in use before complaints were
made that owing to the lack of plain numerals it was a difficult matter
to distinguish the various denominations. In its issue for April 2nd,
1898, the _Metropolitan Philatelist_ stated another ground for complaint
and also referred to a forthcoming change, viz.:--

Much dissatisfaction is expressed by the French speaking
inhabitants of the rural parts at the lack of figures of value on
the stamps, the denomination in all cases being printed in English
which they are unable to understand. It has, therefore, been
decided to alter the new stamps by removing the maple leaves from
the lower corners and inserting large numerals of value in their
place. The space occupied by the head will also be somewhat
enlarged and the value will be placed on a straight band below.

A few months later the redrawn stamps made their appearance, for the
_Monthly Journal_ for July 30th, 1898, records the issue of the 1c and
3c denominations as follows:--

The design is certainly improved, the oval being enlarged so that
its outer line covers the outer line of the rectangle at each side
and at top and bottom. The band being the same width as before,
this allows a larger space for the head, which no longer appears so
closely "cribbed, cabined and confined." The inscriptions remain
unchanged, but in each of the lower corners is a plain rectangular
block, containing a colored numeral.

Mr. Howes states that these two values were issued on June 21st, 1898,
and, following its usual custom, the Canadian Post-office did not place
the other denominations on sale until the corresponding values of the
old series were all used up. Thus, the 1/2c, 2c and 6c did not appear
until early in September, the 8c was placed on sale in the first few
days of October, the 10c was issued in the early part of November, while
the 5c, which was the laggard of the series, was not on sale until July
3rd, 1899.

[Illustration]

Although the design was entirely redrawn and the wider oval gave the
portrait a less cramped effect, it did not satisfy all the
critics--though, so far as this fact is concerned, it is doubtful if any
stamp issued anywhere at any time has met with universal approbation!

The stamps were produced by the usual method of steel engraved plates
and they were printed in sheets of 100, in ten rows of ten, as had now
become the regular custom. The