Chinese Export silver mug, engraved and embossed all over with a floral/foliate design, engraved to base " Act'g Fleet Surgeon / J. Hopkinson U.S. Navy / Canton China / 1850", 4 1-8" h, 3 5-8" d, unmarked, 8.8 TO. Joseph Hopkinson is listed in the 1848 US Navy census as serving in the East India Squadron on the Brig "Dolphin". The USS Dolphin got underway 6 May 1848 to join the East India Squadron, protecting American citizens in Asiatic waters. The East India Squadron was a squadron of American ships which existed in the nineteenth century, it focused on protecting American interests in the Far East. Part of the duties of this squadron was serving with the Yangtze River Patrol in China. The East India Squadron was established in 1835 and existed until it became part of the Asiatic Squadron in 1868.: . Provenance: This lot comes from the Hopkinson Family Collection, Francis Hopkinson, 1737-1791 was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He designed the first US Flag, Continental paper money, and the first United States coin.