It has been thought necessary to define the exact character of these stamps with some exactness, and at the risk of some re-iteration, because their true character seems to be little understood. They had no official sanction whatever, because no official had any authority to sanction them. It was a mere arrangement between the individual postmaster and the public for their mutual accommodation. Such stamps were issued at New York, St. Louis, Brattleboro, New Haven, Providence, Alexandria, Baltimore, Millbury and probably other places. Although not governmental or official stamps, they are none the less interesting or valuable mementoes. They show how determined the public were to have the postage stamp, and their history shows how the Public Will compelled the government to adopt the postage stamp in spite of the supposed difficulties in the way. IV. STAMP OF THE NEW YORK POSTMASTER. The stamp issued by the postmaster of New York was chronicled in the earliest American Catalogue, (Kline, 1862,) but its true character was not established until the resuscitation and republication in the communications of the author of this work to the Philatelist and Le Timbre Poste, in 1873-4, of the following articles from contemporaneous newspapers. The Express of New York in its issue of July 1st, 1845, contains an editorial mentioning, that the Act of March 3rd, 1845, went into force on the day of publication, and a report of the meeting of the Cheap Postage Association. In its issue of July 7th, 1845, the same paper published as part of its Washington correspondence, the following: _Washington, July 2nd._ It was suggested in New York to Mr. Morris, your postmaster, that he might accommodate the public very much by selling stamped envelopes, as the law does not authorize the sale of stamps on the English plan. When he was here he laid the subject before the Postmaster General, who has to-day decided that he may do this. The envelopes are to be marked with the amount of postage thereon, say 5 or 10 or more cents as the case may be, and the initials of the postmaster are to be superadded, and then the envelopes can be sold. The object is to facilitate the payment of prepaid letters. Postmasters can interchange envelopes whenever they can agree to do so among themselves. In the issue of the next day (Express, July 8th) appeared the following editorial: