Madagascar: 1874 neat envelope to Dr. Bleek at Cape Town with oval unframed “FORWARDED BY PROCTER BROTHERS.TAMATAVE” in black, sent via Mauritius and franked 1s. orange tied by “B53” cancellation with blue Mauritius backstamp, Cape Town arrival datestamp and manuscript “4” on obverse. A rare early forwarded cover from Madagascar that also illustrates the maritime route. Rowe only records this forwarding agents’ mark for 1877. Wilhelm Heinrich Immanuel Bleek (1827-1875) was a renowned linguist pioneering the study of African languages and was then the published author on the subject. Governor Sir George Grey presented his library to the National Library of South Africa on the condition that Bleek was made the Curator, a position he held from 1862 until his death. Photo. See also lot 332. (Image1)