Private Postal Card
Postmarked with Lucerne, Canada East split circle cancellation
dated My 4 93
on a 1¢ Small Queen stamp
mailed to The Canadian Military Gazette
Box 2178, Montreal
While private postcards did not qualify for the 1¢ postcard rate until 1895, this card was passed at the 1¢ rate as printed matter, although the additions of text within the printed card stretched that definition.
The card was sent by Henry James Morgan for a two year subscription to the Canadian Military Gazette, running from December 1, 1893 to December 1, 1895. Henry Morgan was born in Quebec on November, 14, 1842. He received his education at Morrin college, Quebec, and entered the public service in 1853. In 1860 he was a sessional clerk in the legislative assembly, and in 1864-'7 served as a private secretary. On the confederation of 1867 he was appointed to the department of state, and promoted first-class clerk in October, 1873, having charge of the state records of Canada, which he removed from the old government-house in Montreal to Ottawa. In the same year he was called to the bar. On December, 22 1875, he was given a chief clerkship, with the title of keeper of the records, and on June, 7 1883, he was made chief clerk in the department of the secretary of state.
In 1884 he was thanked by the government of Victoria, Australia, for special services in connection with the proposed federal union of the Australian colonies and presented with a valuable collection of works on Australia. He is one of the seven" honorary fellows of the Royal colonial institute of England and a member of numerous societies. In 1862 he established "The Canadian Parliamentary Companion", which he continued to edit and publish until 1876, and in 1878 he began to issue "The Dominion Annum Register and Review," a concise record of the political, social, and general events of each year. He was a frequent contributor to periodicals and newspapers, and, in addition to a lecture entitled "The Place British Americans have won in History" (Ottawa, 1865), he was the author of "The Tour of His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, through British America and the United States" (Quebec, 1860); "Sketches of Celebrated Canadians and Persons connected with Canada" (1860) ; "The Bibliotheca Canadensis, or a Manual of Canadian Literature" (Ottawa, 1867); and "The Canadian Legal Directory, a Guide to the Bench and Bar of Canada" (Toronto, 1878).
Below, reverse of card
Below, the cancelled stamp
Since the Quebec postcard section has not been fully developed at this point, this card has been listed as part of the Ontario Private Postcard section as an interim measure.
