U.S. & Worldwide Stamps & Postal History

1914 (12 May) 4k stationery card (sent by French irrigation engineer Louis Cugnin) from the Bukharan town of Termez on the Afghan border to France. The message reads, "I received your letter of 8 May and it gave me much joy. Your letter arrived faster than I did because the mail crosses the Pamir Mountains to join the railway at Samarkand. I am the only French engineer along with three Russian engineers sent by the Russian banks. My mission will take only a few months and involves inspecting irrigation projects in Khiva, near the Aral Sea, and in the Caucasus, near the Persian border. I am permitted to write only post cards. Russian Turkestan, and especially the important border fortress at Termez, is closed to foreigners. I needed a special authorization from the Tsar. The country is very interesting. The mountains are always covered with snow, yet the climate is tropical. The heat is terrific - at least 35 degrees at night."
Estimate: $150