The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-22 00:00:00

THE NEW POSTAGE STAMP.

To.Me Editor of the Macclesfield Courier and Herald.
Mr. EDITOR,—Many of your readers have been more
puzzled to rind out the meaning of the design of our new
postage stamp, and her Majesty's ministers have been cen-
sured for issuing such a miserable specimen of ,modern art ;
but, though I will not venture to pronounce upon the execu-
tion of the work, I think much may be said in commendation
of the design. It strikes me, sir, that government has in-
tended, by the pen of Mr. Mulready, to favour us with an
emblem of the state of our internal and external affairs, and
that we may understand from it, that everything is in its
wrong place. To commence with the upper part of the
sketch, which from the representation of a Laplander in a
rein .deer sledge, is evidently intended for the north point;
we have the said sledge half sunk in the sea, whilst several
ships are seen on dry land. I need scarcely say, that the
hitter part o, the picture most aptly pourtrays the state of
our navy. On the right hand, or east side, we have a group
of Americans and 'West Indians , and, on the left, or east
side, an assemblage of Chinese, Arabs, and Indians, with
elephants, and camels. The lion at the feet of Britannia
looks fast asleep, whilst the lady herself has lost her olive
branch, and trident, as though neither at peace nor prepared
which have been variously
stillcho Ils. tfruluare;hybe,:rl can-
notißnduit,
for war. The figures proceeding from the uplifted arms of
and
as intended for emblems of riches, which
"makethemselves wings and fly away," and desi,med to
mn Britannia,ah ku
et
consider
anc o
rated
y hands national.
of prosperity,sir, if we have this striking picture of confusion and misery,
up, and collecting their wives and
we have also held out to us a gleam of hope, for the Ameri-
'shaking hands withand '' •
• ey home,
children for a journey cans seem busy packing
doubt, they think,especially
efowreasts,tatrhte,
bac.k-front, better calculated for a
farewell to the half-dressedandthneakoende gweiniotlehmaesnd,evse•ehnottlny, z
down and turned to us a •
men, elephants, and camels see
warmer 'climate, than for the
1 puzzled how to get back,
mfaarllwgeestttingirneadthy
Even the Laplander is
now we have destroyed their junks.
the poor Chinese only appearet
prospect of things
that the artist has favoured us with
of better times, if we will
in a hurry to get out of the watertalida reach dry land ; so
coming to their right places, and
sir,
as an omen
pictorial stamp ought to be hailed by the country
have seen the
only have a little patience. I think then, that this new
of good hope, and as a proof that the ministry.
they have committed,
to remove from their
blunders and intend, like the Ameri-
cans and Chinese on the envelopes,
false position, and to cross over from the treasury bench to
their own proper places. Let us then rejoice and be glad,
and look forward to the time when our navy will once more
be afloat, when the British lion will awake from his slumber,
when Britannia will once more smile, and all will be well.
I am, Mr. Editor, your obedient servant,

FABIUS VICTOR.

THE PENNY POST ENVELOPES.—There are two ways of
acquiring immortality ; by doing something worthy of it, or
something, utterly undeserving. The man who fired the
Temple of Ephesus is an instance of the latter class of as-
pirants in ancient times, and the artist who designed the penny
post envelope a striking modern example. The absurdity of
the design has provoked all manner of people to "gird" at
it, and amongst them we find one from " A twopenny post
letter-carrier," who has done more than merely find fault
with the invention of the royal academician, for he has sent
in a design of his own, infinitely superior to that which is to
spread the fame of Mr. Rowland Hill over the remotest
quarters of the globe. Next to the new caricature just pub-
lished by Fores, it is tbe best thing we have seen, and if the
Post-office authorities do not wish to be laughed at to the
end of time they will find out the inventor, and adopt a design
less hieroglyphical than the present, and more to the purpose.
--Herald-. •