“I determined to turn the matter up on the first possible occasion, and see if the dates were in reality correct.
“On enquiring at the Provincial Secretary’s office in Halifax, I found that all records of the Nova Scotian Post Office Department had, at the confederation of the British North American provinces, been transferred to Ottawa. However, through the kindness of the Hon. W. S. Fielding, the Provincial Secretary, I found in the legislative library the yearly reports of the Postmaster-General of the province for the years previous to confederation. Starting with 1857—the supposed date of issue—I found that postage stamps were regularly mentioned in all parts of the Departmental accounts.
“It was the same in 1856, 1855, and 1854. A person would imagine from the way the accounts read that stamps had been used for twenty years previous.
“In the Reports dated January 7th, 1854 (being the work for 1853), I found an item of information which is not given in any catalogue. It is as follows:
“‘ONE PENNY postage stamps having recently been received from London and put into circulation are now to be had in nearly every Post-office in Nova Scotia.
“‘There are at present stamps for One Shilling, Six Pence, Three Pence, and One Penny; and the public have thus every facility afforded them to prepay their letters to any place to which stamps can free them. His Excellency’s Government having at considerable outlay introduced into the country the system of prepayment by stamps, it is a subject of gratulation that the public at large are beginning to feel and appreciate their convenience and advantages, a much larger amount having been issued from my office during the past than the previous year, being an increase of over 25 per cent., as will be seen by reference to Report I.’
“Thus finding that the One Penny had not been issued till some time after the other values were, I then turned to the Report dated January 2nd, 1853 (being the report for the year 1852), in which he says:
“‘Postage stamps valued at One Shilling, Six Pence, and Three Pence have been procured from Trelayney Saunders, Esq., stationer, of London, and supplied to stationers, postmasters, merchants, and others at a discount of 5 per cent. allowed on sums of £5 and upwards. During the past year there have been issued from my office postage stamps to the value of £355 2s. 6d. This is a much smaller circulation than was anticipated at the time of their introduction into the provinces, the public generally, I apprehend, not yet clearly understanding their use, nor appreciating their advantages.