PRELIMINARY NOTES.

By E. D. BACON.

Newfoundland is an island situated between 46° 37′ and 51° 39′ N. lat., and 52° 35′ and 59° 25′ W. long., on the north-east side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The greatest length from north to south is 350 miles, and average breadth about 130; its estimated area is 40,200 square miles. The coast of Labrador, on the Continent, is now included in the Colony. It comprises about 120,000 square miles, but has only 4211 inhabitants. The island was discovered by John Cabot in 1497. It was as early as 1500 frequented by the Portuguese, Spanish, and French, for its fisheries. Sir Walter Raleigh and others, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, attempted to colonize this island, but were not successful. In 1623, Sir G. Calvert, afterwards Lord Baltimore, established himself in the south-east part of the island, and appointed his son Governor. In 1634, a party of colonists were sent over from Ireland, and twenty years after some English colonists arrived, having emigrated by means of a Parliamentary grant. At the peace of Utrecht, in 1713, subsequently ratified by the Treaty of Paris, the exclusive sovereignty of Newfoundland was ceded to Great Britain, subject to certain rights reserved to France, which are still in question between the two nations. As already mentioned, Newfoundland is now (1889) the only North American Colony not included within the Dominion of Canada.

Newfoundland has never possessed an Official Gazette, but Government notices appear in the newspaper The Royal Gazette and Newfoundland Advertiser, published at St. John’s. The earliest file of this newspaper, with the exception of one or two odd numbers, I have found in this country commences with the year 1875, so I have been unable to gain any particulars about the stamps of this Colony from that source. The Report of the Postmaster-General of Great Britain for 1857 I have before quoted from tells us:

“Inland Posts were established in 1852. In 1853 a reduced and uniform rate of postage for Letters was established, and another for Books.

On Letters not exceeding ½ oz.	3d.
Exceeding ½ oz. and not exceeding 1 oz.	6d.
Above 1 oz. ” ” 1½ oz.	9d.

And so on in proportion.

“Newspapers are conveyed free.

“On Books the postage is about 2d. per oz. up to 6 ozs., exceeding that weight, 3d. per oz. up to 16 ozs., beyond which weight they cannot be transmitted through the post.”

Postage stamps are not mentioned, so they had evidently not been introduced into the Colony at the time the above particulars were sent over; but 1857 is the year usually given as that in which the first issue took place. The present rates of postage are as follows:

	Letters Per ½ oz.	Newspapers.
In St. John’s	1 cent	Free.
Within Colony	3 cents	Free.
Europe, United States, and St. Pierre, Miquelon	5 cents	1 cent.
South America and West Indies	8 cents	2 cents.

Mr. John Delaney was Postmaster-General of the Colony in 1879, and Mr. J. O. Fraser holds that office at the present time.

I regret, as in the case of Canada, I am unable to give you copies of any of the official notices of the issue of the stamps of this Colony. I hope, however, I may shortly be followed by other writers, who may have greater facilities, and be more successful in obtaining the desired information than I have been.