206 TiMEHRI. 



Gazette" stated this obje6lion as the reason why the 

 Inland Post was not more used. At first sight it appeared 

 very fair and just, but when it was considered that any- 

 one could send letters by boat for almost nothing, it 

 could not be expefted they would pay twelve cents ; it 

 should be four cents throughout the colony. 



The matter came up in the Combined Court on April 

 2nd, 1 85 1, when the Estimate was under consideration, 

 The cost of the Inland Mail was $5oo, with $200 for the 

 Postmasters of Demerara and Berbice, and $1,600 for 

 contingent expenses. Mr. O'DONOGHUE moved a 

 resolution, which was adopted, that the Court of 

 Policy be requested, in any Ordinance for regulating 

 the Inland Post to fix a single rate of four cents 

 for letters and one cent for newspapers, through- 

 out the colony. In accordance with this resolution 

 a notice was published on the 25th of December 

 following that on and after the ist of January 1852, 

 the postage would be reduced to 4 cents per half 

 ounce and that a charge of i cent would be imposed on 

 each newspaper. 



It will be interesting to colleftors to read the following 

 account of the early issues of stamps from a letter of 

 Mr. E. T. E. Dalton, dated December i6th 1861 : — 



" Prepayment by stamps was first introduced into the colony on the 

 re-establishment of the Inland Mail in 1850. These stamps were of the 

 respeftive value of 4, 8 and 12 cents, and were printed in the colony on 

 yellow, blue and red paper. As they could be easily imitated at any 

 printing office, I was obliged to initial them. They were of the com- 

 monest description, and were only in use a few months, until a better 

 sort could be got out from England. The next were of the value of i 

 and 4 cents, as a postage of i cent had been imposed on all local news- 

 papers, forwarded per post, and the postage on letters had been reduced 

 to one uniform rate of 4 cents per half ounce ; i cent red, 4 cents blue. 



