The Stamps of Canada Part 2

That all Provincial Postage received within the Province shall be retained as belonging to it, and that all Provincial Postage received within any other Colony of the British North American Colonies may be retained, as belonging to such Colony. That no privilege of franking shall be allowed as regards the Provincial Postage. That Provincial Stamps for the prepayment of postage may be prepared under the orders of the Governor in Council, which stamps shall be evidence of the prepayment of Provincial Postage to the amount mentioned on such stamps; and that such stamps, prepared under the direction of the proper authorities in the other British North American Colonies, shall be allowed in this Province as evidence of the prepayment of Provincial Postage in such other Colonies respectively, on the letters or packets to which they are affixed and which have been mailed there.

The pa.s.sage of the above Act and its approval by the Imperial government was followed by a notice to postmasters which gave the date at which the transfer of the postal system from Imperial to Provincial authority was to take effect, gave more explicit instructions with regard to rates of postage, and stated that postage stamps were being prepared. Mr. Howes gives the chief provisions of this Notice as follows:--

NOTICE TO POSTMASTERS.

GENERAL POST OFFICE.

MONTREAL, _14th March, 1851._

Sir:--

I am commanded by His Excellency the Governor General, to communicate to you the following instructions, for your guidance in the performance of your duties, under the New Post Office Law of the 13th and 14th Vict., chap. 17, pa.s.sed at the last Session of the Provincial Parliament, which will take effect, and supersede the Imperial Post Office Acts, hitherto in force in Canada, on and from the 6th day of April next:

1.--From the above date, all Letters transmitted by the Post in Canada, with the exception of Packet Letters to and from the United Kingdom, will be liable to a uniform rate of _Three Pence_, currency, per half-ounce for whatever distance conveyed: prepayment will be optional: the charge increasing according to the weight of the Letter, one single rate for every additional half-ounce, counting the fraction of a half-ounce as a full rate, thus:

A Letter, weighing not exceeding 1/2 ounce, will be liable to 3d postage.

A Letter, weighing more than 1/2 ounce, and not exceeding 1 ounce, will be liable to 6d Postage.

A Letter, weighing more than 1 ounce, and not exceeding 1-1/2 ounces will be liable to 9d Postage, and so on.

It will be observed that the above scale differs from that now followed, in advancing one rate for each half-ounce after the first ounce.

2.--The single Packet rate for Letters by the Atlantic Steam Packet Mails to and from England, via the United States, of 1s 2d sterling, if _unpaid_, and 1s 4d currency, if _prepaid_, as also the rate on Letters, by those mails, via Halifax, of 1s sterling, if _unpaid_, and 1s 1-1/2d currency, if _prepaid_, remain unaltered, and the present scale of weights is to remain in force as regards such Letters.

Post Masters must be very careful to observe this distinction when taxing letters, weighing over one-ounce, intended for the English Mails.

3.--The regulations now in force with regard to Letters to and from Soldiers and Sailors in Her Majesty's Service, by which under certain conditions such Letters pa.s.s through the Post on prepayment of a penny only, remain unaltered.

5.--Letters addressed to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward's Island, or Newfoundland, are to be rated with the uniform rate of 3d per half-ounce.

6.--Letters to and from the United States will be liable to the uniform rate of 3d per half-ounce, between the Frontier line and the place of posting or place of destination in Canada; and until further arrangements can be made, this charge on Letters from Canada to the United States must be prepaid at the time of Posting.

9.--The charge on Letters posted at an office for delivery in the same City, Town, or Place, and any additional charge made on Letters delivered at the residence of parties to whom they are addressed, are to remain as at present, until further instructions.

10.--No Franking Privilege is allowed under the New Act, except with regard to Letters and Packets on the business of the Post Office, addressed to or transmitted by the Post Master General.

13.--Stamps for the prepayment of Postage are being prepared and will be distributed for the use of the public at an early date.

T. A. STAYNER.

_Deputy Post Master General._

Shortly afterwards a Notice, or Department Order, dated April 2nd, 1851, was issued to postmasters regarding the rates of postage between Canada and the United States, California and Oregon. It is hardly necessary to reproduce this in its entirety and it will suffice to state that the rate on single letters to the United States was sixpence currency, equivalent to ten cents in United States money, while to California and Oregon the rate was nine pence currency per half-ounce. On newspapers, pamphlets, etc., the rates were the same as those for Canada itself with the stipulation that all such mail must be prepaid. Certain offices were named for handling the mail between Canada and the United States, viz: Post Sarnia, Windsor, Fort Erie, Queenston (the channel of communication with the United States for the country west of Toronto), Niagara, Toronto, Cobourg (a communication during summer only, by steamer to Rochester), Kingston, Brockville, Prescott, Montreal, St. John's, Dundee, and Stanstead.

On the 21st of April, 1851, an Order was issued from the Post Office Department referring to the issue of stamps. The most interesting paragraphs from this order are:--

Postage Stamps are about to be issued, one representing the Beaver, of the denomination of Three pence; the second representing the head of Prince Albert, of the denomination of Six pence; and the third, representing the head of Her Majesty, of the denomination of One shilling; which will shortly be transmitted to the Post Masters at important points, for sale.

Any Letter or Packet, with one or more Stamps affixed, equal in amount to the Postage properly chargeable thereon, may be mailed and forwarded from any office as a prepaid Letter or Packet; but if the Stamps affixed be not adequate to the proper Postage, the Post Master receiving the Letter or Packet for transmission will rate it with the amount deficient in addition. This Regulation concerning Letters short paid has reference only to Letters pa.s.sing within the Province.

Stamps so affixed are to be immediately _cancelled_ in the office in which the Letter or Packet may be deposited, with an instrument to be furnished for that purpose. In Post Offices not so furnished, the stamps must be cancelled by making a cross (X) on each with a pen. If the cancelling has been omitted on the mailing of the Letter, the Post Master delivering it will cancel the stamp in the manner directed, and immediately report the Post Master who may have been delinquent, to the Department. Bear in mind that Stamps must invariably be cancelled before mailing the Letters to which they are affixed.

It is rather interesting to note that the series comprised only three values, though the postal rates, as shown in the Notice quoted above, and further amplified in a lengthy set of "Regulations and Instructions"

called for numerous rates of 1/2d and 1d as well as 7-1/2d so that it certainly seems strange that no provision was made for stamps by means of which such rates could be prepaid.

The beaver is typical of Canada, for the prosperity of the Colony is largely founded on this animal, whose skin has been a valuable article of commerce since the days of the early trappers in the land of the maple tree. The choice of a beaver as the central theme of the design of Canada's first stamp--the 3d value--is, therefore, particularly appropriate. The stamp is rectangular in shape and the centrepiece is enclosed within a transverse oval band inscribed "CANADA POSTAGE" at the top, and "THREE PENCE" below. Above the beaver is an Imperial crown which breaks into the oval band and divides the words "CANADA" and "POSTAGE." This crown rests on a rose, shamrock, and thistle (emblematic of the United Kingdom) and on either side are the letters "V R"

(_Victoria Regina_, i.e. Queen Victoria). In each of the angles is a large uncolored numeral "3". Mr. Howes tells us that this stamp was designed by Sir Stanford Fleming, a civil engineer and draughtsman.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The beaver, depicted on this stamp, rejoices in the scientific name of _Castor fiber_. It is a rodent of social habits and was at one time widely distributed over Europe and North America. It is now practically extinct except in Canada and even there it is said to be in great danger of extermination. Full-grown animals vary in length from thirty to thirty-six inches. They are covered with short, thick fur, which is of considerable value and their structural peculiarities are well worth noting. The beaver is furnished with powerful incisor teeth, with which it is able to bite through fairly large trees, and its fore paws are very strong. Its hind feet are webbed, so that it is a powerful swimmer, and its tail is flattened, and serves as an excellent rudder. Its ears are small and when laid back prevent any water entering them. Beavers generally live in colonies, and show remarkable intelligence and ingenuity in the construction of their homes or "lodges" and in the building of dams, where water in the vicinity of their dwellings has become too shallow to suit their tastes. These dwellings are often constructed on the banks of rivers, but the Canadian beaver is particularly fond of building lodges in the centre of large expanses of fairly shallow water. These are made of turf, tree-trunks, and other materials, and are often used as store houses for food reserves, as well as for living in.

The 6d stamp follows the usual upright rectangular form and its central design consists of the portrait of Prince Albert, the Royal Consort. The portrait is enclosed within an upright oval inscribed in a similar manner to the 3d but with, of course, "SIXPENCE" on its lower portion.

The numeral "6" is shown in each of the four angles. Albert Francis Charles Augustus Emanuel the younger of the two sons of Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, was born in 1819. He was carefully educated at Brussels and Bonn (1836-8), where he showed himself an ardent student, acquired many accomplishments, and developed a taste for music and the fine arts. King Leopold and Baron Stockmar had long contemplated an alliance between Prince Albert and Princess Victoria, and the pair were brought together in 1836. When the succession of Victoria was a.s.sured the betrothal took place, and on February 19th, 1840, the marriage, which was one of real affection on both sides, was solemnized in the Chapel Royal, St. James Palace. The Prince Consort's position as the husband of a const.i.tutional sovereign was difficult, and in the early years of his married life his interference in matters of state was resented. Ultimately he became "a sort of minister, without portfolio, of art and education", and in this capacity won much esteem and popularity. He also interested himself in agriculture and in social and industrial reform. To him was due the Great Exhibition of 1851, which resulted in a balance of a million dollars available for the encouragement of science and art. His personal character was very high, and he exercised great influence on his children. He was an ideal consort, and entirely worthy of the t.i.tle "Albert, the Good". On December 14th, 1861, he succ.u.mbed to an attack of fever, and was buried in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. His remains were afterwards removed to the mausoleum at Frogmore.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The 12d stamp is very similar in design to the 6d denomination but bears the portrait of Queen Victoria. The life and reign of Queen Victoria are matters of such general knowledge that biographical details are hardly necessary. A few words, however, regarding the source of this handsome portrait, which was used to adorn so many of the earlier British Colonial stamps, will not be amiss. Mr. Howes tells us that this portrait "was taken from the full length painting by Alfred Edward Chalon, R. A., which was ordered by the Queen for her mother, the d.u.c.h.ess of Kent, as a souvenir of Her Majesty's first visit to the House of Lords. The occasion was the prorogation of Parliament, on July 17th, 1837, and the Queen is portrayed in her robes of state, because of which fact the painting is sometimes described as 'in Coronation Robes', but this is erroneous."

The 12d requires a few words in explanation of the manner in which the value was expressed for "One Shilling" would appear to be a more natural form for this amount rather than "Twelve Pence". Mr. Donald A. King says:--"This was undoubtedly done intentionally, as though it was intended for a one shilling stamp, yet it could not be called that, as there were a number of _shillings_ of different values in circulation in the Colony. If the stamp had been lettered 'One Shilling', the Post Office was liable to have tendered for it 6-1/2d, 7-1/2d, 10d or 12d, according to locality".

Mr. Howes gives a fuller explanation which we cannot do better than quote in his own words:--

"A glance back at the rates of postage we have already quoted will show that it was generally necessary to give them in two forms, 'currency' and 'sterling'. The somewhat depreciated Canadian currency required fifteen pence, as will be noted, to equal the shilling sterling--a point brought out on the two stamps issued subsequently for the British Packet rates. Add to this fact that in New England the 'shilling' was a current expression for 16-2/3 cents (10 pence currency), while in New York it represented 12-1/2 cents (7-1/2 pence currency) and we can readily see that in Canadian territory contiguous to these sections the number of pence to a 'shilling' might often be a debatable quant.i.ty. As a matter of fact the French Canadians of Lower Canada made general use of the 'shilling' as reckoned at 10 pence (20 cents) in the old currency, while the 'York shilling' was extensively used in Upper Canada.

'Twelve Pence' was without doubt wholly intentional, therefore, as the designation of the stamp, and was happy solution of any ambiguity in its use, even if it has proved a stumbling block to the understanding of latter day collectors."

The three values forming this first issue were manufactured by Messrs.

Rawdon, Wright, Hatch and Edson, of New York, who are, perhaps, better known to fame as the engravers of the 1847, 5c and 10c stamps for the United States government. All three stamps were printed from plates engraved in _taille douce_ the plates consisting of one hundred impressions arranged in ten horizontal rows of ten each. The manufacturer's imprint--"Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, New York"--was engraved twice on each of the four sides quite close to the stamps. The imprints were so placed that the bottoms of the letters are always next to the stamps with the consequence that on the printed sheets of stamps the imprints read upwards at the left, downwards at the right, and upside down on the bottom margins.

A variety of the 3d denomination is catalogued with "double transfer".

This is, of course, a plate variety caused like all similar ones by a faulty or incorrect rocking of the roller impression on the plate and a correction on top of this impression which did not always entirely obliterate the first impression. Mr. Howes says this variety "is recognized by the letters EE PEN being 'doubled' at the top, making it appear as if a line had been drawn through the words and giving it the name occasionally used of the 'line through threepence' variety." There are at least two other similar varieties of "double transfers" known on this value for in the _Philatelic World_ for December, 1908, Mr. A. J.

Sefi described and ill.u.s.trated three different ones. One of these is a variety mentioned by Mr. Howes, another shows a distinct doubling of parts of the details of the two left-hand corners, while the third variety shows a doubling of the upper right hand corner. It is quite possible a close study of these stamps would reveal others and also similar varieties in the 6d and 12d. "Double strikes" are not uncommon on stamps produced by the line-engraved process though they are not often so striking as the first of these Canadian varieties and those found on the United States 10c stamp of 1847.

According to a valuable summary from official records published in the _Metropolitan Philatelist_ we learn that the first delivery of stamps from the manufacturers took place on April 5th, 1851, when 100,000 of the 3d denomination were delivered to the Canadian Government. On April 20th, a second supply of the same value comprising 150,200 stamps arrived in Canada. On May 2nd 100,400 of the 6d were received followed two days later by 51,400 of the 12d this latter being the only consignment of the highest value ever received from the printers. We have already pointed out that the 3d was placed on sale on April 23rd, 1851. The date of issue of the 6d is not known for certain as there are no official records relating to this though, as a supply was received on May 2nd, they were doubtless issued some time during the same month. The 12d was issued on June 14th as we shall show later.

The three values of this series, as well as other denominations in pence issued later, were withdrawn from use on July 1st, 1859, when decimal currency was introduced. By means of much diligent search through Post Office Reports and other records Mr. Howes has determined that a total of 3,528,700 3d stamps were issued and a total of 402,900 of the 6d value. Some of both these values were issued with perforation late in 1857 or early in 1858. Unfortunately there is no means of separating these from the imperforate ones as shown by the official figures but if we use the somewhat rough-and-ready means of reckoning afforded by catalogue quotations it would seem that of the above totals about three million of the 3d and 325,000 of the 6d were imperforate.

The 12d value, as every collector knows, is a very rare stamp. Even had the full supply of 51,000 stamps, received in the first and only consignment from the manufacturers on May 4th, 1851, been issued, it would have been a rare variety, but as a matter of fact, the greater portion of the consignment was destroyed and only 1510 were actually issued. An interesting article published in the _Metropolitan Philatelist_ in 1902 shows that this denomination was first issued on June 14th, 1851, and supplies were made to various post offices as follows:--

No. Stamps

June 14th, 1851, Hamilton, 300 Oct. 17th, 1851, Chippewa, 100 Nov. 13th, 1851, Thorold, 20 Nov. 25th, 1851, Toronto, 200 Mar. 8th, 1852, Montreal, 200 Sept. 14th, 1852, Ingersoll, 100 Apr. 5th, 1853, Ottawa (then known as Bytown), 100 Oct. 20th, 1853, Sherbrooke, 15 Jan. 13th, 1854, Smith's Falls, 50 Jan. 20th, 1854, Ottawa, 100 Feb. 8th, 1854, L'Islet, 15 Feb. 27th, 1854, Ingersoll, 20 Mar. 22nd, 1854, Sault S. Marie, 25 May 15th, 1854, Port. du Fort, 15 Oct. 21st, 1854, Rowan Mills, 50 Oct. 26th, 1854, Melbourne, 50 Oct. 27th, 1854, Montreal, 100 Dec. 4th, 1854, Smith's Falls, 50

Total stamps, 1,510

The consignment sent to Smith's Falls on December 4th, 1854, was the last distributed. While we can trace no official notice referring to the discontinuance of this denomination, or the actual date at which it ceased to be used, the writer of the article referred to above says that the balance of 49,490 stamps were destroyed on May 1st, 1857, "in accordance with the practice of the Department in cases of the discontinuance of stamps" though as this was the first Canadian stamp to be discontinued, a precedent could hardly have been established.

The following interesting excerpt from the _Stamp Collectors' Magazine_ for April, 1870, states that the 12d value was discontinued in 1855 and it also lays considerable stress on the scarcity of used specimens of this stamp, viz:--

One of our readers observing from a reply we made to a correspondent in the last October number, that we were in doubt as to whether the 12d was ever actually used, has been good enough to write the Deputy Postmaster-General on the subject and has obtained from him the following reply:--