Cricket in 19th Century Canada

As the Canadian men’s cricket team prepared for the 2011 Cricket World Cup, Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism issued this statement:

“Cricket is a game with a long history here in Canada. Many Canadians may not know this, but cricket was designated Canada’s first national sport thanks to Sir John A. Macdonald. And the game was played on Canadian soil as early as 1785 in Montreal."

In the last half of the 19th century, Canadian communities such as Peterborough, Ontario, were particularly fond of the game. The card shown below was sent by the Secretary-Treasurer of the Peterboro' Cricket Club, advising members of its annual meeting.



The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, April 6. Although the year was not provided, the card was sent in 1886.


There were no postal markings on the front or back of the card.


The Secretary-Treasurer initialed the notice : RBR.



RBR was civil and mechanical engineer Richard Birdsall Rogers, one of Peterborough's well known citizens and avid cricketers.


Richard Birdsall Rogers
McGill graduation
Trent University has posted excerpts from Rogers' diaries on its website. Here is an 1886 entry about cricket written two months after the Annual Meeting:

June Wednesday 17: Played cricket Toronto vs. Peterboro, score 95 and 134 Peterboro and 120 Toronto. Made 20 & 24

Trent Canal
Rogers is remembered today, but not for his skills on the cricket pitches of Ontario. Rogers is considered one of Canada's greatest engineers for his design of the Peterborough Lift Lock, the highest hydraulic boat lift in the world.

In 1884 Rogers was appointed supervising engineer of the Trent Valley Canal, a system linking Lake Ontario with Lake Huron. While serving as Superintendent of the Trent Canal, he suggested the use of hydraulic lift locks. Construction began on the Peterborough Lock in 1896 and was completed in 1904. The lock remains in use today as part of the Trent-Severn Waterway which is used for lumbering, steam-boating, power generation, and recreation.


Opening Day 1904


A more recent photograph of the Lock

In 1998, Canada Post issued a set of stamps featuring Canals. The Hydraulic Lift Lock was featured on one of the stamps.


National Archives of Canada


For additional information on Richard Birdsall Rogers, readers should visit the Trent University website.

The London Assurance
Promotional First Day Covers
The London Assurance produced several promotional first day covers for stamps issued by Commonwealth countries in the 1950s. Some of the London Assurance output is shown in this post.

1. Canada

1953 Wildlife




1954 Prime Ministers

1958 Quebec City 350th Anniversary

2. Other Commonwealth Countries

a) Coronation of Queen Elizabeth

Ceylon




Cyprus




Kenya




Mauritius




Malta






Nyasaland




South Africa




b) 1954 Royal Visit

Malta




Uganda Kenya Tanganyika




c) Other Issues

Ceylon : Colombo Plan Exhibition




Malta : The Immaculate Conception




Rhodesia and Nyasaland : Central African Rhodes Centenary Exhibit




Southern Rhodesia : Central African Rhodes Centenary Exhibit





Rhodesia and Nyasaland : Definitives

An Interesting 1868 Cover
Stockton California to Port Colborne Ontario



The above cover was mailed from Stockton, California to Port Colborne, Ontario. The letter was prepaid at the 6 cents per one-half ounce rate to Canada. The stamps were cancelled on June 30, 1868. The cover was 16 days in transit before its receipt at the Port Colborne post office. The cover was subsequently redirected to Welland via the Welland Railway.

Overland Stage Coach from California

The cover would have gone overland on the daily mail stage coach from Placerville, California, to Atchison, Kansas a distance of 1913 miles.

Rail Kansas to Canada

From Atchison the letter would probably have been transported by train to Chicago then to Canada.
Unfortunately there are no U.S. transit markings.

Ontario transit

Several Ontario postmarks were applied to the cover.



Paris Station

The first Canadian cancel was applied at Paris, Ontario, west of Port Colborne, on July 15, 1868:



Port Colborne

The letter arrived at Port Colborne on July 16, 1868:



Redirection to Welland



On July 20, the letter was redirected to Welland:


Port Colborne, July 20, 1868


Welland Railway

The Welland Railway ran from Port Colborne on Lake Erie to Port Dalhousie on Lake Ontario (Down):




Welland Rail Road transit


Welland Railway DOWN
July 20, 1868


Welland

A partial Welland receiver was applied.

The Canadian Map Stamp of 1898




Imperial Penny Postage

At a conference on postage rates held in London, England, in 1898, William Mulock, Postmaster General of Canada, proposed an Imperial one penny letter rate. Mulock's scheme was initially adopted for Great Britain, Canada, Newfoundland, Cape Colony, and Natal.

The Imperial Penny Postage came into effect on December 25, 1898. To mark the event, the Canada Post Office issued a 2 cent (equivalent to British 1d.) commemorative stamp whose release date was scheduled for December 25 but because of public pressure was released on December 7, 1898. On December 25, 1898, the one-half ounce letter rate from Canada to certain parts of the empire was reduced from 5 cents to 2 cents.

Essays


National Archives of Canada


National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada


National Archives of Canada

National Archives of Canada


Issued Stamps

The Imperial Penny Stamp was an outstanding three-colour product featuring a map of the world with the British empire in red. Twenty million stamps were ordered, half with the ocean in blue and half with the ocean in green. Several shades exist including lavender.




Centenial Commemoration

Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp on May 29, 1998, to mark the 100th anniversary of the introduction of Imperial Penny Post, featuring the 1898 Map stamp:



Canada Post described the stamp issue as follows in its press release:

It was a momentous time in postal history; one hundred years ago, imperial penny postage was introduced, allowing Canadians to send letters anywhere in the British Empire at the rate of one British penny - just two cents Canadian! It was a huge triumph for Canada, Postmaster General Sir William Mulock played a pivotal role in negotiating this change from the previous levy of five Canadian cents. The penny-postage stamp is one of the most revered by collectors. It was the world's first Christmas issue. The stamp featured a collage of Queen Victoria's crown, a map of the world with the British Empire displayed in red, "Xmas 1898" and the phrase, "We hold a vaster empire than has been". Produced in three colours and by two different processes by the American Bank Note Company of Ottawa, it was the most expensive issue in Canadian philatelic history to that date. Recognizing the significance of the stamp for collectors, Canada Post will issue a single domestic-rate stamp. Queen Victoria's crown, a portrait of Postmaster General Sir William Mulock, and a reproduction of the original stamp are together depicted against a dark backdrop with "Canada" boldly displayed.

William Mulock

William Mulock was the Member of Parliament (Liberal) for the riding of York North, Ontario, from 1882 to 1905. Mulock was Postmaster General from 1896 to 1905.











William Mulock Correspondence


Ottawa to Hamilton, April 15, 1905
Senate handstamp and Ottawa "free" cancel


Initials "W.M."


Map Stamp Usages

To Great Britain

 Ancaster to London, April 17, 1899
2 cents "Imperial Penny Postage" rate


Although the stamp was intended to prepay the Imperial letter rate, the stamp could be used to prepay any other rate or fee. The examples below show the Map Stamp used to pay the UPU post card rate.

To Hungary


Toronto Spadina Avenue to Budapest, January 3, 1899
Budapest receiver January 16, 1899


"Greetings from Toronto"


To Belgium


Montreal to Brussels, November 6, 1899
Brussels arrival November 18, 1899


Bureau Central du Sacre-Coeur correspondence