Conserving paper in the Dominion of Canada 1868

Courtesy of my friend Gordon Moat, who knows a tremendous amount about 19th century spinning wheel manufacturers in eastern Ontario (and goes on seeking), a curiosity from the first year of the new Government of Canada, 1868. The document is routine:  letters patent acknowledging the invention of "The Conqueror Spindle-Head Extension Arm" by Michael Horton Row of the village of Kemptville.

What's nice about it is the way, in March 1868, the responsible official has taken old stationary from the Upper Canada division of the Province of Canada, crossed out Province, substituted Dominion, and just carried on. Recycling old stationary forms in a practical, penny-pinching fashion: all it lacks is a "please consider the environment" notice at the bottom.

The new government seemed to have been prepared to get along without image consultants, design firms, and PR agencies telling them they needed a new logo and lots of new letterhead for their new distinction. In fact, they had not even updated Upper Canada to Canada West, and had been carrying on happily since 1841.

The other nice thing, of course, is that the official responsible for getting out the letters patent for the new spinning wheel part was John A. Macdonald, attorney-general for U.C. Canada.  In 1868, he had some other responsibilities as well.