Gambia

Excerpt

The Colony and Its Posts.

he British West African possession known as the Colony and Protectorate of the Gambia occupies a narrow strip of territory (averaging 12 miles in width) on both sides of the Gambia river. The territory comprises the settlement of St. Mary, where the capital—Bathurst—is situated, British Cambo, Albreda, M'Carthy's Island and the Ceded Mile, a protectorate over a narrow band of land extending from Cape St. Mary for over 250 miles along both banks of the river.

The Gambia river was discovered by a Portuguese navigator in 1447; under a charter of Queen Elizabeth a company was formed to trade with the Gambia in 1588. In the reign of James II. a fort was erected by British traders at the mouth of the river (1686), and for many years their only traffic was in slaves. The territory became recognised as a British possession under the Treaty of Versailles, and on the enforced liquidation of the chartered company it was incorporated with the Crown as one of the West African settlements. Until 1843, when it was granted separate government, it was administered by the Governor of Sierra Leone. In 1868 it was again annexed to Sierra Leone, and not until twenty years later was it created a separate Crown Colony with a Governor and responsible government of its own. At present the staple trade of the Colony is ground nuts, but efforts are being made to induce the natives to take up other products.

Postally there is little to record prior to 1866, which is the date ascribed by Mr. F. Bisset Archer, Treasurer and Postmaster-General, to an alteration in the scale of postage, the half ounce weight for letters being introduced. The rate to Great Britain was, we believe, from that date 6d. per half ounce.

Mr. Archer also gives this year (1866) as the date when the first postage stamps of the Colony were issued. This date was for a time accepted in the stamp catalogues, but it is now generally believed to be an error, the earliest records in the stamp journals of the period shewing the date to be 1869.

The postal notices we have been able to trace are of but little interest, the following being all that bear on matters of interest to collectors:—

POST OFFICE NOTICE.

Reduction of Postage, &c.

On and from the 1st April, 1892, the Postage to all parts of the World on Letters, Newspapers, Books, etc., will be as follows:—

For Letters, 2½d. per ½ oz.

For Postcards, 1d. each.

For Reply Postcards, 2d. each.

For Newspapers, books, printed papers, commercial papers, patterns and samples, ½d. per 2 oz., with the Postal Union proviso of a minimum payment of 2½d. for a packet of commercial papers, and of 1d. for a packet of patterns or samples.

Fee for registration of any of the above named articles, 2d.

Fee for the acknowledgment of the delivery of a registered article, 2½d.

By His Excellency's Command,

      (Signed) J. H. FINDEN,

          Postmaster.

Post Office, Bathurst, Gambia,

     3rd March, 1892.

POST OFFICE.

Ordinance No. 6 of 1897.

March 11th, 1897....