On the 5th of August, soon after the opening of the Postmaster General's office for the day, an old gentleman called to see Mr. Johnson on business. The gentleman was the Hon. Henry Shaw, a New Yorker, * * * and the father of the well known Henry Shaw, Jr., (Josh Billings). * * * Mr. Johnson came into his office accompanied by the printer of the new stamps, a few minutes after Mr. Shaw had arrived, on that August morning. Sheets of the stamps were laid before the Postmaster General, who, after receipting for them, handed them to his visitor to inspect. Mr. Shaw returned them after a hasty glance, and then drawing out his wallet, he counted fifteen cents, with which he purchased two of the stamps--the first two ever issued. The five cent stamp he kept as a curiosity, and the ten cent stamp he presented to Governor Briggs, as an appropriate gift." OBSERVATIONS. In nearly all the early catalogues and in some recent foreign ones, these stamps are catalogued upon _white_ paper. Mr. Terrell, Third Assistant Postmaster General, in a letter published on page 111, American Stamp Mercury, 1870, states positively that this issue was never printed except upon faintly tinted bluish paper. It may be observed, generally, that the paper of all stamps of the early issues of all countries which were affixed to the blue or bluish paper in general use at the time, has a tendency to vary from the original color, sometimes becoming blue or bluish, when originally white, darker or lighter blue or even whitish if originally blue. This has been variously explained, as the action of some ingredient in the paper of the letter, or of the stamp, in the gum or the ink. It must be further observed that the color of the impression of the five cents varies greatly from the original pale red brown, called bronze. Many shades of faint red brown, red brown, faint dark brown, deep dark brown, black brown, bluish black, and almost pure black, may be found. Whether these result, as seems to be the case, from a natural change in the course of time, from something in the ink, paper or surroundings of the stamp itself, or whether it results from the use of different colored ink originally, may perhaps be impossible now to determine. The ten cent, however, varies very little in the color of the impression. Beyond a lighter, or grayish shade, a black with a bluish cast, and the ordinary black impression, little is to be noticed. The stamps are separated in the sheet by about 2 mm., each way. Double copies of the five cents, adhering either by the side, or by the top and bottom, are often found on old letters, and occasionally, three or four adhering specimens are encountered. The ten cents is almost invariably found in single specimens, though a few pairs, and even three used together are known.