In view of the great future now opening up for British philatelists
in the study and collection of Egyptian stamps, the present writer has
completed a full illustrated history of these stamps for publication
in the "Melville Stamp Books series," published by Messrs. Stanley
Gibbons, Ltd., 391 Strand (_see_ page 2). This will be issued almost
simultaneously with the present volume.
[Illustration: 398]
An Egyptian stamp which might have been included in the body of the
present work is _Fig._ 398, a postage-due stamp issued in 1898. At
that time the Egyptian postal regulations charged 3 milliemes for
prepaid letters but double that sum (6 milliemes) for unpaid letters,
from or to non-commissioned officers and men of the Egyptian Army in
garrison on the frontier, as well as at Suakim and Tokar; the same
tariff was applicable to soldiers taking part in the Expedition to the
Sudan. In consideration of the fact that such soldiers would be most
frequently in places where they would be unable to get postage stamps,
the authorities decided that unpaid letters sent by them should only
be liable to the single rate of 3 milliemes instead of the double rate
of 6 milliemes. But as there was no postage-due stamp of 3 milliemes
to use in collecting this sum, it was temporarily permitted to use a
2 millieme stamp, with half of another 2 millieme stamp divided
diagonally, until the surcharged stamp (_Fig._ 398) 3 milliemes on 2
milliemes could be prepared and issued.
[Illustration: 399 400 401]
SUDAN.--The first stamps of the Sudan were created by overprinting
Egyptian stamps in 1897 for use at the Camp Post Office at Wadi
Haifa, and at points south thereof, the overprint reading "SOUDAN" and
repeated in Arabic characters. The first stamps of special design,
the attractive "camel" issue, also have military associations, being
designed by Colonel Stanton of the Oxford Light Infantry, depicting
a camel rider, alleged to be a portrait of Slatin Pasha. The rider is
carrying mail, and is armed with a rifle and two spears (_Fig._ 399).
These stamps were overprinted for use of army officials either with
the words "OFFICIAL-ARMY" as in _Fig._ 400, or "Army Service" as in
_Fig._ 401. Another interesting Sudanese military stamp design was
used for the military telegraph service (_Fig._ 402).
[Illustration: 402]
MOROCCO.--Following upon the proclamation of Egypt as a British
Protectorate, it was announced that Great Britain has recognised the
French Protectorate in Morocco and has adhered to the Franco-Moroccan
Treaty of March 30, 1912. The French stamps for Morocco (_Fig._ 403)
have now been overprinted "PROTECTORAT-FRANCAIS", as may be seen by
comparing this 10 centimes value with the same denomination utilised
for Red Cross stamp purposes (_Fig._ 153). The change in the status of
Morocco may render the British postal agencies there unnecessary, in
which case the series of British stamps overprinted "MOROCCO AGENCIES"
(_Figs._ 404, 405) may be rendered obsolete.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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