The postage stamps, envelopes, wrappers and post cards of the North American colonies of Great Britain — John Shaqi
The postage stamps, envelopes, wrappers and post cards of the North American colonies of Great Britain
History
The postage stamps, envelopes, wrappers and post cards of the North American colonies of Great Britain
Postage stamps -- Canada; Postal stationery -- Canada
The Provinces of Ontario and Quebec (formerly constituting the Colony
of Canada), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, were by “The British North
American Act, 1867,” formed into one Dominion. This Act was brought into
force by Royal Proclamation, bearing date the 27th of May, 1867. On the
15th of July, 1870, the newly-formed province of Manitoba; on the 20th of
July, 1871, the colony of British Columbia; and on the 1st of July, 1873,
that of Prince Edward Island, were successively admitted to the Dominion,
Newfoundland now alone, of all the North American Colonies, retaining its
independence.
As far as I have been able to discover, Post-office notices relating
to the issue of stamps were not published in _The Canada Gazette_ with
other official matter. The number of _The Gazette_ for March 8th,
1851, contains a long notice, stating that on April 5th following the
management of the Inland Posts would be transferred to the control of the
Provincial Government, and that the new rates of postage would then come
into force. We learn from the report of the Postmaster-General of Great
Britain for 1857 what those rates were; for we read:
“In 1851 a reduced rate of postage was established. Payment in
advance is optional.
On ordinary Letters per ½ oz., 3d.
On Letters posted and delivered in the same town each, ½d.
“Newspapers are conveyed free.
“Books are charged ½d. per oz., the weight of a single Packet
being limited to 4 lbs.”
I should add, the local rate of ½d. did not come into use until 1857.
In giving these extracts from the Postmaster-General’s Report, I have
invariably altered the rates to their proper currency value, as they are
given in the list at “about” the sterling equivalent.
The rates to England in operation on May 1st, 1856, probably earlier,
were:
Closed mail, _viâ_ U.S., by British Packet, not exceeding ½ oz. 10d.
_Viâ_ Halifax ” ½ oz. 7½d.
By U.S. Packet ” ½ oz. 1s. 5½d.
And on October 1st, 1856, by Canadian Packet ” ½ oz. 7½d.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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