1904 (April 22), Ise to Thio, New Caledonia, 4s violet postal stationery card, struck by crisp black circular Japanese datestamp, address
1904 (April 22), Ise to Thio, New Caledonia, 4s violet postal stationery card, struck by crisp black circular Japanese datestamp, address typewritten on white paper label pasted over a large-scale hand-brushed Japanese repiquage dedicated to the glory of Japanese soldiers during the Russo-Japanese War, addressed to "L'Inspecteur Japonais" care of La Société Anonyme Le Nickel, Thio, Nouvelle Calédonie, printed "VIA SYDNEY" on address label, with corresponding faint black circular Sydney (5 Jun) transit datestamp on front, printed Japanese kanji message on reverse under the header of the Grand Shrine of Ise dated 2 April 1905, a rare destination, very fine; an unusual example. The card was sent to the Japanese inspector at the Le Nickel mining company, a firm that imported thousands of Japanese labourers to work the mines at Thi. The text visible beneath the address label includes a dedication to the glory of Japanese soldiers, a reference to the ongoing Russo-Japanese War.
