“ISSUING OF THE FIRST POSTAGE STAMPS IN NOVA SCOTIA.
“In looking over any of the standard stamp catalogues, the reader will see that the date for the issue of postage stamps in Nova Scotia is 1857, and New Brunswick in 1851. It always seemed to me as very peculiar, considering the nearness of the two countries and the resemblance in their Governments, that Nova Scotia should be so long behind New Brunswick in issuing stamps.
“I determined to turn the matter up on the first possible occasion, and see if the dates were in reality correct.
“On enquiring at the Provincial Secretary’s office in Halifax, I found that all records of the Nova Scotian Post Office Department had, at the confederation of the British North American provinces, been transferred to Ottawa. However, through the kindness of the Hon. W. S. Fielding, the Provincial Secretary, I found in the legislative library the yearly reports of the Postmaster-General of the province for the years previous to confederation. Starting with 1857—the supposed date of issue—I found that postage stamps were regularly mentioned in all parts of the Departmental accounts.
“It was the same in 1856, 1855, and 1854. A person would imagine from the way the accounts read that stamps had been used for twenty years previous.
“In the Reports dated January 7th, 1854 (being the work for 1853), I found an item of information which is not given in any catalogue. It is as follows:
“‘One Penny postage stamps having recently been received from London and put into circulation are now to be had in nearly every Post-office in Nova Scotia.
“‘There are at present stamps for One Shilling, Six Pence, Three Pence, and One Penny; and the public have thus every facility afforded them to prepay their letters to any place to which stamps can free them. His Excellency’s Government having at considerable outlay introduced into the country the system of prepayment by stamps, it is a subject of gratulation that the public at large are beginning to feel and appreciate their convenience and advantages, a much larger amount having been issued from my office during the past than the previous year, being an increase of over 25 per cent., as will be seen by reference to Report I.’
“Thus finding that the One Penny had not been issued till some time after the other values were, I then turned to the Report dated January 2nd, 1853 (being the report for the year 1852), in which he says: