NEW BRUNSWICK.

PRELIMINARY NOTES.

By E. D. BACON.

New Brunswick is situated between 45° 5′ and 48° 5′ N. lat., and 63° 47′ and 67° 53′ W. long.; its area is about 27,105 square miles. It is connected with Nova Scotia by a low isthmus. New Brunswick, in the early part of the last century, belonged to the French, and was called by them New France. At the peace of 1763 New Brunswick, with the rest of Canada, was ceded by France to Great Britain, and was annexed to Nova Scotia until 1785, when it was erected into a separate colony. It was first colonized by British subjects in 1761, and in 1783 by disbanded troops from New England.

We learn from the following notice, which appeared in The Royal Gazette, published at Fredericton, New Brunswick, on September 10th, 1851, that the introduction of postage stamps into this colony took place on September 6th of that year:

“NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC.

“A SUPPLY of POSTAGE STAMPS has been received from England, and will be on sale at this office on and after Friday next, the 6th September. They are of the respective colours and values as under; viz.:

Scarlet Three Pence.

Yellow Six Pence.

Pink One Shilling.

“Supplies will be immediately forwarded to all Postmasters throughout the Province, and through them to the Way Office Keepers, from whom the Public will be able to obtain them at cost prices in any quantities they may require.

“N.B.—The postage stamps should be affixed to the face, or direction side of the Letter, at the right hand upper corner.

“(Signed) J. Howe, Postmaster-General.

“General Post Office, St. John, 1st September, 1851.”

Besides giving us the exact day the stamps came into use, the above notice is interesting as proving which shade of the One Shilling was first issued. One would hardly call any of the stamps of this value pink, as officially designated, but the majority of them are a pinkish-mauve; and these were undoubtedly the stamps referred to in the notice, while the darker shades of mauve, or dull violet, are those of later printings.

The Report of the Postmaster-General of Great Britain for 1857 furnishes us with a list of the Postal rates of the Colony in force at the time of the introduction of postage stamps. It says:

“In 1842 and 1851 measures were successively introduced for the establishment of a low rate of postage.

On Letters not exceeding ½ oz. 3d.

Above ½ oz. and not exceeding 1 oz. 6d.

And so on, 3d. being charged for every additional ½ oz.

“There is an additional charge of 1d. (1½ currency?) each on Letters delivered at St. John and Fredericton, the only places where letter carriers are employed.

“Newspapers are conveyed free.

“On Books, &c., the charge is as follows, prepayment being compulsory:

For a single volume, not exceeding ½ lb. in weight 7½d.

Above ½ lb. and not exceeding 1 lb. 1s. 3d.

Above 1 lb. and not exceeding 2 lbs. 2s. 6d.

And so on, according to the English scale of weight.”

Mr. John Howe held the position of Postmaster-General until May 30th, 1856, when an Act came into force which made the office a political one. Mr. Francis M’Phelim was then appointed in his place, and Mr. Howe became Postmaster of the city of St. John on June 12th in that year. Mr. F. M’Phelim resigned office on June 8th, 1857, and was succeeded by Mr. John Mercer Johnson, jun. The latter resigned on November 2nd, 1858, when Mr. Charles Connell took office. Mr. Connell resigned on May 19th, 1860, and was succeeded by Mr. James Steadman. Mr. A. S. Phair was the Postmaster of Fredericton during these and several future years. Mr. Stephen J. King is the present Inspector of Post-offices, and Mr. E. Willis the Postmaster at St. John. As many collectors are aware, all three stamps of the first issue are found cut in two, diagonally, and used for half their original values. The Three Pence is also known cut in half, parallel to one of the sides of the stamp; and the Six Pence exists divided into four equal triangular pieces, each part being used as a Three Halfpenny stamp, in conjunction with a whole Six Penny, to make up the postal rate of 7½d. I have been unable to find any official notice in The Royal Gazette authorizing the use of any of these mutilated stamps; but an interesting article, published in The Philatelic Record for October, 1886, clearly shows the reason for the bisection of the Three Pence. As the article points out, no half specimen of this value is known used by itself, but the variety is always found obliterated in connection with other Three Pennies or a Six Penny stamp. The paper then goes on to say the half stamp was used to make up the letter rate to England, which was 6d. sterling the ½ ounce, equal to 7½d. currency, or for letters forwarded viâ the United States and British Packet, 8d. sterling, equal to 10d. currency. I have found out that the former rate was in existence on May 1st, 1856, and it had probably been in use some time previous to that date. The latter rate came into operation on January 1st, 1857. Besides the letter rates to England, we learn from the following notice, published in The Royal Gazette for September 16th, 1857, that two of the new rates on Pamphlets, mentioned therein, could only be made up by using half the Three Penny stamp with some of the other values.

“NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC.

“On and after the first day of October next the following will be the rates on Pamphlets sent from New Brunswick to Great Britain, viâ Halifax; viz.:

For a Packet, not exceeding 4 ounces in weight, 3d. Sterling, 4d. Currency.

For a Packet exceeding 4 ounces and not exceeding half a pound, 6d.

Sterling, 7½d. Currency.

For a Packet exceeding half a pound and not exceeding one pound, 1s.

Sterling, 1s. 3d. Currency.

For a Packet exceeding one pound and not exceeding one pound and a

half, 1s. 6d. Sterling, 1s. 10½d. Currency.

For a Packet exceeding one pound and a half and not exceeding two

pounds, 2s. Sterling, 2s. 6d. Currency.

And so on, increasing seven pence halfpenny Currency for every additional half pound or fraction of half pound. From the same date printed or Lithographed Letters may be sent like other printed matter under the Regulations of the Colonial Book Post.

“(Signed) J. M. Johnson, Jr., Postmaster-General.

“General Post Office, F’ton, 11th Sept., 1857.”

There is no stipulation that the above rates must necessarily be prepaid, and I have no doubt from the following notice, which was published in the British Postal Guide for October 1st, 1859, that correspondence between the United Kingdom and all the North American Colonies was frequently forwarded either wholly or only partly prepaid from both sides.

“NOVA SCOTIA, NEW BRUNSWICK, AND NEWFOUNDLAND.

“Letters for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, if posted unpaid, or insufficiently prepaid, are now charged on delivery with a fine of 6d. each in addition to the postage.”

A similar notice had previously appeared in the Postal Guide with reference to Canada, and one was published later on in connection with letters for Prince Edward Island.

This addition of a fine of 6d. upon unpaid or insufficiently prepaid letters would naturally cause senders to be anxious to see their correspondence properly stamped, and consequently a good many more cut stamps would be required after the appearance of this notice, which no doubt was published in New Brunswick the same as in this country. We should therefore expect to find a greater number of half Three Pennys postmarked after October 1st, 1859, than previously to that date. As regards the bisection of the Six Pence and One Shilling values, there was not the same raison d’être; but the varieties are probably due to one or perhaps both of these causes: (a) The public seeing the Three Pence was allowed to be used in this way, may have concluded the two other stamps might be similarly employed, and not having the value by them they required at the moment, manufactured it out of either the Six Pence or One Shilling. (b) Or it may be that certain Post-offices fell short of Three Penny and Six Penny stamps, and issued the halves of the two higher values provisionally until a fresh supply of the required value was obtained. Whatever was the true cause of these varieties, whether they emanated from the public or were issued in this state by the Post-office, they were certainly allowed by the postal officials to frank correspondence. I can add no further information about the half Three Penny stamp surcharged 1½d., beyond that found in the article in The Philatelic Record, I have already mentioned, and the remarks in a supplementary paper in the number of that journal for January, 1887. I entirely agree with the conclusions the writer comes to; viz., that the authenticity of the surcharge is open to grave doubt, and that in all probability the variety is altogether “bogus.” At the same time the author is perhaps in error when he says the charge for delivering letters in the towns of Fredericton and St. John in 1857 was 1d. each, and not 1½d. It is true the Postmaster-General’s report for that year speaks of 1d. as the sum charged, but we must bear in mind that this is probably 1d. sterling (all the other rates being quoted in this way), which would therefore equal 1¼d. currency, and 1d. would most likely be given in the list as the nearest equivalent for 1½d. currency. Again, the remark “that when the cents issue took place in 1860 no stamp was issued anywhere approaching to the value of 1½d.” is equally applicable to the value 1d., as the Two Cents stamp was, according to the catalogues, not issued until quite the end of the year 1863.

The annexed notice is found in The Royal Gazette for August 3rd, 1859:

“Post Office Department, Fredericton, 6th July, 1859.

“Part 9, Section 2, of Post Office Regulations is repealed, and the following adopted; viz.:

“Printed Books, Periodical Publications or Pamphlets, under sixteen ounces in weight, can be forwarded by Post in New Brunswick at the rate of one half penny per ounce.

“Printed Music will be allowed to pass through Post in New Brunswick under the same Regulations as Pamphlets.

“Printed Circulars, Catalogues, Hand Bills, and Prices Current posted in New Brunswick will be liable to a rate of one half penny each, subject to the following Regulations; viz.:

“The Postage must be prepaid.

“Each must be in a Cover unsealed, or if sealed, open at the end or side; the word ‘Circular,’ ‘Catalogue,’ ‘Hand Bill,’ or ‘Price Current,’ as the case may be, must be written or printed on the face of the Cover; and each Package must weigh under half an ounce.

“Any of the above mentioned, however, coming into New Brunswick by Post from the United States, Canada, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island, will be subject to one half penny Postage, to be collected on delivery, and must be taxed accordingly.

“(Signed) Charles Connell, P.M.G.”

The postage on the above must, I think, have been prepaid in money until the issue of the One Cent stamp in May, 1860; for it is difficult to see how a halfpenny value could have been improvised out of the three stamps then current.

From the following notice, taken from The Royal Gazette for January 19th, 1859, it will be seen New Brunswick was one of the first, perhaps the earliest colony, to start a Parcels Post.

“PARCELS BY POST IN NEW BRUNSWICK.

“From the 1st February next a Parcel, not weighing over Two Pounds, will be conveyed by mail between any of the Post-offices in New Brunswick. They must be prepaid at the following rates by Postage Stamps only:

For any weight not exceeding 1 lb. 1s. 3d.

For any weight over 1 lb., and not exceeding 2 lbs. 2s. 6d.

“(Signed) Charles Connell, Postmaster-General.

“General Post Office, Fredericton, January 12th, 1859.”

I have now exhausted all the new information I have collected concerning the Postage Stamps of New Brunswick, and I have no further particulars to give you about the stamps issued in 1860, beyond what we find mentioned further on in the Society’s list; neither can I add anything to the history of the Five Cents “Connell” stamp so carefully related in the paper reproduced from The Halifax Philatelist. The stamps of this Colony became obsolete on the 27th of May, 1867, upon the formation of the Dominion of Canada.

REFERENCE LIST OF THE PHILATELIC SOCIETY, LONDON.

Issue I. September 6th, 1851.

Three values. Engraved and printed in taille-douce by Messrs. Perkins, Bacon, and Co., of London, on stoutish blue wove paper, varying in colour from deep to pale blue; yellowish gum, imperforate. Design: In the centre, in an octagonal-shaped cartouche, with engine-turned border, is the Royal Crown. Above, below, and on either side, is an eight-rayed star, containing the heraldic flowers of the United Kingdom. The upper and lower have the rose, that on the left the shamrock, and that on the right the thistle, the rose in the lower star being inverted. A curved white line surrounds the stars, the angles formed by which are filled in with floral ornaments; engine-turned background. Reticulated side labels, inscribed with name of Colony in plain Roman capitals; “POSTAGE” in plain block letters, and the value in various type. That on the Three Pence is in plain Roman capitals, and in block letters on the other two values. In the Six Pence both the word “POSTAGE” and the value show a line of colour down the centre of each letter. Plain lozenge in each corner of the stamp, with coloured Arabic numeral of value. Shape, lozenge. (Illustrations 49, 50, 51.)

Upper left border, “NEW;” upper right, “BRUNSWICK;” lower left border, “THREE PENCE,” “SIX PENCE,” “ONE SHILLING;” lower right, “POSTAGE.”

3d., vermilion (shades).

6d., yellow, orange yellow ( ” ).

1s., lilac-mauve, violet ( ” ).

Varieties.—The Three Pence exists upon white paper, but the variety is only due to the discharge of the blue colouring matter from the paper, as the stamp was never printed upon white. Each of the values is met with cut in two, and used as half the value of the stamp so mutilated. The Six Pence is also known divided into four triangular pieces, each quarter being used, in conjunction with a whole Six Pence, to make up the postal rate of 7½d. These bisected stamps were used to prepay the postage rate to the United Kingdom, which in 1857 was reduced to 7½d.; and as there was no stamp of this value in use, recourse had to be made to these varieties. The Three Pence has been seen divided obliquely, and surcharged in red “1½.” The same surcharge is also said to exist in black. Neither of these two stamps has come under the notice of the Society; but from certain remarks contained in two articles, which may be found in The Philatelic Record, vol. viii. pp. 165 and 219, there can be little doubt that the surcharge is “bogus.”

Issue II. May 15th, 1860.

Five values. Engraved and printed in taille-douce by the American Bank Note Company, of New York, on white wove paper; brownish gum; machine perforated 12. The entire sheet of each value contains 100 stamps, arranged in ten rows of ten. There is no engraver’s name found on the margins of the sheets of the four lowest values, but the Seventeen Cents has “American Bank Note Co., New York,” on the edges of the sheet. This value and the Five Cents were not issued until after the other three stamps. Designs: One Cent.—Railway train, within transverse coloured oval band inscribed in white Roman capitals. Small slanting ovals in the upper, and larger upright ovals in the lower corners, with white Arabic numeral of value. Curved octagonal label below, with “CENT” in white Roman capitals. The remainder of the stamp is filled in with fine hatched lines, with border of two plain coloured lines. Five Cents.—Diademed, nearly full-face portrait, of Queen Victoria looking to left, on ground of horizontal lines, within an upright coloured oval, lettered in white Roman capitals. Small slanting ovals in the upper, and larger upright ones in the lower corners, with white Arabic numerals of value. Oblong octagonal label below, with “CENTS” in white Roman capitals. The spandrels are filled in with hatched lines, and two outer lines of colour complete the design. Ten Cents.—Similar to last, but small slanting ovals in the spandrels, with Roman numeral in white. The bottom corners of the stamp contain small octagonal coloured labels, with white Arabic numerals of value. Twelve and a Half Cents.—Steamer sailing to right in transverse oval, lettered with white Roman capitals. Small octagonal labels in the upper, and larger circular ones in the lower corners, containing Arabic numerals of value in white. Beneath the oval is a curved octagonal label with “CENTS” in white Roman capitals. The spandrels are filled in with hatching, and two outer lines of colour complete the design. Seventeen Cents.—Nearly full face portrait of the Prince of Wales in Highland costume looking to right, within a coloured upright oval lettered with white Roman capitals. Small transverse ovals in each corner, with Arabic numerals of value in white. Straight oblong octagonal label below the oval, with “CENTS” in white Roman capitals. Spandrels filled in with hatching, and border of two outer coloured lines. Shapes, small oblong rectangular for the One and Twelve and a Half Cents; small upright rectangular for the other three values. (Illustrations 52, 53, 54, 55, 56.)

T. “NEW BRUNSWICK POSTAGE.” B. “ONE CENT,” “FIVE,” “TEN,” “TWELVE AND A HALF,” “SEVENTEEN CENTS.”

1 c., lilac-brown, reddish-mauve (shades).

5 c., bronze-green, green ( ” ).

10 c., scarlet-vermilion ( ” ).

12½ c., Prussian blue ( ” ).

17 c., black ( ” ).

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.

“‘(Signed)

S. L. Tilley.

P. Mitchell.

A. T. Smith.

Charles Watters.

W. H. Steeves.

David Wark.

“‘Approved May 12, 1860.

“‘(Sgd.) J. H. T. Manners-Sutton.’

“‘(Copy No. 2.)

“Letter from Mr. C. Connell to the Lieut.-Governor.

“‘Sir,—Various circumstances having occurred with reference to the administration of the Government of this Province during the short time that I have had the honor of being one of Your Excellency’s advisers, induce me to address Your Excellency....

“‘Having felt this and other matters for some time past, and at the same time feeling reluctant to take a step that I saw pressing on me, I delayed action; but the recent act of my colleagues in the Government has brought matters to a crisis, the want of that support on their part on a subject in which I believed I was authorized in the action I had taken, as will appear by the following minutes of Council (December, 1858) and correspondence:

“’”Postmaster-General to obtain new postage stamps in One, Five, Ten, and Twelve and a Half Cents.“’

“‘No. 1. Telegraphic Despatch.

“‘The Hon. Charles Connell, Woodstock,—

“‘Just received notice from the Governor that new decimal stamp cannot be issued until approved by Governor in Council. Have seen Hale. Telegraph him. He can put all right.

(Signed), S. L. Tilley.

“‘Fredericton, 27th April, 1860.’

“‘No. 2. Telegraphic Despatch.

“‘The Hon. S. L. Tilley,—

“‘If that is required you can procure the order, as any delay now will make trouble all over the country, as instructions have gone out and all stamps called in.

“‘(Signed), Charles Connell.

“‘Woodstock, 28th April, 1860.’

“‘No. 3. Telegraphic Despatch.

“‘Hon. Charles Connell, Woodstock,—

“‘Cannot get order before Wednesday. Only Attorney-General here. Hale can arrange so as not to cause confusion of instructions.

“‘(Signed), S. L. Tilley.’

“‘No. 4. Telegraphic Despatch.

“‘James Hale, Esq., Fredericton,—

“‘See Mr. Tilley. Let issue of stamps be stayed till Wednesday next.

“‘(Signed), Charles Connell.

“‘Woodstock, 28th April, 1860.’

“‘No. 5. Telegraphic Despatch.

“‘The Hon. S. L. Tilley, Fredericton,—

“‘Have telegraphed Hale to see you. Defer to issue until Wednesday. I may not be able to leave for St. John before this day week. Telegraph me as soon as order is made. Thought order was made at time I was authorized to procure new stamps.

(Signed), Charles Connell.

“‘Woodstock, 28th April, 1860.’

“‘No. 6. Telegraphic Despatch.

“‘The Hon. Charles Connell,—

“‘All right. Desirable that all should be at St. John by Thursday next, if possible.

(Signed), S. L. Tilley.

“‘Fredericton, 28th April, 1860.’

“‘No. 7. Telegraphic Despatch.

“‘The Hon. Charles Connell, Woodstock,—

“‘Shall postage stamps be detained, and Deputies ordered to retain old ones until further orders?

(Signed), James Hale.

“‘Fredericton, 28th April, 1860.’

“‘No. 8. Telegraphic Despatch.

“‘The Hon. Charles Connell, Woodstock—

“‘Contractors here promised full Council to consider claims. Your presence necessary Thursday evening at furthest.

(Signed), S. L. Tilley.

“‘St. John, May 2nd, 1860.’

“The Council met as was agreed upon, and disapproved of Mr. Connell’s Five Cents, brown; and the following is their recommendation to the Lieut.-Governor:

“‘(Copy.)

“‘To His Excellency the Hon. J. A. T. Manners-Sutton, Lieut.-Governor—

“‘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.

“‘(Signed),

S. L. Tilley.

A. J. Smith.

W. H. Steeves.

P. Mitchell.

Charles Watters.

David Wark.

“‘May 8th, 1860.’

“‘(Copy.)

“‘Letter to Hon. Charles Connell from the Provincial Secretary.

“‘Sir,—I am directed by His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor to request you to distribute the One, Ten, and Twelve and a Half Cent postage stamps procured by you, and to direct you to take the necessary steps to have struck off a Five Cent stamp, bearing the likeness of the Queen, for future distribution.

“‘I have, &c., &c.,

“‘(Signed), S. L. Tilley.

“‘The Hon. C. Connell, &c.’

“‘(Copy).

“‘Post Office Department, 15th May, 1860.

“‘Sir,—I am in receipt of your favour informing me that you have been desired by his Excellency the Lieut.-Governor to request that I would distribute the One, Ten, and Twelve and a Half Cent postage stamps procured by me, and to take steps to procure a Five Cent stamp for future distribution. You will inform his Excellency that I was authorised, by Minutes of Council in December last, to procure a One, Five, Ten, and Twelve and a Half Cent postage stamp, and that all these denominations are now in the office of this Department ready for distribution.

I have, &c., &c.,

“‘(Signed), Charles Connell.

“‘The Hon. S. L. Tilley.’

“‘(Copy).

“‘Secretary’s Office, 17th May, 1860.

“‘Sir,—I have laid before his Excellency the Lieut.-Governor your letter of the 15th inst., relative to the distribution of postage stamps, and I am directed to inform you that he has referred it for the consideration of his Council.

“‘I have, &c., &c.,

“‘(Signed), S. L. Tilley.

“‘The Hon. C. Connell, &c., &c.’

“‘I have felt it my duty to lay before your Excellency this correspondence, together with the Minute of Council, and have no desire to make any comment thereon, as I think it will speak for itself.

“‘I may remark, however, that I cannot discover by that correspondence—No. 1 to 8—that it was the intention to withdraw from me that support in the action I had taken in procuring the postage stamps as authorized by the Minute in Council referred to.

“‘My administration of the Post Office Department is before the public, and it is for them to say whether it is satisfactory or not.

“‘I think I may state with certainty that the revenues of the Department will be reduced by the recent action of the Government, as I made arrangements for the delivery and sale of postage stamps at every Post-office and Way-office throughout the Province on the 1st May. I do not intend that the legitimate authority belonging to the Chief of that Department shall be limited or circumscribed while I have the honour of being at its head.

“‘After a very careful and deliberate review of the whole matter, under all the circumstances, I believe that my continuance in office would not be beneficial to the Department.

“‘Holding the opinions that I have submitted to your Excellency, I feel that I cannot, consistently with the duty I owe to my constituents and the public, continue longer to hold an office and position as one of your Excellency’s advisers in opposition to my views on public duty. I therefore respectfully beg to submit to your Excellency my resignation of the office of Postmaster-General, and as one of your Excellency’s advisers; and further request your Excellency’s permission to publish and give my reasons for so doing, and the correspondence connected therewith.

I have, &c., &c.,

“‘Charles Connell.

“‘His Excellency the Hon. J. H. T. Manners-Sutton, &c., &c.’

“(Copy No. 3.)

“Memorandum of the Lieut.-Governor to Mr. Connell.

“‘Government House, Fredericton, May 19th, 1860.

“‘His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor accepts Mr. Connell’s resignation of the office of Postmaster-General and Executive Councillor, and he accedes to Mr. Connell’s request to be so far relieved from the obligations of his oath of office as will enable him to explain the grounds on which he has tendered his resignation to his Excellency.

“‘His Excellency will of course deem it right to communicate to his Council the contents of Mr. Connell’s letter to his Excellency of this day’s date.

“‘(Signed), J. H. T. Manners-Sutton.

“‘Mr. Charles Connell, M.P.P., &c.’

“(Copy No. 4.)

“Memorandum for the Executive Council.

“‘His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor thinks it right without delay to lay before his Council the accompanying copy of a letter addressed to his Excellency by Mr. Connell.

“‘His Excellency has accepted Mr. Connell’s resignation of the office of Postmaster-General and Executive Councillor, tendered to him this morning by Mr. Connell.

“‘(Signed), J. H. T. Manners-Sutton.

“‘May 19th, 1860.’

“(Copy No. 5.)

“Memorandum of the Executive Council in Committee.

“‘To His Excellency the Hon. J. H. T. Manners-Sutton, Lieut.-Governor, &c.

“‘May it please your Excellency,—

“‘We have had under consideration the memorandum of your Excellency of the 19th instant, accompanied with the letter from the Postmaster-General, resigning his office and his seat in the Council, with the reasons he has assigned therefor.

“‘Knowing from the discussions with Mr. Connell that he was prepared to retain his office and seat in the Council, if an order was made to issue the stamps procured by him, including the stamp bearing the likeness of the head of the department, we are therefore justified in concluding that the Minute of Council of the 8th instant, in which your Excellency was advised to approve of, and order to be distributed the One, Ten, and Twelve and a Half Cent Postage Stamps procured by the Postmaster-General, and to order a new 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, is, notwithstanding the other reasons assigned by him, the real ground of his resignation.

“‘Without entering into the discussion of the powers of the different heads of departments, we observe that we have no desire to limit or circumscribe the legitimate authority of the Postmaster-General, or of the head of any other public department, and in advising your Excellency upon this question, we have not desired nor attempted to do so, as by the Act relating to the Post Office the approval of the Governor in Council is required to the issue of Postage Stamps.

“‘Your Excellency is aware that no such order was made by your Excellency in Council, authorizing the obtaining or issuing of the stamps. We admit the Postmaster-General had the consent of his colleagues to obtain decimal stamps, but they were procured and being distributed before they were submitted to your Excellency in Council for approval, or before the impress they bore was known to the Council, and when submitted it was the opinion of the Council that the Five Cent stamp should bear the likeness of Her Majesty....

“‘We cannot discern how the Revenue of the Post Office Department will be affected by the action of the Government; that must depend upon the extent of individual correspondence, and we do not believe that there will be a single letter less written in consequence of such action.

“‘As Mr. Connell has obtained your Excellency’s permission to publish his letter to your Excellency, we respectfully request your Excellency will authorize the publication of this reply.

“‘(Signed),

Charles Fisher,

James Brown,

S. L. Tilley,

W. H. Steeves,

A. T. Smith,

D. Wark,

Chas. Watters,

P. Mitchell.’

“(Copy No. 6.)

“Memorandum for the Executive Council.

“‘His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor has received the memorandum of the Executive Council in Committee, in which they submit to his Excellency their observations on Mr. Connell’s letter to his Excellency of the 19th instant.

“‘The Lieut.-Governor accedes to the request of his Council to be permitted to publish this document.

“‘(Signed) J. H. T. Manners-Sutton.

“‘May 22nd, 1860.’

“(Copy No. 7.)

“Memorandum for the Executive Council.

“‘His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor lays before the Executive Council a copy of a communication dated May 30th, 1860, which his Excellency has received from Mr. Charles Connell respecting his recent resignation of his seat at the Council Board, and the office of Postmaster-General.

“‘(Signed) J. H. T. Manners-Sutton.

“‘June 2nd, 1860.’

“(Copy No. 8.)

“Letter from Mr. C. Connell to the Lieut.-Governor.

“‘To His Excellency the Hon. J. H. T. Manners-Sutton, Lieut.-Governor, &c., &c.

“‘Sir,—In the Royal Gazette of the 23rd instant appears a memoranda without date, signed by your Excellency’s advisers, and addressed to your Excellency, in which is reviewed a correspondence, which I had the honour to submit to your Excellency on the 19th instant. The subject-matter of that correspondence must be discussed at the proper time in another place; but as there are several points urged in the memoranda of your advisers calculated to create a false impression with reference to my reasons for resigning my place at the Council Board, I am induced to trouble your Excellency with this rejoinder.

“‘1.—In the memoranda under notice it is intimated that the real reason of my resignation was the refusal of my colleagues in the Government to advise your Excellency to issue the Five Cent Postage Stamp. This statement I must unhesitatingly declare to be incorrect, and if evidence is wanting to prove the contrary, I can refer to the Attorney-General, Provincial Secretary, and the Hon. Mr. Wark, who were present at a meeting of Council on Tuesday, the 10th April, on which occasion, on account of circumstances which then and there took place, I stated that “I could not sit with men who acted as they did.”

“‘I am well aware that the law reads: “The Governor in Council may cause stamps with their value thereon to be sold and issued as postage.” The Minute of Council made in December last, if not perfected by the Attorney-General, whose duty it was to do so, cannot be regarded as my fault. I have fulfilled my duty, and did what I supposed I was fully authorized to do. At all events I have violated no law, and in the memorandum under consideration it is admitted that I had the consent of my colleagues to obtain the decimal stamps....

“‘7.—As to the revenues of the Postal Department, at the end of the year when the returns are made up, the public will be able to arrive at a correct judgment.

“‘I have, &c. &c.,

“‘(Signed) Charles Connell.

“‘Woodstock, 30th May, 1860.’

“(Copy No. 9.)

“Memorandum of the Executive Council in Committee.

“‘To His Excellency the Hon. J. H. T. Manners-Sutton, Lieut.-Governor, &c.

“‘May it please your Excellency,—

“‘The Committee of Council have had under consideration your Excellency’s memorandum of the 2nd instant, accompanied with a second letter from the late Postmaster-General, intended as a reply to our communication to your Excellency of the 23rd ultimo.

“‘We are convinced that in the preparation of both the papers submitted to your Excellency by Mr. Connell, he has been influenced more by a desire to avoid the discussion of the real ground of his resignation than to represent accurately the policy and acts of his late colleagues in the Government....

“‘In our former memorandum we stated to your Excellency that Mr. Connell had the consent of his colleagues to procure Decimal Postal Stamps, and we again assert that the Council were kept in total ignorance of the design upon the Five Cent stamps until after they were struck off and put in circulation....

“‘Mr. Connell having published his second letter to your Excellency, we respectfully request your Excellency will authorize the publication of this our reply.

“‘(Signed)

Charles Fisher,

A. T. Smith,

James Brown,

David Wark,

S. L. Tilley,

Charles Watters,

W. H. Steeves,

Peter Mitchell.

“‘Council Chamber, 5th June, 1860.’

“(Copy No. 10.)

“Memorandum for the Executive Council.

“‘His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor has received the memorandum, dated the 5th instant, of the Executive Council in Committee, and in accordance with their request he sanctions the publication of this document.

“‘(Signed) J. H. T. Manners-Sutton.

“‘June 6th, 1860.’

“(Copy No. 11.)

“Memorandum for the Executive Council.

“‘His Excellency the Lt.-Governor lays before the Executive Council a copy of a further communication, dated June 15th, 1860, which His Excellency has received from Mr. C. Connell, respecting his recent resignation of his seat at the Council Board, and of the office of Postmaster-General.

“‘(Sgd.) J. H. T. Manners-Sutton.

“‘June 15th, 1860.’”

“(Copy No. 12.)

“Letter from Mr. C. Connell to the Lt.-Governor.

“‘To His Excellency The Hon. J. H. T. Manners-Sutton, Lt.-Gov., &c., &c.

“‘Sir,—The Royal Gazette of the 6th inst. contains a memorandum intended as a reply to my letter of the 30th ult. to your Excellency, in which your advisers exhibit a great anxiety to impress on the mind of your Excellency that the only cause of my resignation of the office of Postmaster-General was the refusal of the Council to advise your Excellency to order the issue of the Five Cent stamps. I have in my previous letters to your Excellency stated some of the many reasons forming the basis of my conclusion to resign, and to repeat that I was not influenced in my course altogether by the stamp question I consider unnecessary, that matter merely having had the effect of bringing my previous intention to its fulfilment, for sooner or later my resignation must have been tendered. I will however say, that the usage I did receive at the hands of my colleagues, in reference to the stamps, would have been sufficient to cause such action as I took upon the premises.

“‘The correspondence between myself and the Provincial Secretary, with reference to the issue of the Postage Stamps, laid before your Excellency, either has not had a careful perusal, or else they are in ignorance of the meaning conveyed by such correspondence.

“‘I was first authorized to procure the stamps, and stated on the floor of the House in March last that ‘I had ordered, and would receive in time for distribution on the 1st of May, stamps of the denomination of One, Five, Ten, and Twelve and a Half Cent, in view of the introduction of the decimal system of currency.’ They arrived, and preparations for their issue at the appointed time were made by the Department, supposing that any further orders were unnecessary, until I received the telegram from the Provincial Secretary, and subsequent interference on the parts of your advisers, in what was a mere matter of detail, became apparent. An order to issue all but Five Cent stamps was made, thus setting aside my power and right to conduct even a minor arrangement of the Department. After having procured, by the knowledge and consent of the Government, stamps of various denominations, my position as head of a department was ignored. Even if this was the only circumstance influencing me, my course was the only honourable one to pursue.

“‘I have the honour to be,

“‘Your Excellency’s most obedient servant,

“‘Charles Connell.’

“This finishes this most remarkable correspondence and chapter in the postal history of New Brunswick.

“A careful reading and consideration of the letters here given will show the impossibility of there ever having been any of the Connell stamps used to pay the postage of a letter, although an inference to the contrary may be drawn from Nos. 5 and 9, being the letters of the Executive Council, but this is due I think to loose writing, or probably meaning that they were in the hands of the Post Office Department for distribution. Against this we see the telegrams to Connell forbidding the issue, three days before they were to start sending them to postmasters, and his telegram to Hale, the Secretary of the Post Office Department of N. B., at Fredericton, forbidding him to send out any of the stamps. In my opinion the Connell is undoubtedly not a postage stamp, but a rare essay only. As a fitting end to this I may add the official account of the money paid for the making of the Cent issue of New Brunswick.

NAME. PARTICULARS. AMOUNT. AMOUNT.

£ s. d. £. s. d.

Engraving plate for “One Cent” Postage Stamps 25 0 0

Printing 2000 sheets ” ” 12 15 0 37 15 0

Engraving plate for “Five Cent” (Connell) do. 25 0 0

Printing 5000 sheets ” ” ” 31 15 0 56 15 0

Engraving plate for “Ten Cent” ” 25 0 0

Printing 2000 sheets ” ” 12 10 0 37 10 0

Engraving plate for “Twelve & Half Cent” ” 25 0 0

Printing 4000 sheets ” ” ” 25 0 0 50 0 0

Engraving plate for “Seventeen Cent” ” 25 0 0

Printing 1000 sheets ” ” 6 5 0 31 5 0

Engraving plate for “Five Cent” ” 25 0 0

Printing 5000 sheets ” ” 31 5 0 56 5 0

£268 15 0

“This was for the first lot sent. There were, however, several other supplies got before the confederation of the British North American Provinces.

“Donald A. King.”

Issue III. May (?), 1863.

One value.—Engraved and printed by the American Bank Note Co. of New York, upon white wove paper; brownish gum, machine-perforated 12. The entire sheet consists of one hundred stamps, arranged in ten rows of ten; and the name of the engravers appears in the margins of the sheet. Design: The same portrait of the Queen as in the Five Cents of the last issue, in a somewhat larger oval. Upright coloured ovals in each corner, containing Arabic numeral of value in white. The remainder of the stamp is filled in with arabesques. Shape, small upright rectangular. (Illustration 58.)

T. “NEW BRUNSWICK POSTAGE.” B. “TWO CENTS.”

2 c., orange (shades).