A new regulation has been put in force by the Canadian post-office department. Until a few days ago it was unlawful for any person to sell unused current Canadian stamps without a government license [as a stamp vendor]. Merchants and others who received a great many unused stamps as remittances, have heretofore been compelled to send them to the department at a discount of five per cent, or dispose of them by illegitimate means, running the risk of being prosecuted for selling without license. A great deal of complaint was made to the department concerning this matter, and last week Hon. Mr. Mulock announced that thenceforth, all unused Canadian stamps would be cashed at one per cent. discount in amounts of over $1.00. The stamps may be pasted on paper, as they will not be put in circulation again. CHAPTER XI THE JUBILEE ISSUE OF 1897 The so-called "Diamond Jubilee" of the accession of Queen Victoria, who had then been on the throne of the United Kingdom for sixty years, occurred on the 20th June, 1897, and several of the British Colonies, as on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary, considered it fitting to celebrate the event with a commemorative issue of postage stamps. Probably no proprieties would be violated were it observed, sub rosa, that the pecuniary gains connected with such issues were probably more of a factor in determining their birth than the superabundance of jubilation over the auspicious occurrence. Such a suspicion is quite readily aroused when considering all the facts in connection with the special set of stamps that Canada felt it necessary to put forth at this time. But the story runs a little farther back and hinges on other changes. What proved a prophetic utterance appeared under "Canadian Notes" in the _Weekly Philatelic Era_ of August 1, 1896, as follows:-- For the first time in 18 years a Liberal, or Reform government has full control of the Dominion.... Mr. William Mulock, J. C., of Toronto, is the new Postmaster General and I am informed that considerable pressure is being brought to bear upon him to have an entirely new set of stamps issued to replace those which have been in use in Canada for something over a quarter of a century. Under the same "Notes" in the issue of the above paper for January 23, 1897, we find the result of the "pressure":-- The British American Bank Note Company, which for so many years have had the contract for printing Canada's paper currency and postage stamps, have been notified that their services will no longer be required. The shareholders in that company were not of the right political stripe for the new Government. The contract has now been given to the American Bank Note Company of New York. This company will have to establish a branch office at Ottawa and all the work will have to be done in Canada.