The Legislative Council of the island passed Ordinance No 13 on 17th December 1846, fixing, inter alia, the rate of internal postage at 2d. per half-ounce for country letters and 1d. per ounce for local town delivery. Most of the new regulations came into force on New Year’s Day 1847. Article 9 of the Ordinance is particularly intereting because it foreshadowed the use of postage stamps.
Article 9
Every letter, newspaper or packet of any kind liable to postage under this Ordinance, if posted within the colony and its dependencies, and having a stamp or stamps affixed thereto and appearing on the outside – such stamps being provided by the Government – and being of the value or amount required in each case according to the preceding tariff, and not having been used before, shall pass by the post free of postage.