The Stamps Of Anjouan (French Colony)

Location H2
CLB Books Pictorial Atlas of the World
ISBN 0862839335


In 1816, Sultan Alawi bin Husain requested French assistance against
the Sultanate of Zanzibar which was threatening his domain.
Came under French Influence 1843
The island came under French protection in 1886.
France abolished slavery in then-Ndzuwani in 1899,
and formally annexed it in 1912. The strictly republican annexation was
opposed by the last reigning sultan but his meager forces
were crushed when they offered resistance.

Capital : Mossamondu See Comoro Islands.

Project Gutenberg
2. Anjuan, or Johanna, next in size, lies E. by S. of Comoro. It is some 30 m. long by 20 at its greatest breadth. The land rises in a succession of richly wooded heights till it culminates in a central peak, upwards of 5000 ft. above the sea, in 12° 14#8242; S., 44° 27#8242; E. The former capital, Mossamondu, on the N.W. coast, is substantially built of stone, surrounded by a wall, and commanded by a dilapidated citadel; it is the residence of the sultan and of the French administrator. There is a small but safe anchorage at Pomony, on the S. side, formerly used as a coal depot by ships of the British navy.

1892
Steiner Page 2 (Only Page)

Very Interesting. Learning something new today. I had never even heard of Anjouan. Yet again in the days of empire, there are many countries that existed and now don't. Some of them rise again though, the Countries of Serbia, Croatia, & Bosnia. Out of the, relatively short lived, former country of Yugoslavia.

Stamps bringing history to life.

Anjouan declared independence in 1997, but lost it in 2008. I don't think they issued any stamps during that period though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anjou...mous_Anjouan

Apparently they issued some revenue stamps in 1999 if the following is correct. In addition to the revenue stamps this site also references some private postal service stamps issued while Anjouan was independent.

http://www.comores-online.com/colle.../indexgb.htm

I was just working on my surcharges the other day.

Does anyone know the administrative rationale that led to the issuance of stamps that were specific to these thinly populated territories in the Comoros like this one, Moheli and Mayotte?

You may have underestimated the commerce here?

Not to mention the coaling stations here, and their assumed correspondence requirements.

Caveat: This is Gutenberg, I am guessing circa 1900, but I could be way out.
Population: of the Archipelago



The islands were first visited by Europeans in the 16th century; they are marked on the map of Diego Ribero made in 1527. At that time, and for long afterwards, the dominant influence in, and the civilization of, the islands was Arab. According to tradition the islands were first peopled by Arab voyagers driven thither by tempests. The petty sultans who exercised authority were notorious slave traders. A Sakalava chief who had been driven from Madagascar by the Hovas took refuge in Mayotte c. 1830, and, with the aid of the sultan of Johanna, conquered the island, which for a century had been given over to civil war. French naval officers having reported on the strategic value of Mayotte, Admiral de Hell, governor of Réunion, sent an officer there in 1841, and a treaty was negotiated ceding the island to France. Possession was taken in 1843, the sultan of Johanna renouncing his claims in the same year. In 1886 the sultans of the other three islands were placed under French protection, France fearing that otherwise the islands would be taken by Germany. The French experienced some difficulty with the natives, but by 1892 had established their position. The islands, as regulated by the decree of the 9th of April 1908, are under the supreme authority of the governor-general of Madagascar. The local administration is in the hands of an official who himself governs Mayotte but is represented in the other islands by administrators. On the council which assists the governor are two nominated native notables. In 1910 the sultan of Great Comoro ceded his sovereign rights to France. In Anjuan the native government is continued under French supervision. The budgets of the four islands in 1904 came to some £30,000, that of Mayotte being about half the total. The chief sources of revenue are poll and house taxes, and, in Mayotte, a land tax.

The Iles Glorieuses, three islets 160 m. N.E. of Mayotte, with a population of some 20 souls engaged in the collection of guano and the capture of turtles, were in 1892 annexed to France and placed under the control of the administrator of Mayotte.

You can find a lot of interesting information about the French colonies on the website "www.timbresmag.com" (in French)
Enter "Comores" in the search box and you will get articles about Anjouan, Moheli...



Watch out for Fournier forgeries, both stamps and overprints