rather given to boasting of his exploits after expeditions like these.

Another start was now made for a place three miles away, called 'Jack Smith's Lookout.' Why, I know not. The lookout was an immense tree, belonging to that species of eucalyptus known as 'apple-tree' by bushmen in all parts of the colony, and standing quite alone in the middle of an open space, rather smaller than the scene of our first exploits, and which was known as the Basin.

The moon was still riding high in the heavens, as we cautiously came down against the wind, and were delighted to see the plain covered with cattle; so thick, indeed, they seemed, that the 'Lookout' appeared to be growing out of their close, steadily feeding ranks. There must have been at least twelve or fourteen hundred head, amongst which we recognised many who had before given us the slip.

'em.

'Now, kernel!' whispered Slim Jim, we got See the coaches is boxed a'ready.' And Jim was right, but not till after some hard galloping. About five hundred head got into the scrub; but we met them and drove them back on to the plain, and just at this time an accident happened. Colonel Percy, mounted on an old stock-horse, had galloped to head a roan bullock, which was making back. Seeing the colonel was gaining on him, the beast suddenly dodged short; the colonel's horse, as in duty bound, followed suit; but his unfortunate rider was not in it,' and flew over old 'Rataplan's' head, much to that good steed's disgust.

"Ah!' said Jim, as we pulled the old gentleman's arm in again, and bandaged the bark splints with a torn shirt, 'that comes o' long sturrups!'

Our intention had been to have stayed out another night; but now we mustered up our captives and started to drive them stationwards.

Imagine the great Australian moon, beginning to grow a little pale now, shining down through the trees on a tossing sea of horned heads, bellowing with rage, crashing and trampling through the thick underwood; then on a sandy patch raising clouds of dust, through which darted hither and thither wild-looking horsemen, waking the parrots and kookaburras from their morning sleep with the incessant pistol-like cracks of their stock-whips, whilst kangaroos and wallabies leapt, 'thud, thud, through the scrub.

The colonel had been advised to take a black boy and get home as fast as he could; but he insisted on staying with us, saying his arm, which was only dislocated, was quite comfortable. So the noisy procession passed on through the early morning, over myall plains and belts of pines, through yarran clumps and along the river-flats once more, till at last, just as the fierce, red-looking December sun came peeping over the bald hill at the back of Eulaloo, the great sliprails were taken down, and the cattle-by this time a little quietened-ushered into the yard amongst their fellow-prisoners, there to await drafting and branding, whilst all hands retired for a well-earned bath and sleep.

So ended one moonlight expedition. But such hauls as we made that night are rare indeed now; and I have known the stockmen after being out for four or five nights to return without a solitary hoof.

Point Danger scrub is long ago fenced off; and in place of the loud bellow of the old scrubber, is now heard the thump, thump of the splitter's maul and wedges.

PUBLIC AMBULANCE CARRIAGES.

An admirable plan has been originated in America, and is now sought to be introduced into Paris, which is to establish at stated points means of communication with the great hospitals, somewhat in the same way that 'fire-alarms' are now given in London by means of posts fixed about the streets. These, of course, would be worked by telegraph, and would take the form of pillars painted red, kept locked, the key at the nearest shop. An ambulance car and horse would always be kept at the hospitals in readiness, so as to be able to start for the spot indicated by the alarm in the short space of forty-two seconds-at least that is the estimate. On receipt of the 'call,' if the accident is very urgent, the ambulance will start from the hospital which has received the alarm, carrying a surgeon with it, who will immediately attend to the injured person, place him in the conveyance, and drive off with all possible speed to the hospital. This is indeed putting the telegraph to the highest and most humane of uses; and if brought into general operation, it is possible that it may, with the help of the ambulance, be the means of saving much suffering and many lives. It is very well known that many a life has been lost for want of a little ready and timely assistance at a critical moment; but such help having been delayed, when it has at last reached the sufferer, has then been too late -the life has fled.

No. 65.-VOL. II.

STAMPS.

AMONG the latest acts of the late Postmastergeneral, Mr Fawcett, was the appointment of a Committee to report upon the designs, &c., of the series of postage-stamps which were issued to the public in the early part of 1884. It is understood that Mr Fawcett was induced to take this step in consequence of the complaints he received from post-office officials and from members of the general public as to the great similarity existing between the stamps of values running from one penny to one shilling; which, as a consequence, involved considerable trouble, and at times loss of money. The outcome of the labours of this Committee will be looked for with interest.

In recent years, the collection of revenue by means of impressed and adhesive stamps has increased to an enormous extent; for now, not only are stamps employed for the purpose of postage and inland revenue, but a large variety of fees-a class of receipt which in the budget of the Chancellor of the Exchequer falls under the head of Miscellaneous'-are also recovered through the same channel. Thus, for instance, charges in connection with proceedings in the Courts of Justice have for the past few years been collected by means of impressed and adhesive stamps. If a youth desires to undergo an examination before the Civil Service Commissioners, with a view to entrance into the Army, Navy, or Civil Service, he must, as a first step, provide himself with an adhesive stamp. If a promoter seeks to register his Company with the Registrar of Joint-stock Companies at Somerset House, the duty chargeable upon the memorandum and articles of association has to be denoted by stamps. So, again, if an inventor wishes to take advantage of the patent laws for the protection of his invention, the different documents involved must bear impressed stamps. There are sundry other sources of national income, and of charges not falling exactly within that category-such as petty sessions and dog license

PRICE 11d.

stamps in Ireland-similarly dealt with. And it will be found, on referring to the return of receipts paid into the Exchequer in respect of the financial year 1883-4, that, out of a total revenue of some eighty-seven million pounds, stamps of all kinds figure for about one-fourth of the whole amount-some twelve millions and a half being accounted for by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, and more than nine millions by the Postmaster-general.

Let us now first see how impressed stamps are provided and dealt with. We find, then, that, although arrangements are made by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue for stamping executed documents, such as leases, &c., at Edinburgh, Dublin, and Manchester respectively, the bulk of the business really centres in the Stamping Department at Somerset House. The rooms principally used for stamping purposes are situated in the upper basement of this large building; and here each day from nine A.M. to four P.M. is to be heard the constant din of machinery, with the thud of the die as it strikes the parchment or paper that is being impressed with a stamp. A considerable number of men and boys are employed upon this work, supervised by a body of superintendents and superior officers well acquainted with the technicalities and machinery connected with the stamping processes. In one room may be seen boys rapidly impressing stamps of the value of one penny each upon scores of books of forms of bankers' cheques. Owing to the ingenuity of the machines employed-the invention of a revenue official-as many as one hundred and forty of these forms can be impressed in the space of a minute. In another, will be found a careful stamper deliberately, but at the same time rapidly, impressing a probate affidavit with some two or three stamps which represent many thousands of pounds, that have just been paid up-stairs by way of duty upon the personal estate of a deceased millionaire. The duty that fell to the revenue in the case of a recently deceased nobleman, once a prominent figure in financial circles, reached, we believe, more than

sixty thousand pounds; and this amount, we understand, was denoted by some seven or eight stamps. Again, in a third room, patentmedicine stamps-which, as most persons know, are printed in two colours-are shown to the visitor being rapidly struck off in a single operation by means of an ingenious machine, the invention of the late Sir William Congreve. This is effected under a system of working double plates which fit exactly one into the other, and so arranged that, as the machine is rotated, the different colours are left on the paper with the greatest nicety.

There are

a vast number of different dies for impressing stamps used in the stampingroom. All these are of hardened steel, and are the manufacture of Messrs De La Rue & Co., of Bunhill Row, London. Dr Warren De La Rue, F.R.S., late senior partner of this firm, holds the appointment of engraver of dies to the Inland Revenue Department; and the present senior partner, Mr Warren W. De La Rue, that of deputy-engraver. The facial values of the dies range from one penny to eleven thousand two hundred and fifty pounds; and, as may be supposed, every impression taken is closely scrutinised and duly recorded, by way of check and counter-check. Formerly, impressed stamps were uncoloured; but now, by an ingenious arrangement-the invention of some revenue officialsthey are all done in colour.

The duty on the bulk of the executed documents and on the blank paper and parchments impressed in the stamping-rooms, is paid either direct to the Receiver-general of Inland Revenue, or to the various distributors throughout the country who act through the Controller of Stamps; but some years since, more fully to meet the convenience of the public, some novel arrangements for expediting the stamping of executed documents were made, under which the duty could be paid direct over the counter to the mechanical officers employed under the Inspector of stamping. Machines were set up in a large room on the ground floor of the Inland Revenue Office, which recorded their own work, and thus dispensed with the necessity for clerical checks upon the receipt of money for stamping. By this means, where the value of the stamps does not exceed ten pounds, a document can now be stamped at once in the room referred to in the presence of the person presenting it. The machines-which, it is said, afford perfect safety to the revenue-are also used at the branch office of the Controller of Stamps in the Royal Courts of Justice, where they are employed for impressing judicature and other stamps.

We turn now to adhesive stamps, the manufacture of all of which vests by law in the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, who are also held responsible for all necessary safeguards being taken to secure the state against fraud in the direction of imitation, cleaning-out ink-cancellation, and so on. These securities are necessarily sought for, as against forgery, in the character of the paper and the excellence of the design; and, as against cleaning, in the peculiarly special quality of the inks with which the stamps are printed. Some eighteen hundred millions of adhesive stamps are issued yearly from the office of the Controller of Stamps. These range in

value from a halfpenny to twenty poundscovering postage and inland revenue from a halfpenny to two shillings and sixpence; postage proper from five shillings to five pounds; inland revenue proper (such as foreign bills, sea policy stamps, &c.) from one penny to ten pounds; and fees (such as judicature, &c.) from one penny to twenty pounds. The penny stamp takes the first place among the numbers issued. Of these, as many as thirteen hundred millions and a half were despatched from Somerset House in the course of a recent twelve months. It will be of interest to see how all these stamps are brought into existence; and we propose now, therefore, to give a sketch of the means by which this is arrived at.

First, then, it will be found that all adhesive stamps are printed upon paper which is watermarked with one or other of the five patterns now employed-namely, Crown, Orb, V.R., Anchor, and Ace. The unified stamps up to one shilling take up the bulk of the paper. This par ticular lot of paper is marked with crowns, and each sheet is so arranged that one crown shall appear in each space intended to be covered by a stamp. The water-marks are produced by affixing pieces of thin brass, technically styled 'bits, fashioned in the required design, on the light wire cylinder, or dandy-roll, as it is called, under which, as it travels along the machinery, the paper passes just as it ceases to be pulp; and so, by means of compression where the 'bits' stand out, a pattern is shaped. It does not, however, fall within the scope of this article to describe the process of paper-making; it is sufficient to mention that all the paper used for English government stamps is made by Messrs R. D. Turner & Co. of Roughway Mill, near Tunbridge, Kent, under contract with the Commissioners of Inland Revenue. The mill is entirely confined to the manufacture of this particular paper, as ordered by the Commissioners, and to such other water-marked paper as is required by the government of India and by some of the colonies for their stamps. The rags used are necessarily of an especially fine quality, and the water employed is most pure. The mill is under the constant close supervision of a body of officers belonging to the department of the Controller of Stamps; and by these officers, every operation conducted therein is strictly watched. The dandy-rolls, with the exception of the one that may be in actual use, are always kept under revenue lock. Every sheet of paper that passes from the machine is counted and scrutinised by the revenue officer; and, if the least flaw be detected, is at once rejected. When finished, the paper is in due course despatched in a locked van to the Controller of Stamps at Somerset House. Here, the van is unlocked by a responsible officer. Every sheet is again examined and counted, and then stored away in a secure repository.

Now we come to the printing of the sheets with stamps. First, it should be mentioned that from 1840-the date of the introduction of the penny postage-down to 1879, the penny postagestamp and, subsequently, the twopenny, one-halfpenny, and three-halfpenny stamps were printed under the recess or line-engraved process. From 1855, however, all the higher values of postagestamps had been printed by the surface system,

We now follow the water-marked paper to Bunhill Row; and being allowed, by the courtesy of Messrs De La Rue, to inspect their works, a permission given to but a privileged few-for visitors are rarely admitted-we will attempt to give our readers some idea of what we saw there in relation to the manufacture of adhesive stamps, postcards, newspaper wrappers, postage envelopes, and value-paper generally.

There are no fewer than six large blocks of buildings, separated from one another by considerable distances. All these buildings are in telephonic communication, and messages are being sent all day long from one building to the other. There is also a telephone in connection with the office of the Controller of Stamps, with whom the firm are in constant communication on the numerous questions relating to stamps to be, or in the process of being, manufactured. So much are the telephones used, that in each building a clerk is stationed whose sole duty it is to receive and transmit messages. Seeing to what an extent these telephones are now used, it is difficult to understand how the work could have been previously carried on without them. It is true that some of the works had been connected by telegraph, but the telegraphic instrument is slow in manipulation as compared with the telephone. From each block, too, a wire proceeds to the nearest fire brigade station, so that in case of an alarm of fire the firemen could be called without a moment's delay. The fire instruments are tested two or three times a day and during the night, so as to insure their being always in proper order. Needless to say that there is a special service of hydrants laid throughout the various buildings, communicating with large reservoirs or tanks at the top of the works; and there is, moreover, a powerful stationary steam fire-engine, which is capable of throwing as much water as three or four of the ordinary brigade engines, and to a much greater height. At night, watchmen patrol the inside of the buildings, and a systematic record is kept of their rounds by means of Julius Sach's patent electric tell-tale clock. Under this tell-tale system, the times at which the watchman visits the various rooms are recorded by his touching an electric tapper in each room. The readings from each clock are taken daily; and if the watchman neglects his duty, either by omitting any of his rounds or by being late upon them, the matter

firm. These are the points which were most forcibly impressed upon us as we walked through the administrative department, in which a large number of clerks are employed. We cannot, however, attempt to explain, nor would it be of interest to the general reader were we to do so, the administrative part of the business. We proceed, then, to the engraving room, where we find a large number of machines actively engaged in engraving the elaborate designs which are imparted to stamps, bank-notes, and such-like articles. In this room there is a great variety of machinery of the most delicate nature; and it is most impressive to watch the working of these machines, which are capable of executing work of such a character as it would, we understand, be impossible to reproduce without the assistance of like machinery-a fact which imparts an immense security to any stamp or bank-note upon which the work may be printed. We are struck by the absence of gas-burners; and on inquiry, we find that so delicate is the nature of the machinery, that it would be impossible to employ gas, inasmuch as the fumes from it would destroy the machines. When, then, the daylight fails, recourse is had to colza-oil lamps. We pass from this room through a series of workshops in which a number of interesting operations are being conducted, not, however, connected with stamps, into the room in which the English stamps, postcards, &c., are being printed. The transition from the quiet engraving studio to this bustling scene of activity is most striking. In place of the repose of the one, with its delicate and sensitive machinery, we have here an enormous room filled with the most powerful and massive machinery, working at a very high speed; and the noise that is thereby generated, and the air of activity and bustle that surrounds one, is for the moment quite bewildering. After we have got somewhat accustomed to the scene, we notice in various positions in the room the desks of the officers of the Board of Inland Revenue whose duty it is to watch all the operations and to control every sheet of paper that is printed. Passing on, we are taken to the different classes of machine; and after we have for some time watched the rapidity and exactness with which the sheets of paper are taken up, printed, and then ejected by powerful machines, and having subsequently looked at the beautiful manner in which the embossed stamp is imparted to the postage envelopes, we are, by the courtesy of the principal Inland Revenue officer, permitted to inspect one of the printing-plates used for printing adhesive stamps. This is of a bright metal, and contains as many stamp-pieces as there are to be stamps upon the sheet. Every stamp resembles exactly the other, whilst they are all absolute fac-similes of the die from which the plate was made. This die we are allowed to handle. It consists of a block of steel upon which all the work has been engraved with infinite elaboration and pains. Each die, it seems, takes several months to complete; and even then, there is a possibility of the whole of the work being rendered useless by its cracking in the hardening process. The die is to this end made red hot, and then plunged into a cold solution, so that it may be very suddenly chilled. The

tension that takes place often results in the breaking of the die into fragments. Returning to the plate, it is difficult to realise why the machines used for taking impressions from it should be so large and powerful. On inquiry, we are told that, unless the sheet of paper to be printed is pressed to the plate with enormous pressure, really good printing cannot be obtained. The force used to impart the requisite pressure is so very great as sometimes to cause massive parts of the machine, made of solid iron, to crack in two with a loud report, as of a cannon being fired. The horse-power required to drive the machinery in this printing-room is very large, as each one of the numerous machines needs considerable force.

Proceeding now to the room in which the gum for the adhesive stamps and newspaper wrappers is made, we observe many tons of the finest gum carefully stacked away, and we are shown a series of brightly polished copper vessels and apparatus employed in the preparation of the gum. This is pumped up by a special apparatus into the gumming-rooms, where it is applied by a large staff of girls in the most delicate manner to the backs of the stamps and to the end of the newspaper wrappers. The rooms in which this work is conducted are of immense area. This is a necessity, inasmuch as, after the sheets have been gummed, they have to be laid out in large racks to dry. The process of drying is effected by hot and dry air being blown into the several rooms by large fans working at a great velocity, and by the damp air being then drawn away up large air-shafts, varying in height from eighty to one hundred and twenty feet.

The high polish that is imparted to the adhesive stamps is given by a system of glazing which is carried out by powerful and beautiful machinery. The process is an interesting one to watch, although, when one is told that if by any chance a part of a man's dress were to get between the rollers of any of the machines, he might be drawn in and killed, one feels some hesitation in standing near.

The perforation of the stamps is carried on in a separate room. The machines that effect this are here pulsating up and down with great rapidity, and punching out the little discs of paper which have to be removed in order to leave the perforation in the sheets. The noise attending the operation is considerable. Formerly, this work was done in the basement of Somerset House; but so much inconvenience was felt by the officials in the rooms above from the overpowering thudding of the machines, that it became necessary to remove them.

Every sheet of stamps, and every single postcard, newspaper wrapper, and stamped envelope is most carefully examined, and any defective one is rejected. The cutting of the postcards and newspaper wrappers is effected by special machinery of a very complicated nature, which it would be difficult to describe within the limits of our space; whilst the counting, boarding, and packing are conducted by a very large number of hands. Nothing can impress one more with the magnitude of the postal and revenue business of this country than a visit to this establishment, where one sees an army of men, women, and children engaged all day long throughout the

year in producing the stamps, &c., required by the departments concerned." Standing in the printing-room, one can hardly realise that, at every impression of the numerous machines, a sheet of stamps or newspaper wrappers has been produced; whilst, when one passes into the various other rooms and sees the number of people employed in dealing, with great rapidity, with all these articles in their several stages towards completion, the impression is even more striking. We have only visited the rooms in which the work for the English government is conducted. Separate departments of nearly the same extent are devoted to work for the Indian, colonial, and other governments. Taking, then, postage-stamps alone, one is impressed with the vastness of correspondence developed in recent years throughout the world, and which is no doubt largely due to the low rates now chargeda new departure of which this country was the pioneer.

Whilst walking through the various rooms we noticed trucks of work passing hither and thither, and lifts moving up and down from one floor to another, pointing to a vast consumption of manual labour and steam-power. The source of this last we visited towards the end of our inspection, and found enormous boilers and steam-engines in full activity; whilst in the basement of one of the works we saw an engineer's shop fitted with all the most modern engineering appliances, in which

after being designed and modelled in another department-all the machinery that is used in the business is made.

Having now, with much interest, completed our inspection of the various works in which stamping and cognate operations are carried on, we are conducted to the private offices of the firm. Here-and we only mention it as pointing to the complete organisation that must reign throughout the beehive in the centre of which we stand-we find the partners have leisure to answer and to discuss the numerous questions we put; and amongst other things, we are astonished to learn that, although we have already done a good day's work, we have only visited about one-tenth of the firm's works. In the parts not seen by us are carried on all their vast trading business, as distinguished from that done for government. Next to the magnitude of the works, which are most certainly the largest of their description in the world, the point which most struck us was the cleanliness and order that reigned everywhere amidst so much bustle and activity; and after seeing all that we witnessed, we were not surprised to learn that the loss of a sheet of stamps is practically unknown.

The development of this gigantic business has no doubt been the work of many men and of many minds; and it is no less surprising than interesting to find that the third generation of the family, in which it is now vested, in no way lack either the fertility of resource or the keen spirit of enterprise that must have been possessed by their predecessors so as to found and successfully promote a trading concern of such magnitude.

Returning now for a moment to Somerset House, we learn that the stock of stamps always held by the Controller of Stamps represents a money value of some five or six millions of