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Title: Canadian Postal Guide

Author: Various

Editor: John Dewé

Release Date: December 13, 2007 [EBook #23852]

Language: English

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*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANADIAN POSTAL GUIDE ***




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CANADIAN POSTAL GUIDE:

CHIEF REGULATIONS OF THE POST OFFICE,

RATES OF POSTAGE,

MONEY ORDERS,

COMPILED BY JOHN DEWÉ,

[Pg 5]

PREFACE.

The principal object of this little work is the dissemination of information in regard to the Canadian Postal Service. It is published with the kind permission of the Postmaster General, and it is hoped will be useful to the public as well as conducive to the interests of the Post Office.

The short and imperfect sketch of the progress of the post office in Canada, which has been compiled from authentic sources, will be found interesting. It extends over a period of one hundred years, and serves to mark a rapidity of improvement which, in a country purely agricultural, has seldom been surpassed.

As the regulations of the post office are subject to constant change, it is proposed to issue new editions of the Canadian Postal Guide, revised and corrected to the latest date, half-yearly, or yearly, as circumstances may appear to require.

Toronto, January, 1863.

[Pg 7]

CONTENTS.

[Pg 9]

A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE POST OFFICE IN CANADA.

COMPILED FROM AUTHENTIC SOURCES.

The earliest records of the administration of the post office in Canada bear date 1750, at which period the celebrated Benjamin Franklin was Deputy Postmaster General of North America. At the time of his appointment the revenue of the department was insufficient to defray his salary of £300 per annum; but under his judicious management not only was the postal accommodation in the Provinces considerably extended, but the revenue so greatly increased, that ere long the profit for one year, which he remitted to the British treasury, amounted to £3000.

In the evidence given by Franklin before the British House of Commons in the year 1766, in regard to the extent of the post office accommodation in North America, he made the following statement:—

"The posts generally travel along the sea coasts, and only in a few cases do they go back into the country. Between Quebec and Montreal there is only one post per month. The inhabitants live so scattered and remote from each other in that vast country that the posts cannot be supported amongst them. The English colonies, too, along the frontier are very thinly settled."

Franklin was removed in 1774. War broke out a few months afterwards between the North American Provinces and the Mother Country; and the charge of the post office in Canada was assumed by Mr. Hugh Finlay, who, it appears, had under Franklin performed the duties of postmaster at Quebec.

Mr. Finlay is designated in his commission as Deputy Postmaster General of His Majesty's "Province of Canada," from which it would seem that the Lower Provinces were not included in his charge.

An Almanac published in Quebec in the year 1791 thus describes the condition of the Department:—

There were thus five post offices in Lower Canada, and seven post offices in Upper Canada.
[Pg 10]

Between Quebec and England mails were despatched once per month; between Quebec and Halifax, twice per week in summer, and once per week in winter; between Quebec and Montreal, twice per week; and between Montreal and the offices above Montreal, once per month; between Quebec and Baie des Chaleurs mails were despatched "as occasion offered."

In the year 1792, 1793, and 1794, the mail was carried once per month between Montreal and Kingston by a French Canadian named Morisette; between Kingston and York it was carried by Alex. Anderson; and between York and Niagara by a Mohawk Indian. The rate of travel was probably about 20 miles per day; the route being either by a path through the woods or along the shores of the River St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario: no regular road having been at that time in existence.

In the summer season the mail was carried between Kingston and Niagara by the Government vessels,—

Between Canandaigua, in the State of New York, and Niagara, the mail was carried once per week at a cost of $200 per annum.

In the year 1796 there were precisely the same number of offices, and generally the same amount of mail accommodation, as in in 1791.

Mr. Finlay was succeeded in the year 1800 by Mr. George Heriot. In 1803 Upper Canada had 8 post offices, but the mails were not more frequent than in 1791. In 1804 there were in Lower Canada 5 post offices; in Upper Canada, 9; in Nova Scotia, 6; in Cape Breton, 1; in Prince Edward's Island, 1; in New Brunswick, 4.

The late Mr. Wood, who filled the office of postmaster of Cornwall for many years, thus describes the condition of the department in the Upper Canada Province about the year 1807:—

"When I first took charge of the post office in this place the mail was carried from Quebec to Amherstburg on the back of an old Canadian pedestrian; he performed his trip once in three months, and his arrival was hailed with joy by the then contented and loyal inhabitants throughout the country."

The following is a copy of a somewhat curious advertisement which appears in the Upper Canada Gazette, published in the year 1807:—

"The mail for Upper Canada will be despatched from the post office at Montreal, on the following days, to wit:

"A courier from Kingston may be looked for here in 14 or 15 days from the above periods, where he will remain 2 or 3 days, and then return to Kingston.

"Another courier will proceed from this with the Niagara mail, viâ Messrs. Hatts, where the Sandwich letters will be left, both from Niagara and this 'till the courier comes from there to return with them.

"Letters put into the post office will be forwarded at any time by

"W. ALLAN,
"Acting Deputy Postmaster."

[Pg 11]

There are in existence several commissions issued by Mr. Heriot to postmasters in Nova Scotia, in which he signs himself Deputy Postmaster General for the Province of Upper and Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, and their dependencies. It would appear therefore, at all events, that during a portion of his term of office he had supervision of all the posts in those colonies.

Mr. Heriot was succeeded in the year 1816 by Mr. Daniel Sutherland, who, on his accession to office, found Nova Scotia and Prince Edward's Island wholly withdrawn from the Canada charge. New Brunswick, however, continued to be included in it. The postmasters in that Province being commissioned at Quebec and accounting to the Deputy Postmaster General there.

In the year 1817 Lower Canada had 13 post offices; Upper Canada, 12; Nova Scotia, 6; New Brunswick, 3; Prince Edward's Island, 1. In this year the mails were running between Quebec and Halifax once a fortnight, all the year round; between Quebec and Kingston, once a week; between Kingston and Toronto, once a week; and between Toronto and Amherstburg, once a fortnight.

In the year 1820 there were in Lower Canada 20 post offices; in Upper Canada, 19; in Nova Scotia, 6; in New Brunswick, 3; in Prince Edward's Island, 1.

In 1824 there were in Upper and Lower Canada 69 post offices, and 1992 miles of established mail routes. The annual travel of the mail was 370,000 miles. The gross revenue was $68,000; and the revenue transmitted to England, after deducting $1200, the supposed surplus for New Brunswick, $21,000. At this time the population of Lower Canada was about 440,000, and of Upper Canada 150,000.

In this year Mr. Sutherland was succeeded, as Deputy Postmaster General, by Mr. Thos. A. Stayner, and shortly after was effected the separation of nearly the whole of New Brunswick from the Canada charge.

Under the long and able administration of Mr. Stayner, extending from the year 1824 to 1851, postal accommodation was greatly extended throughout Upper and Lower Canada.

In 1827 there were 101 post offices and 2368 miles of established post route. The annual transportation of the mail was 455,000 miles. The estimated number of letters passing through the post in the year was 340,000; the estimated number of papers, 400,000.

In the year 1832 the Duke of Richmond, then Postmaster General, proposed a re-modification of the post office throughout British North America. An Act was prepared with this object, but the attempt to pass it through the several Legislatures failed, and of all the plans that had been contemplated only two were carried into effect, namely, the establishment of an Accountant's Office and the appointment of Local Inspectors.

The attention of the Legislature of Upper Canada was, about this time, frequently turned to the post office, which still continued under the Imperial control. Committees were appointed and reports made, in which the transfer of the management of the department to the Colonial Government was strongly urged.

In the year 1837 a joint address from the Legislative Council and Assembly was adopted, praying that the revenue produced by the post office in the Colonies should no longer be remitted to England. This address was referred to the Lords of the Treasury, and by them referred to Lord Durham, on the ground that some general measure was required to carry its prayer into effect. Nothing, however, was done until some years afterwards towards the accomplishment of this end.

A large and steady increase continued to take place yearly in the business and revenue of the post office. In 1838 there were 380 post offices, and 5486 miles[Pg 12] of established post route. The annual transportation of the mail was 1,345,000 miles; the estimated number of letters carried, 1,000,000; the estimated number of newspapers, 1,250,000; and the gross revenue, $146,000.

The following extract from the Quebec Mercury, published on the 18th July, 1829, conveys some idea of the postal communication with England at that period:—

"No later advices have been received from Europe since our last. Some further extracts from the London papers, to 31st May inclusive, brought to New York by the 'Corinthian,' will be found in another part of this number."

The following extract from the Montreal Courant, of September 2, 1829, describes the improvement which had at that date been effected in the postal communication between that city and Prescott:—

"Expeditious Travelling.—On Saturday last the Upper Canada line of stages performed the journey from Prescott to this city in about 17 hours, leaving the former place at a little before 3 A.M., and arriving here a few minutes before 8 in the evening. Not many years ago this journey occupied two and sometimes three days, but owing to the great improvements made by Mr. Dickinson, the enterprising proprietor, by putting steam boats on the Lakes St. Francis and St. Louis, and keeping his horses in excellent condition, it is now performed in little more than one-third of the time."

The following advertisement, which appeared in the year 1833 in the Colonial Advocate, published at Queenston by the late Mr. W. L. Mackenzie, will give some idea of the postal facilities in the Upper Province at that period:—

"The proprietor of this newspaper wishes to contract with a steady man (who can find and uphold his own horse), to deliver it to the subscribers once a week during the winter, on the route between York and Niagara viâ Ancaster."

Regular steam communication was established across the Atlantic in the year 1841, and about that time the rate of postage on letters between any part of Canada and any part of the United Kingdom was, on the recommendation of Mr. Stayner, reduced to a uniform charge of 1s. 2d. sterling, per half ounce. Thus, it is believed, was first recognized the principle of a uniform rate of postage—irrespective of distance—which has since been so universally adopted.

In 1848 there were 539 post offices and 6895 miles of post route; the annual transportation of the mail was 2,225,000 miles; the estimated number of letters carried in a year 2,000,000; and the gross revenue $260,000.

On the 6th April, 1851, was effected the transfer of the post office in Canada from the control of the Imperial authorities, to the Colonial Government. Mr. Stayner retired from office, and the Hon. James Morris, the first Canadian Postmaster General, assumed charge of the department.

In 1851 postage, which had previously been charged according to the distance the letter was carried, which it was computed averaged 15 cents on each letter, was reduced to a uniform charge of 5 cents per ½ oz., the decrease being equivalent to 2/3 or 66-2/3 per cent. on the former rate. A very considerable reduction was also effected in the rate of postage on newspapers. The increase in the number of letters transmitted through the post, within a year after the reduction of the rate, was 75 per cent. Several improvements, including the introduction of postage stamps, were effected in this year, and the operations of the department greatly extended.
[Pg 13]

On the 31st March, 1853, the Hon. James Morris was succeeded as Postmaster General by the Hon. Malcolm Cameron. At the latter end of this year and the beginning of the year following the conveyance of the mails was transferred to the Northern Railway between Toronto and Bradford, and to the Great Western Railway between Suspension Bridge and Windsor. The Hon. Malcolm Cameron was succeeded by the Hon. Robert Spence, who assumed charge of the department on the 11th September, 1854. In February, 1855, the money order system was first introduced into Canada. The system was at first confined to 84 post offices: it now embraces within its operations 229 offices. The month of May, 1856, was marked by the first voyage to the St. Lawrence of the line of Canadian Steamers, under contract with Hugh Allan, Esq., of Montreal, for the conveyance of the mails between Quebec and Liverpool in summer, and Portland and Liverpool in winter. In October, 1856, the Grand Trunk Railway, which had previously been completed as far westward as Brockville, was opened from the latter point to Toronto, and, in connection with the Great Western Railway, an unbroken line of postal communication established between Quebec in the east, and Windsor in the west. The following statement of the time occupied in the transit of a letter in winter between Quebec and the principal cities and towns in Western Canada, in 1853 and in 1857, will give some idea of the improvement effected:—

In August, 1857, the exemption of postage on newspapers was confined to newspapers transmitted from the office of publication to regular subscribers—all other newspapers being made liable to charge. On the 1st February, 1858, Mr. Spence retired from office, and was succeeded as Postmaster General by the Hon. Sidney Smith. In May, 1857, the Canadian Ocean Steamers, under contract with Mr. Hugh Allan, commenced a weekly service between Quebec and Liverpool in summer, and Portland and Liverpool in winter. These steamers, and the Grand Trunk Railway, between Portland and Quebec on the east, and Detroit on the west, which was completed a few month afterwards, have made Canada one of the great postal as well as commercial highways between Europe and the Western States. Closed mails are now carried under treaties with the several governments with regularity and despatch.

In July, 1859, postage was re-imposed on newspapers sent from the office of publication to regular subscribers. Postage rates were computed in dollars and cents; and letters addressed to any place in Canada, if posted unpaid, were subjected to an additional rate of two cents per half ounce. A large augmentation continued to take place in every department of the post office; the mails carried by the Ocean Steamers, especially, rapidly increased. The four mails of January, 1862, carried 30,000 letters from Canada, and brought 31,000 letters to the Province—a number far beyond the previous average of a mid-winter month. In May, 1862, Mr. Smith resigned his office, and was succeeded by the Hon. M. H. Foley, who now presides over the department.
[Pg 14]

The following statement will convey some idea of the rapid growth of the postal system in this Province, since the transfer to the control of the Colonial Government, in 1851:—

KEY:
A: No. of Post Offices.
B: Number of miles of Post Route.
C: Number of miles of annual Mail Travel.
D: No. of letters carried by post per annum.
E: Number of Registered Letters.
F: Gross Revenue.
G: Expenditure, exclusive of Railway Mail payments.

Of the 9,400,000 letters passing by post in 1861, the seven cities supplied 4,250,000; as follows:—

Of the gross receipts collected in 1861, $628,000 was derived from letter postage, and $70,000 from postage on newspapers.

[Pg 15]

PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF THE DEPARTMENT

AT QUEBEC.

Postmaster General:

THE HON. M. H. FOLEY.

Deputy Postmaster General:

WILLIAM H. GRIFFIN, ESQ.

Accountant:

H. A. WICKSTEED, ESQ.

Secretary:

WILLIAM WHITE, ESQ.

Superintendent of Money Order Department:

P. LeSUEUR, ESQ.

Cashier:

JOHN ASHWORTH, ESQ.

INSPECTORS.

[Pg 16]

POSTAL DIVISIONS.

[Pg 17]

CANADIAN POSTAL GUIDE.

Rules and Regulations.

OFFICERS.

No person under sixteen years of age is permitted to hold any situation in the Post office, to have access to the letters or papers, or is allowed to have charge of the mail.

On entering the service of the Post office it is necessary to make an oath or declaration in the prescribed form before a Magistrate; and no person can be permitted to perform any official duty until this oath or declaration is signed. The following is the form of oath or declaration:

I, (Name of person and capacity in which employed, to be inserted here.) do solemnly and sincerely promise and (swear or affirm) that I will faithfully perform all the duties required of me by my employment in the service of the Post Office, and will abstain from everything forbidden by the Laws for the Establishment and Government of the Post Office Department in Canada.—So Help me God.

This (oath or affirmation) was taken and }
subscribed before me, the day                 }
of                   186                                 }

______________, J.P.                           }

POST OFFICE.

The words "Post Office," in large and conspicuous letters, should be exhibited outside every building in which a Post Office is kept.

A Letter Box should also be fixed, with an opening accessible from the road or street, the words "Letter Box" being painted over the same in plain legible characters.

A separate office or apartment, conveniently fitted up for the purpose, should be provided by the postmaster for conducting the business wherever the duties are sufficiently extensive or important to require such accommodation. The internal fittings of the office should vary according to the nature of the duties.

At every principal office there should be a lobby or standing place within doors for the accommodation of parties applying at the office.

Where the Postmaster General may consider that a separate room may be dispensed with, the letters and papers, both for delivery and despatch, are to be kept in a secure place, and, if practicable, under lock and key.

A bar-room or public room in a tavern is never to be made use of as a post office, nor should the entrance to a post office be through a bar-room.

[Pg 18]

No person except the postmaster or his sworn assistant should, on any pretence whatever, be allowed to have access to the letters and papers in a post office.

A Post Office should be in a convenient and central situation, and must not be removed from one part of a town, village, or settlement, to another without the approval first obtained of the Postmaster General.

Postmasters are required to take every precaution to secure their offices against burglary and fire.

OFFICE HOURS.

At the principal Post Offices in Canada the hours of opening and closing are regulated by the Postmaster General.

In country places Postmasters are required to keep their offices open during the usual hours of business in the locality, and to attend at such other hours as may be necessary to receive and despatch the mails.

On Sundays Postmasters in Canada West are at liberty to close their offices to the public.

When an office in Canada West is closed to the public on Sunday it must be closed to all persons alike, and no exceptional or partial delivery to particular persons can be allowed.

In Canada East, Postmasters keep their offices open on Sundays at least one hour either before or after Divine Service, as may be most convenient to the public generally.

A Notice, stating the hours at which the office is opened and closed, should be posted in every office, in such a position as may be readily observed by the public.

MAILS.

Mails are conveyed twice each way every day, except Sunday, over the principal lines of railway in Canada. Over the less important lines of railway they are carried only once each way every day, except Sunday.

Mails are also conveyed once each way every day, except Sunday, over the principal lines of common road, and once, twice, or three times per week over the less important lines of common road.

The postal communication between Canada and the Lower Provinces is three times per week each way viâ Quebec, and once per fortnight each way by Cunard Steamers viâ Boston and Halifax. Also twice per week each way in summer viâ Portland.

The most speedy and direct postal route from Canada to almost every portion of the globe, with the exception of the Continent of North America, the Isthmus of Panama, and a portion of the West India Islands having direct communication with New York, is by way of England, from whence mails for the several British Colonies and Foreign Countries mentioned in the tables at pages 36, 37, 38, and 39, are regularly despatched.

The most speedy and direct postal route from Canada to all parts of the Continent of North America, the Isthmus of Panama, and a portion of the West India Islands having direct communication with New York, is viâ New York.

Mails for England are despatched twice in each week from Canada, viz.: once by Canadian Steamer sailing every Saturday, from Quebec[Pg 19] in Summer and from Portland in Winter; and once by Cunard Steamer, sailing every Wednesday, either from New York or Boston.

The following Post Offices in Canada make up mails direct for certain Post Offices in the United Kingdom, viz.:—

Mails are exchanged daily with the United States post offices at all the principal frontier points, and closed mails are exchanged daily between the principal cities of Canada and New York and Boston.

Mails are also made up at Quebec, Montreal, and Toronto, for Halifax, Nova Scotia, and for St. John's, Newfoundland, and despatched to destination by Cunard Steamer, sailing from Boston, every alternate Wednesday.

RATES OF POSTAGE ON LETTERS.

The rate of Postage on pre-paid Letters between any place in Canada and any other place in Canada, and on pre-paid or unpaid letters between any place in Canada and any place in British North America (except places hereafter mentioned), including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton, is regulated by weight, irrespective of distance, and is as follows:—

On a letter weighing not more than ½ an oz.,5 cents.
""more than½oz. but not ex. 1oz.,10 cts.
"""1oz."1½"15 cts.
"""1½ oz."2"20 cts.
"""2oz."2½"25 cts.

And so on, 5 cents being charged for every additional ½ oz., or fraction of a half ounce.

If the weight be exceeded to the smallest extent, even though the balance be merely turned, the letter becomes liable to an additional rate.

Letters addressed to any place within the Province of Canada, if sent unpaid, are liable to a charge of 7 cents per ½ oz.

The charge on local or drop Letters, viz., letters posted at an office in Canada for delivery from that office, is one cent for each letter.

The charge on letters delivered by Letter Carrier, in Canada, is two cents for each letter in addition to the ordinary postage.

Letters for Nova Scotia, specially addressed by "Cunard Steamer," sailing from Boston to Liverpool viâ Halifax, every alternate Wednesday, are liable to 12½ cents per ½ oz., which can be pre-paid or not at the option of the sender.

Letters for Newfoundland are liable to a rate of 20 cents per ½ oz., which must be pre-paid.

The rate of postage on letters to British Columbia and Vancouver's Island is 25 cents per ½ oz., which must be pre-paid.

The rate of postage on letters to Red River, viâ the United States, is 10 cents per ½ oz., which may be pre-paid or not at the option of the sender.

The rate of postage on letters between any place in Canada and any place in the United States, except California and Oregon, is 10 cents per ½ oz., which may either be pre-paid or not, at the option of the sender.

[Pg 20]

The rate of postage on letters between any place in Canada and any place in California or Oregon is 15 cents per ½ oz., which may be pre-paid or not at the option of the sender.

The scale of weight under which the above letters are charged is the same as the scale under which letters passing between places in Canada are rated.

The single rate of postage on letters between any place in Canada and any place in the United Kingdom, is as follows:—

By Canadian Steamer, sailing every Saturday from Quebec in Summer and from Portland in Winter, 12½ cents.

By Cunard Steamer, sailing either from New York or Boston every Wednesday, 17 cents.

Letters addressed to the United Kingdom and forwarded by either of the above routes, will be charged according to the following scale, which it will be seen differs from the scale of weight under which letters passing between places in Canada are taxed:—

Letters not weighing over ½ an oz., 1 rate.
"weighing more than ½ oz. and not exceed. 1 oz. 2 rates.
"""1  ""2  "   4    "
"""2  ""3  "   6    "
"""3  ""4  "   8    "

And so on, adding two rates for every additional ounce or fraction of an ounce.

The postage on all letters posted in Canada for the United Kingdom, and in the United Kingdom for Canada, should be pre-paid.

If sent unpaid 6d. sterling will be charged on each letter on delivery in addition to the ordinary postage rate.

Letters posted in Canada for the United Kingdom, and in the United Kingdom for Canada, unless specially addressed "By Canadian Steamer" or "By Cunard Steamer," are despatched in the first mail that is made up—whether for the Canadian or Cunard line—after the letter is posted, so that letters intended for the Canadian Packets must either be posted on the proper days for the Canadian Packet Mails or bear the words "By Canadian Mail Steamer" on the address.

Twopence sterling, equal to 5 cents, will be charged on the delivery of letters which have been forwarded as above by Cunard Steamers, but on which 6d. sterling or 12½ cents, only per ½ oz. have been pre-paid.

The rates upon letters for British Colonies and Foreign Countries will be found in the tables at pages 36, 37, 38, 39, and 40. These tables give the rates: 1, by Canadian Ocean Steamers; 2, by Cunard Steamers; and 3, by United States. It will be desirable always to mark on the letter the route by which it is intended to be sent.

The charge on dead letters returned to the writers is 3 cents on each letter in addition to the postage.

SOLDIERS' AND SEAMENS' LETTERS.

Non-Commissioned Officers, Embodied Pensioners, Seamen, and Soldiers, and Army Schoolmasters of all but first class, while they are employed in Her Majesty's Service, can send and receive letters at the rate of two cents each under the following regulations:—

1. The two cents must be paid at the time the letter is posted.
2. The name of the soldier or sailor, his class or description,
and the name of the ship, corps, or detachment to which he
belongs, must be specified in the direction of the letter; and
in the case of letters sent by soldiers or seamen, the
officer in command must sign his name and specify his rank,
and the name of the ship or regiment, corps or detachment,
which he commands.
[Pg 21] 3. The letter must not exceed half an ounce in weight.
4. The letter must refer solely to the private affairs of the
soldier or seaman.

All the foregoing descriptions must be fully written in the address in the following form, the initials of the name of any ships or regiments being insufficient:—

Letters for soldiers or seamen may be forwarded at the above rate to or through any country requiring the payment of any foreign or transit rate, but subject to the payment of such foreign or transit rate, as may be chargeable thereon.

Soldiers and seamens letters are not liable to any additional rate on re-direction.

All soldiers' and seamens' letters are conveyed between Canada and the United Kingdom by the Canadian line of steamers.

Letters sent to or by commissioned or warrant officers, midshipmen or master's mates, engineers in the navy, captain's clerks or first-class schoolmasters, or commissioned or warrant officers in the army, are not included in the privilege attached to letters of soldiers and seamen, but are chargeable with the same rates as ordinary letters.

Soldiers and seamens letters posted in Canada without a compliance with the above regulations are liable to full postage. If posted in accordance with the above regulations but without pre-payment of 2 cents they are liable to a charge of 2d. sterling on delivery in the United Kingdom.

RATES OF POSTAGE ON NEWSPAPERS.

The law declares that for post office purposes a newspaper shall be held to mean a periodical published not less frequently than once in each week, and containing notices of passing events, that is to say, general news.

Although provision is made for forwarding newspapers through the post, it is not compulsory on any one to employ this mode of transmission; everything except letters may be sent in any other way.

A newspaper to pass at the undermentioned rates is subject to the following restrictions:[Pg 22]—

1. It must have no cover, or a cover open at both ends.
2. It must not contain any enclosure.
3. It must have no writing or mark thereon but the name and
address of the person to whom it is sent, nor anything on the
cover except such name and address.

Newspapers which are not posted in accordance with these regulations are not forwarded.

An extra newspaper or a supplement to a newspaper is deemed a distinct newspaper, and charged accordingly.

Newspapers published in Canada may be sent by post from the office of publication to any place in Canada at the following rates, if paid quarterly in advance, either by the publisher at the post office where the papers are posted, or by the subscriber at the post office where the papers are delivered.

For a paper published 6 times per week, 40       cents per quarter.
"3"20"
"2"13"
"1"6½"
"Semi-Monthly,3¼"
"Monthly,1¼"

When the above rates are not paid in advance by either the publisher or subscriber the papers are charged 1 cent each on delivery.

It is not necessary that the commuted rate on newspapers should be paid absolutely on the first day of each quarter. The regulation is intended to be carried out with all possible consideration for the convenience of the public, and it will be sufficient if the person desiring to pay the commuted rate declares his intention and offers the payment when first calling at the office within a reasonable time after the commencement of the quarter; but after having made his option to pre-pay the commuted charge, or to pay for his papers as received at one cent each, as the case may be, postmasters are not expected to alter their newspaper accounts to allow of a change until the commencement of the next quarter.

The commuted rate of payment can be accepted from new subscribers during a quarter for any unexpired period of the quarter not less than a month.

Newspapers published in Canada which are not posted from the office of publication, must be pre-paid one cent each by postage stamps, otherwise they will not be forwarded.

Publishers of newspapers in Canada are allowed to enclose in copies of their papers sent to subscribers, subscription accounts, and receipts for the same, without rendering them liable to any additional postage.

Packets of unbound newspapers published in Canada may be returned by a subscriber to the office of publication, at the rate of 2 cents per 8 oz. or fraction of 8oz., which must be pre-paid.

Transient newspapers addressed to the United States must be pre-paid one cent each by postage stamp, otherwise they will not be forwarded.

Newspapers posted in the United States and addressed to Canada are liable to one cent each on delivery. The stamp paid on these papers indicates that the United States postage only has been pre-paid, the Canadian rate of one cent remaining to be collected.

American newspapers posted or re-posted in Canada must be prepaid one cent each, by stamp, otherwise they will not be forwarded.

The option of paying the commuted rate on newspapers does not apply to papers published in the United States: they must be paid for at the full rate of one cent each.

[Pg 23]

Canadian news agents and booksellers may post American newspapers unpaid, when addressed to regular subscribers in the Province; but such newspapers are chargeable on delivery with one cent each.

Newspapers posted in Canada and addressed to the United Kingdom must be pre-paid by stamp, one cent each.

Newspapers forwarded by Canadian Steamer are delivered in the United Kingdom without additional charge.

Newspapers forwarded by Cunard Steamer are liable on delivery to one penny each, being the American transit rate.

Newspapers posted in the United Kingdom for Canada should be pre-paid one penny each, by stamp.

If forwarded by Canadian Steamer they are subject on delivery to no additional charge.

If forwarded by Cunard Steamer they are subject on delivery to two cents each, being the American transit rate.

British newspapers re-posted in Canada must be pre-paid 1 cent each, by stamp.

British newspapers distributed to regular subscribers by Canadian booksellers or agents pass free in the same way as if received by the Canadian Steamers.

Canadian newspapers addressed from the office of publication to subscribers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Lower Provinces, &c., may be forwarded on pre-payment of the commuted rate, applicable to subscribers within the Province; but they cannot be forwarded if unpaid.

Exchange papers passing between publishers in Canada and between publishers in Canada and publishers in the United States, are carried free through the post.

No newspaper, properly so called (except exchanges), whether devoted to education, temperance, agriculture, or to any branch of science, is entitled to exemption from charge. The law exempts only periodicals, other than newspapers, printed in Canada, and devoted exclusively to the above objects.

Newspapers addressed to Newfoundland must be pre-paid two cents each, by stamp.

The rates on newspapers addressed to British Colonies and foreign countries will be found in the tables at pages 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40. These tables give the rates: 1, by Canadian Ocean Steamers; 2, by Cunard Steamers; and 3, by the United States.

No United States newspapers of any kind or description (with the exception of exchange papers) are on any ground entitled to pass through the Canadian mails free of postage.

In cities and towns where newspapers are published, the printers and publishers should send them to the post office put up in a manner to admit of their being readily counted, and if necessary withdrawn from their covers for examination. The newspapers for each office also should be made up in strong paper in a separate parcel, which should be plainly addressed.

When the numbers of a newspaper published in Canada or in either of the other British North American Provinces, or in the United States, and issued daily, have remained in a post office in Canada uncalled for during two weeks; of a newspaper issued semi-weekly, or tri-weekly, during three weeks; of a newspaper issued weekly, during one month; and of a monthly periodical during two months, or when such newspapers and periodicals have been refused to be taken by the party to whom addressed, the postmaster is instructed to notify the[Pg 24] respective publishers in the proper form, which is to pass free of postage. If the newspaper or periodical continues to arrive after the notice has been sent, the postmaster is instructed to notify the publisher in the same way a second time, specially calling his attention to the first notice given.

To enclose a letter, or any writing, or to make any written marks to serve the purposes of a letter, or to enclose any other thing (except publishers' accounts and receipts, as before mentioned) in a newspaper posted to pass as a newspaper, is a misdemeanor. Postmasters are requested at once to transmit all newspapers containing such writing, marks, and enclosures to the Postmaster General.

PERIODICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Periodical Publications are publications issued at regular intervals, but less frequently than once per week.

Periodical Publications can be transmitted by post to any part of Canada and the United States at the following rates:—

For every periodical publication weighing not more
than 3 oz. in weight .................................... 1 cent.
Over 3oz. in weight  .................................. 4 cents.

The above rates must invariably be pre-paid by postage stamps.

If pre-paid by postage stamps and sent from the office of publication, periodicals published in Canada weighing over 3 oz. pass for two cents each.

Periodical publications received from the United States are liable to the rates above mentioned, viz.: If not exceeding 3 oz. 1 cent; if exceeding 3 oz. 4 cents.

Canadian Booksellers and News Agents may post British, American or Provincial periodicals for distribution to regular subscribers unpaid. If sent unpaid they will, when exceeding the weight of 3 oz., be subject to 4 cents.

Canadian Booksellers and News Agents may also post for transmission by mail in Canada small periodicals, whether Canadian, British or United States, weighing less than 1 oz., such as the Children's Paper, Child's Paper, The Play Hour, The Carrier Dove, The Sabbath School Visitor, The Evangelizer, The Gospel Message, The Good News, and others of a like description, in packages to one address, at the rate of 5 cents per pound, or fraction of a pound bulk weight, provided that the said News Agents and Booksellers pre-pay such packages by postage stamps. This must not be understood as imposing a charge on Canadian periodicals entitled to pass free.

Periodicals printed in Canada other than newspapers when specially devoted to education, meaning the instruction of youth, (both religious and general), to agriculture, to temperance, or to any branch of science, and addressed directly from the office of publication to be transmitted to any post-office in Canada, are conveyed by mail free of charge. Such periodicals must not contain general news or advertisements or they forfeit their claim to exemption.

A periodical devoted to education to pass free must be either strictly scholastic in its subject matter, or manifestly adapted and intended for juvenile as distinguished from adult instruction. It is in this primary sense that the word Education, whether religious or secular, is understood to be used. Religious publications are not as a class entitled to exemption from charge. The law exempts only those which come within the foregoing definitions.[Pg 25]

No United States periodical of any kind or description can, upon any ground, claim exemption from Canadian postage.

Parcels of unbound periodicals may be returned by a subscriber to the office of publication at the rate of two cents per 8 oz. or fraction of 8 oz.

Periodicals to pass at the above rates must be put up in covers open at the ends or sides, and if these regulations are not strictly complied with, or if such periodicals are found to contain any writing other than the address, they are liable to full letter rates of postage.

No packet of periodicals can be forwarded through the post if exceeding the weight of 48 oz.

Bound volumes of any periodical published in Canada may be forwarded at the rates and under the conditions described under the article Book Post.

BOOK POST.

Books bound or unbound posted in Canada, and addressed to any office in Canada, British North America and the United States, are chargeable with a rate of 1 cent per oz., which must be pre-paid by postage stamps.

Book packets are forwarded by post from Canada to the United Kingdom, and vice versâ, by Canadian Steamers only, at the following rates:—

And so on, adding 12½ cents for each additional half pound, or fraction of half a pound weight.

Book packets, printed matter, or single newspapers, can be forwarded from Canada to France, or vice versâ, by Canadian Steamers only, at the following rates:—

And so on, adding 20 cents for each additional ½ lb. or fraction of ½ lb.

The following conditions must be carefully observed:—

1. Every book packet must be either without a cover or in a cover
open at the ends.
2. It must not contain any letter open or sealed, or any sealed
enclosure whatever.
3. It must not exceed two feet in length, breadth, or width.
4. The postage must be pre-paid by stamps.

A book packet may contain any number of separate books, publications, works of literature or art, almanacs, maps or prints, photographs, daguerreotypes, when not on glass or in frames containing glass, and any quantity of paper, vellum, or parchment (to the exclusion of letters); and the books, maps, paper, &c., may be either written, printed or plain, or any mixture of the three, and may be either British, Colonial or Foreign.

All legitimate binding, mounting, or covering of the same, or a portion thereof, will be allowed as part of the packet, whether such binding, &c., be loose or attached, as also rollers in the case of prints[Pg 26] and maps, and whatever may be necessary for the safe transmission of literary or artistic matter, or whatever usually appertains thereto, and the postage is rated upon the gross weight of the packet.

The name and address of the sender, and anything else not in the nature of a letter, may also be written and printed on the envelope or cover of the packet, in addition to the name and address of the person to whom it may be forwarded.

Books addressed to places in Canada can be sent through the mails in closed packets for the same rates of postage as parcels.

Books cannot be forwarded except at letter rates of postage by the mail made up for the Cunard Steamers sailing from New York and Boston.

Bound volumes of any periodical or newspaper published in Canada, if bound in a form to come within mailable dimensions, that is to say, not exceeding two feet in length, breadth or thickness, nor exceeding 4 lbs. in weight, may be sent from the office of publication to any place in Canada at a charge of two cents per 8 ozs. or fraction of 8 ozs.

Should a book packet addressed to the United Kingdom be posted unpaid, or with a pre-payment of less than 7 cents, or be enclosed in a cover not open at the ends, or should it exceed the dimensions specified, it will be sent to the Dead Letter Office.

If a book packet addressed to the United Kingdom be posted insufficiently pre-paid, and it appears that at least the single rate of 7 cents has been pre-paid, such packet will be forwarded to its destination charged with an additional postage equal to the deficiency, and another single rate as a fine.

Letters, whether sealed or unsealed, or any enclosure found in a book parcel, are liable to rates as unpaid letters, and the packet in which enclosed to an additional rate of 12½ cents, as a penalty for a breach of the regulations.

The rates of postage on books to British Colonies and Foreign Countries are given in the tables at pages 36, 37, 38, and 39.

PRINTED PAPERS, CIRCULARS, PRICES CURRENT, HAND BILLS, &c.

Printed circulars, prices current, hand bills, and other printed matter of a like character, posted in Canada, and addressed to any place in Canada, British North America, or the United States, are chargeable with a rate of one cent per oz., which must be pre-paid by postage stamp.

The half-yearly School Returns made by School Trustees to the Local Superintendants of Schools, may, though the printed form be partly filled up in writing with the names of the pupils and days of attendance, be transmitted by post in Canada at the rate of one cent each, to be pre-paid by stamp.

When not filled up the above forms are printed matter, and liable as such to one cent per oz. postage.

Military returns, states, and rolls, containing written figures and signatures, may be forwarded as printed matter on pre-payment of one cent per ounce.

Printed circulars may be transmitted by post to the United Kingdom under the regulations and charges of the Book Post. They must be forwarded, however, open at the ends, or sides. If sent in envelopes, sealed or unsealed, they are liable to letter rates of postage.

[Pg 27]

Prices current, posted in Canada and addressed to any place in the United Kingdom, are liable to a rate of 2 cents each, which must be pre-paid by stamp.

Lithographed letters and circulars are allowed to pass through the Post at the same rate as printed circulars.

PRINTED VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT AND COLONIAL LEGISLATURES.

The special rate under which printed Votes and Proceedings of the Imperial Parliament and Colonial Legislatures were formerly transmitted in the English mails, has been abolished, and such matter now passes to and from the United Kingdom at the ordinary book post charge.

PARCEL POST.

Parcels closed at the ends and sides, and not exceeding 3 lbs. in weight, may be posted at any post-office in Canada for conveyance to any other post-office in Canada at the following rates:—

For each parcel weighing not more than 1 lb25 cts.
Exceeding 1 lb. and not exceeding 2 lbs.50  "
"         2         "    "      "         375  "

The following conditions must be carefully observed:—

1. No letter or letters shall be enclosed.
2. The parcel shall not contain any explosive substance, glass,
liquids, or other matter likely to injure the ordinary contents
of the mail.
3. The weight of the parcel shall not exceed 3 lbs., nor the size
exceed one foot in length or breadth, or six inches in thickness.
4. The postage must be pre-paid by stamps.
5. The parcel should have the words "By Parcel Post," plainly
written on the address. It should be well and strongly put up,
and be legibly addressed to the post-office address of the
intended receiver, the name of the County in which the said
office is situated being added.

If the name and address of the sender be written on the parcel it will, if delivery should fail from any cause, be returned from the Dead Letter Office unopened to the sender, on payment of an additional rate for the return conveyance.

If the number of stamps affixed to a parcel be insufficient to pre-pay the proper rate, the amount deficient will be rated unpaid, with a fine of 10 cents in addition.

[Pg 28]

Parcels may be registered on pre-payment, by stamp, of five cents in addition to the postage. When registered the Postmaster should give a receipt to the party posting the parcel.

Parcels sent by post may contain books, daguerreotypes, photographs, printers' proof and copy, military returns, states and rolls, containing written figures and signatures; returns, deeds, legal papers, and all transmissions of a like character not being strictly letters.

To enclose a letter or letters, or any writing intended to serve the purpose of a letter, in a parcel intended for the Parcel Post is a misdemeanour.

Should it be ascertained that a packet posted for the Parcel Post contains a letter or Letters, the stamps it may bear will be cancelled, and the parcel rated as a letter with full unpaid rates.

Parcels cannot be transmitted by post at the above rates to any place beyond the limits of the Province of Canada.

The following is an example of the address recommended:—

FRANKING AND FREE LETTERS.

The following matter is exempt from Provincial Postage:

All letters and other mailable matter addressed to or sent by the Governor General of Canada, or addressed to or sent by any Public Department at the seat of Government.

All letters and other mailable matter addressed to or sent by the Speaker or Chief Clerk of the Legislative Council or of the Legislative Assembly; or to or by any Member of the Legislature at the Seat of Government during any Session of the Legislature, or addressed to any of the Members or Officers in this Section mentioned at the Seat of Government as aforesaid, during the ten days next before the meeting of Parliament.

All public documents and printed papers sent by the Speaker or Chief Clerk of the Legislative Council or Legislative Assembly, to any Member of either of the said branches of the Legislature of Canada, during the recess of Parliament.

[Pg 29]

All papers printed by order of either branch of the Legislature of Canada, sent by Members of either branch of the said Legislatures, either during the Session or recess.

Public documents and printed papers sent under the two foregoing clauses, should bear, as part of the address, the bona fide superscription of the Speaker, Chief Clerk, or officer specially deputed for this purpose to act for those functionaries, or of the Member sending the same.

All letters to and from the Postmaster General and the Deputy Postmaster General; and all official communications to and from the Post Office Department and to and from the Post Office Inspectors, are to pass free of any Provincial postage.

Letters on Her Majesty's service passing between the United Kingdom and Canada, to or from the following Imperial Military Departments, are exempt from Canadian postage:

Military Secretary.
Adjutant General.
Quarter-Master General.
Commissariat Department.
Barrack Department.
Medical Department (including Purveyors.)
Comptroller of Army Expenditure.
Military Accountant.
Royal Engineer Department.
Regimental Paymaster and Officers Commanding.

ABATING AND REFUNDING POSTAGE.

Postmasters in Canada are allowed to refund postage in the following cases only:—

Letters charged as weighing more than the actual weight.

Postage incorrectly charged on editor's notices addressed to publishers and editors, and exchange papers, which should legally pass without charge.

All other claims for the return or abatement of postage must be specially referred to the Postmaster General for his decision, with the letter or packet on which the return is claimed.

UNDELIVERED AND DEAD LETTERS.

All letters remaining undelivered in a post office on the first of each month, excepting drop letters and such letters as are daily called for, are advertized in a list posted at the office door for the information of the public.

If a newspaper is published in the neighbourhood the Postmaster is directed to insert this list therein, provided the proprietor will give it insertion at the authorized rate.

Parties applying at an office for advertized letters should always ask for them as such.

[Pg 30]

Letters and papers after remaining undelivered in an office for three months are sent to the Dead Letter Office, as also are all letters refused by the persons to whom they are addressed or letters addressed to persons deceased.

Every letter which is opened at the Dead Letter Office and found to contain the address of the sender is sent back to him; but such as do not contain the sender's address are destroyed, excepting always those which contain money and other articles of value, which are kept for a reasonable time for the purpose of being reclaimed.

REGISTRATION.

By the pre-payment of the following fee, in addition to the ordinary postage, letters and parcels can be registered at the office at which posted:—

On letters addressed to any place in Canada or the other
British North American Provinces2 cents.

On letters addressed to any place in the United States5  "

"        "      "          "      United Kingdom 12½ "

On parcels to any part of Canada5 cents.

The registration fees on letters to British Colonies and Foreign Countries will be found in the tables on pages 36, 37, 38, 39, and 40.

Every letter or parcel containing value should be registered and presented to the Postmaster or his clerk and a receipt obtained therefor. On no account should it be dropped into a letter box.

When letters are registered for the United Kingdom, for Foreign Countries, viâ England, or for the United States, both the postage and the registration fee must be pre-paid.

Books, periodicals, newspapers, circulars, and other printed matter, cannot be registered unless pre-paid the full letter rates, in addition to the ordinary registration fee.

Registered letters and packets can only be delivered to the parties to whom they are addressed or to their order, and a receipt must be given on the delivery of each registered letter in a book kept by every Postmaster for that purpose.

It should be clearly understood that the post office is not responsible for the safe delivery of a registered letter or parcel. The registration simply makes its transmission more secure, by rendering it practicable to trace it, when passing from one place to another in Canada, from its receipt to its delivery; and when addressed from any place in Canada to any place in the United States, the United Kingdom, or parts abroad, if not to its delivery, at least to the frontier or port of despatch.

POSTAGE STAMPS.

Every postmaster is required to have on hand a sufficient stock of postage stamps, and to sell them to the public at 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, 12½ cents, and 17 cents each.

Letter envelopes are also provided with medallion, stamps equivalent to 5 cents and 10 cents postage, each. The 5 cent envelopes are sold[Pg 31] singly at 6 cents each; 66 cents per dozen; $5.50 per hundred. The 10 cent envelopes are sold singly at 11 cents each; $1.26 per dozen; $10.50 per hundred.

With the approval of the Postmaster General, postage stamps are sold to certain dealers to retail again to the public.

Pre-payment of letters should, in all cases where practicable, be made by postage stamps.

A mutilated stamp, or a stamp cut in half, is not recognized in pre-payment of postage.

A medallion stamp cannot be accepted in pre-payment of postage if separated from the envelope of which it may have formed a part.

No British stamps, or stamps of a foreign country, can be received in pre-payment of postage in Canada.

In affixing the stamp to the letter wet slightly the corner of the envelope and the gummed side of the stamp, and gently press the stamp till it is firmly fixed. Stamps should be placed on the front or address side of the letter, and on the right hand upper corner.

Letters cannot be pre-paid partly in stamps and partly in money; the pay-postage must be pre-paid either wholly in stamps, or wholly in money.

If the stamps affixed to a letter addressed to any place in British North America be not adequate to the proper postage, the letter is rated with an amount equal to the deficiency.

Letters addressed to the United States, on which stamps are affixed representing less than the amount of postage to which the letters are liable, are rated with full unpaid postage.

Postage stamps are received at all post offices in payment of postage on unpaid letters delivered therefrom.

MONEY ORDERS.

Post offices in Canada at which money orders are issued and paid are distinguished in the List of Post Offices by being printed in italics.

Every money order office in Canada issues money orders on every other money order office in Canada, as well as on every money order office in the United Kingdom. Every money order office in the United Kingdom also issues money orders on every money order office in Canada.

The rate of commission charged on money orders drawn by one money order office in Canada on any other money order office in Canada, is as follows:—

If not exceeding in amount $105 cents.
Exceeding$10and not exceeding$2010  "
"203015  "
"304030  "
"406045  "
"608060  "
"8010075  "

No half cents can be introduced into orders.

No money order exceeding $100 in amount can be granted on any office in Canada; but postmasters are at liberty to grant two or more orders for $100 or for any lesser sum. They cannot, however, grant two or more orders for sums of or under $30 on the same day to the same applicant in favor of the same payee.

Money orders on the United Kingdom are drawn in sterling money, and may be for any sum from one shilling to ten pounds. They must[Pg 32] not, however, exceed the latter amount; but postmasters are at liberty to issue two or more separate orders for ten pounds each or for any smaller sum.

The rate of commission charged on orders on the United Kingdom, over and above the currency value of the sterling, is as follows:—

For orders not exceeding £2 sterling25 cents.
Exceeding £2 and not exceeding £5 sterling50  "
"5""7"75  "
"7""10"$1.

Tables shewing the amount of Provincial currency required for money orders issued in Canada upon the United Kingdom, in addition to the commission, and paid for money orders issued in the United Kingdom on Canada, will be found at pages 41, 42, and 43.

Applicants for money orders should always use the printed application forms, in which they should fill up the particulars of the order required. These forms are supplied gratuitously at all money order offices.

The christian and surnames in full, and residences, both of the remitter and the payee, should be furnished to the issuing postmaster. When a married woman is either the remitter or payee, her own christian name should be given, and not that of her husband, thus—"Mrs. Mary Smith," not "Mrs. John Smith."

If the remitter or payee be a Peer or a Bishop, his ordinary title is sufficient. If a firm, the usual designation of such firm will suffice, such as "Baring Bros.," "Smith & Son," "Jones & Co."

Parties procuring money orders should examine them carefully to see that they are properly filled up and stamped. This caution will appear the more necessary when it is understood that any important defect in these respects will throw difficulties in the way of payment.

Money orders which, in consequence of misapprehension of the name of the remitter or place of payment have been erroneously made out, can be returned to the postmaster, and a correct order given in exchange; a new commission, however, will be charged on the corrected order.

Parties obtaining money orders on Canadian offices can procure repayment thereof on presentation of the orders at the office at which issued, signing the receipt at the foot. No order, however, can be repaid without the authority of the superintendent, unless presented for repayment on the day on which it is issued. Neither can orders on the United Kingdom be repaid without his special authority.

When a remitter desires an order on the United Kingdom to be paid through a bank, it is left to his option to give or withhold the name of the payee, or to substitute for the name of the payee any other designation or modification, such as "the Cashier of the Bank of England," "the Chief Clerk of the Foreign Office." Such orders must, however, be crossed by the issuing postmaster with the name of bank through which the order is to be paid.

The issue of money orders on credit, or for cheques not marked "good" by the bank drawn upon, is strictly prohibited.

If a payee is unable to write, he must sign the receipt at the foot of the order, in the presence of the paying postmaster, by making his mark, to be witnessed in writing; as, for example:—

His
Witness,—John Kenny,Joseph X Allen.
Queen Street, Toronto.Mark.

[Pg 33]

In cases of money orders issued in Canada, postmasters are at liberty to accept the written order of the payee on the order itself in favour of a second person, if through illness or insuperable difficulty the payee is prevented from presenting the order in person.

When a Canadian money order has been lost, either by the remitter or payee, the circumstance must be made known to the superintendent, who, under certain precautions, will issue a duplicate.

Duplicates of sterling orders can only be granted by the paying country. Thus the British post office issues duplicates of orders drawn in Canada on the United Kingdom, and the Canadian Head Money Order Office grants duplicates of orders drawn in the United Kingdom on Canada.

Money orders which are not presented until one full year after their date are considered as lapsed orders, and cannot be paid without the special permission of the superintendent. In all such cases satisfactory reasons should be given explanatory of the delay in the presentation of the order.

The Deputy Postmasters General of Malta and Gibraltar are authorized to issue money orders on the several money order offices in Canada. Money order offices in Canada do not, however, grant money orders on Malta and Gibraltar.

GENERAL REGULATIONS.

Postmasters and certain other officers of the department are exempt from serving on juries or inquests, or in the militia. This exemption applies to mail carriers, but not to assistants appointed and paid by postmasters.

The postmasters of Quebec, Montreal, Three Rivers, and Sherbrooke, and the postmasters of incorporated cities and towns in Upper Canada, divided into wards, and other officers of the Post Office Department, excepting Postmasters at other than the above places, cannot legally vote at the election of any member of the Legislative Council or of the Legislative Assembly.

Postmasters are not authorized to give credit for postage, if they do so it is entirely at their own risk.

A letter once posted becomes the property of the person to whom it is addressed, and must be forwarded according to its direction. On no application, however urgent, can it be delivered back to the writer, or to any other person.

A letter addressed to a firm may be delivered to any member of the firm. If addressed to several persons it may be delivered to any one of them.

A letter delivered to the wrong person in consequence of his name being the same as the one of the person for whom the letter is really intended, should be at once returned to the postmaster from whom received, the party writing on the cover "opened by me through mistake," and signing his name thereto.

Letters posted without any direction, or addressed so imperfectly that they cannot be forwarded to their intended destinations, and also unpaid or insufficiently paid letters addressed to countries to which letters cannot be sent without the postage is pre-paid, are returned to the writers through the Dead Letter Office.

No information can be given respecting letters which pass through a post office except to the persons to whom they are addressed.

[Pg 34]

Parties desiring their letters and papers to be re-directed should send an intimation to that effect in writing to the postmaster of the office from which the letters and papers are to be re-directed.

Postmasters are allowed to re-direct letters to the known places of residence of the parties to whom they are addressed, after allowing a reasonable time to elapse without their being called for.

Letters and papers are not subject to any additional charge when re-directed from one post office in Canada to another post office in Canada.

Postmasters are instructed not to receive any letter or packet which there is good reason to believe contains glass or anything likely to injure the contents of the mail bag or the person of any officer of the post office.

A postmaster is not legally bound to furnish change, but if absolutely necessary may require that the exact amount of postage on any letter or packet be tendered to him in current coin, or in Canada postage stamps.

Postmasters and their assistants in the above matter, as well as in all their official intercourse with the public, are expected to afford every accommodation, and to treat every person having business at their offices with every courtesy.

Mail couriers are bound to receive letters offered to them whilst on the road between one post office and another, provided that when a letter is so offered the distance from the nearest post office exceeds one mile. Such letters are termed Way Letters, and are subject to the ordinary rates of postage.

SUGGESTIONS TO THE PUBLIC.

Facility will be given to the Post Office in the discharge of its daily duties, and greater security afforded to the Public, by careful attention to the following recommendations:

Post all letters and newspapers, &c., as early as practicable, especially when sent in large numbers.

When a number of newspapers are addressed to the same office, put them up in one parcel.

When a number of circulars are posted, tie them up in a bundle, with the addresses all in one direction.

Address letters, papers, &c., in a legible and complete manner, always giving the name of the Post Office; and if there be more than one Post Office of that name, the name of the county in which situated: In case of letters going abroad, the name of the country, as well as of the town and city, should be given in full. Letters, for example, intended for London, England, if simply addressed "London," would be forwarded to London, Canada West, and thus be delayed.

See that every letter, newspaper, or other packet sent by post, is securely folded and sealed. Every such packet has to be several times handled; and even when in the mail bag, is exposed to pressure and friction. Unless, therefore, the article be light and pliant, it should be enclosed in strong paper, linen, parchment, or some other material which will not readily tear or break.

Fasten the covers of newspapers firmly, so as to prevent them from slipping out.

When dropping a letter or newspaper into a letter-box, always see that the packet falls into the box, and does not stick in its passage.

Never seal letters for the East and West Indies and other hot climates, with wax. Such a practice is attended with much inconvenience, and frequently with serious injury, in consequence of the melting of the wax, and the adhesion[Pg 35] of the letters to each other. In all such cases use either wafers or gum, and advise your correspondents in the country referred to to do the same.

Never send money or other articles of value through the Post Office, except either by means of a money-order or in a registered letter. Carefully secure every letter or packet containing money or value, first with gum and afterwards with good sealing-wax, on which make the clear impression of a seal.

On posting a registered letter or packet, always obtain a receipt for the same at the office where posted.

When letters or papers are delayed or missing, at once communicate the fact to the Inspector of the division in which is situated the Post Office at which the delayed or missing letters were posted. In case of a missing letter enclosing value, state the exact contents, the exact address, and the office at which posted; the name of the person by whom posted, and the name of the person by whom received at the office. In the case of a delayed letter or paper, send the cover or wrapper in an entire state, in order that the place of delay may be ascertained by an examination of the post marks.

Trouble and loss occasionally arise out of the carelessness or dishonesty of parties employed in the Post Office service; yet instances are not wanting in which it has been shown to the satisfaction even of the complainants, that the fault at first attributed to the Post Office, in truth rested in other quarters. Thefts by private hands, although very difficult of proof, have not unfrequently been brought to light; and it is greatly to be desired that those who suffer loss should, in the first instance, and while the circumstances are fresh, endeavour to ascertain with the utmost precision all particulars respecting the despatch or receipt of the lost letters or papers, and lose no time in communicating this information to the Inspector. Indeed, generally speaking, it is only by careful inquiry into minute details that the offender can be detected, whether he be a servant of the Department or not.

The Post Office is a department which admits of constant improvement and expansion. The public, by sending to the Postmaster General, clear and correct information respecting faulty arrangements, may materially benefit the service. It must be remembered, however, that changes in machinery so extensive and intricate as that of the Post Office, must be made cautiously and with much previous consideration.

Time is generally required to carry out any material change in postal arrangements; for even when decided upon, old contracts, requiring notice of termination, may have to be got rid off, and tenders for new contracts invited by public advertisement, before the decision can take effect.

New Post Offices are established by the Department wherever it is ascertained that a sufficient number of inhabitants can be accommodated, and a sufficient amount of postal revenue collected to warrant such a measure. When a new Post Office is required, a petition should be addressed to the Postmaster General, signed by as many of the inhabitants as can conveniently subscribe the same. The petition should state the name of the township and the number of the lot and concession on which it is desired the office should be established; the distance from the neighbouring offices; whether at the site of the proposed Post Office there is a village; the number of mills, stores, taverns, and houses thereat; the extent of the settlement to be served and the probable cost of the mail; together with any other facts which may form any ground for the accommodation applied for.

[Pg 36]

RATES OF POSTAGE from CANADA to BRITISH COLONIES and FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

By Canadian Ocean Steamers, sailing every Saturday from Quebec in Summer, and from Portland in Winter.

[Symbol: Pointer] Letters for any of the destinations included in this Table must be prepaid, else they cannot be forwarded. In those cases in the Book-rates where an asterisk (*) is prefixed, prepayment on Newspapers or Book Parcels is optional: in all other cases prepayment is required.

By CUNARD STEAMERS, sailing every WEDNESDAY from New York and Boston alternately.

Add to the rates by Canadian Ocean Steamers 5 cents per half-ounce for Letters and 2 cents each for Newspapers. The registration fees are the same as by Canadian Steamers. Book Packets are not forwarded by the Cunard Line of Steamers.

[Pg 40]

Letters intended to be forwarded "Via the United States," should be so addressed. Prepayment required in all cases except in those marked with an asterisk (*).

KEY:
A: Not exceeding ½ oz.
B: Above ½ oz. and not exceeding 1 oz.
C: Registration fee on each.
D: For each Newspaper.
E: Pamphlets. Postage per oz.

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