Today in Postal History

 
 
     
Zambesia to France
April 11, 1902

This picture postcard was sent from Quelimane in the
Zambesia district of Mozambique in Portuguese East Africa.
Quelimane is located about 100 km north
along the African coast on the Mozambique Channel
from the mouth of the Zambesi river.
Chinde (in the message) is at the mouth of the Zambezi.

The postcard was destined for Paris.
The postcard is marked "imprimé" (printed matter),
probably to meet some rate requirement.

The postcard shows what appears to be a vessel which plied the Zambezi.
It is more like the Louisa than the African Queen.

The four copies of the 5 reis orange (or orange red) (Scott 14) from the
1898 issue were cancelled with two strikes of the Quelimane CDS.
The postcard was given a transit mark at Zanzibar
on an island near Dar es Salaam on April 26.

This first 1700 km took 15 days.
In 1902, Quelimane was one of those places that you "couldn't get there from here."