Mail Between the United States and Nova Scotia, 1840-1867

From 1840 through 1867, mail to, from, and through the United States and Nova Scotia was transported by the British & North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, better known as the Cunard Line. From its inception in July 1840, Cunard Line steamers stopped in Halifax, Nova Scotia en route between Boston, Massachusetts, and Liverpool, England. Cunard Line steamers between New York City and Liverpool also served Halifax between January 1848 and September 1850. The primary purpose of the Halifax service was to connect British North America with the mother country; however, the Cunard Line steamers also linked Halifax with and the United States. Although the United States and Great Britain entered into a postal treaty in 1848, mail carried between the United States and Halifax was not addressed by the treaty, and the route was not well known within the United States. The Cunard Line stopped calling in Halifax at the end of 1867.

As the Cunard Line mails to Halifax were not covered by treaty, letters could not be paid to destination. The packet postage, and the Nova Scotia inland charge, if any, was always paid by the sender or recipient in British North America. The United States postage was always paid by the correspondent in the United States. While most of the mail carried on this route was exchanged between the United States and Nova Scotia, the Cunard Line service via Halifax was also used for mails to other parts of British North America, and through the use of forwarding agents, the rest of the western hemisphere.