Saint Vincent, with notes and publishers' prices

by Francis John Hamilton Scott Napier; Sir Edward Denny Bacon

Appendix A.

SAINT VINCENT.

An Act to authorise the appointment of a Colonial Post-Master for the Colony of Saint Vincent, and to transfer to the Executive Government of the said Colony the control over the Post Office therein, heretofore exercised by Her Majesty’s Post-Master-General.

Whereas it hath become necessary to provide for the appointment of a Colonial Post-Master, and to transfer to the Executive Government of the Island of Saint Vincent and its Dependencies, the authorities, power, and control, over the Post Office Establishment of the said Island, heretofore exercised by Her Majesty’s Post-Master General.

Be it therefore enacted by the Governor, Council, and Assembly of the said Island of Saint Vincent and its Dependencies, as follows; that is to say—

Appointment of Post-Master

1. Immediately on the passing of this Act, and so from time to time as often as a vacancy shall occur in the said Office, there shall be appointed by the officer for the time being administering the Government of the said Island of St. Vincent, by Commission under his hand and the Public Seal of the Colony a fit and proper person to be Colonial Post-Master of the said Government, &c., &c., &c., &c.

General Post Office in Kingstown.

5. There shall be one General Post Office provided by the Executive Government, in the Town of Kingstown, where all Letters, Newspapers, Books, Pamphlets, and other Papers, which shall arrive in this Colony from any place out of the same (unless excepted or exempted by any Act of the Imperial Parliament, or by this Act) shall be brought and received, and whence the same shall be delivered to the persons to whom addressed, and where all Letters, Newspapers, Books, Pamphlets, and other Papers (except such as are excepted or exempted as aforesaid) shall be posted and received for transmission to any place out of this Colony, and whence the same shall be despatched to all places out of this Colony; and such General Post Office shall be in such part of the Government Buildings, in the said Town of Kingstown, as the Governor, with the consent of the Executive Council shall, from time to time, fix and direct; and the hours of attendance at such Post Office shall be governed and regulated by and according to the Rules to be made, as hereinafter provided for the governance of the Post Office Establishment of this Colony.

Postage prepayable in money until stamps provided. Proviso, stamps may be used when provided.

11. The Postage on all Letters, posted in this Colony for transmission to any place out of the same, shall be paid by the sender on delivering the same at the Post Office in money, until stamps shall be provided, under the provisions of this Act. Provided always, that Letters written on stamped paper, or enclosed in stamped covers, or having a stamp affixed thereto (the stamp, in every such case, being of the value or amount in this Act expressed, and specially provided for the purpose, under the authority of this Act) shall if within the limitation of weight fixed by or under the authority of any Statute of the Imperial Parliament in that behalf, and if the stamp have not been used before, pass by the Post free, subject only as to such Letters as shall not be sent to the United Kingdom, to such Postage as the same shall or may be liable to, on arrival at their places of destination, under the Laws of such places respectively.

Postmaster to collect One Penny for Local Government on all single letters to and from the United Kingdom, and so in proportion, &c.

12. And whereas, under arrangements entered into by Her Majesty’s Post-Master-General, one rate, or the sum of one penny, is to be paid to and received by the Local Government on every single Letter coming from the United Kingdom, and received in this Colony from or through Her Majesty’s General Post Office; and a like rate, or one penny, on every single Letter collected in, and sent from this Colony, to the United Kingdom, through the said General Post Office, and a double rate on every Double Letter, and so in proportion, according to the rate or scale governing the Postage on Letters sent by the General Post Office from the United Kingdom to these Colonies, or from these Colonies to the United Kingdom. Be it therefore enacted—That the Colonial-Post-Master shall keep an account, and shall collect and receive, on behalf of the Local Government, such Rates and Postage as aforesaid, as shall be payable for all such Letters as aforesaid.

Scale of Postage to Colony on all Foreign Letters, not passing through the United Kingdom.

13. On every Letter arriving in this Colony, by Her Majesty’s General Post, from any place beyond the limits of the Colony, except from or passing through the United Kingdom; and on every Letter posted in this Colony for transmission to any place beyond the limits of the same, except to or through the United Kingdom, there shall be charged, and paid to Her Majesty, for the use of this Colony, Postage by weight, according to the following Scale, that is to say—

Not exceeding half-an-ounce—One rate of one penny.

Exceeding half-an-ounce, but not exceeding one ounce—Two rates, or two pence.

Exceeding one ounce, but not exceeding two ounces—Four rates, or four pence.

Exceeding two ounces, but not exceeding three ounces—Six rates, or sixpence.

And so on in progression, an additional two rates being charged for every additional ounce or fraction of an ounce.

16. (Provides for Registration of Letters and Book Packets, at rate of one shilling each.)

Governor to provide Postage Dies and Stamps.

17. It shall be lawful for the Governor to cause to be provided, at the Public expense, proper and sufficient Postage Stamps and Dies, or other Implements for expressing and denoting the Rates or Duties of Postage for this Colony; and such Dies, Stamps, and Implements, shall be kept in such custody, and such Stamps shall be made or impressed from such Dies or other Implements, and sold in such manner as the Governor, with the consent of the Executive Council, shall from time to time direct by writing under his hand.

Act passed June 14th, 1860.

Note.—Another Act was passed on September 10th, 1863, which raised the postage on letters despatched to foreign countries, with the exception of those going to or through the United Kingdom, from one penny to two pence the half ounce, and so on in proportion. The charge of one penny on letters coming to St. Vincent through the Imperial Post Office was at the same time abolished.

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Appendix B.
Table of perforations of stamps printed by Messrs. Perkins, Bacon & Co. 1861 to 1881.

Number of Issue.	Date of Issue.	Wmk.	Denomination and Colour.	Perforation.
1	May 1861	None.	1d., bright rose-red	A.
			6d., blue-green	A.
2	1862	None.	6d., yellow-green	C.
3	1863-1866	None.	1d., bright rose-red		B.	B×A.
			6d., blue-green		B.
4	August 1866	None.	4d., deep bright blue		B.
			1s., dark slate-grey	A.		B×A.
			1s., greyish-purple	A.		B×A.
5	April 1869	None.	1s., indigo		B.
6	October 1869	None.	4d., deep bright yellow		B.
			1s., bright brown		B.
7	June 1871	Star.	1d., black	A.		B×A.
			6d., dull blue-green	A.
			6d., dark blue-green	A.[6]
8	June 1872	Star.	1s., bright rose-red		B.	B×A.
			1s., deep rose-red		B.	?
			1s., dull red		B.	?
9	Early in 1874	Star.	1s., pale violet-rose		B.	B×A.
10	1875	Star.	1s., dark claret		B.
11	February 1877	Star.	6d., pale yellow-green	A.		B×A.
			1s., bright vermilion-red		B.[7]	B×A.
12	July 1877	Star.	4d., dark deep blue		B.
14	June 1880	Star.	1d., pale grey-green		B.
			6d., bright yellow-green		B.[8]
			5s., deep rose-red		B.
18	December 1881	Star.	½d., orange-yellow		B.
			1d., drab		B.
			4d., bright ultramarine		B.

[6] This stamp was used for making the provisional One Penny of Issue 13.

[7] This stamp was used for making the provisional Four Pence of Issue 16.

[8] This stamp was used for making the provisional Halfpenny of Issue 15, and the provisional One Penny of Issue 17.

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Appendix C.
Table of perforations of stamps printed by Messrs. De La Rue and Co. 1883 to 1893.

No. of Issue.	Date of Issue.	Watermark.	Denomination and Colour.	Perf.
19	January 1883	Crown “CA.”	1d., drab		14*
		”	4d., bright blue		14†
20	February 1883	”	“2½ Pence” on 1d., rosy-lake[9]		14*
21	October 1883	”	4d., dull blue	12
		”	6d., bright green	12
		”	1s., orange-vermilion	12
22	September 1884	”	½d., dark green	12
		”	½ d., orange-yellow (variety, never issued)	12
		”	4d., ultramarine	12
24	April 1885	”	½d., dark green		14†
		”	1d., carmine		14†
		”	4d., red-brown		14†
25	June 1886	”	1d., pink		14†
		”	1d., rosy-lake		14†
		”	4d., purple-brown		14†
		”	4d., lake-brown[10]		14†
26	October 1888	”	6d., dark lilac		14*
		”	5s., lake		14†
27	August 1889	”	“2½ Pence” on 1d., milky-blue		14*
29	Nov. 1890-91	”	“2½ Pence” on 1d., bright blue		14†
		”	6d., pale red-lilac		14†
		”	6d., deep red-lilac		14†
		”	1s., vermilion-red		14†
31	March 1893	”	4d., canary-yellow		14†
			“Five Pence” on 6d., dull carmine		14†
			“Five Pence” on 6d., carmine-brown		14†

* Comb-machine. † Guillotine-machine.

[9] This stamp was used for making the provisional One Penny of Issue 23.

[10] This stamp was used for making the provisional Two Pence Halfpenny of Issue 28, and the provisional Five Pence of Issue 30.

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Appendix D.
List of Stamps printed for the Colony of Saint Vincent by Messrs. Perkins, Bacon & Co. from 1861 to 1881.

Date of Despatch.	Denomination and Colour.	Quantity.
March 27th, 1861	1d., red	934	sheets,	56,040	stamps.
	6d., green	167	”	10,020	”
July 22nd, 1862	1d., red	467	”	28,020	”
	6d., green	167	”	10,020	”
May 28th, 1863	1d., red	467	”	28,020	”
	6d., green	668	”	40,080	”
March 1st, 1865	1d., red	467	”	28,020	”
	6d., green	167	”	10,020	”
March 14th, 1866	1d., red	300	”	18,000	”
	6d., green	500	”	30,000	”
July 28th, 1866	4d., blue	500	”	15,000	”
	1s., purple	500	”	15,000	”
June 15th, 1868	1d., red	300	”	18,000	”
	6d., green	300	”	18,000	”
February 27th, 1869	1s., purple	300	”	9,000	”
August 13th, 1869	4d., yellow	300	”	9,000	”
	1s., brown	300	”	9,000	”
February 14th, 1870	1d., red	300	”	18,000	”
March 28th, 1871	1d., black	300	”	18,000	”
	6d., green	300	”	18,000	”
January 5th, 1872	1d., black	300	”	18,000	”
April 13th, 1872	1s., pink	300	”	9,000	”
October 28th, 1872	1d., black	600	”	36,000	”
July 28th, 1873	1d., black	600	”	36,000	”
	6d., green	300	”	18,000	”
	1s., pink	300	”	9,000	”
August 15th, 1874	1d., black	600	”	36,000	”
March 27th, 1875	1d., black	600	”	36,000	”
	6d., green	300	”	18,000	”
	1s., pink	300	”	9,000	”
February 28th, 1876	1d., black	1000	”	60,000	”
December 30th, 1876	6d., light green	300	”	18,000	”
	1s., scarlet	300	”	9,000	”
May 29th, 1877	1d., black	1000	”	60,000	”
	4d., dark blue	200	”	6,000	”
August 28th, 1878	1d., black	1000	”	60,000	”
	6d., light green	300	”	18,000	”
	1s., scarlet	300	”	9,000	”
May 13th, 1880	1d., pale green	1000	”	60,000	”
	6d., green	300	”	18,000	”
	1s., bright red	300	”	9,000	”
	5s., pink	100	”	2,000	”
November 16th, 1881	½d., light orange	1000	”	60,000	”
	1d., slate	1000	”	60,000	”
	4d., light blue	500	”	15,000	”

Note.—The colours in the above list are those given in the printers’ books. The list will be found of the greatest assistance to philatelists in helping them to determine the relative rarity of the stamps of Section I. It must, however, be borne in mind that at least two other factors enter into this problem. These are the number of stamps that were surcharged “Revenue” for fiscal purposes, and also the number of unused stamps that were stocked by the dealers at the time of their issue. Take for instance the Four Pence of 1866 and the Four Pence of 1877, of which the numbers printed were 15,000 and 6,000 respectively. Theoretically speaking, the latter should be 2½ times as rare as the former, but in reality it is much more so. The earlier one was stocked by the dealers, and is no rarer unused than used. The later stamp unused is at least ten times as rare as the first Four Pence in the same state, although the relative rarity of the two stamps when used is, roughly speaking, in proportion to the quantity printed of each.