“‘Note.—Postage stamps before being used should be examined to ascertain that they will firmly adhere (as in the event of their falling off the letters become charged with postage), they should then be placed on the front of the letter, and upon the right hand corner of the upper side. Should this direction not be attended to, from the rapidity with which the duty must be performed, letters which bear stamps will frequently be taxed, while the parties receiving them will be put to much trouble in obtaining a return of the postage improperly charged.
“‘In all cases of complaint, whether of any irregularity, the covers of the letters (and contents in all practicable cases) must invariably be kept and sent to the post-office as affording the only means of investigating the complaint.
“‘A. Woodgate, D.P.M.G.
“‘General Post Office, Halifax, August 25th, 1851.’
“This will, I think, settle the matter as to the proper date of issue.
“While on this subject it would be as well to give the same information in regard to the Cent issue of Nova Scotia, although there is no error in regard to the date of those as there is to the first issue. The extract following is taken from the Report of the Postmaster-General of Nova Scotia for 1860. He says:
“‘Postage stamps of a new design, and adapted to the decimal system, were obtained, with the consent of the Governor in Council, from the New York American Bank Note Co., and circulated on the 1st of October last (1860). The design, colour, and value of the stamps are as follows: One Cent, black; Five Cent, blue; Eight and a Half Cent, green; Ten Cent, scarlet; and Twelve and a Half Cent, black.
“‘A supply of 19,000 sheets, or 1,900,000 stamps, equal in value to 132,000 dollars, has been obtained from the above firm, costing for their manufacture and incidentals 901.50 dollars.’
“It will be seen that there is no mention made of the Two Cent stamp. This value was not issued till some time after the other stamps had been, for the reason that there was no use for it until what was called the ‘County Postage Act’ came into force. The following extract from the Postmaster-General’s Report is self-explanatory: