Messageries Maritimes History and Ephemera

From a concern for inland mail carriage, the present noted company developed. In 1851 an over-sea contract was entered into for the French mails to Italy, Egypt, Syria, the Levant, and Greece.

There are five services to Mediterranean and Black Sea ports, the last two trades being taken up in 1857. The India and China mail contract was secured in 1861. There is a service every 28 days to Australia and New Zealand, vid Aden, Bombay, and Colombo; connecting at Colombo with the China main lines.

A fortnightly service is maintained to Aden or Djibouti, Colombo, Singapore, Saigon, China, and Japan, with monthly connections for Pondicherry and Calcutta, and fortnightly for Java and the Tomplin ports.

There are departures on 25th of every month to Aden, JilHiuti, Malie" (Seychelles), Madagascar and Mauritius, connecting at Diego-Suarez for West Coast, and on 10th of every month to Djibouti. Mombasa, Zanzibar. Madagascar and Mauritius.

The preceding, with a weekly cargo line to London, rid Havre, sail from Marseilles. The mail service from Bordeaux to Brazil and River Plate commenced in 1861, now leaves fortnightly, with a steamer once a month for cargo only. Cargo steamers are run from Antwerp to the Far East every two months and from Marseilles every month to the French Possessions in Indo-China.

Documents in the Archives In the Queue For Uploading

  • 1924 Messageries Maritimes 1924 Services Contractuels et Lignes Commerciales. Yearbook 96 Pages in French. Covered their services to China and the Mediteranian. Brochure included many photographs, interior and exterior views, all classes of passengers and a large fold-out map of world wide Services des Messageries Maritimes.
  • History of the Messageries Maritimes de France
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