“Then taking the Report for January 5th, 1852, I find among the accounts of the Post Office Department for the quarter ending the 5th January, 1852, the following issues: “‘By amount of postage stamps on hand £100 By amount due Receiver-General for postage stamps 100 Consisting of 3 penny to value of £52 ” ” 6 ” ” 24 ” ” 1 shilling ” 24’ “Also in same Report accounts for quarter ending 5th October, 1851. “‘By amount of postage stamps £100 Cash paid to Hon. Jos. Howe, being amount remitted by him to Trelayney Saunders, Esq., for postage stamps for Nova Scotia £221 14s. 8d.’ “These extracts from Postmaster General’s Reports and from Post Office Department Accounts will positively decide the question as to date of issue. “The Three Penny, Six Penny, and One Shilling were, I should think, issued to the public in the second quarter of 1851; and the One Penny were probably put out about the last part of 1853. “In the same Reports I also found the following: “‘To remedy to some extent the serious inconvenience said to be experienced by merchants and others in consequence of there being no Seven and One Halfpenny currency postage stamp, by which parties who feel desirous could thus prepay their letters to England, and not wishing to put the province to any further expense in having another ‘die’ prepared, I considered it expedient to allow half stamps to be used with those now in use, to obviate the want of accommodation complained of; and a circular was accordingly forwarded to my deputies, and a notice issued to the public, to the effect that letters could be prepaid to England by stamps by parties using a Six Pence or two Three Penny stamps together with half a Three Penny stamp. The Three Penny stamp to be cut diagonally, and the Half to be equivalent to 1½d. The Three Penny stamp alone to be used for that purpose.’ “The Three Penny stamp I have never seen cut and used in that manner. This order was issued after the reduction of the packet postage to England from 1 shilling to 7½ pence. “Major Evans in his Catalogue mentions the Three Penny surcharged ‘PAID 5 CENTS,’ and also overprinted ‘5 CENTS.’ This I think can be easily explained, as will be seen by the following: About 1854 (I think, but am not sure) an agreement was entered into between the Postmasters-General of Nova Scotia and the United States for the exchange of correspondence between their respective countries. It was agreed upon that the postage should be 5 cents, the Nova Scotian Three Penny stamp to be equal to that value.