A set of stamps will be released today to celebrate the 170th anniversary of the first Portuguese immigrants to Bermuda.Wayne Furbert, the Cabinet Office minister, said: “The stamp series is modelled after the portrait of the ship, the Golden Rule, which delivered the first Portuguese immigrants to Bermuda in 1849.”Mr Furbert explained “History shares that the first group of immigrants arrived in Bermuda on November 4, 1849, with 58 individuals, consisting of 35 men, 16 women and seven children.“The historic and considerable contribution of this first group of Portuguese immigrants from Madeira aboard the Golden Rule was significant — the creation of sustainable and successful agricultural economy in Bermuda.Mr Furbert was speaking as he unveiled the stamps at the historic Perot Post Office in Hamilton’s Queen Street yesterday.He said: “Today, our island derives great benefit economically, socially and politically from the contribution of Bermudians of Portuguese descent whose ancestors arrived on the island, not only from Madeira but also from mainland Portugal and the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Cape Verde.“This government and the Bermuda Post Office is pleased and honoured to celebrate this historical milestone.”Andrea Moniz-DeSouza, the Honorary Consul of Portugal, who was presented with a set of the stamps, said the announcement of a national holiday on Monday to mark the anniversary was “an immense honour” for the Portuguese community.She added: “This is an extra-special honour for us.”Ms Moniz-DeSouza said: “Thank you to the community, thank you to all the Bermudians for recognising us, that we’re part of you also.“I think that’s one of the major themes for us — is making Bermudians of all cultures, nationalities, backgrounds realise we’re all one, and we should be able to celebrate each other and where we come from.”Susan Moore-Williams, the acting Postmaster General, said: “This presentation in respect of the 170th anniversary of the arrival of the first Portuguese immigrants in Bermuda could not be held in a more fitting place.“This is the Perot Post Office, which itself is very historic and it is, of course, the home of the Philatelic Bureau.“When we think about stamps in the post office, this is our glamorous side, because stamps are not only wonderful in terms of their intrinsic value for stamp collectors, but they’re also beautiful and colourful and they tell a lot about the history of Bermuda.”She added: “There’s something for everyone because, in respect of the images of our stamps, we also have a lot of what we call philatelic retail items.“Those items are things such as tea towels, coasters, we have notebooks, we have greeting cards.”