The Stamps of Canada | Page 5

Messrs. Hatts', where the Sandwich (co. Essex) letters will be left, both
from Niagara and this 'till the courier comes from there to return with
them.
Letters put into the post-office will be forwarded any time by
W. ALLAN, Acting Deputy Postmaster.
Mr. Heriot resigned in 1816, and was succeeded by Mr. D. Sutherland,
who, on his accession to office, found Nova Scotia and Prince Edward
Island wholly withdrawn from the Canada charge. New Brunswick,
however, continued to be included in it. This appears also to have been
withdrawn in 1824, so that from that date until just lately, we have to
do with Canada proper.
In 1827 there were 101 post-offices, and 2,368 miles of established
post-route. The number of miles of mail-travel was 455,000. The letters
that year were estimated at 340,000, and newspapers, 400,000. From
the Canadian Postmaster-General's report for 1865, now lying before us,
we find the number of letters had increased to 12,000,000; the miles of
annual mail-travel was 6,350,000, the mails being carried regularly
over 1,931 miles of railway route.
The following extract from the Quebec Mercury, published on July 18,

1829, conveys some idea of the postal communication with England at
that period:
No later advices have been received from Europe since our last. Some
further extracts from the London papers, to 31st May, inclusive,
brought to New York by the Corinthian, will be found in another part
of this number.
In the Montreal Courant, dated September 2nd, 1829, was the
following paragraph, showing the improvement which had been
effected in the communication between Prescott and that city:--
EXPEDITIOUS TRAVELLING.--On Saturday last, the Upper Canada
line of stages performed the journey from Prescott to this city in about
17 hours, leaving the former place at a little before 3 a. m., and arriving
here a few minutes before 8 in the evening. Not many years ago this
journey occupied two, and sometimes three days, but owing to the great
improvements made by Mr. Dickinson, the enterprising proprietor, by
putting steamboats on the lakes St. Francis and St. Louis, and keeping
his horses in excellent condition, it is now performed in little more than
one-third of the time.
Even so late as 1833, newspaper proprietors found it (particularly in the
Upper Province) better to employ their own couriers. As a proof of this
we transcribe from the Queenston (Niagara) Colonial Advocate, of that
year the following advertisement:--
POST-RIDER WANTED IMMEDIATELY.
The proprietor of this newspaper wishes to contract with a steady man
(who can find and uphold his own horse) to deliver it to the subscribers
once a week during the winter, on the route between York and Niagara,
via Ancaster.
Mr. Thomas A. Stayner was postmaster in 1841, and through his
recommendation a uniform rate of 1s 2d sterling, per half ounce, was
adopted between any place in Canada and the mother country. About
this time regular steam communication across the Atlantic was

established.
The transfer of the Canadian post-office from the control of the
imperial authorities to the Colonial government, was effected April 6th,
1851. Mr. Stayner then resigned, and the office was filled by the Hon.
James Morris, who was the first Postmaster-General. This may be
termed the red-letter year of the Canadian post-office. In the first place,
the postage, which had hitherto been according to distance and had
averaged 15 cents on each letter, was reduced to a uniform rate of 5
cents per half ounce. The newspaper charge was also considerably
reduced. Within a year after, the number of letters transmitted through
the post had increased 75 per cent. The operation of the department was
greatly extended, and last, but most decidedly not least, was the
introduction of postage stamps. In February, 1855, the money-order
system was first begun, and has within the last few years been greatly
extended. Letters seem to have been first registered in 1856. In October
of that year the Grand Trunk Railway was completed as far as Toronto
so that, in connection with the Great Western, an unbroken line of
postal communication was established between Quebec in the east and
Windsor in the west.
The decimal system of coinage was introduced in 1859; this, of course,
as is well known, necessitated a new issue of postal labels.
We now arrive at the issue of labels for the new Dominion. The
post-office act was passed on the 21st of December, 1867, and came
into operation the 1st of April last. The internal rate is reduced from 5
cents to 3 cents the half ounce; but the postage to this country remains
unchanged.
The following is the order for the issue of the new labels:--
POSTAGE STAMPS.
To enable the public to prepay conveniently by postage stamp the
foregoing rates, the following denominations of postage stamps for use