Stamps in sheets perforated in the dividing lines, in the manner
adopted in England, to facilitate the separation of a single stamp
from the others on a sheet when required for use.

From the above statement, one would naturally infer that such a useful
innovation would be adopted at once, especially so when it is considered
that the utility and convenience of perforation had already been amply
tested and had proved eminently satisfactory in England. Unfortunately,
no further mention of perforation is made in the Reports of succeeding
years, and this absence of direct official evidence combined with the
existence of certain facts has given rise to much theorising as to the
actual date of issue of the perforated varieties, and as to whether the
perforation was applied by the manufacturers of the stamps, by the
Canadian Government, or by private parties in Canada.

Mr. Donald A. King in his article in the _Monthly Journal_ says:--

It is an open question whether these stamps were delivered to the
Canadian Post Office Department in a perforated condition or not.
The manufacturers are wholly unable to throw any light on the
subject; and while there is much to be said in favor of their
having perforated the stamps, there are points against it almost as
strong.

In favor of it there is the fact that, at the date that these
stamps were issued, it was more than probable that a firm like the
manufacturers would have perforating machines. The normal gauge of
the perforated set is 12, that being the only size ever used by the
manufacturers, or their successors, the American Bank Note Company;
indeed, they call 12 their standard and only gauge.

On the other hand, we find that there are perforated stamps of the
first series issued, viz., the 6d on _laid_ paper; also, that there
exist two different varieties of perforation that were never used
by the makers, viz., one gauging 14, and another that is described
in the _American Journal of Philately_ for January, 1891, as
follows:--

"CANADA.--In a large lot of pence issues, purchased by us lately,
we have found two copies of the 3d. on greyish wove paper,
perforated 13, with oblique parallel cuts. This seems to confirm
the theory that the pence issues of Canada were not perforated by
the manufacturers, but either by the Canadian Government, or by