1901 a special postmark for Registered letters was brought
into use, consisting of a large ellipse with "Registered" above and
"Gambia" below, both following the line of curve, and with date in
centre and control letter above, either B or C, the latter often being
found reversed or upside down. This is still in use.

From 1895 onwards stamps may be found cancelled with a circular
postmark with "Received" above and "Gambia" below, and either a
control letter C or a six-pointed *. Possibly this was a Fiscal
cancellation wrongly used on postage stamps.

Most Gambia stamps, from the C.C. perforated issue onwards, may be
found with a cancellation consisting of seven parallel bars forming
a circle of 19mm. diameter, the two outside bars being rounded off to
form part of the circle. Though this can be found on the last issue of
Queen's Head stamps, it does not appear to be now used.

On the 1887 and later issues we find a cancellation composed of four
concentric circles, the diameter of the largest being 18mm.

[page 68]

Many letters appear to have been posted on board the mail steamer, or
sent from the post office without the stamp being cancelled, as Gambia
stamps are found with the mail steamer postmark, which consists of two
circles with "Paquebot" above, and either "Plymouth" or, "Liverpool"
below, both being between the two circles.

The date, comprising not only the year and month but day and hour, is
in three lines in the centre.

Many Gambia stamps can also be found postmarked "Freetown, Sierra
Leone," or "Registered, Sierra Leone," but as we have no record of
Gambia stamps being used to defray postage from Sierra Leone, we must
conclude that they were sent on by a steamer which did not possess a
post office, and cancelled at Sierra Leone before being shipped on the
mail steamer.

Stamps of Gambia can also occasionally be found with the postmark of
the French Colony of Senegambia.

* * * * *

[Illustration: Plate I.--6d. Imperforate.]

[Illustration: Plate II.--1/2d. Single line perforation.]

[Illustration: Plate III.--1/2d. First comb perforation (points down).]

[Illustration: Plate IV.--1d. First comb perforation.]

[Illustration: Plate V.--2d. First comb perforation.]

[Illustration: Plate VI.--2 1/2d. First comb perforation (points up).]

[Illustration: Plate VII.--3d. First comb perforation. Three guide
dots to right.]

[Illustration: Plate VIII.--3d. Second