PORT WINE 



4780 POSTAGE AND POSTAGE STAMPS 



the jungle, and baboons and ohimpanze. 

 great size inhabit the forests. The ri 

 infested with crocodiles and sharks. Birds of 

 beautiful plumage and of infinite variety, in- 

 cluding the heron, marabou, parrot, partridge 

 and woodcock, are plentiful. 



The island of Bulama was discovered by 

 Portuguese in 1446. In 1669 a post was estab- 

 li-lied on the Rio Grande, and in 1752 the 

 Portuguese laid formal claim to the territory, 

 due to the facts of priority in discovery and 

 settlement. Such trade as is carried on is now 

 mostly in the hands of the French. F.ST.A. 



PORT WINE, a strong, full-flavored, red, 

 nonsparkling wine, made from grapes, and at 

 first produced only in Southwestern Europe. It 

 takes its name from its principal shipping place, 

 Oporto, Portugal. The grapes are grown in 

 the rocky gorges about sixty miles north of the 

 town. The climate gives the fruit a peculiarly 

 wild, strong flavor, and this characteristic is 

 strengthened in the wine by the crude methods 

 used in its manufacture. The grapes are trod- 

 den by foot for twenty-four hours; the juice is 

 then fermented in open vessels and rather large 

 amounts of brandy are added from time to 

 time. It is then allowed to mature for at least 

 four years. 



Port wine has a large percentage of alcohol, 

 and, while sometimes prescribed for convales- 

 cents, is likely to damage the tissues of the 

 stomach when used regularly. A kind of wine 

 known as domestic port is made with great 

 success in California, about 30,000,000 gallons 

 being produced annually in that state alone. 

 Like most California wines, domestic port has 

 a higher percentage of alcohol than the im- 

 ported variety. See YEAST; BACTERIA AND BAC- 

 TERIOLOGY. 



POSEN, po' zen, ^ former province of East- 

 ern Prussia, in the German Empire until 1919, 

 covering an area of 11,190 square miles. By 

 terms of the treaty of peace in 1919 Posen was 

 given to the new republic of Poland, for most 

 of its people are Poles. Indeed, until 1793 it 

 was a part of the old kingdom of Poland, and 

 was taken by Prussia in one of the partitions 

 of the country (see page 4723). The chief 

 towns are Posen (the former capital), Gnesen, 

 Bromberg, Hohensalza and Schneidemuhl. In 

 1914, during the War of the Nations, this sec- 

 tion of Prussia was invaded by the Russians. 

 In 1910 the province had a population of 

 2,099,831, of whom nearly seventy per cent are 

 Roman Catholics. 



Posen, capital of the old province, is situated 



on the Wart he River, 150 miles east of Berlin. 

 It is a well-defended place, as defense was until 

 but recently understood, surrounded by two lines 

 of strong forts. Posen is built with consider- 

 able regularity, with numerous squares from 

 which radiate many wide streets. The build- 

 ings of greatest interest are the cathedral, dat- 

 ing from the eighteenth century; the town hall, 



LOCATION OF POSEN 



containing valuable archives; the Raczynski 

 Palace, with its library, and a provincial mu- 

 seum of antiquities. The making of furniture 

 and agricultural implements are important 

 manufacturing enterprises, and there are nu- 

 merous distilleries and flour mills. Population 

 in 1910, 156,691. 



POSTAGE AND POSTAGE STAMPS. 

 Postage is the charge for conveying a letter or 

 other piece of mail matter to its destination; 

 postage stamps are the small printed labels 

 which are pasted on the mail to show that the 

 charge has been paid. So far as the name in- 

 dicates, postage stamps may be issued by pri- 

 vate individuals, by corporations or by govern- 

 ments, but the term is restricted to those issued 

 by governments. 



Rates of Postage. In the early days of postal 

 service, the charges for delivering mail d< - 

 pended chiefly on the distance the courier had 

 to travel. Later, when stage coaches were used, 

 distance was still the chief factor, but to-day, 

 in an age of steam and electricity, in nearly all 

 parts of the world rates are based only on 

 weight and character of mailable matter. 



United States. Domestic rates of postage 

 apply to all matter whose destination is within 

 the United States or any of its possessions, 

 Canada, Mexico, the Canal Zone, the republic 

 of Panama or Shanghai (China), and also to 

 any matter addressed to officers or men of the 



