be no occasion for blank pages in the middle of the book for new issues, as all these would come in their proper order at the end; and the stamps already issued being known, spaces could be allotted to them with accuracy, and without any necessity for looking forward to any future issues.

I shall be very much obliged if you can find space for this among the correspondence' next month, as I should be glad to hear your opinion and those of some of your contributors upon it. I am aware that it would produce a great change in the order of the stamps in the book, but if the new order is better than the old one, that should not be considered a serious disadvantage, especially as the result will, I think, be the formation of a really 'permanent album.'

I enclose my card,

Norwich.

And remain, yours very truly,

THE POST MAGAZINE.

CHETH.

To the Editor of 'THE STAMP-COLLECTOR'S Magazine.' SIR,I have in my collection a copy of the Post Magazine described in your postal chit-chat. From information contained in it, I am able to state that the first number appeared Saturday, July 18th, 1840 (not 1841 as your notice supposes). My copy passed through the post-office November 21st, 1840, but as, unfortunately, the first printed page is wanting, I am unable to determine the date of its publication. The Post Magazine was published every Saturday, and a circulation of 5000 copies was guaranteed. The prospectus states that of the first number 7000 copies were sold, and proceeds to detail the design of the magazine in a style of puff, so worthy of Barnum himself, that, in addition to the few extracts you have already given, I cannot resist quoting the following, which may not perhaps occur in your copy :-The strong approval expressed by all to whom the plan of the magazine has been explained is a guarantee of its success; its novelty will excite immediate attention,-its utility cannot fail to ensure permanent support. An original poem will appear in every number,-now and then an original article in prose; and should advertisers not be too eager to run away with his columns, the editor (if so high sounding a title may be assumed) will offer his opinions on the usual subjects which occupy a place in periodical publications..... He will endeavour that the value of his selections shall leave little to be complained of.' The sheet containing the original poem' is unfortunately wanting in my copy, but if one may estimate the value of the articles selected from the specimen before me, The natural history of the Crocodile,' I should place it at a very low figure indeed. Whether the Post. Magazine lacked permanent support' because the public failed to estimate its utility,' or whether it sank under the pressure of competition, I cannot say, but I rather fancy it had but an ephemeral existence. That it was subject to competition is certain, as I have a Mulready cover in my collection, the whole of which is filled with printed advertisements of the Society for the extinction of the Slave Trade. Amongst these notices is an allusion to a meeting which had recently taken place on the 1st June, 1840, from whence I infer that these advertising Mulreadys must have been contemporary with the Post Magazine. Perhaps in the forthcoming History of the Penny l'ostage, by Sir Rowland Hill, we may learn under what circumstances, and up to what date, advertisements were allowed to be printed on government paper. At the end of the advertisements in my copy it is stated that Mulready covers, containing notices of the society, might

be purchased at the offices of the society, 15, Parliamentstreet, at 1s. and 2s. per dozen respectively. And here permit me to say that I think you are in error in supposing that the price of post-office envelopes was, in 1841, is. 3d. per dozen. To the best of my recollection (but I was very young at the time and then seldom wrote a letter), I never paid more than 1s. per dozen for the penny Mulready envelopes. I believe it is only since the embossed stamps have been introduced that the paper forming the envelope has been charged for.. Yours truly,

Clifton.

FENTONIA.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. T. T., Liverpool.—The Queensland 5s. is of the same type as its congeners, and coloured pink.

INQUISITIVE. The penny orange-yellow Natal has not been reprinted.-The 4 c. United States envelope was printed on both white and yellow laid paper.

SUBSCRIBER.The rate of subscription to our own magazine for foreign countries is regulated by the charge for postage of registered publications to those countries.

WEST INDIAN, Plymouth.-Levrault names five kinds of Grenada stamps, viz.: the 1d. green and 6d. carmine, without and with star watermark, and the red-orange variety of the latter value, issued this year.

H. H. C.-The prices and colours of the new Egyptian stamps are given in the last number of the magazine; we should, however, observe in correction that the one piastre is in fact lake-red, not vermilion.

WATERMARK, Hungerford. The 1/9 Ceylon has not been issued either perforated or watermarked.— Your New Zealand 2d. blue on thick white unwatermarked paper is the earliest issue on white.-There are two varieties of the East India half-anna envelopes-one on white, the other on yellowish laid paper.-The home stamps are used in the Portuguese colonies.

B. S., Exeter. Your red Turkish is the 5 piastres of the obsolete 'unpaid' series. The usual shade of this stamp is brown, but red specimens are by no means uncommon.- he alteration of date on the Cuban stamps, especially coupled as it is with the addition of perforation, decidedly constitutes a new series.

NOVICE, Chepstow. Our magazine commenced its existence on the 1st February, 1863, Le Timbre-Poste appeared on the 15th of the same month. It was then a single folio sheet without illustrations, and the publisher's price list occupied a great portion of the space.

T. F., Blairgowrie, N.B.-Of the stamps you send, two of them have the name of the colony whence they come -New South Wales-inscribed on them.-The rose stamp with flower in centre is a Swiss local, issued by an hotel keeper on the Rigi mountain. The green stamp is an Italian of the 1856 series, and the remaining stamp, a rose one, inscribed ESPANA CORREOS, is a 2 reales Spanish of 1865. Thanks for your good wishes for the magazine. T. C. G. NEWHAM.-M. Moens is a dealer in stamps, resident in Brussels, and is also publisher of Le Timbrel'oste. M. Lallier is a Parisian suvan, member of more than one scientific association, and compiler of the album bearing his name. Mr. Oppen is, we believe, a classical teacher resident in this country. The album called by his name long since passed from his care. The earlier editions were compiled by Mr. H. Whymper, and the later ones have been issued under the able supervision of Dr. Viner.-The letters and numbers which appear on the English stamps constitute a check upon the numbers printed, &c.

POSTAL ENVELOPES IN 1818.

BY OVERY TAYLOR.

THE antiquity of everything under the sun has long since been asserted, and, for the matter of that, proved also. It is not then to be expected that the invention of postage stamps should turn out to be a novelty. Though in its present shape the postal system with its necessary auxiliaries-adhesive labels-is beyond question the work of Sir Rowland Hill, still, more than one nation can produce proof that at some earlier period schemes for cheap prepaid postage were started by its citizens, and received with more or less favour. In 1653 Velayer delivered billetdoux in Paris; Treffenberg, the Swede, in 1823 proposed a method of prepayment to his countrymen; Murray managed his penny post in London in 1689, and probably, were the matter investigated, it would be found that many nations have indistinct traditions of semi-postal institutions in former times.

We have now to bring before the notice of our readers a series of envelopes in use in Italy from 1819 to 1836. Their postal character has been contested, but in our opinion is not open to question. They were first noticed by M. Moens in the twentyseventh number of his journal, from which we abridge the following particulars:

A royal decree of the 12th August, 1818, declared that the right of carrying letters was exclusively reserved to the postal administration, but admitted, nevertheless, of exceptions.

Those who would avail themselves of the

provisions of art. 41 [which M. Moens does not quote] in sending letters otherwise than through the post, were bound first to send them to the local post-office and pay the state charge. The official noted the letters in the presence of the bearer on a register, and impressed a stamp, at one of the angles of the address, containing the same check-number as was placed against the letter in the register.

*[As the government had reserved to itself the monopoly of carrying letters, but permitted private individuals to carry them, provided the tax to the state were duly paid, we suppose that to be the tax or charge referred to in the above regulation.-ED.]

The formalities above described were found tedious to the senders of letters and burdensome to the officials, and in consequence the postal administration adopted a new plan more economical of time and

money.

On the 7th of November, 1818, the emission of stamped postal paper-Carta postale bollata-was announced, and the conditions on which it might be used were stated. This paper, made by direction of the postmastergeneral under the immediate inspection of the superintendent-general, was sold at the post-offices throughout the country and by the vendors of tobacco, who received a commission upon their sales. There were three values: 15 centesimi for distances of 15 miles, 25 c. for distances of from 15 to 35 miles, and 50 c, for all further distances.

The letters written on this paper might be sent by any conveyance at the discretion of the sender, provided that a single sheet only were used, that it were folded to show the stamp, and that the address were in the same handwriting as the letter; a breach of any of these conditions was punishable by law.

The first decree was followed by an ordinance of the 3rd December, 1818, announcing the provisional emission of unwatermarked postal sheets of ordinary letter size, and bearing a coloured stamp varying in form for each value, and they were accordingly delivered to the public on the 1st January, 1819.

This remained current for a twelvepaper month. On the 13th November, 1819, a royal ordinance appeared, suppressing the provisional issue from and after the following 1st of January, but permitting any of the values to be exchanged against those of the new watermarked series which was to be emitted in their place for a month afterwards; and giving other particulars of no special interest.

From details furnished from official sources it would appear that the sheets were little used, and that they were finally withdrawn by the 73rd article of a royal decree of the 30th March, 1836, in consequence of a modification being made in the postal regulations by the 72nd article of the same law.

We have lately had an opportunity of inspecting both series of these interesting envelopes. The first, issued in 1819, is unwatermarked, and bears the stamp, for each value, low down in the centre of the

C.50.

part folded to receive the address. Each value is of a different shape-the 15 c. being circular, the 25 c.transverse oval, and the 50 c. octagonal-but all bear the same device -a boy on horseback blowing a trumpet (the horse galloping towards the left), and the value beneath. We give annexed an engraving of the highest value by which a clearer idea will be gained of their appearance. The design, it will be seen, is very primitive and antique in its details. The paper looks decidedly ancient, and is of the rough quality generally used at that date.

The second series is elaborately watermarked. A Greek border goes round the edge of the entire sheet, and contains the following inscription: CORRISPONDENZA AUTO

RIZZATA IN CORSO PARTICOLARE PER PEDONI ED

ALTRE OCCASIONI, which signifies' Correspondence by private carrier, by foot passengers, and other means.' In the centre of the sheet is the scutcheon of Savoy, and disposed above, below, and at the sides, the words, DIREZIONE GENERALE DELLE REGIE POSTE (direction-general of the royal post). Thus far the watermark, which is the most interesting part of the device of the second series, the stamps being impressed in plain relief, and therefore hardly noticeable. They show the same designs as their predecessors, differing only in having a pearled instead of a plain border, and are placed in the same position on the paper. The paper of this series is of a yellowish tint from age.

M. Moens, in introducing these envelopes to the notice of collectors, expressed an opinion that they would be valuable additions to a postage-stamp collection, but M. Mahè, in a letter published in the thirtieth number of Le Timbre-Poste, denies that any postal value attaches to them, his argument being that they merely paid a revenue tax, and that a letter written on this stamped paper,

and thrown into the post-office box would have been treated as entirely unpaid, the charge which the envelopes represented being not for the carriage of letters through the post, but for their carriage by extraofficial means and under particular conditions.

M. Mahè is very probably correct in stating that the postal paper would not carry letters written on it free by post, but the Sardinian government permitted an infringement upon the exclusive right of its post-office, only when correspondence carried by private persons was written upon the stamped paper, and thus conferred the right. of carrying such letters upon any person who might undertake to do so. As far as the post-office was concerned the sum which the stamp represented was charged by it for the transmission and delivery of the letters written upon the stamped sheets. Upon these letters it accepted the fee, but not the responsibility. For the sake of increased speed, or perhaps because no government mail passed over particular routes, the forwarding of communications by private sources was permitted, the government nevertheless making a charge upon them, and the sender taking the chance of safe delivery and paying any extra charge which might be made by the carrier.

These envelopes appear to us very like those used by Wells, Fargo, & Co. The United States permits that firm to carry and deliver letters, but they must be enclosed in government stamped envelopes, and purchasers of these, when they pay the price of the stamps, satisfy the claims of the postoffice, and have then to pay such further rate as Wells, Fargo, & Co. may charge.

THE BRITISH POSTAL GUIDE. MANY of our readers probably never see the British Postal Guide, or, if at all, only upon the counters of our post-offices. Yet it is by no means an uninteresting publication. It contains in a small compass a vast fund of information of great value, and well repays a little study. We refer more especially to the table of colonial and foreign postage, in which the postal rates to every

country with which our own is in communication are quoted, and to the calendar of arrivals and departures of mails. In the latter we have evidence of the high degree of accuracy and regularity which characterises the working of our post-office.

Just as astronomers foretell, long in advance, the occurrence of phenomena in the upper world, so our postal authorities give the proximate date of arrival of mails, day after day, from every part of the world, months beforehand. Not one, it may be, of the scores of packet-boats which fetch and carry the correspondence of this country has got up steam for its voyage when the Postal Guide issues from the press, with full particulars of all the arrivals and departures for the next three months. And it is rarely that the published calculations are much in fault when they are, it is frequently on the right side; the mails come to hand a day or two before they are due. Such a mishap as the delay of a mailboat in starting from here has scarcely ever happened.

A perusal of the table of rates will, in some measure, exemplify the civil and political condition of many of the countries named. High charges for the transmission of letters from England evidence the fact that there is little correspondence between this country and the places named; this again shows that their commercial relations with us are very slight, and thence we may argue, that such places are too poor and too primitive to require our assistance. Compulsory prepayment may also be taken to indicate incompleteness in the postal relations. Many countries are unsettled, and were it left to the native governments to collect the charges upon letters from here, very probably our post-office would not receive half what it is entitled to. In the largest sea-port of such countries we have a packet agent, who has the collection, despatch, receipt and delivery of the mails under his special care, and there is necessarily a British post-office for the same purpose, where also our stamps are sold. The registration of letters to such countries is complete only up to the port of landing, as our authorities cannot guarantee that any special

care will be taken of registered letters after they are once handed over to the native officials.

Intolerance, or narrow commercial views, in some states still prevents the institution of a book post between them and us. This is notably the case with Spain, whither no bound books, nor prints, music, maps or drawings, unless forming part of publica tions, can be sent. Spain, probably, has no internal book post, her repressive policy not favouring such an instrument of enlightenment; but the United States, whilst possessing an internal book post, with a view to protect their publishers and booksellers from competition with the English trade, refused until very recently to permit the establishment of a book post between them and this country. A more liberal view is now, however, adopted, and, by virtue of the recent postal treaty between Great Britain and the States, books and all other printed matter can be freely sent across the water at a reasonable rate.

As

Many of the countries not possessing a book post are too poor to institute one. book packets weigh heavy, they can only be carried in conjunction with a large letter correspondence, the postage whereon keeps the service in a prosperous, or, at any rate, solvent condition. Thinly-populated and half-civilised countries cannot, from their very nature, be expected to have so large an internal correspondence as characterises older and more highly cultivated states, with better means of communication; and where the correspondence is small, there is no chance of the addition of a book post, and the high letter rates of postage can hardly keep the post-office balance on the right side.

But, though we may not trouble to send books to all the out-of-the-way places of the world, we are able, at least, to send letters. The columns of names of states, cities, and districts in the table of rates is rough reading, and more than one place is mentioned respecting which it is not easy to glean particulars. Such names as Botuschany, Goree, Mostur, Samanad, Tultscha, and others specially referred to in the guide, fall very unfamiliarly on the ear, but with

these and others almost equally as strange, our post-office is in regular communication.

The great lines to India, Australia, and the United States are now so regular in their working that they have quite accustomed us to the receipt of letters at stated intervals from these distant places. As a large railway has its branches extending into the remoter districts near which it passes, so our chief lines of communication have ramifications into and connections with the most secluded spots. Thus, upon the Indian line, the letters for Aden, Alexandria, Borneo, Japan, Java, Labuan, Madagascar, Penang, Reunion, &c., are carried; and by our West Indian and Pacific mails we send to such places as San Juan de Nicaragua, Belize, Guatemala, Bolivia, and other very unsettled parts, besides, corresponding across the isthmus of Panama with our New Zealand friends.

By the influence of such an accurate system the world gets smaller every day. Australia is now but a little distance away, and Japan in a few years will be quite close to us. All the parts of the earth are knit together by a community of interest and feeling which will do more in time to promote peace than any number of big guns or international peace congresses..

NOTES AND QUERIES.

BY AN AMATEUR.

BELGIUM. Of the series with head of Leopold in oval frame, unperforated, and watermarked LL interlaced, there were two emissions, which are easily to be distinguished by the difference in the paper. The earlier are found on thick paper, almost cartonné, while the latter are printed on a thin paper, both sets bearing the same watermark. Of the earlier printing, 200 stamps made up the full sheet, but when the thinner paper was adopted 300 stamps were printed on each sheet. The issue was first commenced by the 40 centimes on thick paper, in October, 1849, and the thinner paper was adopted about 1855-6. The foregoing difference does not appear to be noticed in Berger-Levrault's catalogue, but is recognized by most collectors. It is right to call attention to the fact

HOLLAND. Besides the recent issue, of which some six or seven values are it is reported to constitute the series, stamps designed for newspaper postage are in course of preparation. On dit, that they will bear the arms of Holland.

A very striking difference exists in the (till October last) current series of stamps of Holland, head to right in oval: 5 c. blue, 10 c. carmine, 15 c. orange. Some little time previous to the date mentioned the government ceased to print these stamps, and the dies were handed over to printers who contracted with the government. On comparing a set of the three stamps printed by the contractors with those printed by the government, a very marked difference is found to exist in ink, colour, and style of printing, perceptible in an instant to any one used to discrimi nate between issues of stamps, but difficult to describe in words. Those collectors who are careful to note such matters will do well at once to secure the later-printed set, as the contractors only printed for about two months from these dies, and then commenced with the new issue now current.

WURTEMBURG.The new return stamp, dentele à la roulette, is printed on very much thinner paper than its predecessor, and is from a very distinct die, as can be seen by comparing the armorial bearings,

-

BAVARIA. Of the return stamp of Munich two distinct lithographic series exist, the one which is probably the earlier has the line of the oval thicker and more curved than in the later issue, and the crown is differently designed. The difference between the two is very apparent on collating specimens of each.* The present issue appears to the eye to present no differences between the stamps on the same sheet for Munich, Bamberg, Augsburg, or Wurzburg, but in the Nürnberg stamps there are two designs placed side by side on the stone. On closely examining these stamps, and observing where the right-hand lower jewel or chain is placed relatively to the G of Nürnberg in the two specimens, the variety will readily be found. Other marks of difference

* [The return stamp with thicker oval, is said to be for Regensburg, though bearing the inscription MUNICH. This fact is noted at p. 94 of the present volume.—ED.].