use on foreign correspondence at a substantial discount off face
value.

[Illustration: 284 285]

The star overprinted in blue or red (_Figs._ 284, 285) on the current
stamps indicates those sold in this way.

Each of the foreign post offices in Turkey, including our own British
post office, used special stamps. Years ago, when the British office
was first set up, ordinary English stamps were sold, but there were
abuses of the currency values so that it was found desirable to
overprint our English stamps for use in Turkey with either the value
in Turkish currency, or with the word LEVANT, which effectually
prevented any large purchases in Turkish money being exchanged at the
English face value. The Turkish Government has long been trying to
get these foreign post offices closed, but without success until the
outbreak of the present war; they are all now closed, and their stamps
consequently obsolete. The nations having had special stamps for their
post offices in Turkey are:--

Great Britain (closed October, 1914).
France ( " " ).
Russia ( " " ).
Italy ( " " ).
Roumania (discontinued 1896).
Austria (closed October, 1914).
Germany ( " " ).

[Illustration: 286]

A curious set of stamps, never really required for postal duty, was
issued by the Turks during the Graeco-Turkish War of 1898, under
the pretext of being required for the use of the Turkish Army of
Occupation. The Turkish inscription on these odd-shaped stamps (_Fig._
286) reads "Special for Thessaly, that part of the country conquered."
Even at the time these stamps first saw the light in Thessaly, the
Turks were boarding their transports to evacuate the country. Large
remainder stocks have been sold since the evacuation, and extensive
forging of these stamps has been detected.

CHAPTER VII.

AMERICAN WARS--United States--Civil War--Confederate
Stamps--Hispano-American War--Vera Cruz--Canada--Mexican
Revolution--South and Central America.

UNITED STATES. In December, 1860, South Carolina in convention
repealed the act adopting the Constitution of the United States, a
move which was promptly followed by other Southern States, and led
to the American Civil War. On February 18, 1861, a provisional
Confederate Government under Jefferson Davis was set up at Montgomery,
Alabama, with all the appendages of military and civil