Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery Part 32

Mulock will be able to claim the credit of giving the public the cheapest map of the world ever issued. The size of the stamp is about the same as the Jubilee issue.

[166] =Monthly Journal, IX=: 87.

A reproduction of this _multum in parvo_ composition is shown as No. 38 on Plate II.

This remarkable stamp caused no end of criticism, at home and abroad, not only because of its novel and startling design, but also because of the bombastic legend which appeared upon it. The following clipping from the _Chicago Tribune_[167] explains the origin of the motto:--

The motto chosen by Mr. Mulock, "We hold a vaster empire than has been," is from the jubilee ode of Sir Lewis Morris, ent.i.tled a "Song of Empire", with the date, June 20, 1897, as a subt.i.tle, indicating its tone and purpose. An excerpt from the last stanza, from which the motto was taken, is as follows:

"We love not war, but only peace, Yet never shall our England's power decrease!

Whoever guides our helm of state, Let all men know it, England shall be great!

We hold a vaster empire than has been!

Nigh half the race of man is subject to our Queen!

Nigh half the wide, wide earth is ours in fee!

And where her rule comes all are free.

And therefore 'tis, O Queen, that we, Knit fast in bonds of temperate liberty, Rejoice to-day, and make our solemn jubilee!"

[167] =Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News=, XIII: 76.

In consequence of the peculiar legend, the stamp has been dubbed, not ineptly, the "has been" stamp.

We learn from a despatch to the _Toronto Telegram_ that the printing of the stamp began on the 1st December:--

Ottawa, Dec. 2, 1898.--(Special)--The Governor-General and Hon.

William Mulock, Postmaster-General, presided yesterday at the printing of the first copies of the new imperial penny postage stamp. The design is Mr. Mulock's own[168].

[168] =Ibid.=, XII: 206.

It was thus brought into the world under distinguished patronage--that of its official father and G.o.d-father, so to speak. Its baptism came on the 7th December, rather earlier than expected, but explained by the following newspaper clipping[169]:

Ottawa, Ont., Dec. 5--It having been stated in some newspapers that the new two-cent Imperial stamp would not become available until Christmas day, inquiry made at the Post Office Department today to ascertain the truth of this statement elicits the fact that, although it was the original intention of the department that the new stamp should not come into use until the 25th inst., the demand from the public for it has become so pressing that the department has decided to issue it at once, and permit its immediate use to the extent of its face value for all postage purposes. In other words, as soon as it reaches the public it may, if preferred by the purchaser, be used instead of the ordinary two-cent stamp. The two-cent inter-Imperial rate does not, of course, come into effect until Christmas Day.

[169] =Ibid.=, XII. 213.

In the _Weekly Philatelic Era_, the Canadian correspondent discourses upon its advent as follows, under date of 7th December[170]:--

The new Imperial stamps referred to in past numbers of the _Era_ were issued this morning, and although the new Imperial rate does not come into effect until Xmas-day, and they bear that inscription, they are receivable for ordinary postage now.

The general design has already been described, but it may be well to say that the stamps are printed in three colours. The frame is in black with white letters, the seas are in a pale blue, or rather a lavender, and the British possessions are in a bright red. The map of the world is on Mercator's projection, which magnifies high lat.i.tudes; consequently the Dominion of Canada, which occupies the middle of the upper part of the stamp, looks bigger than all the other British possessions put together. The border of the stamp is of cable pattern and measures 32 mm. in width by 22-1/2 in height.

The stamp is printed on medium, machine-wove, white paper, similar to that used for the Jubilee and subsequent Canadian issues, and is perforated 12.

[170] =Weekly Philatelic Era=, XIII: 105.

The above quotation settles the fact that the first color in which the "seas" were printed was lavender. There has been some discussion on this point. Again, a correspondent of the _Weekly Philatelic Era_ wrote under date of "Dec. 20th" that "A government official of Canada states that the 2c Imperial postage stamp is to be changed in color from a lavender to a blue. One of your contemporaries states that the color is to be green[171]." Under date of "Ottawa, Dec. 29," another correspondent of the same paper writes[172]:--"The first issue of these geographical stamps, on the 7th instant, had the sea coloured a light lavender. About the 20th, I cannot fix the exact day, a second supply had the sea coloured a light blue, as nearly as I can judge Prussian blue. And now I am told the third lot are to have the seas much darker in colour, but that is only a rumour." A clipping from the _Winnipeg Free Press_, however, states that "the second s.h.i.+pment, which arrived on Dec. 13th, were of an entirely different print, although the fact pa.s.sed unnoticed for some days. The sea on these stamps--and on all the thousands received since--is printed in pale green!" The first s.h.i.+pment is noted as "lavender or pale blue" as usual. Evidently the change in color took place within the first week or ten days after printing began. A dark shade of green is apparently as common as the pale green, and a cancelled copy dated January 13, 1899, is noted in _Ewen's Weekly Stamp News_. Doubtless it was issued much earlier. The lavender shade seems to have been reverted to in the later issues of the stamp, for it is noted in chronicles as having been received from Canada in February and March, 1899, and the stamp was considered obsolete in April. We venture to think, however, that it was not a reversion to lavender in the printing of the stamp, but rather the remainder of the first printings--for it is well known that when bundles of stamp sheets are placed in stock some of the first packages received may remain at the bottom of the pile for years, while the later ones, placed on top, are used to fill orders.

[171] =ibid.=, XIII: 121.

[172] =ibid.=, XIII: 129.

The stamps were printed in the usual sheet arrangement of 100, ten rows of ten. The black portion was from line engraved plates, but the red and lavender (or green) portions were doubtless printed on the sheets by lithography previous to the impression of the main design of the stamp in black. There are four marginal imprints reading AMERICAN BANK NOTE CO. OTTAWA in Roman capitals 1/2 mm. high, the inscription being about 29 mm. long, (see ill.u.s.tration number 113 on Plate X). They are placed above the third and eighth stamps of the top row and beneath the corresponding stamps of the bottom row. A plate number, in hair line figures about 4 mm. high, is placed over the division between the fifth and sixth stamps of the top row, and higher up than the imprints. Plates 1, 2, 3 and 5 are known, but we have been unable to find plate 4 recorded, though it would be presumed to exist. All four known plates come with the lavender sea, and probably all four were used with the light green and dark green seas, although we have only been able to find record of plate 1 with the former and plate 2 with the latter.[173]

[173] =Ewen's Weekly Stamp News=, II: 122.

Mr. Ewen, in his exhaustive article on these stamps,[174] notes an apparent retouching of one of the plates. He says:--"Readers will have noted that the stamps are each surrounded by what appears to be a rope.

On the sheet of plate 3 before us, the outer edge of this rope on the stamps at the end of each row (right hand side of each sheet) has worn away and has been replaced by a straight line engraved on the plate, except on stamp No. 80, which still shows the very defective nature of the rope." Much s.p.a.ce is also given to a description of minor varieties in the red portions of the stamp--omission of islands, extra islands, peninsulas instead of islands, etc., etc. The chief variety, however, occurs in the two dots representing two islands in mid-Pacific: in the normal stamps these two lie one above and one below the "equator", if properly placed; in the variety, which is the sixth stamp in the fifth row (No. 46 in the sheet) both islands lie horizontally just below the equator.

[174] =Ewen's Weekly Stamp News=, II: 122.

A further variety is the stamp in imperforate condition, of which we are able to ill.u.s.trate a block of four from the Worthington collection as number 113 on Plate X. This occurs with the bluish, the pale green and the deep green oceans.

It would be interesting to know the number of stamps printed in each of the distinct shades, but we do not know even the total issue of the map stamps. The only reference is in the _London Philatelist_,[175] where it is remarked that "we understand [it] has been issued to the number of sixteen millions." They were not separated in the stamp accounts, but were reckoned in with the ordinary 2 cent stamps, and the above figure may very likely be the correct one as the number must have been large.

We find from a newspaper clipping that the cost of manufacture of these stamps was 45 cents per thousand.[176]

[175] =London Philatelist=, VIII: 79.

[176] =Post Office=, IX: 37.

In closing this account of the Christmas stamp it may be interesting to record the story of the first letter sent from Canada at the new rate and bearing the commemorative stamp in prepayment. It is taken from a Toronto newspaper.

Penny ocean postage came into force at midnight on Sat.u.r.day. The first letter to be posted was one by Mr. J. Ross Robertson, written to Mr. Edward Letchworth, the Grand Secretary, at Freemason's Hall, Great Queen-street, London.... The letter was received at the General Post-Office, Adelaide-street, Toronto, at one second past 12 o'clock on the morning of Sunday, Dec. 25th, by Mr. John Carruthers, the a.s.sistant Postmaster, who certified to the posting with his signature on the envelope. At five seconds past 12 it was handed to Mr. H. S. Allen, chief of the night staff, who, at twelve seconds past the hour, dropped it into one of the electric stamping machines, and at fifteen seconds past midnight it came out in due and proper form, bearing the Toronto postmark of Dec. 25, and the new two-cent stamp in the right-hand corner, duly cancelled, so that it was all ready for the London mail bag, waiting for it and succeeding letters going by the next British mail.

On the envelope was the name of the sender in the upper left-hand corner and the following endorsation in the lower left-hand corner.

"This is to certify that this letter was mailed at the Toronto Post-Office at one-quarter of a minute past 12 o'clock on the morning of Dec. 25, 1898, and is the first letter to be posted and cancelled at the Toronto postoffice, bearing the new imperial penny postage stamp, addressed to Great Britain, (signed) John Carruthers, a.s.sistant postmaster."

And under this:

"Received at Freemason's Hall, London, Eng., at ... o'clock, ... day of January, 1899.

"Grand Secretary."

This is probably the first time in philatelic history that race-track timing has been employed on the pa.s.sage of mail matter through the post!

CHAPTER XV

THE "KING'S HEAD" ISSUE OF 1903-1908

The death of the beloved Queen Victoria on January 22, 1901, portended momentous changes in the mult.i.tude of stamps bearing her effigy throughout the Empire. Canada of course was expected to make the proper subst.i.tution of the portrait of the new ruler, King Edward the Seventh, but as time went on seemed in no hurry to do so. In fact it was nearly two years and a half after the Queen's death before the King Edward stamps appeared, and in the meantime but little could be learned concerning Canada's intentions in the matter.

About the first of January, 1903, it was reported in the newspapers that Postmaster-General Mulock had announced "that designs had been submitted, and it has been decided to select one bearing an excellent likeness of His Majesty." In its issue for 18th April, 1903, the _Metropolitan Philatelist_ again gave advance information concerning Canadian stamp matters in the following detailed account:--