s much to be said in favor of
Mr. Howes' theory. It will be noted the stamps have the values expressed
in English currency, and the almost universal rule for stamps printed
with values in shillings or pence, has been sheets of 60, 120, or 240
owing to the fact that with such an arrangement reckoning in this
currency is greatly simplified.

The design corresponds in its general appearance to the 6d and 12d of
1851 though the portrait in the central oval is of Jacques Cartier, the
discoverer of Canada. In the 'eighties there was some little discussion
regarding the portrait on this 10d stamp some claiming it was not
intended to represent Cartier, but Sebastian Cabot. A writer on the
_Halifax Philatelist_ for 1888 says: "It is identically the same as all
the existing portraits of Jacques Cartier, and totally unlike those
existing of Sebastian Cabot. The style of dress and the way the beard is
worn is that of the sixteenth century, instead of the fifteenth. There
is a very rare and old print of Sebastian Cabot, taken from the original
painting in the possession of Charles Jost Harford, Esq., in the
Legislative Library at Halifax, and anything more dissimilar to the face
on the 10 pence stamp cannot be imagined." The official notice
announcing the issue of the stamp, to which we have already referred,
makes no mention of the design at all but the portrait is undoubtedly
that of Cartier and Mr. Howes tells us that the original is a
"three-quarter length portrait in the Hotel de Ville at St. Malo,
France, the birthplace of Cartier."

Jacques Cartier was born at St. Malo, as stated above, in 1491. In 1534
he sailed with two small vessels on a voyage of discovery, touching at
Newfoundland, and discovering New Brunswick. In a second voyage (1535-6)
he explored the St. Lawrence, and took possession of the land he
discovered in the name of Francis I of France. He made a third voyage in
1541 and died in 1557.

The words CANADA POSTAGE and TENPENCE on the inscribed oval frame are
separated by a small beaver at the right and three maple leaves at the
left. In the lower corners are the numerals "10" followed by "cy" for
currency, while in each of the upper angles is "8d stg", representing
the equivalent value in sterling.

Only the two supplies of this value, mentioned previously, were printed
making a total of 172,200 stamps. When the decimal currency was
introduced there was a balance on hand of 31,200, which were afterwards
des