another would be attempted on behalf of the Royal Mail
Steam-Packet Corn-
the successful result of the voyages of the Great Western, by some large pro-
vernment. In vain was it shown to them that they would lose 300,000/. per
of the Admiralty; who, in the debate on the Navy Estimates, complimented
never enforce) the pains and penalties set down in the contract ; and the in-
work nor pay, and will require to be altered within the next twelvemonth.
By the original contract, the Company engaged to perform certain services,
the expense of sailing-vessels out of the question; and that as the Government gave them only 240,0001. per annum, or is. per mile, it was ridiculous to ex- pect the remaining 14s. from the West India Planters or Mexican Hidalgos. a plan, in which the mere magnitude of the undertaking must ulti- But they turned a deaf ear to the voice of experience ; being backed up by mately baffle us, although we go on as hitherto to win every battle— Government, who could not refuse, if necessary, to step between such a re- works in the same direction as the Western war. The pretexts spectable and wealthy body of Directors and the consequences of their acts, under which both wars have been undertaken have left a stain on A poorer set of men might be left to sink, swim, or pay the penalty, as it might turn out ; but they—it was quite impossible to suppose such a thing. The new contract reduces the steam mileage to 392,976 per annum, a re- them, seeing they can be of no advantage to England and must en- auction from the original one of 291,840 miles ; which, at 21s. per mile, is equal tail serious losses upon it, has weakened the opinion entertained in to presenting the Directors of the Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company with the East of English wisdom : the discomfiture in which if persisted the enormous sum of 306,432/. per annum. This throws the paltry 30,000/. or in they must terminate, will weaken the prestige of valour and 40,000/. additional given to CUNARD'S line quite in the shade ; and there is good fortune which has hitherto surrounded the English in Asia. also this striking difference between the two cases, that whereas this boon is given to men who never fulfilled their contract, but managed to throw the The prosecution of those wars impoverishes the British Govern- whole West India correspondence into confusion, Conann's was excused on ment in India, and lowers it in the estimation of the Asiatics : the ground that he had done the work he contracted to do well and effi- that alone can render possible the day-dreams of the French ciently ; which no one can deny, however much they may disapprove of the journalist. These are the perils to which the late Ministers have system that has given him the monopoly of the North Atlantic. in the very wantonness of selfish ignorance exposed our empire in
The moral of all this is, either that, provided you have sufficient interest, you
may make what contract you please with Government, assured that no penal- the East : to restore it, as far as possible, to its former comparative ties will be enforced for its non-fulfilment, or a better one given you if it security, is the difficult but far from desperate task which devolves does not succeed; or that this contract system, having destroyed all private upon their successors. competition, and filled the Navy with steam-vessels unfit for crossing the At- To this end, Sir ROBERT PEEL'S Cabinet must understand die- 'antic, the Government of the greatest maritime country in the world are at the mercy of the contractors they themselves called into existence, and must tinctly that it has been no party to the Indian policy of the late concerned, stand thus— his its duty to inquire into the origin and probable consequences of Original contract, equal to 684.816 miles steaming. was costing the Cmpany 21s. per
mile, or annually £719.056 Less Government subsidy
New contract, reduced to 392,976 miles, will cost Je 4 4120 .000 .574 to choose their own course ; and a terrible responsibility will' be 2 Annual grant theirs if they do not use their liberty of choice. The disbntiest To make up from freight and passengers 172.574 and mock appeals to national vanity and to national humanity,
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