The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-18 00:00:00

fourtbMittilii

WARWICK RACES.

(THIS DAY.)

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
THE GRAND ANNUAL STEEPLECHASE.
Oscar
Peter Simple

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Fourteen ran.
THE SCURRY STEEPLECHASE.

Macaw
Smuggler Bill

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT,

HOUSE OF LORDS-{YESTERDAY.)
THE MAILS TO AUSTRALIA.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE rose to ask the noble lord
the Postinaster-General whether the Government pro-
posed to make any arrangements for the more certain
transmission of the mails to Australia ; and whether
they intended to take any steps for more effectually en-
forcing or for terminating the contract for that object
with the Royal Australian Mail-packet Company. The
noble lord (who was extremely indistinctly heard) was
understood to say that he thought no one could be sur-
prised that great anxiety was felt by every person in the
remotest degree interested in our colonies situated in the
southern hemisphere, to have some explanation from the
Government as to the position in which the contract for
the transmission of the mails between thiS country and
those colonies now stood, and as to the course which the
Government intended to pursue in order to render that
' most important service more efficient. To enable their
lordships thoroughly to appreciate the force of the case
which he wished to place before them, he trusted that he
would be allowed to recite a few facts. In the year 1851
a committee of the other house sat, and inquired into
what was the best course for establishing steam com-
munication between this country and Australia. The
committee presented their report, and upon that report
the Government subsequently acted. He believed the
contract with the Royal Australian Mail-packet Com-
pany had never yet been laid before Parliament, and,
with the concurrence of the noble lord, he would move
for a production of a copy of it. He had no intention
of casting any imputation upon any member of the com-
pany, some of whom he knew, and he believed they were
men of the highest 'character ; but this was a question of
public importance, and must be treated as one, the
merits of which did not turn upon individual compe-
tency. In the spring of 1852 the contract was entered
into, and by the terms of the tenders which were ac-
cepted by the company, the contractors were required to
convey the mails by screw steam-ships 6 times a year
_ each way, and to deliver and receive the mails at King
George's Sound, Adelaide, Port Philip, Sydney, and
_ other places which the Admiralty might appoint. The
course that was, however, determined upon was, that
they were to proceed by the Cape to Adelaide, Mel-
bourne, aid Sydney; and, in point of fact, the Govern-
ment never insisted upon their going to King George's
Sound—a place where there were no settlers—and by
this alteration the vessels were saved 1,000 miles of their
journey. They were required to make an average speed
of 8i knots an hour; the dates and hours of departure were
fixed by the Government; a penalty of 1001. (as we un-
derstood) was imposed in the event of a steamer not
being ready, with a further penalty of 501. a day for
detention beyond the appointed time. of starting. Then
there was a penalty of 1001. if she lingered on the voyage,
put back, &c. The contract was given for 4 years, and
there was a provision for payment being made to the
company beforehand. Now the company which obtained
the contract, at the time they so obtained it, were not in
possession of a single vessel. The amount of their tender
was 26,000/. ; while that of another established com-
pany, which was bond fide in possession of vessels,
offered to take the service for 56,0001. It appeared that
the Royal Australian Mail packet Company had now
four vessels— the Australian, the Sydney, the Mel-
bourne, and the Adelaide. How had they performed the
mail service? The Australian, the first vessel, was ap-
pointed to sail on the 4th of April, 1852. It turned out
afterwards that she could not leave then, and her depar-
ture was postponed till the 4th of June. She arrived at
Sydney on the Bth of September, taking 99 days to ac-
complish the distance, calculating it at 14,000 miles, the
highest amount, This was only a speed at the rate of i
148 miles a day ; although she was required by her con-
tract to perform at the rate of 84- knots an hour, 204
miles. On her return she left Sydney on the 24th of
September, and was driven, from want of coals, or some
other defect, into the Mauritius. She arrived at Ply-
mouth on the 11th of January, 1853, occupying 112 days
on the passage, and steaming at the rate of 124 miles a
day. The next vessel was the Sydney, which sailed from
England on the 4th of August last, and arrived at Syd-
ney in the middle of November, making the passage in
about 100 days, at an average speed of 140 miles per
day. She left Sydney on the 4th of December, and
and arrived on the 16th of March, making the passage
in 107 days, or at a speed of 130 miles a day. The Mel-
bourne was the next vessel that started. She was
originally in her Majesty's navy, and known by the
name of the Greenpck. She sailed on the 15th of Octo-
ber, eleven days after the time appointed, and when she
got to the Bay of Biscay she broke down. She put in-
to the Tagus for repairs, and again put to sea from
Lisbon on the 21st of November, and the last that was
heard of her was that she had arrived at the Cape of
Good Hope on the 27th of December, and left it to con-
tinue on her voyage on the Ist of January. He under-
stood the General Screw Steam Company's vessels made
the passage to the Cape in 35 days. The Melbourne
took 77 days, accomplishing not more than 100 miles per
day. The next vessel was the Australian, which ought
to have sailed on the 3d of February, but did not leave
till the 24th. She was forced to put back. When pro-
ceeding on her second voyage she was again delayed, and
was again obliged to put back. She afterwards sailed
again on the 10th of March, and once more had to put
back to Plymouth, after having been in danger in the
Bay of Biscay, and was now he believed, on her way to
London. From what he had stated to their lordships,
it appeared that there had been a delay in the case of
the Melbourne of eleven days, in the case of the Adelaide
a delay, first of fourteen days, then of one day in putting
back, and afterwards of sixteen days, making a total of
thirty-one days ; and, lastly, that the Australian had at
first been delayed twenty days, and eighteen days after
that, making in all thirty-eight days. And the speed
per hour which those vessels had reached during their
voyages had been much below that which was stipulated
for in the contract. He thought that he was now en-
titled to ask their lordships whether it was not mon-
strous that the mail service should be allowed to be
executed in this very imperfect and defective manner—
(hear, hear)—and he should like to be informed whether
there were no means of withdrawing it from the hands
in which it was at present placed, and of entrusting it to
others. There was no question but that the service, if
properly arranged, might be performed in two months,
instead of, as at present 100 or 120 days ; indeed, he un-
derstood that letters had been received by the overland
mail which had left Australia in the middle of Novem-
ber, and had arrived here in the middle of January ; and
that others, which had been dispatched from Australia
on the 16th of January, had arrived here on the 16th of
March--

A NOBLE PEER : From Sydney ?
Lord WHARNCLIFFE—No, from South Australia.
It appeared to him that the passengers had just ground
of complaint, not only on the source of delay, but also
on account of the insulting manner in which they had
been treated. The company had filled the Australian
so fully with freight that it had been necessary to de-
spatch the passengers' luggage by another vessel, and
the consequence was that the passengers were parted
from their effects. It was not for him (Lord Wham-
eliffe) to say what ought to be done under these circum-
stances. He must say that he could not entirely exempt
the Government from some share of the blame, because
great powers had been given to them of interfering, by
means of surveyors, in order to satisfy themselves that
the vessels were really fit for service, and yet in spite of
those powers the vessels had been allowed to leave port
evidently in a totally unseaworthy state. He found that
it was provided that in case of any wilful breach of agree-
ment on the part of the company, the Government
should have the power of dissolving the contract without
giving any compensation to the company. The Govern-
Hineenttrumsitgehdtt,
that
trhthape se,aaevea,iivlhthemselveseh he had
statedthi p
wr oovnilsdion.
considered sufficient to justify the following questions,
whether friender Majesty's
.IGieenwerisatedntaompeulyt hisw
the Post-
IGNnvioaivsieteehrrnment proposed to take any measures for the more
snm,
oi sr
cs ii on ng ofth
et the
contractmails
ecfferetactiunatllryane
to Australia, that purpose with
a, and for_
the Australian Royal Mail Steam Navigation Com-
pany ?" (Hear, hear.)
Viscount CANNING said that no apology was needed
from his noble friend for bringing under the notice of
their lordships an occurrence which had caused so much
public inconvenience, and had led to so much disappoint-
ment and anxiety on the part ofprivate individualf
p
noble friend had
Before proceeding to answer the questions which hissput to him, he thought it was necessary
o
that he should refer to one or two points regardwith to
the the contract between the Government and
the Australianthe mode in
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, He (Viscount
and
•
which it was performed by
the
Canning) had no wish to be considered
ered as the champion