384 Timehri. 
During the next year, 1850, many other European States joined 
the ranks of stamp-issuing countries, including Victoria and New South 
Wales. It will thus be seen that British Guiana, sparsely peopled and 
unknown as it then was, kept abreast of the times in at least one respeet— 
the adoption of the adhesive stamp. 
THE 1850 ISSUE OF BRITISH GUIANA. 
This issue consists of four values, printed in black, on course coloured 
paper, varying considerably in texture. Paper of different colours were 
utilized, in order to more easily differentiate between the four values. 
The values and colours were :— 
2c., black, on pale rose paper 
4c., a ,, yellow paper (shades) 
leg: os » green paper 
12¢., as ,, blue paper (shades) 
The paper on which these stamps were printed, was of the deseription 
used for large placard advertisements. The work was done at the 
“Demerara and Essequebo Gazette Office” whose Proprietor was Mr. 
Henry Mackay, the printing being supervised by Mr. Devonish. 
The “die” or “ form” of the stamp was made up as follows :—Irregu- 
lar brass circles were made by bending pieces of thin “rule” into 
the requisite shape and soldering the ends together. Printers’ 
type of Roman capitals making up the words BRITISH GUIANA, were 
arranged to follow the inner curve of the circle; the words reading in 
sequence. In a straight line across the circle forming the diameter, the 
words cents in italics with numerals denoting value was arranged, the 
whole being then wedged in with quad or chewed paper. The required 
number of these forms which have been surmised to be twelve, were then 
imposed in a chase and the sheets printed off in one of the old-fashioned 
hand-printing presses ; possibly two or more impressions being taken on 
one sheet of paper. 
It has been established that the same form was used for all four 
values, and that the numeral denoting the value was the only part 
altered in order to make the different values. That this was 
clumsily done is evident from the number of letters that are askew in 
the existing specimens of these stamps—notably the letters R and I. 
Whatever number of these forms or “ circles ” were used, it is clear that 
no two were identically alike; nor, was the arrangement of 
these forms in the chase in the same sequence for all the different printings 
that were made. We have consequently a number of minor varieties :— 
(a) Varieties of the thickness of the outer line. 
(b>) Varieties of the arrangement of the internal type. 
Of these 1 variety is common to all 4 values. 
3 varieties is common to 3 values. 
3 varieties is peculiar to the 8c. only. 
1 variety is peculiar to the 12c. only. 
