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'Every man engaged in business, or who is suspected of holding foreign correspondence, no matter where, cannot show himself without being pestered for postage stamps.

'Not only children of a small, but those of a larger growth, devote themselves now-adays, with a perfect furore, to the collection of those little squares appended to letters in payment of their postage.

These squares, representing sovereigns' heads, Phrygian caps, animals, and numbers of other emblems, are destined to figure away in an album, where they form a pretty strange piece of mosaic work.

"The pupils of our schools do not confine themselves, in our town, to begging for stamps from their parents or friends, but these and zealous collectors repair to young the streets leading to the post offices, and petition the merchants, whose well-known habit it is in our city, to open and read their correspondence in the streets.

"This mania for collecting postage stamps has arrived at such a pitch that the result is a considerable traffic, which, if we are to believe a Parisian journal, has aroused the attention of the post-office authorities.

'It has been found out, for instance, that French stamps already used are sent in shoals to Germany, and especially to England; and the question has been asked if it were really the case that stamp collectors absorbed these valueless stamps in such large numbers, and if some illicit traffic were not hid under this timbromanie; if, in short, these same ink-spotted and cancelled stamps were not the objects of a guilty speculation, and if, after a good washing, they were not a second time put into circulation.

'It is said that an inquiry has been instituted by the postmaster-general, to make a strict examination of this question, and take measures to prevent the fraud which might result from the reiterated employment of the same stamps.

'We are assured that an amateur of col

lections of this sort, hurt by this suspicion, has given the most satisfactory explanation respecting the postage stamps sent to England. According to him, the aim of collectors would not only be irreproachable, but laudable and even admirable,-for the produce

of the sale of these postage stamps is destined to ransom an unfortunate slave, who thus by favour of stamps and stamp collectors will enjoy the blessings of liberty.'

The article closes with the mot we have used as a heading to this, 'A HINT TO NEGRO EMANCIPATORS.'

THE POSTAGE RATES.

Ir is rather interesting to notice how the rarity of different foreign and colonial stamps depends on the proportion their values bear to the postage from their various countries to England. Of course, the kinds we consider most valuable are those which only circulate locally. But of the general stamps of a country, it is natural that by far the most common should be those which exactly cover the charge for letters and papers to this country. A capital example of this is Bremen. The green 5 grote of that city was prepared, it seems, expressly for the English postage, and consequently we hardly ever see any other values here.

On the other hand, the Prussian postage of 5 silber groschen is not exactly defrayed by any one stamp now current there, and so we have the 1, 2, and 3 silber groschen in about equal numbers.

The rate to and from the West Indies and the South African colonies has just been raised to one shilling, and we shall doubtless find the shilling stamps of the Cape, Jamaica, and Barbadoes becoming more common, while the sixpenny ones grow comparatively rare. Also, if the original price be not reverted to, we may look for the appearance of stamps of a new value from Antigua, Natal, Grenada, &c. The 10-cent Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia are almost solely used for letters from those colonies to the United States, and are all rather difficult to obtain here. So we see that the enterprising collector should keep his eye on all T. H. F. postal arrangements.

CONUNDRUM.

Why is the Penny English stamp like a newspaper ? Because it was first black printed on white, and then red (read).

ORIGIN OF POST-PAID ENVELOPES.

A PREVIOUS number of this magazine contained the French proclamation of August, 1653, relating to the establishment of a post. Mr. Henry Whymper having since furnished us with additional information on the subject, we here present it to our readers.

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In a pamphlet by M. Piron, Sous-Directeur des Postes, published in Paris in 1838, and entitled, Du service des Postes, et de la Taxation des Lettres au moyen d'un Timbre, I find that the idea of a post-paid envelope originated, early in the reign of Louis XIV., with M. de Velayer, who, in 1653, established (with Royal approbation) a private penny post, placing boxes at the corners of the streets for the reception of letters wrapped up in envelopes, which were to be bought at offices established for that purpose. M. de Velayer had also caused to be printed certain forms of billets or notes, applicable to the ordinary business among the inhabitants

of great towns, with blanks, which were to be filled up by the pen with such special matter as might complete the writer's object. One of these billets has been preserved to our times by a pleasant misapplication of it. Pélisson, Mde. de Sevigné's friend, and the object of the bon mot, that "he abused the privilege which men have of being ugly," was amused at this kind of skeleton correspondence, and, under the affected name of Pisandre (according to the pedantic fashion. of the day), he filled up and addressed one of these forms to the celebrated Mademoiselle de Scuderi, in her pseudonyme of Sappho. This strange billet-doux has happened, from the celebrity of the parties, to be preserved, and it is still extant, one of the oldest, we presume, of penny-post letters, and a curious example of a prepaying envelope.' I enclose a copy of this note: the words in printed characters are as the billet stood before being filled in, and the writing is M. Pélisson's own addition.

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Scheerenbeck, of Hamburg, has again favoured collectors with two new series of local stamps; and we shrewdly suspect he will find it his interest to make many a change, as long as stamp collecting holds its ground. Collectors are beginning to hesitate about accepting these numerous varieties, and certainly H. Scheerenbeck's specimens at this rate will soon want an album all to themselves. As we have said, there are two distinct issuesblack, on coloured paper, very poorly executed. One series consists of ten stamps with the figure 1, and ten more within an oval, with circumscribed inscription, H. Scheerenbeck, beneath. Colours of each series-buff, yellow, rose, brown, light blue, indigo, pale pink, green, lavender, and violet.

The remaining series of Boten bear the figure of a commissionaire in the centre of an inscribed oval; Hamburg, over; W. Krantz, below; and value in cipher on each side. There are two sets, each containing five of the and the same number of the I. One set, yellow, red, and violet, brown, blue, and green, on white; and the other, black, on yellow, light and dark brown, neutral, and pink, for the 1; and orange, grey, blue, and light and dark green, for the schilling.

The anticipated 60 of the new issue of Switzerland proves to be printed in bronzed gold, not yellow. The 24 öre of Sweden, formerly yellow, is now orange. The colours of the two Finland adhesives are altered to a shade considerably lighter than before.

We may take this opportunity of replying to the letter of Nemo, that appeared in the last number, objecting to our placing the diligencia stamps among those of the Argentine Confederation, in preference to Monte Video. We had, we submit, convincing reasons for so doing. In the first place, as we believe nothing is known for certain as to the date of issue of the stamps in question, and as Monte Video is, or was, simply one of the seven provinces of the Argentine Confederation, they were just as likely to be used generally, as for Monte Video exclusively. Again, they are not the same shape as the stamps of the latter place, which are all horizontally, but like those of the former, vertically oblong. Moreover, and this we imagine a convincing argument in our favour, the stamps of Monte Video have the values marked in centesimos, whereas the diligencias, as well as those both of the Argentine Confederation and Republic bear value in centavos.

As specimens of the issues of the Confederate States of America, we give the accompanying engravings. We would at the same time caution stamp collectors against purchasing imitations of these stamps, offered for sale by certain unprincipled dealers as genuine specimens, but which are in reality. manufactured in New York expressly for the European market.

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REVIEWS OF POSTAL PUBLICATIONS.

Catalogue of British, Colonial, and Foreign Postage Stamps. By MOUNT BROWN. Fourth edition. London: F. Passmore. THIS revised, corrected, and augmented edition of our standard catalogue' is again an improvement on the previous improved impressions.

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Although the paper is of a quality vastly superior to that used before, and the employment of a greater variety of type, which is of material service to the eye when searching out a reference, has materially increased the expense of printing, the liberal compiler still maintains the moderate price of one shilling; and, considering the vast amount of information on the subject treated, and the very superior style in which it is got up, we believe it may be pronounced the best and cheapest of the numerous tribe of manuals.

Many additions have been made to the stamps enumerated in the former editions, although we imagine, in a numerical point of view, fewer individuals are catalogued, in consequence of the unceremonious dismissal of the Würtemberg timbres d' instruction, so long considered as rare old issues; the impudent and unprincipled Lafrenz cheats; and the still-mysterious Austrian complementaries. A number of English essays, the oldest Moldavians, the beautiful Costa Rica stamps, those of Nicaragua, the Ottoman Empire, and no end of American locals, are the principal additions to the stock.

Plenty of novelties are already waiting for appearance (we hope before Christmas) in the fifth edition, as the new 2 grote of Bremen (of which we engrave a specimen), and the beautiful essays for Italy, to which

we alluded in the last number (see engraving). These appeared in the interval between sending the sheets to press, and their printing off; and, of course, were not in time to be included. We are glad to see the 10-c Parma, flesh,-vain inquiries after which

we have had so often the trouble to answer, -restored to its normal colour; and we hasten to avow our error in supposing the non-existence of a 100-c Monte Video, brown, specimens of which we have since seen and now possess.

We would recommend Mr. Brown to expunge the 2d. and 8d. Newfoundland, lake, which never existed, and the 3 neu-groschen Saxony, white, which we are sorry to say a communication from Leipzig, received the very day of penning this, announces, on the best authority, to be merely a naturally or artificially-faded yellow specimen.

With this infinitesimal amount of carping, we take leave of Mr. Brown's manual for the present, jusqu' au revoir.

Magazin für Briefmarken-Sammler. Leipzig:
C. C. Zschiesche und C. E. Köder.
THE first two numbers of this new magazine
It
for stamp collectors are now before us.
is a well-printed feuilleton of eight pages, on
very good paper, containing descriptions of
new stamps, sundry postal information, en-
gravings, advertisements, &c.; and is a proof
of the non-decadence of timbromanie on the
continent. The publisher has honoured Mr.
Whymper by transferring his engravings of
the Hong Kong and Turkish stamps; and
ourselves by an almost literal rendering of a
large portion of our article on Bergedorf
into German.

Catalogue of nearly Two Thousand varieties of
British, Colonial, and Foreign Postage
Stamps. By a COLLECTOR.

THIS is simply a verbatim et literatim tran-
script of the third edition of Mount Brown's
manual, on inferior paper, not so clearly
printed, and threepence dearer. We chari-
tably hope the compiler could not have been
conscious of the serious nature of his pira-
tical appropriation of another party's brain-
work; but little or no mischief will accrue
to Mr. Brown, as it has been arranged that
all existing copies of the work are to be sur-
rendered to him for destruction. The prin-
ter of this publication is not perhaps aware
that he has rendered himself liable to a
heavy penalty for not appending his name,-
a token that he, at least, is ashamed of his

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share in the nefarious transaction. Mr. Brown has also taken precautions to prevent the introduction of Kline's American piracy of his catalogue into this country, and is prepared with stringent measures to resist any infringement on his rights for the future.

ADDENDA TO MOUNT BROWN'S CATALOGUE OF POSTAGE STAMPS, COMPRISING NOTES, ADDITIONS, AND EMENDATIONS, BY C. W. VINER, A.M., PH.D.

[We propose continuing this Appendix to Mr. Brown's early editions, for the benefit of those who do not possess the fourth.-ED.]

New South Wales.

FOR an extended notice of what are usually termed 'The Sydney stamps,' we refer to Dr. Gray's paper in the March number of this magazine. The 1d., crimson, and 1d., vermilion, are first noticed in Mr. Brown's fourth edition.

The other issues of New South Wales comprehend many varieties recognised by some collectors, but not noted by Mr. Brown. We simply mention them, leaving amateurs to use their own judgment as to including them in their albums.

We

The wreath series has the threepenny in two distinct shades of green on blue paper; but not on white, as far as we know. have a red and a brown penny, as well as the orange, on white paper. There are three unmistakeable, but scarcely describeable, impressions of the twopenny, besides the one on blue paper. One is on white and a second on tinted paper; this latter is, moreover, of a different shade of blue, and easily recognised on inspection. The third is lavender on white.

The issue with South on the top, has an orange in addition to the red and dark brown Of this series there are penny stamps. some curious-looking specimens, perhaps essays, which have a blank in place of both postage and value. We have them in red, blue, and green, answering to the 1d., 2d., and 3d.; as well as in mauve and orange, apparently for 6d. and 8d.; which values never appeared in this device.

The sixpenny slate-colour is added, in the fourth edition, to those of the large series (circle within hexagon), and the eightpenny yellow (circle within octagon).

New Zealand.

We have never ourselves met with a sixpenny on blue paper, and shall be glad of authentic, or, better still, ocular information on that point. In Mr. Brown's third edition he notes a sixpenny red, of 1860; in the fourth he calls it brown. We have both in our album, as well as the chocolate of 1862. The threepenny came out this year, both violet and brown.

Nicaragua.

The 2 centavos, blue, appears in the fourth edition, and we understand this value was first issued black, previously to its supersedure by the blue.

Norway.

The expected issue of envelopes by this country appears to be merely a canard.

Nova Scotia.

The 1d., 5 c., and 10 c., black, and 12 c., red, essays of this colony, are added in the last edition; and we refer our readers to a detailed description of another choice essay in our own album, to be found in last month's magazine.

Oldenburg.

We have been shown several times a yellow silb. groschen of the first issue, but cannot vouch for its not having been doctored. The groschen of 1860 is not yellow, but a decided orange, and the is not of the colour usually known as marone, but of a rich brown, like the -groschen envelope. (To be continued.)

CANADIAN POSTAL STATISTICS. DURING last year 32 new post offices were established and 9 offices closed. The number

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