rm of government did not last long, and in 1870 the
Duke of Aosta, second son of King Victor Emmanuel of Italy, was chosen
King of Spain, now a limited monarchy, as Amadeus I., and his portrait
was introduced on the stamps of 1872-73. The tiny 1/4c. de peseta stamps
of the former year bear a small design of a royal crown.

Changes at this period followed in rapid succession, and Amadeus
failing to make headway as a constitutional Sovereign resigned his
troublesome crown in February, 1873, in favour of peaceful retirement
in Italy. The little stamps aforementioned were changed under the new
government--this time another form of republic--to shew a mural crown
in lieu of the royal one, and the portrait of Amadeus gave way to an
emblematic figure Peace in July, 1873. Peace! What most desire, but
few can obtain and keep. Nor was the next stamp design of Justice
(July, 1874) much less wide of the mark.

There were actually in Spain between the revolution of 1868 and the
restoration of the house of Bourbon three different types of republic,
the limited monarchy under Amadeus, and a military dictatorship. In
1872, too, the pretender Carlos proclaimed himself King of Spain, and
issued the celebrated Carlist stamps from 1873 to 1875. So far as
the general issues of Spanish stamps are concerned, their changes
subsequent to the restoration of Alphonso XII., son of Isabella II.,
are free from further revolutionary changes, but there are postal war
tax stamps of 1874-1879, and 1898 (_Fig._ 354).

[Illustration: 354]

A remarkable instance of planting a bogus set of stamps on collectors
occurred in connection with the Melilla campaign in 1893-1894. In
the set there are 53 or possibly 54 varieties, each for a different
detachment of the Spanish forces. The inventor of the scheme
apparently launched his venture by going about amongst the troops,
sailors, officers, etc., distributing specimens of the stamps he had
conceived in their behoof, and consequently the appearance of some of
the labels on letters emanating from soldiers and others at the
war gave colour to the supposition that these gaudy labels had been
provided by a generous and otherwise unoccupied government at Madrid.

Of the fifty-three stamps, all _except_ Nos. 1 and 2 are perforated.
Nos. 1 to 5 are in design of _Figs._ 355, 356, and were supposed to
have been for the use of the five Army Corps.

The colours are (1) black frame, arms red and yellow; (2) blue frame,