e that in order to use up existing
supplies more quickly they were overprinted "2 cents".

In 1899, the color of the 2c stamp was changed from purple to carmine,
thus conforming to Postal Union regulations, in December, 1900, a 20c
stamp of the type of 1898 was issued on the final exhaustion of the
stock of the 1893 type; and in 1902 a 7c value was issued in place of
the 8c for combined use in payment of registration and postage.

In 1903, 1c, 2c, 5c, 7c, and 10c values were issued bearing King
Edward's portrait, a year later the 20c value in the same type was
placed on sale, and in 1908, the stock of the old 50c stamps of 1893
having at last been used up, a King Edward stamp of that value was
issued. In the same year the three hundredth anniversary of the founding
of Quebec by Champlain was celebrated by the issue of a special set of
stamps these being of the same large size as the Jubilee series of 1897,
but with a different design for each denomination, while in 1912 a new
series bearing the portrait of King George V made its bow and this
completes Canada's postal history to date.

CHAPTER II.--_A Postmaster's Provisional._

Postage stamps were first placed on sale to the public in Canada on
April 23rd, 1851, as we shall show later, but, according to an
interesting article which appeared in the _London Philatelist_ for June,
1904, it seems possible that at least one postmaster anticipated events
slightly by issuing a stamped envelope of his own shortly before the
regular governmental stamps were ready. It will perhaps simplify matters
to reproduce the article in its original form, viz.:--

CANADA: HAND-STAMPED 3D ENVELOPE OF 1851.

We are indebted to Mr. E. B. Greenshields, of Montreal, for the
following very interesting information:--

The following facts may be of interest to collectors of the stamps
of British North America. Some time ago a cover was offered to me,
which seemed to me to be absolutely genuine, yet I had never, up to
that time, heard of such envelopes being in existence. This letter
was posted in New Carlisle, Gaspe, Lower Canada, on April 7th,
1851, and was stamped "Three Pence" in two lines, inside a square,
with a black border of neat design around the sides. Across this
was written, "Letter R. W. Kelly Apl. 1851". The letter was
addressed to Toronto, C. W., and on the other side was stamped the
date the letter was re