Since the medal used in Treaties 1 and 2 was considered too small and the design inappropriate, a substitute medal was commissioned by the federal government in 1872 from silversmith Robert Hendry of Montreal. The design for the new medal was adapted from the Confederation medal of 1867, to which Hendry added an outer 11 millimetre ring. The medal bears the likeness of Queen Victoria. The inscription that was soldered to the outer ring reads "DOMINION OF CANADA CHIEFS MEDAL 1872." Four allegorical figures  -  to represent lumbering, mining, fishing, and farming  -  are stamped on the reverse side with a seated Britannia. The outer inscription on the reverse side reads "INDIANS OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES." Despite the impressive size of this Canadian-made medal  -  it measured 95 millimetre in diameter and 10 millimetre in thickness  -  the silver plating peeled off too easily so an alternative had to be found.