The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-05-07
TWO CURIOUS RELICS.
A Couple of the Original English Stamps
Engraved for America.

There have lately come into the pos
session Of the National Museum two ar
ticles which are of great interest to
every American and of particular value
to every student of American history.
These are nothing more or less than two
OF the original stamps engraved in En-
gland for use in the American colonies
in accordance with the provisions of the
Stamp act of February, 1865. This was
the act which caused such an uproar
among the colonies and which was one
of the main causes of all the trouble i'm
mediately preceding and leading to tho
revolution. 1t was intended that the
revenue to be raised by the Stamp act
should come from the sale of stamped
paper and stamps which were required
to be placed upon all paper used in
commercial transactions, suits at law,
publications, transfers of real estate,
inheritances and marriage licenses.
Thus tax was placed upon the col
onies without their consent and the
money derived from this tax was to be
used for the support of a standing army,
which i'll turn was expected to enforce
the payment of the tax. Apparently no
Englishman dreamed of any resistance
to the act, and it is said that Grenville,
the minister under whom the act was
passed, afterward made the statement
that he would have staked his life on
the obedience of the colonies to the
measure. OF course, however, there
was decided resistance, as every
American knows, which led to the re-
peal of the act in March, 1865, under
the Rockingham ministry. The stamps
themselves were handsomely engraved
and ran in value from half penny up
to several pounds. The two stamps now
in the museum are of the value of half
penny and penny. They are uncan-
celed, and are two of eight which were
preserved by the heirs of Hon. Welbore
Ellis, who was Commissioner of Inter-
nal Revenue for Great Britain in the
year 1865. After his death they came
into the possession of his son Welbore
Ellis, Jr., who was partner in the
famous banking house of Walker, Malt
'by, Everett & Ellis, which failed in the
great financial panic of 1927. These
two stamps remained in the Ellis family
up to few years ago, when they were
given to Mr.. q. J. Walker, of Newcastle
Dn-Tyne, by his grandfather, the senior
member of the aforementioned bank
ing firm, who was interested in antiqui-
lies and curiosities. A short time ago
;he two stamps were given by Mr.. E. J.
Walker to John A. Brill, of Philadel-
phia. Very soon after the stamps came
INTO his possession Mr.. Brill received
an offer of :e10 from an English collector
.or the two, but declined at once, where
upon the Englishman cabled him an
offer several times as large, which was
also declined. Mr.. Brill came to the
conclusion thatif the stamps were of that
much value to an Englishman they
would be of much more interest to an
American museum of historical relics
and he promptly presented them to the
National museum here, where they will
be appreciated and properly preserved.
They will be installed in a handsome
frame, which will have pictures and
proper legends that will help to tell the
story of the causes that led to the Amer.
lean revolution.-Boston Herald.