Remarks.—The reason the Five Cents was not issued at the same time as the One, Ten, and Twelve and a Half Cents stamps was, that Mr. Charles Connell, who was Postmaster-General of the Colony at that time, had ordered his own portrait to be engraved upon this value. It will be seen from the interesting correspondence Mr. King gives in The Halifax Philatelist for June, July, and August, 1888, which is reproduced here, that the Council disapproved of the design, and refused to allow the stamps to be distributed. Mr. Connell was ordered at the same time to obtain a fresh supply of Five Cents stamps with the head of Her Majesty. The Connell Five Cents can therefore only be looked upon as a stamp prepared for use, notwithstanding postmarked copies are known, as it is quite clear from Mr. King’s article the stamp was never issued to the public. In design, it is almost similar to the Ten Cents, but the head of Her Majesty is replaced by a full face portrait of Charles Connell, and the numerals in the spandrels are Arabic, instead of Roman in type. The stamp was produced by the American Bank Note Company, of New York, printed in Vandyke-brown upon white wove paper, and perforated 12. Imperforate copies exist, but these can be looked upon only as proofs. ([Illustration 57.])
“A PHILATELIC CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF NEW BRUNSWICK.
“THE CONNELL STAMP.
“This stamp has probably been discussed more than any other stamp, or series of stamps, that have ever been issued, and still a decision has never been arrived at as to whether they are essays or whether any have ever done postal duty. The general opinion seems to be that they were in use, but only for a day. The way the stamp originated was this: Mr. Connell, then Postmaster-General of New Brunswick, was authorised by a Minute of Council in December, 1859, to procure a new set of postage stamps, which the change in currency rendered necessary. Believing that this Minute gave him full power and discretion as to designs, etc., he ordered the plates for the values wanted—One, Five, Ten, and Twelve and a Half Cents; and for the Five Cents had his own portrait. The stamps came to hand in due time, and Mr. Connell, not probably making any secret of the design for the Five Cents, spoke to some of his friends about them, and of his intention of going down to posterity thereon. This came to the knowledge of the Council, who, knowing that they had not been approved by them, decided to see the issue before it was sent out to postmasters for public use. As a matter of course they disapproved of Mr. Connell’s design for the Five Cents, and he was instructed by the Council to destroy them, and order a new lot with the effigy of the Queen. This Mr. Connell would not do, and therefore resigned. The Five Cents, brown, were destroyed, and only the other three values issued.
“After Mr. Connell’s resignation, he wrote a letter to the Hon. J. H. T. Manners-Sutton, the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province, giving his reasons for resigning his office. He, however, says that he did not resign on account of the stamp affair, but because he could not agree with the Government expenditure of public moneys, and because he said that his colleagues did not have confidence enough in him to back him up on a small matter; that is, the issuing of the Five Cents, brown. Through the kindness of a friend I have been enabled to see the complete official correspondence, etc., between Connell, the Governor, and Council in reference to this business, and am giving them here. Several of the letters contain a large amount of matter irrelevant to the subject in question, and dealing only with the political reasons of Mr. Connell’s resignation, and these parts not being interesting to the philatelic reader are left out.
“The correspondence starts with the letter of the Council to the Lieutenant-Governor after they had had the designs submitted to them.
“(Copy No. 1.)
“Memorandum of the Executive Council in Committee.
“‘To His Excellency the Hon. J. H. T. Manners-Sutton, Lieut.-Gov., etc., etc.
“‘We advise your Excellency to approve of, and order to be distributed, the One Cent, Ten Cent, and Twelve and a Half Cent postage stamps procured by the Postmaster-General, and we further advise Your Excellency to order a Five Cent postage stamp to be struck, bearing the likeness of the Queen, instead of the Five Cent stamp already procured by the Postmaster-General.