PRELIMINARY NOTES.

By E. D. BACON.

This island is situated between 46° and 47° N. lat., and between 62° and 64° W. long. Its area is about 1,380,000 acres; it is about 140 miles long, and 34 its greatest breadth. It was discovered by Sebastian Cabot, 1497; it was first settled by the French, but was taken from them in 1758. It was annexed to Nova Scotia in 1763, but, on the petition of its inhabitants, was constituted a separate colony in 1770. By an Act passed in 1798, which came into operation 1st February, 1799, the island received its present name from Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.

The introduction of postage stamps into the Colony took place on January 1st, 1861, as the following notice from The Royal Gazette of that date, published at Charlottetown, proves:

“POSTAGE STAMPS.

“The Public are hereby informed that stamps for the prepayment of Letters and Packets to be sent by the Post will, on the 1st January, 1861, be ready for circulation. The design, colour, and value of each class of stamps are as follows:

The Queen’s Head,profilegreen,Six Pence.
” ” ””blue,Three Pence.
” ” ””red,Two Pence.

“The blue or red stamp will be received for payment of half the sum it indicates, if cut in two diagonally.

“These stamps can be had at the General Post Office, Charlottetown, and of all Postmasters on the island.

“(Signed) L. C. Owen, Postmaster-General.

“General Post Office, December 26th, 1860.”

We see from this notice the first issue consisted of three stamps, forming five values with the two provisionals. Those first issued were evidently the Two Pence, Three Pence, and Six Pence, perforated 9, as they are the only values found with this large perforation. With regard to the two provisionals, Mr. T. K. Tapling’s collection contains a specimen of the Three Halfpenny, but I have never seen the bisected Two Pence. The latter probably could only be employed for the prepayment of books, &c., and consequently the stamps would get destroyed. It may be also this provisional was soon replaced by the One Penny, orange-yellow, when there would be no further call for its use. The disappearance of the variety, although in this case we know the stamp was so used, naturally strengthens the suggestions I have thrown out as regards the bisection of the Two Pence Halfpenny and Three Penny stamps of British Columbia for the prepayment of newspapers.

I am unable to give the date of issue of the One Penny and Nine Pence, as I have found no mention of these two stamps in The Royal Gazette; but the file I have had access to is a very incomplete one, several years being missing altogether from the series. The Nine Pence currency stamp, equal to 6d. sterling, was evidently issued for the prepayment of letters to England, as the ½ oz. rate for letters between the two countries at that time was 6d. sterling. Here let me remark that the currency of the island was apparently more depreciated than that of the other North American Colonies, where we have seen 7½d. currency was equal to 6d. sterling.

The next notice, taken from The Royal Gazette for October 22nd, 1868, shows us the reason for the issue of the Four Penny stamp, which came into use at this date or shortly afterwards.

“NOTICE.

“His Honor the Lieutenant-Governor in Council has been pleased to approve of the following modifications in the Postal Arrangement between the United States and this Island; viz.:

“On and after the first day of November next, the postage on a single Letter shall be Four Pence, if prepaid at the mailing office, and Ten Cents (equal to Six Pence) if posted unpaid; and for other than single Letters the same charge shall be made for each additional half ounce, or fraction thereof. Letters for British Columbia, California, and Oregon shall be Six Pence, if prepaid, per half ounce.

“(Signed) Thomas Owen, Postmaster-General.

“General Post Office, Ch’town, P. E. Island, October 21st, 1868.”

Mr. Thomas Owen became Postmaster-General on April 30th, 1867, in place of Mr. Peter Des Brisay, who succeeded Mr. L. C. Owen. Mr. John Andrew McDonald was appointed to the office on January 15th, 1869, in place of Mr. Thomas Owen, deceased.

The Royal Gazette for May 27th, 1870, contains the following:

“REDUCTION OF POSTAGE TO GREAT BRITAIN.

“On and after the first June next, the postage on paid Letters for Great Britain will be Three Pence sterling per half ounce, instead of Six Pence sterling, as at present.

“(Signed) John A. McDonald, Postmaster-General.

“General Post Office, Ch’town, May 20th, 1870.”

And in the issue of The Royal Gazette of June 10th, 1870, this notice is found:

“MAILS, 1870. ARRANGEMENTS.

...

“Postage on Letters for the Dominion of Canada, 3d. cy. each rate; for the United States, 4d. cy.; for Great Britain, 4½d. cy.

“Newspapers for Newfoundland and West Indies, 1d. stg. each; for Australia, New Zealand, &c., 2d. stg. each. Newspapers for Great Britain, United States, and the Dominion of Canada forwarded free.

“(Signed) John A. Macdonald, Postmaster-General.

“General Post Office, Charlottetown, 30th May, 1870.”

The first of these two notices gives us the approximate date and cause of issue of the Three Pence sterling (4½d. currency), brown stamp. It is possible the stamp was not ready for issue on June 1st, as Mr. Tapling’s collection contains a copy of the Nine Pence cut in half and used as 4½d. This variety is said to have been taken off a letter sent to England in 1870, so it is possible the Nine Pence was bisected and used provisionally previous to the issue of the brown stamp. If this was so, and the new stamp was not ready at the alteration of the rate, the issue no doubt took place shortly afterwards. This Four Pence Halfpenny stamp was engraved by the British American Bank Note Co., of Montreal and Ottawa; the earlier stamps of the Colony being produced by Charles Whiting, printer, of Beaufort House, Strand, London. It was this Mr. Whiting who sent in so many essays and suggestions to the Government previous to the introduction of postage stamps in Great Britain. As collectors know, many of these designs are beautiful works of art compared with the mean engraving of the stamps of Prince Edward Island, but perhaps the price offered for the stamps at the time they were ordered had a good deal to do with their poor workmanship.

In 1871 an Act was passed to establish a decimal system of currency in the Island, which came into operation on January 4th, 1872. I have found no notice in The Gazette of the issue of the set of stamps with the values in cents, but if they were not issued on the same day as the above Act became law, they came into use shortly afterwards. The stamps of this Colony were withdrawn from use on July 1st, 1873—the date the Island was admitted into the Dominion of Canada.