The differing colours [i.e., blues versus reds] were meant for the two Provinces; but the higher values were soon used indiscriminately, and in 1879 the red prevailed for both Provinces. The stamps on ordinary laid and ordinary wove were, as a rule, used first. The red stamps are all printed in oil-colour, the others in fugitive colours.
| ½a | slate | ordinary laid |
| ½a | slate-violet (shade) | ordinary laid |
| ½a | slate-violet (perf) | ordinary laid |
| 1a | lilac | ordinary laid |
| 1a | mauve (shade) | ordinary laid |
| 2a | violet | ordinary laid |
| 2a | mauve (shade) | ordinary laid |
| 2a | violet blue (shade) | ordinary laid |
| 2a | dull blue (shade) | ordinary laid |
| 2a | dark blue (shade) | ordinary laid |
| ½a | black (service) | stout laid |
| 1a | black (service) | stout laid |
| 2a | black (service) | stout laid |
| 4a | black (service) | stout laid |
| 8a | black (service) | stout laid |
| ¼a | ultramarine (1880) | laid bâtonné |
| ¼a | red | ordinary laid |
| ½a | red | ordinary laid |
| ½a | red (perf) | ordinary laid |
| 1a | red | ordinary laid |
| 1a | red (perf) | ordinary laid |
| 2a | red | ordinary laid |
| 2a | red (perf) | ordinary laid |
| 4a | red | ordinary laid |
| 8a ? | red | ordinary laid |
| 1a | red | thick laid |
| ½a | red | ordinary wove |
| 1a | red | ordinary wove |
| 2a | red | ordinary wove |
| ½a | red | very thick wove |
| 1a | red | very thick wove |
| 2a | red | very thick wove |
| ¼a | red | thin wove |
| ½a | red | thin wove |
| 1a | red | thin wove |
| 2a | red | thin wove |
| 4a | red | thin wove |
| 8a | red | thin wove |
| ¼a | oranges (1881) | thin wove |
| ½a | oranges (1881) | thin wove |
| 1a | oranges (1881) | thin wove |
| 2a | oranges (1881) | thin wove |
| 4a | oranges (1881) | thin wove |
| 8a | oranges (1881) | thin wove |
Some of the preceding were cut vertically and laterally (but not diagonally, so far as is known) and used for stamps of half their face value. The ½a is known cut diagonally and used for the ¼a stamp in the next period. Probably other denominations, and even the issues on thin laid paper, were similarly used. [For the stamps of the 1883-94 period] the thin wove papers are white to yellowish for all except the 2a stamp; the 2a was printed on yellow, yellow-green, and deep green tinted paper.
| ¼a | black (service) | thin wove |
| ½a | black (service) | thin wove |
| 1a | black (service) | thin wove |
| 2a | black (service) | thin wove |
| 4a | black (service) | thin wove |
| 8a | black (service) | thin wove |
| ⅛a | yellow | thin wove |
| ⅛a | yellow brown (shade) | thin wove |
| ¼a | brown | thin wove |
| ¼a | sepia (shades) | thin wove |
| ¼a | pale brown (shades) | thin wove |
| ¼a | bronze green (error) | thin wove |
| ½a | dull blue (non-postal) | thin wove |
| ½a | bright blue (non-postal) | thin wove |
| ½a | red | thin wove |
| ½a | rose (shades) | thin wove |
| ½a | orange (shades) | thin wove |
| ½a | orange-red (shades) | thin wove |
| ½a | bistre (error) | thin wove |
| 1a | green | thin wove |
| 1a | greenish-grey (shades) | thin wove |
| 1a | bronze-green (shades) | thin wove |
| 1a | dull green (shades) | thin wove |
| 1a | blue green (shades) | thin wove |
| 1a | bright green (shades) | thin wove |
| 2a | red | yellow green thin wove |
| 2a | red | deep green thin wove |
| 2a | red | yellow thin wove |
| 4a | green | thin wove |
| 4a | deep green (shades) | thin wove |
| 4a | pale green (shades) | thin wove |
| 4a | sage green (shades) | thin wove |
| 8a | blue | thin wove |
| 8a | black blue (shades) | thin wove |
| 8a | bright blue (shades) | thin wove |
| 8a | pale blue (shades) | thin wove |
| ¼a (non-postal) | black | thin wove |
| ¼a (non-postal) | black | thin laid |
| ¼a (non-postal) | vermilion | thin wove |
| ¼a (non-postal) | vermilion | thin laid |
| ¼a | vermilion | native-made stout laid |
| ½a | red (non-postal) | native-made stout laid |
| ⅛a | yellow | thin laid |
| ¼a | brown | thin laid |
| ½a | vermilion | thin laid |
| ½a | orange red | thin laid |
| 1a | green | thin laid |
| 4a | green [non-existent] | thin laid |
| 8a | blue | thin laid |
| ¼a | black (service) | thin laid |
| ½a | black (service) | thin laid |
| 1a | black (service) | thin laid |
| 2a | black (service) | thin laid |
| 4a | black (service) | thin laid |
| 8a | black (service) | thin laid |
| ¼a | brown [addendum in book] | stout laid |
| 4a | green [addendum in book] | stout laid |