Canada. Post Office Department

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ A large number of obvious printer’s errors have been corrected, mostly around punctuation and accents, but more or less no attempt has been made to standardise the varying spelling of the names of people and places. ”

“ Argenteuil, Bagot, Beauharnois, Berthier, Brome, Chambly, Chateauguay, Compton, Drummond, except township of Kingsey, Hochelaga, Huntingdon, Iberville, Jacques Cartier, Joliette, Laprairie, L’Assomption, Laval, Maskinongé, Missisquoi, Montcalm, Montreal (city) , Napierville, Richelieu, Richmond, except townships of Cleveland and Shipton, Rouville, St. Hyacinthe, St. John’s, St. Maurice, Shefford, Sherbrooke (town) , Soulanges, Stanstead, Terrebonne, Three Rivers (city) , Two Mountains, Vaudreuil, Verchères, Yamaska. KINGSTON DIVISION.— (Province of Ontario.) ”

“ The postage to be collected on Newspapers for the Sandwich Islands is two cents for each paper, and an additional charge of one cent for each two ounces weight or fraction thereof, thus, on a single paper weighing three ounces, collect four cents. ”

“ 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.
Canada, B. N. America, and United States.
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.
United Kingdom.
Book packets are forwarded by post from Canada to the United Kingdom, and vice versâ, by Canadian Steamers only, at the following rates:—
Scale of charge. ”

“ Russell (Ont.) NOVA SCOTIA DIVISION. Annapolis, Antigonish, Cape Breton, Colchester, Cumberland, Digby, Guysboro’, Halifax, Hants, Inverness, Kings, Lunenburg, Pictou, Queen’s, Richmond, Shelburne, Victoria, Yarmouth. NEW BRUNSWICK DIVISION. Albert, Carleton, Charlotte, Gloucester, Kent, King’s, Northumberland, Queen’s, Restigouche, St. John (city and county) , St. John (city) , Sunbury, Victoria, Westmoreland, York. QUEBEC DIVISION.— (Province of Quebec.) Arthabaska, Beauce, Bellechasse, Bonaventure, Champlain, Charlevoix, Chicoutimi & Saguenay, Dorchester, Drummond, township of Kingsey only. ”

“ Hamilton De Ramsay De Ramsay Joliette James Read Dereham Dereham Oxford, S. R. Lachlen McLean Derry, West Toronto Peel William McClare Deschambault Deschambault Portneuf François Hamelin Devizes London Middlesex, S. R. B. Armstrong Devon Usborne Huron Stephen Walsh Dewittville Huntingdon Joseph Oliver Dexter Yarmouth Elgin, E. R. Wm. Teetzel Dickinson’s Landing Oznabruck Stormont William Colquhoun Dingle Grey Huron Wm. ”

“ Eliza Fisk Aberarder Plympton Lambton D. McBean Abercorn Sutton Brome Benjamin Seaton Aberfoyle Puslinch Wellington, S. R. S. Falconbridge Abingdon Caistor Lincoln Thomas Pearson Acton Esquesing Halton J. Matthews Acton Vale Acton Bagot A. Quintin dit Dubois Adamsville Farnham Brome George Adams Adare Biddulph Huron William Clarke Addison Elizabethtown Town of Brockville Coleman Lewis Adelaide Adelaide Middlesex, W. R. John S. Hoare Admaston Admaston Renfrew Arch. ”

“ 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 to receive letters en route.
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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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.
Receipt required on Delivery.
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.
Post office not responsible for loss. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Orders on Canada issued in Malta and Gibraltar.
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.
Exemption from juries, inquests, and militia.
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 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 1⁄2 oz., which may either be pre-paid or not, at the option of the sender. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 ”

“ 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. ”

“ CANADIAN POSTAL GUIDE. Rules and Regulations. OFFICERS.
Age.
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. ”