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 L300 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 L3000.
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:--
Hugh Finlay, Esq., Deputy Postmaster General Quebec, L. C.
Wm. E. Edwards, Postmaster Montreal, "
Samuel Sills, " Three Rivers, "
Louis Aime, " Berthier, "
Hugh Munroe, " Bai edes Chaleurs, "
Samuel Anderson, " Cornwall, U. C.
John Munroe, " Matilda, "
John Jones, " Augusta, "
Peter Clarke, " Kingston, "
Joseph Edwards, " Niagara, "
George Leitch, " Detroit, "
---- Mitchell " Mickelmackinac, "
There were thus five post offices in Lower Canada, and seven post
offices in Upper Canada.
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,--
Caldwell,
Mohawk,
Oneida, and
Speedy.
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 <i>Upper Canada Gazette</i>, 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:
"Monday, 14th January.
"Monday, 12th February.
"Monday, 10th March.
"Monday, 7th April--the last trip.
"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,
<i>via</i> 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."
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 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 <i>Mercury</i>, 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 <i>Courant</i>, 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
<i>Colonial Advocate</i>, 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:--
"POST RIDER WANTED IMMEDIATELY.
"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 <i>via</i> 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 1/2 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.
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 1853. In 1857.
Quebec to Windsor 10-1/2 days. 49 hours.
" London 9 " 45 "
" Hamilton 8 " 42 "
" Niagara 8 " 50 "
" Guelph 9 " 51 "
" Toronto 7 " 40 "
" Cobourg 6 " 36 "
" Belleville 5 " 34 "
" Kingston 4 " 31 "
" Brockville 3 " 29 "
" Ottawa 3 " 24 "
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.
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.
-----+------+--------+-----------+-----------+---------+----------+----------+
Year.| A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
-----+------+--------+-----------+-----------+---------+----------+----------+
1851 | 601 | 7595 | 2,487,000 | 2,132,000 | | | |
1852 | 840 | 8618 | 2,930,000 | 3,700,000 | ... | $230,629 | $276,191 |
1853 | 1016 | 9122 | 3,430,000 | 4,250,000 | ... | 278,587 | 298,723 |
1854 | 1166 | 10,027 | 4,000,000 | 5,100,000 | ... | 320,000 | 361,447 |
1855 | 1293 | 11,192 | 4,550,000 | 6,000,000 | ... | 368,166 | 449,726 |
1856 | 1375 | 11,839 | 4,800,000 | 7,000,000 | 350,000 | 374,295 | 486,880 |
1857 | 1506 | 13,253 | 5,383,000 | 8,500,000 | 450,000 | 462,163 | 522,570 |
1858 | 1566 | 13,000 | 5,520,000 | 9,000,000 | 450,000 | 541,153 | 546,374 |
1859 | 1638 | 13,871 | 5,604,000 | 8,500,000 | 400,000 | 578,426 | 529,290 |
1860 | 1698 | 14,202 | 5,712,000 | 9,000,000 | 480,000 | 658,451 | 534,681 |
1861 | 1775 | 14,608 | 5,855,000 | 9,400,000 | 400,000 | 698,888 | 560,132 |
-----+------+--------+-----------+-----------+---------+----------+----------+
Of the 9,400,000 letters passing by post in 1861, the seven cities
supplied 4,250,000; as follows:--
Quebec 1,000,000
Montreal 1,400,000
Kingston 210,000
Ottawa 160,000
Toronto 900,000
Hamilton 350,000
London 230,000
Of the gross receipts collected in 1861, $628,000 was derived from
letter postage, and $70,000 from postage on newspapers.
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.