THE Stamp-Collector's Magazine. ILLUSTRATED. VOL. II. LONDON: E. MARLBOROUGH & CO., AVE MARIA LANE. BATH: STAFFORD SMITH & SMITH, THE FOREIGN STAMP AND CREST DEPÔT. MDCCCLXIV. ABUSES of the Letter Franking system, 73 Albany Bazaar Post-office Stanıp, 185 Answers to Correspondents, 16, 32, 47, 63, 79, 96, 111, Argentine, 72, 180; forged. 101; new series, 137 Austria, complementary stamp, 48; forged Zeitungs, 67; Canada, 153, 192; buff envelopes, 184; local, 185 Cape of Good Hope, 16; new issue, 39, 120; on tinted Central Fair, 137, 175, 192 Ceylon, 48, 136, 191 Chili Stamp, head on, 80, 180 Chit-Chat Postal, 77, 94, 109, 125, 142, 158, 173 Corrientes, 85, 136, 180; city of, 86 Continental Stamps and Stamp Countries, Jabez Jones's Correspondence continued:- 79; dealers' black list, 79; the Sydney postage Correspondents, answers to, 16, 32, 47, 63, 79, 96, 111, Country Postman, The, 126 Curiosities of the Post Bag, 126 Current Stamp Forgeries, 67, 89, 100, 154, 182 Danish West Indies, 176 Denmark, 105, 170; forged, 155 Egyptian Postage Stamps, 25 English envelope stamp, 96, 149; penny adhesive, 104; Envelope stamps, Notes on, 149 Essays in general, 143; meaning of the word, 174 Finland, 121; forged, 68, 155; envelopes, 149 Five Rs applied to Postage Stamps, 30; answered, 46, 62 General Post Office at Six o'Clock, 38 Hamburg, 57, 73; forged, 155, 176; boten, 62, 96, 112, 128; Hanover, 9, 112; net-work series, 105; envelopes, 150; History of my Stamp Album, 1, 17, 33, 49, 65, 81 Jerusalem Postage Stamps, 158 La Guaira, 121, 137, 169, 184 Liability of Postage Stamps to Fraudulent Re-issue, 13 Lines for The Stamp-Collector's Magazine, 46 Livonia, 19, 24; geographical position, 144; new issue, London Parcels Delivery Company, 137, 144 Lubeck, 4; forged, 69; new issue, 73, 88; 4 sch. black, 111 Luzon, 105; obsolete, 184 Magazine, to the Young Readers of the, 29 Mexico, portrait on, 44, 61; Aztec posts, 70; essays for, 104; new issue, 120; names stamped on side, 173 Modena, 91, 112; tassa gazette, 155, 173 Moldavia and Wallachia, 41, 51, 82, 106 Monte Video, 89, 180; blue, 176; diligencia, 181 Montreal, local, 185 Morality of Postage Stamps, 92 Morman Stamp, 22; its reality denied, 144; fac-simile of, 169 Peru, Ancient Posts, 70; stamps, 180 Pleasures of the Post-office, 123 Portugal, Donna Maria, 73; Don Pedro, 112 Postal Chit-Chat, 77, 94, 109, 125, 142, 158, 173 Reception of the Corrientes Stamp in Paris, 85 Reviews of Postal Publications, 15, 29, 44, 75, 93, 109, Roman Posts, 35; stamps, 177 Rowland Hill, Press on the Retirement of Sir, 58 Russia, 137; inland postage, 144; envelopes, 150 Sandwich Islands, 64, 80; rare 13 cents, 169; forged, 101, 156; new issue, 153 Sardinia, 32, 162 Saxony, 156; forged, 183 Schleswig, 73; Schleswig Holstein, 57 Sicily, 123; forged, 101, 156 Singular Post-office, 38 THE STAMP-COLLECTOR'S MAGAZINE. THE HISTORY OF MY STAMP ALBUM. INTRODUCTION. MYSELF. 'Pity the sorrows of a lonely man, With books, and friends, and ample means, that can Enjoy himself, and lounge about the town, And reach his lodgings fearless of a frown.' Ir was a cold, dark night in December: without, the wind moaned in fitful gusts, and the slow, steady rain beat in dreary, monotonous cadence on my window panes ; but I was little affected by either the closely-drawn curtains shutting out the gloom of the evening; and a clear, bright fire defying the raging of the elements. With a feeling of intense comfort and complacency, I glanced round my warm, snug bachelor's room. I was alone in the world, having lost my father and mother in early childhood. My bringing-up and education were superintended by a cross, selfish, and misanthropical old uncle, my sole relative, and who, as soon as he had obtained for me a lucrative situation as clerk in Messrs. Clark and Thomson's office, in the city, washed his hands of my future, and left his only nephew to make his way, unprotected and uncared for, in the wide world. But it was with no very keen sorrow at my lonely condition, that I drew my chair and table nearer the cheery wood fire on this cold winter's evening, and set myself to arrange, for the hundredth time at least, my choice collection of stamps-placing, replacing, and displacing them in my pretty russia-leather album. I had been peculiarly fortunate, and ranked amongst my collection the rarest and choicest specimens. The mania had just then come into fashion; and I was one of the most ardent and devoted votaries of Timbromanie. While thus, with pleased and satisfied eyes, gloating over my treasures, I was suddenly interrupted by the abrupt entrance of my former school friend, Charles Lawson, who in his usual impetuous manner rushed up to me, shook both my hands, and finally threw himself, breathless and exhausted, into the chair opposite mine. Before I had time to collect my scattered thoughts, he was pouring forth a string of arguments, entreaties, and supplications, the sense of which, after some time, I managed to gather. He was going with two or three mutual acquaintances to see the Colleen Bawn, then in the zenith of its popularity, and afterwards all were to adjourn to some famous oyster rooms to supper. 'Would I be of the party? If so, we must lose no time; we must start directly.' I was about to replace my album in the table drawer as usual, when my restless, impatient friend interrupted me by exclaiming:- 'Come along, old fellow; don't wait to put anything away; I am off, you see.' Hastily extinguishing my lamp, I followed Lawson, who had by this time nearly reached. the street door. CHAPTER I. MY LOSS. "Madam! I've lost my album, with a pack Of choicest postage stamps. Call Susan-JackConfound it!" And the woman cries, "Alack! If Con has found it, perhaps he'll bring it back." It was long after midnight before I returned home, after this night of unusual dissipation. I was far too tired to think of anything but getting to bed as quickly as possible, and, once there, I fell into a sound and dreamless sleep, from which I did not awake until the stroke of eight tolling from St. Clement's Church, hard by, put the drowsy god to |