NOTICE TO POSTMASTERS.

GENERAL POST OFFICE, MONTREAL, 14TH MARCH, 1851.

SIR:--

I am commanded by His Excellency the Governor General, to communicate to you the following Instructions, for your guidance in the performance of your duties, under the New Post Office Law of the 13th and 14th Vict., chap. 17, pa.s.sed at the last Session of the Provincial Parliament, which will take effect, and supersede the Imperial Post Office Acts, hitherto in force in Canada, on and from the 6th day of April next:

1. From the above date, all Letters transmitted by the Post in Canada, with the exception of Packet Letters to and from the United Kingdom, will be liable to a uniform rate of _Three_ Pence, currency, per half-ounce, for whatever distance conveyed: pre-payment will be optional: the charge increasing according to the weight of the Letter, one single rate for every additional half-ounce, counting the fraction of a half-ounce as a full rate, thus:

A Letter, weighing not exceeding 1/2 ounce, will be liable to 3d.

Postage.

A Letter, weighing more than 1/2 ounce, and not exceeding 1 ounce, will be liable to 6 d. Postage.

A Letter, weighing more than 1 ounce, and not exceeding 1-1/2 ounces, will be liable to 9d. Postage.

A Letter, weighing more than 1-1/2 ounces, and not exceeding 2 ounces, will be liable to 1 s. Postage.

A Letter, weighing more than 2 ounces, and not exceeding 2-1/2 ounces, will be liable to 1 s., 3 d. Postage, and so on.

It will be observed that the above scale differs from that now followed, in advancing one rate for each half-ounce after the first ounce.

2. The single Packet rate for Letters by the Atlantic Steam Packet Mails to and from England, via the United States, of 1s. 2d.

sterling, if _un-paid_, and 1s. 4d. currency if _pre-paid_, as also the rate on Letters by those mails, via Halifax, of 1s. [missing value] sterling, if _un-paid_, and 1s. 1-1/2 d. currency, if _pre-paid_, remain unaltered, and the present scale of weights is to remain in force as regards such Letters.

Post Masters must be very careful to observe this distinction when taxing Letters, weighing over one ounce, intended for the English Mails.

3. The regulations now in force with regard to Letters to and from Soldiers and Sailors in Her Majesty's Service, by which under certain conditions such Letters pa.s.s through the Post on pre-payment of a penny only, will remain unaltered.

5. Letters addressed to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward's Island, or Newfoundland, are to be rated with the uniform rate of 3d. per half-ounce.

6. Letters to and from the United States will be liable to the uniform rate of 3d. per half-ounce, between the Frontier Line and the place of posting or place of destination in Canada; and until further arrangements can be made, this charge on Letters from Canada to the United States must be pre-paid at the time of posting.

7. [_Rates and regulations for Newspapers, Pamphlets, etc., to remain as at present._]

8. [_Printed matter addressed to Editors is free._]

9. The charge on Letters posted at an Office for delivery in the same City, Town, or Place, and any additional charge made on Letters delivered at the residences of parties to whom they are addressed, are to remain as at present, until further instructions.

10. No Franking Privilege is allowed under the New Act except with regard to Letters and Packets on the business of the Post Office, addressed to or transmitted by the Post Master General.

13. Stamps for the pre-payment of Postage are being prepared, and will be distributed for the use of the public at an early date.

16. [_Letters, etc., to Deputy Post Master General to pa.s.s free._]

T. A. STAYNER.

_Deputy Post Master General._

[*] [Transcriber's Note: 2 or 3 characters here are unreadable.]

Meanwhile, under the authority given the Governor in Council by _The Post Office Act_, an agreement had been drawn up between the post office Departments of Canada and the United States for the purpose of establishing and regulating the interchange of mails between the two countries. This was signed on the 25th March, 1851, and was communicated to the Canadian post-masters by the first department order, as follows:--

DEPARTMENT ORDER [NO. 1.]

LETTERS, ETC., BETWEEN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING CALIFORNIA AND OREGON.

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, TORONTO, _2nd April_, 1851.

Commencing on and from the 6th instant, Letters, Newspapers, &c., will pa.s.s through the Mails between Canada and the United States, including California and Oregon, at the Rates of Postage and under the Regulations herein mentioned.

1. Letters posted at any Office in Canada, addressed to any place in the United States, except California and Oregon, are to be rated with a uniform rate of six-pence, currency, per half-ounce.

2. Letters posted in any part of the United States, except California and Oregon, addressed to Canada, will be rated there with a uniform charge of ten cents, equal to six-pence, currency, per half-ounce.

3. The Postage Rate on Letters pa.s.sing between Canada and California and Oregon, will be a uniform charge of nine-pence, currency, equal to fifteen cents per half-ounce.

4. It is to be understood that the above rates include the whole charge for the transmission of a Letter between any place in Canada and any place within the United States, including California and Oregon.

5. The scale for computing the charge upon Letters weighing more than 1/2 ounce, will be the same as that for Letters pa.s.sing within the Province.

6. Pre-payment of Letters pa.s.sing between Canada and any place within the United States, including California and Oregon, will, in all cases, be optional.

7. Newspapers, Pamphlets, &c., posted in Canada, addressed to the United States, including California and Oregon, are, ... to be forwarded through the Post at the same rates of charge as if addressed to a place within the Province; the said rates must, however, be _pre-paid_--as, if the ordinary Canada Rate is not paid at the time of posting a Newspaper or Pamphlet, &c., it cannot be forwarded to the United States.

8. United States Newspapers, Pamphlets, &c., addressed to places in Canada, will be received in the Province with the American Postage thereon pre-paid--leaving the ordinary Canada Rate of charge from the Frontier Line to the place of destination, to be ... collected by the Post Master who may deliver the same in Canada.

9.-10.-11. [_Copies of newspapers or printed doc.u.ments sent by or to publishers or editors are free of Canadian postage._]

12. The Canada Postage Stamps, when used, will be taken in the United States as evidence of pre-payment of Postage on Letters going from Canada to the United States, and in like manner the United States Postage Stamps on Letters coming into Canada, are to be taken by Post Masters in this Province as evidence of pre-payment having been made in the United States.

13. The following are appointed to be the Offices in Canada through which the Post communication with the United States will be maintained, and to which Post Masters are to forward their Mail matter for the United States, according to the relative position of their several Offices:

PORT SARNIA,

WINDSOR,

KINGSTON, FORT ERIE,

BROCKVILLE, QUEENSTON, { Intended in the mean time to

{ be the Channel of Communication

PRESCOTT, { with the United States for the

{ Country West of Toronto.

MONTREAL,

NIAGARA,

ST. JOHN'S, TORONTO,

DUNDEE, COBOURG, { A Communication during Summer

{ only, by Steamer to Rochester.

STANSTEAD,

By Command, W. H. GRIFFIN.

Both the _Post Office Act_ and the above Department Order treat of the disposition of periodicals and other printed matter without giving the rates of postage required thereon. A subsequent Order gives us these rates:--

DEPARTMENT ORDER, [NO. 3.]

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, TORONTO. _17th April_, 1851.