nd a large
addition is soon to be made to keep pace with the rapid growth of
the city. Letters were an expensive luxury in the early days, as
this table of rates will show: To send a half ounce letter to Great
Britain cost 34c., British North American provinces 20c., France
50c., Germany 40c., Holland 57c., Norway 56c., Portugal 68c., Sweden
52c., and San Francisco 15c. Most of the letters from the latter
place were received by Wells Fargo's express, and cost, I think, 3c.,
and special charge of 25c. on each letter. I have already described
the receipt of Wells Fargo's express from Esquimalt in the early
times, and how John Parker, now of Metchosin, used to meet the
steamer at Esquimalt. When she was expected their messenger, whose
name was Miller, and a colored man, used to watch from Church Hill,
and on her being sighted at Race Rocks the express flag was hoisted
in front of their office on Yates Street to let the citizens know the
fact. Before the steamer made a landing the letter-bags were thrown
ashore to John Parker, and fastened on his horse, then off he
galloped to Victoria, the horse being covered with sweat on arrival
at the express office, where the letters were called off by Colonel
Pendergast, or Major Gillingham, to a crowded audience.

On the death of Mr. Wootton, I believe Mr. Robert Wallace was the
next to fill the position, which he did for some years. When he
retired he went to his former home in Scotland. On his retirement the
position was offered to the present incumbent, Mr. Noah Shakespeare,
who so ably fills it. I might say, to show the growth of the
post-office in this city since Mr. Wootton's time, when he with two
assistants carried on the work, that to-day the staff, including
letter-carriers, numbers forty-eight.

The registered parcels and letters for last year were just twice the
year before, with a large increase in money orders, and to show the
large increase in letters in one evening at Christmas, twelve
thousand were received and cancelled in the post-office.

In conclusion I would ask, were not letters which cost 34c. postage
in those days more appreciated than a lot of letters now at 2c. each?
It is the old story over again, that a thing easy to get is thought
little of.

I might say this article was written in May, 1908, and at the present
writing, December, 1911, the volume of business of the Victoria
post-office has increased nearly fifty per cent.--that is, in three
years.