Although following closely upon the heels of the United States in issuing postage stamps, less than four years having intervened, Canada was not so eager to introduce the stamped envelope, for she waited over six years before following the example of her big neighbor. The first reference to the innovation is found in the Postmaster General's Report for 30th September, 1859 (although the Report is actually dated 20th February, 1860), and reads as follows:-- For the promotion of public convenience by facilitating the prepayment of letters, Stamped Envelopes bearing Medallion Stamps of the postage value of 5c. and of 10c. respectively have been procured and issued for sale to the public, at an advance of 1/2 a cent on the value of each stamp, to cover the cost of the envelope, and of engraving the stamp, &c. The precise date of issue does not seem to be on record, but the year 1860 is always given. From the stamp accounts, quoted below, we find the quantity issued for sale is qualified by the remark "during 8 months to Sept. 30", which would indicate that the envelopes were issued about the 1st February, 1860; and we have therefore assigned this date to them until a more authoritative one is produced. The next reference to the envelopes, including the accounts, appears in the Report for the year ending 30th September, 1860, as follows:-- STAMPED ENVELOPES. 5c. 10c. Value Received from Mfrs. 200,000 100,000 21,500.00 Issued for sale during 8 months to Sept. 30, 136,177 45,651 12,283.09 ------- ------- --------- Remaining, 63,823 54,349 9,216.91 The number of Stamped Envelopes, actually used by the public, has been but small, as a considerable proportion of those issued remain in the hands of Postmasters. The cost of manufacture of the stamped envelopes was included, as we have already seen,[205] in the payments made to the American Bank Note Co. for stamps, etc., in 1860, so that they were obtained from that firm. They were not manufactured by them, however, but by George F. Nesbitt & Co. of New York, who at that time held the contract for supplying the United States Government with stamped envelopes. The similarity of the stamped impression, both in size and general arrangement, to the United States envelope dies of 1860 will be noted, and the paper used for the envelopes will be found to be similar, even to the watermark, while the two "knives" used for cutting the envelope blanks will be found to agree with numbers 2 and 11 of the Tiffany, Bogert and Rechert catalog. It was evidently a case of the Bank Note Co. subletting the contract to Nesbitt, who was regularly in the business. [205] See page 90.