In consequence of the peculiar legend, the stamp has been dubbed, not ineptly, the "has been" stamp.
We learn from a despatch to the Toronto Telegram that the printing of the stamp began on the 1st December:—
Ottawa, Dec. 2, 1898.—(Special)—The Governor-General and Hon. William Mulock, Postmaster-General, presided yesterday at the printing of the first copies of the new imperial penny postage stamp. The design is Mr. Mulock's own[168].
It was thus brought into the world under distinguished patronage—that of its official father and god-father, so to speak. Its baptism came on the 7th December, rather earlier than expected, but explained by the following newspaper clipping[169]:
Ottawa, Ont., Dec. 5—It having been stated in some newspapers that the new two-cent Imperial stamp would not become available until Christmas day, inquiry made at the Post Office Department today to ascertain the truth of this statement elicits the fact that, although it was the original intention of the department that the new stamp should not come into use until the 25th inst., the demand from the public for it has become so pressing that the department has decided to issue it at once, and permit its immediate use to the extent of its face value for all postage purposes. In other words, as soon as it reaches the public it may, if preferred by the purchaser, be used instead of the ordinary two-cent stamp. The two-cent inter-Imperial rate does not, of course, come into effect until Christmas Day.
In the Weekly Philatelic Era, the Canadian correspondent discourses upon its advent as follows, under date of 7th December[170]:—
The new Imperial stamps referred to in past numbers of the Era were issued this morning, and although the new Imperial rate does not come into effect until Xmas-day, and they bear that inscription, they are receivable for ordinary postage now.
The general design has already been described, but it may be well to say that the stamps are printed in three colours. The frame is in black with white letters, the seas are in a pale blue, or rather a lavender, and the British possessions are in a bright red. The map of the world is on Mercator's projection, which magnifies high latitudes; consequently the Dominion of Canada, which occupies the middle of the upper part of the stamp, looks bigger than all the other British possessions put together. The border of the stamp is of cable pattern and measures 32 mm. in width by 22½ in height. The stamp is printed on medium, machine-wove, white paper, similar to that used for the Jubilee and subsequent Canadian issues, and is perforated 12.
The above quotation settles the fact that the first color in which the "seas" were printed was lavender. There has been some discussion on this point. Again, a correspondent of the Weekly Philatelic Era wrote under date of "Dec. 20th" that "A government official of Canada states that the 2c Imperial postage stamp is to be changed in color from a lavender to a blue. One of your contemporaries states that the color is to be green[171]." Under date of "Ottawa, Dec. 29," another correspondent of the same paper writes[172]:—"The first issue of these geographical stamps, on the 7th instant, had the sea coloured a light lavender. About the 20th, I cannot fix the exact