The Canje River Launch Travelling Post Office (T.P.O.) was established on May 31, 1897, following a Gazette Notice announcing a fortnightly mail service between Richmond Hill and Reliance with a Travelling Post Office aboard the vessel. The T.P.O. was set up on the mail boat with arrangements for delivery, reception, and registration of letters, as well as for the sale of stamps. Notably, the launch made no intermediate stops, forcing residents along the way to sail out to the boat when it passed if they wished to access postal services.

The initial service operated with boats leaving Reliance on alternate Mondays, arriving at Richmond Hill on alternate Tuesdays, then departing Richmond Hill on alternate Thursdays and arriving back at Reliance on alternate Fridays. This service came to an end upon the closure of the Richmond Hill Post Office on March 23, 1899.

The service was re-established on July 17, 1899, with a regular weekly boat service on Canje Creek. This iteration of the service departed from New Amsterdam each Monday at 8 a.m. and left Richmond Hill on the following Thursday. While the service was again discontinued at some point, cancellations dated 1901 acknowledging the T.P.O. Canje exist, indicating some form of continued operation.

The following are the Date Stamps used at Canje River Launch with EKD prior to 22 January 1901, the day marking the end of the reign of Queen Victoria. In addition to listing the Panda Type #, for reference, we also list the T&H Type from The Postage Stamps and Postal History of British Guiana by Townsend & Howe and the Type and referenced page from The Postal History of British Guiana by Edward B. Proud.

---

---

→ Panda Type # E 2 1 . 7 – T.P.O. Canje

T&H TPO Type 8 p. 381; Proud TPO Canje D2 p. 287

EKD: 2 Jan 1899 / NEW LKD: 12 Feb 1901

The T.P.O. Canje Circular Date Stamp (C.D.S) is a Panda Type E21 postmark.  The Panda Type E21 is S.R. 24 – 24.5 mm. with dividing dots separating office from colony. 2 L.D. with YIF. B. Guiana at foot.

The Panda Type E21.7 is cataloged as TPO Type 8 and listed as “Extremely Rare” in The Postage Stamps and Postal History of British Guiana by Townsend & Howe.