Page 29 - 148 Years of the Royal Philatelic Society London

In 1895: London's Promenade Concerts start, Waltzing Matilda written, The Importance of

Being Earnest premiered, Ocar Wilde sent to gaol, Helium isolated, X rays discovered.

At the PSL: Society publishes two more monographs, Stamped Envelopes and Wrappers of

U.S.A. and part 1 of British Colonies, Possessions and Protectorates in Africa.

Honorary President H.R.H. Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, K.G. (Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha).

PSL President was The Earl of Kingston. Membership stood at 282.

FIRST MAIL FROM ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA -

29th MAY 1895

From the collection of Ulf J Lindahl.

Member since 2010. Lives in the United States of America.

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Alfred Ilg, Emperor Menelik's Swiss Chancellor of State and founder of the Ethiopian Posts, received

this cover from Empress Taitu, whose seal is on the back, while he conducted business in Switzerland.

The Empress was replying to Ilg, who had written to say he had married and was returning to

Ethiopia. The cover was carried by mules and camels to Djibouti with the first batch of mail from

Entotto, now Addis Ababa. A two-guerches Menelik stamp pays inland postage and a 75 centimes

Djibouti pictorial stamp pays international postage, required as Ethiopia was not in the U.P.U.