St. Nicholas Stamp Page.
The season of the year has arrived at which young collectors are opening their albums and making their decisions as to what they will do during the coming winter. It is a good time to put things in order. Go through your collection, and notice the stamps that are in poor condition, if you have any such. Make notes of them, and endeavor first of all to replace them with good specimens, It will add greatly to the interest of your collection to do this. There is nothing which detracts more from the appearance of a collection than to see torn, dirty, or greasy stamps in it, Some collectors think that if they have a copy of a stamp, even though it may be in poor condition, it is better to obtain one which they de not have at all than to replace the damaged specimen by a good one. This is a mistake.
THE “QUEEN OF ADHESIVES.”
One of the best of the weekly papers devoted to the interests of stamp-collecting has been holding a competition recently, in which its subscribers have named the stamp which seemed to them to be the “Queen of Adhesives.” 
Fifty-one different specimens were named, including among others such fine varieties as the twelve-and-one-half-cent of Nova Scotia, twenty-four-cent, 1866, of Newfoundland, the five-shilling of St. Vincent, and the two-shilling sixpence of the Falkland Islands. Two well-known collectors who were judges had before them a specimen of each of the varieties named by the competitors. They finally arrived, by the process of gradual elimination of the less interesting specimens, at the conclusion that the two-shilling sixpence of the Falkland Islands was the “Queen of Adhesives.” Collectors generally will, we think, agree that their judgment was excellent. Our illustration of (he stamp does not show it in its beauty, for the fine blue shade of the original enhances its appearance greatly.
A PROPOSED WEST INDIAN UNION.
The papers report a plan to unite under one government all the separate West Indian islands belonging to Great Britain. The headquarters of the governor-general would be in Jamaica, the largest of the islands. It is supposed that this would reduce the expenses of government and provide a surplus which could he used in helping to increase the commerce of the islands. The experiment would not be likely to interfere with the present methods of issuing stamps. The plan of combining the issues for separate islands into a single series for a group has been tried, and found to be a failure so far as the production of an increased revenue was concerned. Therefore, each island or group of islands is certain to retain its distinctive issues, It is thought by some that such a consolidation of the governments of these islands would interfere with their popularity as winter resorts, for the social life of each place centers at the palace of its governor, who entertains with liberality.
NEWFOUNDLAND STAMPS.
The great variety to be found in the stamps of Newfoundland hes made them favorites with collectors. These stamps give us the best pictures that we have of the members of the royal family, The different industries of the island are shown and its products are represented quite extensively on its stamps. The character of the coast, the style of its shipping, its discoverers, and its government are clearly revealed. The colors of the stamps are bright and pleasing as a series.
THE “SEEBECK” ISSUES OF SALVADOR.
The issues for the Central American country, Salvador, have been attracting some attention recently. The beautiful “Seebeck” issues have given way to a series locally printed by a rather poor lithographic process. These stamps, probably because they have been stolen by dishonest officials, have been surcharged in a great variety of ways in order that stamps authorized for use might be known. Many of these varieties have not been listed. Therefore, one who has an opportunity to examine quantities of them is quite sure to discover valuable varieties. This is one of the things which lend zest to stamp-collecting. It thus comes to pass, also, that a country which has been neglected by specialists and thought to be fit only for the young collector is now prized by those who are well advanced in collecting.
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.
It is difficult to say what are the best books to read on the subject of stamp-collecting. The publishers of the principal journals may be written by one who desires to know, and they will recommend works pubished by them, all of which are worth reading. The odd appearance which is observed in the late stamps of West Australia is said to be the result of printing them from zinc plates, by means of which it is not possible to secure the same finished appearance produced by the use of steel. Cut provisionals are not as common as they were formerly, for governments take pains to furnish offcials with plenty of stamps, and it is generally recognized that the cutting up of a stamp produces piece which is difficult to handle on account of its small size. It is just as well to surcharge with a new value and leave the stamp its full original size,