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An interesting and challenging cover to Samuel Tilley
from the Controller in St. John, New Brunswick dated May 1, 1861.
Relating to a Bill of Sale for an American Paddlewheel Steamer! The
Letter enclosed must have been of some import as in faint pencil is
written "Just received 2 o'clock 2 May" Then there is the intriguing
note which says "No special circumstances are alleged [in the] sale for
an exemption price on Service the rule generally applicable." with the
curious nomination that may or may not be Tilley's handwriting and
signature. This cover is ex Moulton, the well known and regarded
collector of Canadian Philately and was sold to us with his notes which
state
"signature of S. L. Tilley - Father of Confederation". However, in our
research with the New Brunswick Museum and the Tilley Family Papers,
this signature does not match up exactly with his other known
signatures. It is possible it is his hurried note signed "S[igned] SL.
T[illey]. Pres[?]" as the form of the "T" does match quite well with his
signature, but it might also have been written by a secretary, although
in a different hand that that which did the other docketing.
From a Postal History perspective it has two nice double circle CDS
stamps for Fredericton (MY2) and St. John (MY1), a manusript notation for the
"Cont[roller] St. John" and a Very Fine Handstruck Black "15 CENTS"
(Jarrett Type 614b, MacManus type "R") for a triple! rate Postage Due, which is also of
interest as this could have passed as official provincial business.
Moulton also notes that the unpaid rate went to 7¢ per ½ ounce on
June 1, 1861, less than a month later. This would be accordingly a very
late usage of the scarce 15¢ due marking. It is also noted in MacManus
that this 15¢ cancel was used on Books and Parcels, scarce as such. What American Paddlewheel
Steamer had just been purchased? Why did it not qualify for a
Service Exemption? These are all a part of the work in front of
you on this mysterious cover. In the event it is an exciting and unusual
philatelic item to a Father of Canadian Confederation!
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Sir Samuel Leonard
Tilley, PC, KCMG (1818-1896)
Samuel Tilley was descended from
United Empire Loyalists on both sides of his family. A pharmacist, he
went into business as a druggist. Born in Gagetown, New Brunswick,
Tilley was the son of Thomas Morgan Tilley, a storekeeper, and Susan Ann
Peters. On May 6, 1843 he married Julia Ann Hanford in Saint John, New
Brunswick. Together with her, they had eight children. Hanford died in
1862. On October 22, 1867, he married Alice Starr Chipman in St.
Stephen, New Brunswick, and they had two children, including future New
Brunswick Premier Leonard Percy de Wolfe Tilley.
Tilley was an activist in the temperance movement and this brought him
to politics. He became an advocate for responsible government as a
result of the 1848 recession which was caused, in part, by Britain's
economic policies. Tilley joined the New Brunswick Colonial Association
which advocated that the colony have control over its public expenses,
that a public school system be established, government control of public
works and "honest government". First elected to the New Brunswick Assembly as a Liberal in 1850
he sat in opposition until the 1854 election swept the reformers to
power. Tilley became Provincial Secretary in the government of Richard
Fisher, and it is in that capacity that he received this letter. At this
same time, in 1861, he went on to serve as Premier of the colony
of New Brunswick until his government was defeated in the
election of 1865. As Premier he supported the New Brunswick's entry into
Confederation and the construction of an inter--colonial railway.
Tilley was a strong supporter of Confederation, and a delegate to all
three of the Confederation Conferences: Charlottetown Conference,
Québec Conference, and London Conference. Although he supported the
Québec Resolutions, after returning from Québec City, Tilley discovered
that the Resolutions, and union in general, were highly unpopular in New
Brunswick. Tilley's support of union was a factor in his loss of an 1865
election to Albert Smith, who headed an anti-Confederation coalition.
Within the year, however, the coalition proved unstable. In a
controversial action, Lieutenant-Governor Arthur Hamilton Gordon forced
the Smith government to resign. A new general election was held, and
Tilley was returned to power in 1866. That summer, with a changing tide
in public opinion, he passed a resolution in the assembly supporting
Confederation.
At the London Conference, Tilley is generally credited with suggesting
"Dominion" as the new nation's title, after a passage from Psalms 72,
verse 8: "He shall have Dominion also from sea to sea, and from the
river unto the ends of the earth." The Fathers of Confederation had been discussing what to
prefix Canada with, Kingdom of Canada being MacDonald's preference.
However, with the United States just recently out of the Civil War,
there was some concern that the use of Kingdom or Empire of Canada might
make the surly elephant to the south a bit nervous. During morning devotions, Tilley read Psalm 72:8, that states "He shall
have dominion from sea to sea", and presented his inspiration to the
others, being as it was their ambition to stretch the new nation to the
Pacific Ocean. The proposal was adopted unanimously; the term
"Dominion" was also used by Australia and New Zealand.
Tilley entered federal politics with Confederation in 1867 and served in
the federal Macdonald Cabinet as Minister of Customs. He became Minister
of Finance in 1873 until the defeat of the government later that year.
He was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick in 1873 and served
until 1878 When Macdonald's Tories returned to power in 1878, Tilley
again became minister of finance and served until his retirement from
politics in 1885 to become Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick for a
second term until 1893. He is interred in the Fernhill Cemetery in Saint
John, New Brunswick.
Document Specifications:
Cover measures 255mm wide x 90mm tall when folded. It is blue
unwatermarked batonne laid paper. There is a small seal hole and a 4mm
tear in the upper left well away from any cancels or writing, usual file
folds. This is a cover sheet only and there is no other content
than what is shown.
Offered
by Berryhill & Sturgeon, Ltd.
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