well marked, depressions above and below, dividing them from the cheek-bones and from the muzzle.

8.-Upper-lip very large; lower, overlapping the post-horn, and covering half its width.

9.-Star regular, rather small, and similar to that of the third type.

10.-Inscription commencing at 11⁄2 mill., and ending at less than 1 mill. from the posthorn.

11.-The post-horn is 12 mill. by 5. The oval of the opening resembles that of the fifth type of the 54 paras.

12. The figures are very small. The 8 is 2 mill., and the 1 only 1 mill. in height. This type is on pale-blue machine-made paper.

(To be continued.)

A FEW REMARKS ON THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH SCHOOLS OF

PHILATELY.

BY PENDRAGON.

As the dogmas of the English school of philately have lately been most warmly and unjustly assailed, on all sides, by collectors of the French and other continental schools, I think it high time that one of us took up the cudgels in its defence. Asking, therefore, the kind attention of the philatelic community at large, I will in this paper endeavour to belabour its assailants to the full extent of their deserts.

Much is said in the present day as to the impropriety of attempting to lay down rules for the guidance of collectors, it being the prevailing opinion that each man should be left to judge for himself.

This is all very well in its way, and I do not seek to tie up any collector with rules of my own, or any other person's concocting. I simply wish to show that the English and continental schools are distinct institutions, altogether foreign in character to each other, and materially differing as to the method of studying and collecting things mutually esteemed by each; and in doing so, it is my earnest desire to point out the absurdity and futility of the extremes practised by the latter, and thereby prevent the introduction

of such pernicious doctrines into the science of English philately.

I may however remark, en passant, I have but little doubt that when those who have deserted from our ranks to the French school, have had their fill, not only of the extent of, but also of the expense attendant upon the study of perforation, paper, and watermarks, they will quietly and cheerfully return to the old standards of collecting, as they existed "in the beginning," in Birchin Lane, 1861.

Dr. Gray is the only catalogue-compiler who has faithfully adhered to these standards, and I trust that he will always continue to do so. Mount Brown, from the very commencement of his work, gave place to the innovations of the new school; indeed, after the fourth edition, he went to such an extent, as regards locals, proofs, essays, varieties, &c., that even he appears to have had enough of his hobby. The fact, that since the publication of the 5th edition, he has discontinued it altogether, and that the addenda to that edition, written for this magazine, abounds with the absurdities of the new style in a still more exaggerated degree, is sufficient evidence, in our mind, as to the state of uncertainty he must have been in with regard to the limitations of that method of study.

Now philatelists of the true English school, hold that the collection of postage stamps should be nothing more nor less than the accumulation of the printed designs, and that in consideration of the beauty of such designs, or of any singularity or historical or geographical interest which may attach to them.

Anything which materially affects the character of the design is allowable, as in cases where, by government authority, it is printed on any other coloured paper than white, provided the colour be distinct; or where the engraving is slightly altered, such being indicative of a separate issue; also when threads are introduced into the paper on which the stamp is printed, which essentially alters the appearance of the impression-and in fact, everything which interferes with said impression, is duly noted. Apparent varieties of colour, not

characteristic of any individual issue, are simply classed as varieties; and locals, if collected at all, are preserved in a separate volume.

The innovations (previously alluded to) recommended by the French school, and which are now practised by them, are distinctious quite irrelevant to the design altogether, merely affecting the paper on which the impression is printed. In the first place, they divide stamps which are cut from those that are perforated, although perforation is only a mode of separation (as Dr. Gray has before set forth); and again, with regard to the perforated specimens, maintain that those which are perforated by machines or roulette, are to be classified separately, and that where differences occur in the size or number of the holes, such are to be held as distinct phases of the stamp.

Secondly-They admit variations as to watermark in the paper; and hence we have the present 1d. Victoria watermarked correctly with 1, and incorrectly with 2, 4, 6, and 8, consequently occupying five spaces in connection with this difference alone. The absurdity of such practice must be manifest to any unprejudiced observer, letting alone the fact that if the stamp is properly secured for preservation in the collector's album, after the manner in which it was first intended to be secured, a knowledge of the watermark is utterly impossible of attain

ment.

Thirdly-Distinction is made as to the make of the paper, whether woven, laid, or otherwise, and with regard to the colour of the paper, every variety of tint, besides those admitted by ourselves, is allowed by them. Thus we have yellowish, dull-white, and bluish papers, and rose, lilac, and buff tints for the English envelopes.

Fourthly-As to varieties, and especially with respect to the stamps last mentioned, they hold that if two impressions appear on one envelope, making up a composite value, they are to be catalogued as that value, whereas we take each stamp upon its own merits. Why should not five penny adhesives placed undivided upon a letter, be considered a 5d. composite stamp also, if this rule is applied at all?

It can therefore be easily understood, that where we recognize and catalogue in our private MS. but sixteen hundred stamps as the number emitted between 1840, and the end of 1865, the French school, with the perforation, paper, and watermark varieties, and the locals, make up as many thousands [?], thus rendering the collection of postage stamps an endless, and at best, laborious pursuit, and expensive in the highest degree, instead of a pleasant pastime, open in a measure to all comers.

I have, however, another object in view, though a secondary one, viz., to answer a paper which appeared in the December number of this magazine, and contained some of the more bigoted notions of the school to which the writer of it belongs. I mean with respect to the collection of envelopes entire.

He alleges in support of his opinions, that it is not necessary, or even advisable, to have all the stamps of one country together. I ask any philatelist who considers the historical associations of his specimens in any degree whatever, if such an innovation will ever be complied with on his part? Moreover, although he holds that every collector must have the envelope entire (he decidedly appears, though he affects otherwise, to consider the destiny of the stamp itself a matter of very little moment), and that in every variety of size, and with every variety and position of inscription, flap ornaments, and threads, he does not, with reference to a very similar case, venture to propose a scheme, whereby collectors of newspaper stamps may preserve the whole of the newspaper on which their stamp appears entire and uncut, in their albums, and that in every form and combination of the same.

Let me add, for his edification, that collectors of the English school do not notice the envelope inscriptions any more than they do the inscription round a sheet of our penny adhesives, as it does not affect the design in any way, unless by government authority it crosses it in every individual specimen of an issue, as in the case of the later Prussian envelopes, where we make a distinction. And it is very immaterial to them whether the stamp appears on the right

or left of the envelope, or even on the flap, as it is the impression only they look to, and secure for their albums.

Of course "A Philatelist" preserves the whole of the New South Wales newspaper wrapper, which, by-the-bye, has, I understand, a very elaborate watermark.

The consideration of flap ornaments is absurd in the highest degree (notwithstanding that we have an extremely elegant and interesting design on our own Id. envelope). Were there not interesting and elaborate designs printed round the old Austrian adhesives, infinitely superior in character to the flap stamps? They were chronicled at one time certainly, but it was when philately was in its infancy: who bothers his head about them now?

In conclusion, let me touch upon the collection of proofs and essays, still adhered to by the French school, but the trammels of which we have long since thrown off. As an instance of the ridiculousness of the idea, I note a novelty-and by-the-byc, a great treat for the " variety-mongers" (an excellent appellation borrowed from the pages of a contemporary)-viz., the set of Dutch essays, numbering 700 varieties. With regard to the collection of locals, in which the French school goes to an alarming extent, and as a warning to the too-enthusiastic of those among ourselves who still esteem them, I may mention, by way of a new dish, the set of Austrian locals recently issued, comprising 55 varieties, and over again in a different style, for private purchase by collectors only, in all 110 specimens.

Alas for our fallen brethren, when will they see the folly of their ways? Trusting in the course of time we may be able to convince them of their errors, I must bid the philatelic public adieu for the present.

[We insert this paper on the principle audi alteram partem, and are very far from sharing in many of our contributor's opinions, or from approving of his strictures on those who differ from him Still less can we allow him to appropriate the phrase and "English school" to his own peculiar ideas.-ED.]

66

we

THE POSTMAN'S KNOCK is an English institution. On the continent the important facteur rings the bell like ordinary mortals, for the very sufficient reason that few doors are adorned with knockers. He little knows how much of dignity he loses by his inability to announce his arrival by a loud rat-tat.

SIX O'CLOCK AT THE GENERAL
POST-OFFICE.
FROM Fun.

ONE of the sights of London which you should always take your foreign friends to see is the General Post-Office at the time when the last great rush is made to catch the evening mail. If your foreign friends have been rather a bore to you of late you had better quietly allow them to become entangled with the crowd. If you do this adroitly you will see nothing more of them for hours; indeed, they will be lucky if they don't get into the wrong box and find themselves despatched with other unconsidered trifles to remote parts of the United Kingdom, not to say the world. We once heard of a small boy who was taken to witness the scene at St. Martin's-le-Grand, and became inextricably mixed up with the rush. His agonised parent saw him disappear, and he was not heard of again until he was returned from a place in the north of Scotland, where he had been refused on account of the excess of postage charged on him. This may seem improbable in fact, we think it very likely it does appear so, but that is no fault of ours; all applications on the subject may be made to the Postmaster-General, and, by the way, there is no necessity to enclose a stamp for the reply.

As it approaches six, the idler, by lounging in the immediate neighbourhood of the receiving department, and throwing himself in the way of the general public, will be able to gather the public's opinion of him with great ease. This is a mode of study we can hardly recommend to those who possess sensitive minds, as under the circumstances the public is apt to be candid. If the lounger prefers, he can gather some insight. into the internal workings of the department by tapping at any of the little doors and engaging the clerks within in a friendly conversation about the recent meteors, the length of Mr. Falconer's new drama, and the probability of Lord Derby's retirement. He must make the best use of his opportunity of getting an insight into the workings of the department, as we cannot disguise the fact that he will probably only get a very brief glimpse of the interior.

your

Some amusement may be got out of the window where the newspapers are posted. It may be refined into a highly-ingenious and seasonable game, which you cannot obtain of Asser & Sherwin, Parkins & Gotto, or Cremer junior. You must first of all insert a notice of your own birth, death, or marriage-or all three at once- -in one of the principal London papers. You must then buy up the whole edition, pack up the copies separately, and direct them to all friends and acquaintances and everybody else you don't happen to know. This may be easily done with the help of a few directories. Having packed and addressed your papers, you employ one or two men to carry them, and when the window opens you amuse yourself by pelting the clerks inside with them. With a little practice you will be able to hit your man to a certainty-and even seriously injure him, if there happen to be a heavy article in the paper, which is frequently the case.

NEWLY-ISSUED OR INEDITED
STAMPS.

THE stamp harvest may be considered to take place in the spring of the year. It is then that the various series decided on in the previous summer or autumn come forth, complete and beautiful (or the reverse), from the manufacturers' workshops. For months the work of fabrication has been in progress: the engraver has laboured on the design in the first place; the paper-makers have been employed in preparing the special quality of paper which the high and mighty in the post-office have decided shall be used; the printers have been day after day laying on colours and rolling off sheets; and into the sheets the perforating machine has been fixing its teeth with ceaseless regularity; ream upon ream of the perfect stamps has been carefully laid aside, until the whole stock has been finished and checked, and then, and not till then, are our instructive little favourites ready to commence their career as soon as the postal decree permits. We naturally, then, look out for an influx of novelties in the spring, and though the "harvest" is not so good a one as last year, we cannot complain of any scarcity of

CUBA. The design is, in its general features, a reminiscence of the 1866 series for the mother country, but a moment's examination will show that in several points it differs. The spandrel ornaments are not the same, the armorial bearings being omitted. In their place, copying this time from England, we observe corner letters.

C ULTRAMAR

R 5. CENT. 1868.

They are the same in all the stamps, and are not varied on the sheets, so as to form an effective check on forgery. The four letters read thus, C. O. R. R., would appear to be an abbreviation of the word "Cor

reos." The inscription ULTRAMAR must also be an abbreviation of a "ultraSpanish word answering to our marine," to indicate that the stamps are for use beyond the sea. The face of the Queen has a very silly expression. The values and colours of the new series are the same as those of their predecessors :5 centimos lilac.

blue.

green. rose.

The stamps are printed on white unwatermarked paper, and perforated.

NORTH-GERMAN CONFEDERATION.-We refer again to the recently-emitted stamps for the confederation, in order to give a representation of the type of the "kreuzer "series, which a delay on the part of our engraver prevented our inserting before. Varieties of these stamps are already noticed. M. Moens chronicles the 1 and 3 kr. undentilated. Our Brighton contemporary speaks of the values of the kr. series as approximations to those of the silber-groschen, but if 2 kr. be an approximation to half a silber-groschen, 3 kr. can hardly be considered as very nearly representing an entire silbergroschen. He also says, that the 7 and 18 kr. are the exact equals of the 2 and 5 s. gr., but this seems to be not quite the fact. If

scribed SERVICE POSTAGE. Our engraver has not succeeded in reproducing this new inscription very clearly; it may be as well to say, therefore, that it follows the half circle of the words RECEIPT BILL OR DRAFT. An esteemed correspondent, who forwarded us a specimen, is of opinion that it ought not to

find place in a catalogue, as it is "not a legitimate stamp." We differ from him on this point. Any stamp, whatever its origi nal employment, if it be by government authority used for postal purposes-especially if a new and distinctive inscription is impressed on it-is a legitimate stamp. For ourselves we must admit we have rather a liking for our metamorphosed friends; and perhaps our correspondent would, if he did not live in India, where, according to the native creed, even boas and monkeys may be none other than old acquaintances, more or less changed.

There is yet another "Service" stamp, the ordinary one anna brown, with the quoted word printed in black ink across the

centre.