The History of the Post Office in British North America

Extension of colonial postal service to Canada-

enable the older British colonists to correspond with the mo

Before either Frenchman or Englishman came to America, the Indian tribes, dwelling on the stretch of land which lies between the waters running south and those running north, passed and repassed over this natural

n the route within its territory indicate their conviction that th

ravelled by vessel. The first long stretch on the journey from New York to Montreal was that between New York and Albany. This part of the trip was made in one of the sloops, which were employed by the merchants of Albany to

f the river, where it made a sharp turn to the west. At fort Edward there was a choice of routes, one leading directly north

inconvenience of a portage. Lake Champlain offered an uninterrupted course to St. John's in Canada, from which point there was a pleasant trip by c

s of the St. Lawrence and its tributaries. Travellers between Montreal and Quebec taking the river passage were wont to declare tha

anada. Beyond that point settlement rather straggled on to Murray Bay. On the south shore from Levis eastward, the census of 1765 showed a population of over te

rom Montreal to Quebec and, what was unique in America at the time, there was a regular line of post

t, which was usually about nine miles distant, his obligation being to have the horse and carriage rea

ec was completed in 1734,[66] the post road system was at once established upon it. It was a convenience which cost the government nothing, the habitant who was appointed ma?tre de poste

f the British forces, issued new commissions to the ma?tres de poste, and fixed the rate at which they should be paid for their service

nities for securing the elements of education, which did not fall in the way of the young men, and with the instinct for graceful expression, which is nature's endowment to French women, it is probable that many letters came from this class. From the towns, however, there would be a relatively large correspondence. Although the populations of Quebec and Montreal were less than that of many of our country towns, and Three Rivers would not bear comparison in that respect with many villages, the social life in these towns was on a high plane. From Charlevoix to Montcalm, every visitor to Canada expressed his astonishment at the refinement and even elegance which he found in the towns. This society, with its seigneurs, military officers, clergy and civil service, would beyond doubt have an extensive correspondence with friends at home. Indeed, mention of the clergy brings up that remarkable series

while between Rochelle and Canada, letters were carried free of all charge. Between Old and New France, therefore, there was little restriction on correspondence. If a letter going to France were destined for Paris, it would be carried there for seven cents; if for other parts of France, local and personal arrangements would have to be made for their delivery. The case was the same with letters coming to Canada, but addressed to other places than Quebec. Persons living in Montreal, Three Ri

r granted the application, and in addition gave Lanoullier the exclusive privilege of establishing ferries over the rivers, which would cross the road he undertook to build. As the total population of Canada in 1721 did not exceed 25,000, and the towns of Quebec, Three Rivers and Montreal contained no more than 2300, 325 and 3200 people respectively, an enterprise of that magnitude could not possibly be profitable. Lanoullier no doubt realized this, for he did nothing in pursuance of the scheme. It was ten years after this period before any serious effort was made to construct a continuous road from Quebec to Montreal, and by that time Nicholas Lanoullier's connection with the work had ceased entirely. By a somewhat curious coincidence, when the governor and intendant resolved that the road should be constructed, the duty of superintending the work fell upon a brother of Lanoullier, who was appointed grand voyer or general overseer of t

rivate persons. The fee allowed the messenger by the intendant's commission was ten sous for a letter carried from Quebec to Montreal and five sous to Three Rivers, with proportionate charges for greater or shorter distances. The commission which was issued in 1705 by Raudot, the intendant, to Pierre Dasilva dit Portugais, made

, was discussing several measures for improving the administration, when the French returned to the government. Among these was the establishment of a royal post office. In submitting his suggestion he pointed out that the system of royal messengers was expensive to

lin opened a post office in Quebec with Finlay as postmaster and put under his charge subordinate offices at Three Rivers and Montreal. A monthly service by courier was established between Montreal and New York, whose duty it was to have the Canadian mails in New York in time to place those for Great Britain on board the outgoing packet. In making his arrangements for the exchange of mails between the Canadian offices themselves, Finlay sought and obtained the co-operation of the governor, who directed the ma?tres de poste to provide saddle horses for the mail couriers at sixpence a league, which was just half th

ge charges. In 1763 the American post office was still working under the act of 1710,

f this system, the charge for single letters conveyed up to sixty miles was fourpence; and when the conveyance was from sixty to one hundred miles the charge was sixpe

of cash, and that they would not write to their friends in England until they found private occasions to send their letters to New York. The governors suggested that every interes

les and sixpence for one hundred miles was not changed, but an addition was made to it by providing that f

al, the act of 1765 lowered the charge for a single letter from two shillings to one shil

excessive charges. But the amendment of 1765 provided a rate of fourpence on single letters passing between a

merica and Great Britain. Of these there were three: with New York, Charlestown and the West Indies. Between each of these places and Great Britain, packet boats carried the mails once a month. Th

ported regularly as far south as Virginia and as far north and east as Quebec and Halifax. Within the better settled parts of the country, the service was excellent. Before the Revolution, two trips were made weekly betw

e years ending July 1764, there was a surplus revenue of ￡2070.[74] The su

encies other than the post office for the transmission of their letters. As these unofficial agencies were usually satisfied with a much lower com

775, the post office pursued on the whole an even, uneventful course. Canada did not entirely escape the influence of the sentiments

whole of the population, a number of the older British subjects, most of whom had come from the British American

h trouble and offence to the governor, and to their Canadian fellow subjects. The governor reported that their arrogance, and repugnance to the social and religious customs of the new subjects-the former subjects o

isfied them. The spirit of rebellion grew no faster in the older British colonies than among the few of English extraction in

The regulations, which confined travelling by post to persons having special permits from the governor, were no longer insisted upon.

ently did not give unmixed satisfaction, as complaints were made that many persons ri

ervices of the ma?tres de poste to help him with the conveyance of the mails, and as those services were rendered for half the charge which was made to the travelling public, he kept the ma?tres de poste under his influence by constitu

thority for control over the post houses in Canada. However, Finlay was a member of the legislative council, and he assumed, without opposition or question, the charge of the ma?tres de poste, and in 1767 issued public

lin had resided continuously in England since 1764 as agent for Pennsylvania and other of the American colonies, the expanding

ctor in the Canadian or United States services, and call for a general control over the postal service within certain defined limits. The office of surveyor was establi

d.[77] The purpose of the trip was to ascertain the practicability of a direct road between Quebec and New England. The merchants of Quebec had made much complaint of the slowness and irregularity

ore this time. When Louis XIV, Colbert his minister, and Talon the intendant, were devising schemes for the creation of a New France in North America

not only Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but also that section of the state of Maine which lies east of the Kennebec river. In 1671[78] the king directed Talon to see what could be

nd the association of the inland with the maritime settlements could not but be productive of good. The populations were small: Ca

nent communication between the two provinces. His plans embraced a line of settlements on the Penobscot and Kennebec rivers with a view to imposing a barrier to the advances of the English. But Ta

w England, and the Acadians would become attached to Canada. The road would have to be settled upon, and de Meulles' plan was to place old soldiers upon it, as he did not think the Canadians could be induced to give up the

of Massachusetts in the early part of that year, set out from Falmouth (now Portland) with eight hundred men on an expedition up the Kennebec river

ilt a storehouse at the head of navigation on the Kennebec. A carriage road was laid between the fort and the storehouse. T

unusual difficulty. It was not, however, in the scheme of things that Finlay should succeed any more than his predecessors. His preparations were soon made. He explained his v

oeing and following trails. Having become satisfied as to the practicability of the road, he addressed him

the scheme of establishing a further connection between Canada and the colonies to the south, but was of opinion tha

e proposed Kennebec road, useless for so long a period every year; the passage over the height of land was easy, and

along the Connecticut to the boundary of his province, and by April 1774 had a line of settlements along the road so that the post r

of the route, but before anything could be accomplished in this way, the discontents in the south had broken

the existing temper of the people, it would be enough for the legislature to know that the governor favoured a scheme, to ensure it

e tract through which the proposed Kennebec road would run lay largely in the grants of the Plymouth company, it would be this company whi

circumstance that tended to cool the interest of the legislature was the belief that in a short time this northern country was to be detached from Massachusetts, and erected

duty of inspecting the whole postal service from Maine to Georgia.[83] He travelled southward from Falmouth, inspected every post off

ars before. Franklin, it will be remembered, had resided in England since 1764, and Foxcroft undoubtedly found it impossible to give prop

demoralization which confronted them however they turned. Only a small proportion of the letters which circulated within the colonies passed throu

one occasion attempted to enforce the law against illegal conveyance by seizing the letter bag on one of the incoming ship

onopoly of the post office was broken down. But in many cases the evasions were so palpable that they could deceive nobody. A popular mode of es

should be delivered. Another exception to the monopoly was made in favour of letters which accompanied merchandise to which letters related. Thus a merchant in filling an order for goods has alway

age had a letter attached. Some of the parcels consisted of no more than little bundles of chips, straw, or old paper, but they served their purpose. If the postmaster made objection to the number of l

f the post office. At Newport the postmaster declared that there were two post offices-the king's and Mumford's-and the latter did the larger business. There was no remedy, as

dent with them. As he approached New Haven, Finlay was accosted with the inquiry whether he had overtaken

3, at the time he opened the post office in Quebec. This fact fully explains the shortcomings of the postmasters and couriers. That the postmasters were chargeable w

nts are for short terms. There is nothing irregular in their practice of combining the conveyance of the mails with other means of gaining a livelihood, but in the a

he prior claims of the post office, and indeed there were probably few people in any community

which few even good citizens gave assent, at least by their practice. Thomas Hancock made a merit of his saving the colony of Connecticut from thirty to forty shillings a year throug

iver of public coaches lent himself to the profitable business of carrying letters for a few halfpence a letter. In London an effort was made to stop the practice by hav

to detain the mail couriers in the course of travel, and check the contents of the mail bags, and thus prevent post

e letters passing between Manchester and London were conveyed by private hand. This state of things continued until the postage rates were brought down to a point, at which the service offered by the post office was che

eral by any community would deserve no more than passing mention. It is as part of a

ld be detected was one of resistance active or passive. When this act went into operation, the Americans bound themselves to import nothing

ca as well, men engaged in the illegal conveyance of letters did their best to conceal their operations from the authorities. The efforts of a public coach driver were directed to rendering the

letters openly, and maintaining that the packages which accompanied them took them outside the monopoly, and they gave scope to their humour by making the pac

as determined that the legislative supremacy of parliament should be recognized in America, and the colonies were equally persistent in their denial of this supremac

s the result of a constitutional dispute, was an effective instrument in making the government consider the situation s

le on any occasion, but it could not see that the course it was pursuing was a violation of that principle. Parliament, it declared, was t

tish parliament was far from being, and indeed made no pretence of being a representative assembly in the sense in which the phrase is now used. The right to send members to parliament had for centuries been exercised by the electors

Sarum which did not contain a single house elected two members. To a people, who saw nothing in this state of th

int of view of the home government, saw little of a truly representative character in the British system. But he did see, what the home government did not, that a bo

For half a century and more, the government declared, the colonists had been subject to taxes in

de with the Spanish West Indies. In the course of the paper it is asserted that parliament, by the post office act of Quee

course would be. Franklin who, as the representative of several of the colonies, had been in London for a considerable time, was among the witnesses examined by the committee. His examination took

merica for twelve years past, but he did not conceal his satisfaction that by his management he had

merely a quantum meruit for a service done; no person was compellable to pay the money if he did not choose to receive the service. A

ce, the charge for the service is not in the nature of a tax. If a person does not like the price demanded by the post office for its services, he may seek other means of having his letters

k having business to transact by letter with a customer in Boston or Philadelphia could not afford to pay the expenses of his messenger or servant unless the transaction were one of considerable magnitude. Nor could he await the chance of a friend's making a visit to either of the

y civilized as the American colonies were at that day, a postal system was an absolute necessity; and if the system maintained by the government were pr

ses of the service and send a considerable surplus to England for some years past, it is plain that to the extent of the yearly surplus the colonies had been subject to a

ance, he drew a clear line of distinction between a tax on imported goods and an internal tax such as the stamp act. A duty on importe

sold by agents of the government at varying prices prescribed by the law. As this was a tax which could not be avoided so long as men

he goods imported. If people objected to the price as enhanced by the tax, it was open to them to decline

al mode of escape from the tax. If the tax were an avoidable one, it was constitutional, since submission to it implied consent. If, on the other hand

nment a surplus of revenue after all expenses had been met. Whether they were to be regarded as an avoidable tax to be paid or not as one cared to employ the services of a post office o

unity, could believe that the necessities for the interchange of correspondence on the part of a people like the American colonists co

TNO

LXIV. 110 (Report of p

été Historique de Montré

des Intendants, I

chives of Can.

the ma?tres de poste (Mémoires de la Société

Treasury, 176

Statutes, 5, G

ost roads on the continent of North America, 1773-1

l Account Book, Acc

769. The net revenue for the f

azette, Febru

nlay's

s et Mémoires de Colbert,

f Canada, 187

, XIV. 300 (

Arch., B.

Arch., B.

s Journal, B

and Hist. of Penny Postage, by

e Unreformed House o