. A
regular post was established in 1801 between Quebec and York (Toronto)
under a guarantee of this kind. The colonists naturally wished to have
some controlling voice in the administration; but the Deputy, holding
office under the Imperial authorities, was not bound to concede to them
any rights over the administration of the service, however great sums
they might pay towards its maintenance--a situation which was sure to
lead to difficulties. Whether or not serious trouble occurred depended
in large degree on the character of the Deputy.[110] In later years
there was considerable friction and much irritation on the part of the
colonists.

In Nova Scotia the system of grants in aid was developed to an even
greater extent than in Upper Canada. When Sir George Provost became
Governor in 1808, there were only five post offices in Nova
Scotia--Halifax, Windsor, Horton, Annapolis, and Digby--and they were
all on the line of the Quebec post. Sir George was anxious for an
extension of the posts on military rather than general grounds, and he
asked the postmaster of Halifax, John Howe, to establish several new
routes. Howe was inclined to favour the projected posts, but Heriot
realized that they could not be expected to yield a revenue equal to
their cost, and he informed the Governor that his instructions from
England prevented compliance with the request. Sir George Provost
thereupon induced the Legislature to appropriate a sufficient sum for
the establishment of the posts. The Governors of New Brunswick and
Prince Edward Island followed this example, with the result that a large
part of the Post Office establishment in these provinces was outside the
jurisdiction of the Imperial authorities.

This development is noteworthy. It has always been found in Canada that
for a large part of the country the circumstances are such that a postal
service adequate to the necessities of the inhabitants cannot be
self-supporting, but the Legislature has never hesitated to make grants
from general taxation in order to provide means of communication. In the
early days the question of post office communication was intimately
bound up with the question of general means of communication, and was
usually treated in connection with the making or maintenance of roads.
For a long period the posts in Canada were maintained not solely for the
transmission of letters, but to a great extent on account of collateral
advantages. They were largely mil