ngland, and semi-weekly
between Quebec and Montreal, or Halifax. At Baie des Chaleurs the visits
of the postman must, we conclude, have been few and far between, as they
were only favored with a mail "as occasion offered".
In 1800, Mr. George Heriot succeeded Mr. Finlay. At this time Prince
Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were all under the
authority of the Canadian administration.
The following is taken from the advertising column of the _Upper Quebec
Gazette_, printed in 1807:--
The mail for Upper Canada will be dispatched from the post-office
at Montreal, on the following days, to wit:
Monday, 14th January.
Monday, 12th February.
Monday, 12th 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, via
Messrs. Hatts', where the Sandwich (co. Essex) 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 any time by
W. ALLAN,
Acting Deputy Postmaster.
Mr. Heriot resigned in 1816, and was succeeded by Mr. D. Sutherland,
who, on his accession to office, found Nova Scotia and Prince Edward
Island wholly withdrawn from the Canada charge. New Brunswick, however,
continued to be included in it. This appears also to have been withdrawn
in 1824, so that from that date until just lately, we have to do with
Canada proper.
In 1827 there were 101 post-offices, and 2,368 miles of established
post-route. The number of miles of mail-travel was 455,000. The letters
that year were estimated at 340,000, and newspapers, 400,000. From the
Canadian Postmaster-General's report for 1865, now lying before us, we
find the number of letters had increased to 12,000,000; the miles of
annual mail-travel was 6,350,000, the mails being carried regularly over
1,931 miles of railway route.
The following extract from the _Quebec Mercury_, published on July 18,
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 fou
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