today in Postal History

British Central Africa to Germany
November 9, 1899

This cover was sent from Kota-Kota.
The cancel is a single ring KOTA-KOTA with B.C.A.  (British Central Africa) at the bottom.
Kota-Kota is now known as Nkhotakota.
It is located on the west side of Lake Nyasa in Malawi.
Lake Nyasa is also called Lake Malawi.

When this cover was sent, Kota-Kota was in British Central Africa.
A protectorate named Nyassaland Districts had been established on May 14, 1891.
The title became British Central Africa Protectorate on February 23, 1893.
Surprisingly, Rhodesian stamps overprinted with B.C.A. were issued in April, 1891.
There must have been a little rush to Empire here.

British Central Africa was British territory governed
under the charter of the British South Africa Company.
In 1907 it became the Nyassaland Protectorate.

The destination was Halle on the Saale river which is a little more
than 30 km northwest of Leipzig and southwest of Berlin.
There are no receiving marks visible on the front.

This cover is franked with coat of arms stamps from the 1897 issue:
2p yellow and black and 4p carmine rose and black (SG 44 and 45; Scott 45 and 46).

It is certainly an uncommon usage.

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