Of unissued stamps during the late reign, there are only three instances: the £5 value, which did not proceed so far as the completion of the plate; and a small printing of the Twopence Halfpenny, in the adopted design, but in mauve on blue paper, was destroyed, owing to a decision to print in blue on white paper. Both these stamps, the £5 and the Twopence Halfpenny mauve on blue, together with proofs of the lower value in shades and tones of blue, are in the King's collection. The last of the unissued stamps is the Twopence "Tyrian-plum," which, owing to the lamented death of King Edward, the authorities decided not to issue; his present Majesty possesses an unused pair, and a unique used copy on the original envelope. Beyond these, the collection contains proofs of the contractors' designs for three of the new stamps, the One Penny in four types of head and bust, in the old frame of the 1881 stamp, and the Twopence and Fivepence in frames similar to those of the 1887 issue; in all these King Edward is shown in military uniform, the best of these being, so far as the portrait is concerned, the Fivepence. [Illustration: A PAGE OF THE ONE PENNY "POST PAID" STAMPS OF MAURITIUS. (_In the collection of H.M. the King._)] A curiosity, for it was not for issue except after severance, is the sheet of one penny stamps as prepared for the booklets on sale at the post-office--for convenience in making-up and binding these small books, the stamps were specially printed in four panes of sixty each, in vertical rows of ten, each alternate three rows being inverted, and so producing a certain number of _tête-bêche_ pairs. King George's sheet is, outside the printers' establishment and Somerset House, probably unique. _Mauritius._--In the stamps of this colony the royal collection is particularly strong. There is here the 1d. red Post Office _used_, which came from Mr. Peckitt out of the collection of the Earl of Kintore for £850, and the matchless unused copy of the 2d. blue which was purchased in Messrs. Puttick & Simpson's saleroom on January 14, 1904, for £1,450: it is admittedly the finest known copy of this stamp, and its romantic history has been alluded to in Chapter VII. These two _raræ aves_ are followed by a grand display of the Post Paid series, including three fine 2d. unused, one with the error "PENOE" for "PENCE," and a wonderful mint block of five, containing the error _se tenant_ with four of its neighbours in the sheet. This block is a comparatively recent acquisition, having been acquired from Mr. D. Field for £500 in 1910. There is a considerable number of used copies showing all states of the plates of the 1848 issue, the small head of 1849, and the "fillet" of October, 1859. The 4d. green of April, 1854, is represented unused and used, and there is also an unused copy of the perforated 1s. deep green of 1862. The collection of this colony is practically complete from beginning to date.