“Can any of my brother collectors tell what rate was charged for single or double letters to Australia in 1860? On the 9th of this month I received from New Brunswick an envelope which had been sent out to Melbourne, Australia, in 1860. It was mailed at Kingston, N.B., in May, 1860, and went _viâ_ London. On the envelope, which is yellow, are a One Shilling, violet, and one half of a Six Pence, yellow, cut in half diagonally, and presumably used as Three Pence, making a total of fifteen pence, quite a high rate for a single letter, as such I presume it to be. The Six Penny stamp is very bright, but the One Shilling is somewhat faded. “I would like to know if any of the readers of _The Halifax Philatelist_ have ever seen any of the high values thus combined, as I think they are very rare, and should occupy a prominent place in the representation of New Brunswick stamps in all collections. FRED. NORTHRUP, _Port Jervis, N. Y._ “[The split stamps of New Brunswick are no doubt scarce, but they are not more so than any of the other B. N. A. Provinces. Canada seems to be the only one which did not do this, as split stamps from there are very scarce. The rate on a half-ounce Letter from Nova Scotia to Victoria was one shilling and threepence, and we presume it was the same from New Brunswick.—EDITOR of _The Halifax Philatelist_.]” From the above letter, we can therefore add the following at the bottom of the issue of May 13th, 1860, on page 30 of the Catalogue: _Variety._—The Ten Cents is known cut in two diagonally, and also vertically. 5 c. (half 10 c.), scarlet-vermilion. NOVA SCOTIA. “SOME OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE FIRST ISSUE OF NOVA SCOTIA STAMPS. “The postal service of the British-American provinces, until the year 1851, was directly under the control of the English Post Office Department. This, with the high rate of postage, the insufficient mail accommodation, and the stringent laws against a private person carrying or delivering a Letter on the post road, was the cause of innumerable complaints on the part of the Colonies, and gave the English Post Office officials the trouble of sending out long despatches.