The Stamps of Canada | Page 7

of 1893
having at last been used up, a King Edward stamp of that value was
issued. In the same year the three hundredth anniversary of the

founding of Quebec by Champlain was celebrated by the issue of a
special set of stamps these being of the same large size as the Jubilee
series of 1897, but with a different design for each denomination, while
in 1912 a new series bearing the portrait of King George V made its
bow and this completes Canada's postal history to date.
CHAPTER II.
--A Postmaster's Provisional.
Postage stamps were first placed on sale to the public in Canada on
April 23rd, 1851, as we shall show later, but, according to an
interesting article which appeared in the London Philatelist for June,
1904, it seems possible that at least one postmaster anticipated events
slightly by issuing a stamped envelope of his own shortly before the
regular governmental stamps were ready. It will perhaps simplify
matters to reproduce the article in its original form, viz.:--
CANADA: HAND-STAMPED 3D ENVELOPE OF 1851.
We are indebted to Mr. E. B. Greenshields, of Montreal, for the
following very interesting information:--
The following facts may be of interest to collectors of the stamps of
British North America. Some time ago a cover was offered to me,
which seemed to me to be absolutely genuine, yet I had never, up to
that time, heard of such envelopes being in existence. This letter was
posted in New Carlisle, Gaspé, Lower Canada, on April 7th, 1851, and
was stamped "Three Pence" in two lines, inside a square, with a black
border of neat design around the sides. Across this was written, "Letter
R. W. Kelly Apl. 1851". The letter was addressed to Toronto, C. W.,
and on the other side was stamped the date the letter was received, "Apl.
16 1851". I sent the envelope to Mr. Donald A. King, of Halifax, and
received the following reply from him:--
HALIFAX, N. S., February 22nd, 1904.
"Dear Sir,--I have yours of 19th inst. with cover, and am much obliged

for your kindness in permitting me to have a look at it. It is new to me.
I have no doubt it is absolutely genuine, and probably was made by the
Postmaster at New Carlisle to save trouble in stamping the letter '3d' as
was then the custom. It is just possible that the writer (whose name
appears to be endorsed on the envelope) was the Postmaster there. A
reference to the Postmaster-General's report for that year would give
his name. As far as my memory serves me, the Canadian stamps were
not then in issue, though an advance circular may have been sent out. I
have shown the cover to a friend of mine who is an expert in
typography, and he assures me that the printing is as old as dated, and
that such type and border could not be procured now at any cost. The
only thing that I have seen that resembles it in any way was a cover
from Prince Edward Island, prepaid with a square of white paper
stamped 3d and cancelled. This was an adhesive, and used some years
after stamps were in use. As in your case, it had been recognised as
paying postage. As to the value of your cover, it is impossible for me to
say, but very considerable to any collector of British North America.
"Yours faithfully,
"DONALD A. KING."
Following up the clue given to me by Mr. King, I wrote to the Post
Office Department at Ottawa, and received the following courteous
answer:--
OTTAWA, 2nd March, 1904.
"Sir,--I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your communication of
the 26th ultimo, inquiring whether R. W. Kelly was Postmaster of New
Carlisle, Co. Gaspé, Quebec, in 1851, and in reply am directed to
inform you that R. W. Kelly, doubtless the same man, was Postmaster
of New Carlisle in 1851. Owing to the incompleteness of the early
records of the department, which was then under the direction of the
British Office, the date of Mr. Kelly's appointment cannot be
ascertained. He appears to have been Postmaster from 1851, however,
until his resignation on the 9th April, 1855.

"As regards your inquiry as to whether postage stamps were used on
the 7th April, 1851, and your statement that you have an envelope sent
on that date from New Carlisle to Toronto with 'Three Pence' printed on
it, inside a fancy border, I have to say that postage stamps were issued
to the public for the first time on the 23rd April, 1851, and that stamped
envelopes were not issued until some years later. The stamped envelope
to which you refer may have been an envelope so stamped on the
prepayment in the New Carlisle Post Office, of