PHILATELY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1851, 30 March 1904, Page 59

PHILATELY.

By Peiatkb,

So highly docs the Italian Governmeut esteem Mr Marconi, that his portrait is to be engraved on one of the new postage stamps about ro be issued by the Italian Post Office. Electric waves traversing the world are also to be represented on the stamp, a telegraph pole, with )t fc wires hanging useless, boii'g in the foreground. The- "stamp is unique, as this is the first timo a ruler has sinctioned such a use of the. portrait of any person but tho Sovereign or one of his direct lescendants.

Attempts have be-en mode, hoy. ever, by ambitious officials to take i short cut io famo by way of the postage stamp.

. There was a Mi Connell, Postmaster Genera! of New Brunswick, m the early sixties, who thought it would be a fine thing to havo his head en the colony's stamps. So a, charming series of varied colours and value was issued with his effigy. Tho Government checked this presumption sternly, called the stamps in. and cashiered tho Postmaster But somo of the stamps wer-j used, and they arc now worth from £20 to £50 apiece. lI?jor-Gen?/al Baden-Powell also i=su?d two stair ))« at Mafeking, one showing lnnisplf udmtj a cycle, the other simply bearing Ins manly head and hat. The uoweis at licu^i did uot eiiuouxaii any furthei JSEue 3

and tho gallant soldier no doubt regretted his mistake-. Thc^o stamps now range in price from oo> used to £5 unused.

A society of enthusiasts who believed that Queen Victoria was only a usurper, and that a certain Bavarian nrincess, descendant of the House of Stuart, should by right sit on the British throne, paid the lady in. question the doubtful compliment of putting her portrait on a stamp. As the various Governments naturally did not encourage the stamp, the member? of the- ->ociety pledged themselves ro set Queen Victoria's stamp upside down on their letters with their own princess portrait above. The late Queen was intensely amused when an envelope so stamped was brought to her notice, and Princess Marie of Bavaria was equally displeased, for nothing was further from her desires. The world yet waits the philatelic freaks of the Emperor of the Sahara.

The latest scheme co2isidered by rheU. S. A. postal authorities is of great interest to ths patrons or rural free delivey routes. A special stamp to bo affixed io important letters give.« the postmaster the right to open ibe Jptter and telephone its contents to the one interested. As many of the patrons of rural free delivery have or will have telephones, this amounts to special delivery to rural routes.

Whilst India is a inembor of the Postal Union, the Feudatory States are not, and consequently their stamps do not have oversea franking power. The latter are howe\er narties to a special agreement with India, whereby the latter recognise their stamps throughout India. The Native States, on the other hand, have no agreement sat all, and their stamps do not frank letters beyond the confines of the State. Great Britain was in the same nosition as the latter until about 1847. The : 'ld black" nover had franking now i beyond the borders of the United. Kingdom. About 1847, an agreement was made with tho United States for, amongst other things, the mutual recognition of stamps. The reason why Mauritius was content with Id and 2d stamps only until 1&54 alid nothing higher than 4d until 1658, is that overseapostage of 6d or Is per letter had to be paid in money until the latter year, when a special agreement was entered into by which Great Britain recognised the stamps of Mauritius. If a letter was posted at a sub-office in Mauritius, it required Mauritius stamps for the local to frank it as far as the G.P.0., the ocean postage from the G.P.O. to England being jarepaid in money. Great Britain entered into , special agreements with most of her colonies about the years 1857 to 1& % 61. Previous to 1853 none of the W-est Indian Islands could; forward letters prepaid with thoir o"tvn stamps, and in the few cases where they issued stamps at all, it will be seen from; , the catalogue they were limited chiefly to id and Id values. The yellow of Malta never had franking pqsvei: beyond the neighbouring Island of Gozo.

Stamp collecting is not what it used to be. Ii has become too difficult, like writing dictionaries; there it too much to do. Or should we rather &ay too easy — too easy for (.he humble soul who is content to bo putting together something, no matter how much be loaves by the way: too difficult for him who \ioos perfection and insists on sweeping clean? Thus it has come about that many have lost heart and given up the straggle. Yet in this it *eemb to us dial they do foolishly, for one may be rich in stamps and well content, and yet net of perfect wealth; and they are like the man in the fable who said that hf would have to give up the attempt to eat in view of the hopeless variety of biscuits. They should give thanks that' stamps are giv&n to them, and make good haste to stick them in. There is, however, another thing that they may do to appease the craving for complete possession. Stamps, too, are more beautiful than they vsed to be. in spite of our own new issue with its dilapidated-looking bead. What better stumps than tho new French ones have there ever been? But it is true that in collecting one docs not much consider that. A French stamp i« always French, and of little profit to the collector of it.

St. Christopher, or St. Kitts. as it is now generally called, was named (remarks our contemnoraiy) alter the Christiau name of Columbus. Dominica carries in its name an illusion to the fact thai it w;>s discovered on a fcSunday (dies Dominica). Ht Vincent was named because of its discovery on the day devoted to that saint ; Guadeloupe was sa called after the famous monastery of that name in Estrpmadura, and Grenada is merely the French form, Granada. The Virgin Isles were so named in honour of tho 11,000 virgins commemorated by the Roman Church, the number, smallness and beauty of the isles probably having suggested the fanciful name. The Island of Trinidad plainly suggests the Holy Trinity, and carrie* tho reader of to-day back to the violent storm in which Columbus was tossed in 14-98, and his vow to name tho first land that he sighted in honour of the Holy Trinity.

NEW ISSUES

Mangsia — A c-oi-rcspondcnt of Ewen'sS Weekly writes that the New Zealand authorities intend to i.=sue stamps surcharged "Mangaia," similar fo thos° for Aitutaki. Mangaia -s the mo^t southerly cf the Cook group, and i«= 116 miles south-east from Rarotonga. It has an area of about 30 .squaro miles, and a population ii 1541, including 10 Europeans. Previously the administration of tho Island has beo-ii in native hands, but v European magistrate, who will aK«> act a» customs officer and. postmaster, ha^ just been appointed by the New Zealand Government

Argentine Republic— The following no\o!ry" i» recorded bj- Alfred Smith and foil's Morthlv Curcular. Aclh?3ivo —Current type-. TVr_ik. and peif. ?.a

usaal, 6c black. Issued November IS, 1903, or earlier

New Caledonia. — The- Cmquantcnaire iy>i!i> is repotted by La Cote Reelle a3 naving leached France. As was only to ba expected, the pLites for tr>e new pictorial issue could slot be got ready in timo to ollow of a supply of the new stamps being sent out by the all-important date, Sc-ptem-bci 2.4, 1905. Consequoutlj a surcharge was requisitioned. It consists of an OBgle, with outspread wings, standing en uhat appeals te h? tho r-tnmp of n lire, vonml ami bo-nppth i, :T".''r'! :n the Miape of m oval "{.'"-<! ••_"' '>i>r —?4 Septeinbrc"' with. "1855" aud "J.BQ3 ' below.