The gift in 1874 of the Palazzo Rosso to the city of Genoa by Maria duchessa di Galliera (1811-88), the last representative of the house of Brignole-Sale, included not only the well-known collection of paintings but also sets of furnishings which were further augmented after the donor's death and constitute an outstandingly fine and coherent ensemble. Their historical significance has further been enhanced by the subsequent transferral to the city of the family archive by the heirs, the principi Carrega Bertolini; and now that the archive has become available to scholars after the customary period of restriction it has begun to yield information fundamental for the full study of this rich heritage.'

In 1864 King Tewodros of Ethiopia, frustrated by a lack of response to his appeals, took desperate action. He imprisoned the British consul in Ethiopia and over the next three years seized several other Europeans and their families. Queen Victoria did not take this indignity lightly and in the autumn of 1867 dispatched from India an expeditionary force of more than twelve thousand men, led by Sir Robert Napier, to liberate them. After traversing nearly four hundred miles of difficult terrain, the army laid siege to Tewodros in his highland fortress of Maqdala. Following a brief encounter, the king committed suicide on 13th April 1868 and the fortress fell into British hands.'