Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery Part 13

The early cancellations of Canada have been the subject of some attention, more so, in fact, than the postmarks, as they were required to be used on the stamps while the postmark was struck on the cover, where the date and place of mailing would be plainly visible. In one of the early volumes of reports it is stated that "Office Stamps and Seals were supplied from England on 21st July, 1851." It is presumed that this included postmarks and cancellations.

It will be remembered, perhaps, that in the circular announcing the issue of stamps in 1851[77] it was ordered that "Stamps so affixed are to be immediately _cancelled_ ... with an instrument to be furnished for that purpose." The first one so supplied was the "concentric rings"

cancellation, consisting of seven concentric circles and having an outer diameter of 18 mm. This is the most common of all, being found from the very earliest dates down to 1870, at least, as it occurs on the early shades of the "small" cents issue. It was generally struck in black ink, but may occasionally be found in a dull blue. A good ill.u.s.tration of this cancellation is seen on the cover numbered 90 on Plate VI.

[77] See page 28.

By 1855, at least, a modified form of the concentric ring cancellation was introduced. This had a number in the center in large figures, some 8 mm. high, with four concentric circles enclosing it, the outside diameter being about 23 mm. This type was generally struck in black, but is sometimes found in a dull blue also. It can be seen on the strip of stamps numbered 81 on Plate V. The numbers, of course, were placed in the cancellations with a definite purpose, and a little study of entire covers shows that certain numbers were a.s.signed to certain post offices, as might be suspected. Number 21, for instance, is the most common one and will be found to be connected with Montreal. Further study will reveal the fact that the names of the post offices were taken in alphabetical order, and the numbers a.s.signed to them consecutively in that way. Still further inspection develops the fact that most of the post offices were those in Upper Canada (or Canada West), while but a few of the most important ones were included from Lower Canada (or Canada East.)

Mr. Edgar Nelton seems first to have made a study of these numbers in an attempt to identify their corresponding post offices, and he published a list of some twenty-two as the result of his examination of many original covers.[78] The numbers run up to 52 at least, and using the facts that we have deduced concerning the arrangement of the names, we have endeavored to fill out his skeleton list with such offices as it seems possible may yet be identified with the corresponding numbers. We have done this with some a.s.surance for the following reasons:--

[78] =Chicago Collectors' Monthly, II=: 21.

We were fortunately able to examine a Canada Directory for 1857-8, and on looking up the postal information given therein, found a list of the money order offices then existing. This was in two sections, the first containing the names, alphabetically arranged, of 31 offices in "Cla.s.s No. 1," which included most of the princ.i.p.al cities and towns; and the second a lengthy alphabetical list of offices in "Cla.s.s No. 2." The first section had a somewhat familiar appearance, and inspection showed that a majority of the names on Mr. Nelton's list of numbered cancellations were there in proper order! But 21 more names were needed, according to the cancellation numbers, to fill out the latter series.

The second section was therefore examined for such towns as had the largest populations and were presumably most important. The result enabled more than one name, already on Mr. Nelton's list, to be fitted in its proper place! Here, then, was apparently the solution of the first series of numbered cancellations, and we hazard a guess that the 52 names are the original list of money order offices, arranged when the money order system was inst.i.tuted in February, 1855.

The subjoined table gives the list of post offices and their corresponding numbers, which has been worked out along the lines above mentioned. It is offered in the hope that more will be done to determine positively the correspondence between the two. The names in ordinary type are those that have been identified without any reasonable doubt; those that have been fitted in tentatively are in italics. The Roman numeral following indicates the Cla.s.s to which the Money Order Office belongs.

LIST OF NUMBERED CANCELLATIONS.

1. _Barrie, U. C._ I 2. Belleville, U. C. I 3. _Berlin, U. C._ I 4. Bowmanville, U. C. I 5. Brantford, U. C. I 6. _Brighton, U. C._ II 7. _Brockville, U. C._ I 8. Chatham, U. C. I 9. _Clinton, U. C._ II 10. _Cobourg, U. C._ I 11. _Cornwall, U. C._ I 12. _Dundas, U. C._ I 13. Galt, U. C. I 14. _G.o.derich, U. C._ I 15. _Guelph, U. C._ I 16. Hamilton, U. C. I 17. _Ingersoll, U. C._ II 18. Kingston, U. C. I 19. London, U. C. I 20. Melbourne, L. C. II 21. Montreal, L. C. I 22. Napanee, U. C. II 23. _Napierville, L. C._ II 24. _Newcastle, U. C._ II 25. _Niagara, U. C._ I 26. _Oakville, U. C._ II 27. Ottawa, U. C. I 28. _Paris, U. C._ I 29. Perth, U. C. II 30. Peterborough, U. C. I 31. Picton, U. C. II 32. _Port Dover, U. C._ II 33. _Port Hope, U. C._ I 34. Port Sarnia, U. C. II 35. Prescott, U. C. I 36. _Preston, U. C._ II 37. Quebec, L. C. I 38. St. Catherines, U. C. I 39. _St. Hyacinthe, L. C._ II 40. _St. Johns, L. C._ II 41. _St. Thomas, U. C._ I 42. _Sherbrooke, L. C._ II 43. Simcoe, U. C. II 44. _Smith's Falls, U. C._ II 45. Stanstead, L. C. II 46. Stratford, U. C. I 47. Three Rivers, L. C. I 48. _Toronto, U. C._ I 49. Whitby, U. C. II 50. _Windsor, U. C._ I 51. _Woodstock, U. C._ I 52. _York, U. C._ II

It will be noticed, if Mr. Helton's list is compared with the above, that there are a few discrepancies. He a.s.signs Toronto to No. 24, which is manifestly out of place. Owen Sound is given to No. 26, while 28 should be its location; the latter must be reserved for Paris, however, which is a first cla.s.s office where Owen Sound is but second cla.s.s.

Richmond is given as No. 42, but as St. Catherines, a first cla.s.s office, has been identified as No. 38, there seems no place for the second cla.s.s office of Richmond, which should precede it alphabetically.

Niagara has been a.s.signed to No. 23, but in such case it would necessitate two blanks preceding Ottawa, so it seems that the proper number should be 25. With these few exceptions no further trouble was experienced in working out the list, and since it was drawn up Numbers 2, 4, 8, 38 and 49 have been identified and tallied exactly with it!

Such proof has gone far toward confirming our propositions in regard to it, and we hope for more.

A third cancellation, which was apparently used mainly for newspapers and packages, consisted of nine somewhat thick diagonal bars, the whole impression having a square outline. This was generally struck in black, but occasionally in dull blue.

Postmarks were supposed to be used only on the cover, where they would plainly exhibit the story they were to tell, while the cancellation marks were intended to deface the stamp. But sometimes the postmarks are found used for the latter purpose. They seem to be mostly of two varieties, both circular in outline, a larger one having the town name in a curve above, with U. C., L. C., C. W., or C. E., at the bottom, and arcs of two concentric circles filling in the outline between; a second being smaller with a single arc of a circle filling in the outline. The first variety is plainly shown on the cover numbered 90 on Plate VI, and the second on the cover numbered 130 on Plate XIV. The date in the center seems always to be given in full--month, day and year. The postmarks are generally in black, as usual, but sometimes in dull blue.

Penmarked specimens are sometimes met with, but not often.

With the issue of 1859 the duplex mark seems to have been adopted, with the postmark (the ordinary complete circle with the usual arrangement of name, abbreviation of province and date) and the cancellation mark (a series of parallel lines with a circular outline) on the same instrument so as to be struck on the letter together.

With the 1868 issue for the Dominion we of course find the cancellations of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, then British Columbia and finally Prince Edward Island, all of which introduce complications. A new cancellation, which seems to have been for the Dominion as a whole, consisted of two heavy concentric circles containing a number. It is one of this kind that Mr. Nelton refers to in his article as having the number 627. A notable cancellation is one in the shape of a large maple leaf.

An interesting and rare postmark which was found on the 3 cent of the 1868 issue, is thus written up by Mr. F. G. Bing[79]:--

[79] =The Postage Stamp, VII=: 6.

The stamp had been obliterated with a small thick lined circle in which appear the words "WAY LETTER" in large type. Eventually a full account of the matter was obtained from the Canadian postal authorities.

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, CANADA.

OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE POSTAGE STAMP BRANCH.

OTTAWA, 13th March, 1908.

DEAR SIR:--Replying to your enquiry on the subject, as to the object of the post office mark consisting of a rather thick circle in which are the words "WAY LETTER" only, impressed upon a Canada postage stamp (3c.) similar to the one you enclosed, and which I herewith return, I find on enquiry that previous to the Confederation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, there was in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick a regulation requiring mail couriers on the coach roads to accept letters for mailing, when these were offered them at a distance of not less than one or two miles from the nearest post office, to place them in a locked leather pouch provided for the purpose, and to post them at the first post office, the Postmaster of which was instructed to stamp these with the words "WAY LETTER."

After Confederation this postmark lingered at some of the offices in the provinces named, when it was used for general cancellation purposes, if not for its primary purpose. It has now, however, wholly disappeared. Some think it lasted up to 1887 or 1891, but I am sorry I cannot furnish you with a more definite date as to its extinction.

Very truly yours, E. P. STANTON, _Superintendent_.

It will be seen from this interesting letter that the postmark was in the first instance applied to the postage stamps of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and it is quite possible that only upon the stamps of these two provinces does it possess its full original significance. At the same time it does not follow that the regulations under which this cancellation was in use were immediately withdrawn with the Confederation of the Dominion of Canada; and it is more than probable that the custom based upon these regulations of accepting letters from the public at a distance from a post office, and applying the special obliteration, would continue long after that date, as it is evident that the use of the "Way Letter" postmark was never definitely prohibited by the Canadian postal authorities, or the date of its extinction would not have been in doubt. It is, however, quite certain that only a comparatively small number of letters would be ent.i.tled to receive this special mark, and its rarity is therefore indisputable.

Various new varieties came with the "small" cents issue and later, concerning which there is not so much of interest as in the earlier years of the postal service; we therefore pa.s.s them by, remarking only on the special "jubilee" machine cancellation which was used at Montreal in 1897. This was of the "flag" form and somewhat ornate, bearing the name "VICTORIA" and the dates "1837" and "1897."

CHAPTER VI

THE ISSUE OF 1859

With two valuations placed upon the c.u.mbrous English monetary system inherited by Canada from the Mother Country--"sterling" and "currency"--and with the practical ill.u.s.tration of the advantages of the decimal system manifest in all the transactions with its great southern neighbor, whose currency was already legalized in the Province,[80] it was only a question of time when Canada would adopt a decimal system of its own. This was done, but all that interests us is the Decimal Postage law resulting, which is as follows:--

[80] See page 52.

22^o Vict. Cap. XVII.

An Act to amend the Post Office Laws.

[_a.s.sented to 4th May, 1859._]

Whereas it is expedient to amend the Post Office Laws, in the manner hereinafter provided: Therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and a.s.sembly of Canada, enacts as follows:

1. There shall be payable on all Newspapers sent by Post in Canada, except "Exchange Papers" addressed to Editors and Publishers of Newspapers, such rate of Postage, not exceeding one cent on each such Newspaper, as the Governor in Council shall from time to time direct by regulation, and such rate shall be payable on all such Newspapers posted on or after the first day of July next.

2. So much of any Act as provides that Newspapers posted within this Province shall pa.s.s free of Postage, in cases other than those in which they will be free under this Act, is hereby repealed.

3. In order to adapt the operations of the Post Office to the Decimal Currency, the internal letter postage rate shall be changed from three pence to its equivalent of five cents, per half ounce--the charge for advertising a dead letter from three farthings to two cents--the charge for returning a dead letter to the writer, from one penny to three cents; and in all cases where a one half-penny or penny rate of Postage is chargeable, these rates shall be changed to one cent and two cents respectively.

4. To promote simplicity and economy in the business of the Post Office, all letters posted in Canada for any place within the Province, and not prepaid, shall be charged seven instead of five cents per half ounce on delivery; and on letters posted for the British Mails, for the other British North American Provinces, or for the United States, when not prepaid, there shall be charged such addition to the ordinary rate, not in any case exceeding a double rate, as the Post Master General may agree upon with the Post Office Authorities of those Countries, for the purpose of enforcing prepayment.

5. The Post Master General may establish a Parcel Post and parcels other than letters and not containing letters, may be sent by such Parcel Post, and when so sent shall be liable to such charges for conveyance and to such regulations as the Governor in Council shall from time to time see fit to make.

8. [_To inclose a letter in a parcel or a newspaper, posted as such, is a misdemeanor._]

From the above Act we see that the transmission of newspapers has again been subjected to revision looking toward an increase of revenue, all free transmission by post being now limited to exchange copies between editors or publishers. The making of prepayment by stamps obligatory was another step which had been quite strongly recommended in the last Postmaster General's report in these terms:--

No single improvement would be so valuable to the Post Office service as the introduction of the system of the pre-payment of letters by stamp. It is not recommended that pre-payment of letters should be made absolutely compulsory, but where stamps are readily procurable, pre-payment in that form should be insisted on, and the principle of pre-payment should be enforced by imposing an additional charge on letters posted unpaid.