The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-07 00:00:00

FOR THE SUEZ AND CALCUTTA SERVICE.

12. Bentinck
13. Hindostan
14: Precursor
15. Oriental
16. Bengal
17..C010mb0
FOR• THE CALCUTTA AND CHINA SERVICE.

18. Pekin
19. Lady Mary Wood
20. Formosa
21. Chusan
22. Shanghai
FOB THE BOMBAY AND CHINA SEUVICE.

23. Singapore
24. Ganges
25. Mklta
26. Erin
27. Pottinger
28. Achilles
29. Norna
30. Douro
31. Cadiz
FOR THE SINGAPORE AND• SIDNEY SERVICE.

32. Bombay
33. Madras

1,200
.... 1,200

FOR THE CHINA LOCAL SERVICE.
34. Canton
35. Tartar
36. Sir Charles Forbes 450
paddle-wheel.
(chartered vessel) ...

Mr. MORRIS seconded the motion, and strongly con-
demned the course taken by the overninent, as dis-
closed by the correspondence. He regretted the
directors had not thrown up ,the contract, for he was
sure the word of command from the Government would
quickly have been, "as you were." (Hear, hear.)
He called attention to a statement in a morning paper,
in a letter from Alexandria, complaining of the state of
the steamers, belonging to the Pacha, on the Nile,
used in the transit ; and inquired whether there was any
prospect of the abolition of the transit duties ?
Mr. ANDERSON M.P., said he would answer the
question. But erst .he felt ,it necessary to make some
apology for the Government, though it was a hard task,
for the course they had taken with reference to the ap-
plication made to them by the directors. The Govern-
ment, about the time of the correspondence, were under
some disadvantage, inasmuch as its members were
new to their respective offices. Probably, therefore,
they were not aware of the position of the
Peninsular and Oriental Company, or of its general
merits in connection with the public service.
65,185 15,610 They were in the position of the new King in
The CHAIRMAN said that in making a few remarks Egypt, who rose up and knew not Joseph. But they
upon the report he must congratulate the propietors that knew him now. (Hear, hear.) They knew that the
the difficult circumstances in which the company had mileage rates at which the company was carrying on an
been placed in the early part of the year had been met extensive postal service were somewhere about half the
and overcome in three different ways. In the first place, rates of the other large postal services. The rates of
humanly speaking, they had overcome the unexpected passage money had been reduced 20 per cent. at the
difficulty with respect to their supplies of coals, by re- commencement of the present year. A great deal had
ceiving some from Batavia ; next, by the transmission of been said about the sort of monopoly enjoyed by the
an unusual quantity of specie to India and China during company ; its monopoly only arose from its efficiency.
the last six months ; and, in the third place, under Pro- Great complaints had been made of the East India Cora-
vidence, by the extraordinary skill, care, and intelli- pany keeping in their own hands the Bombay line of the
gence with which their vessels had been navigated by India mail. They had at last given it up. The cost of
the commanders in their service. (Hear.) Being him- it to the East India Company and the Government was
self of the profession to which they belonged, he desired about 160,0001. a-year ; but this service was about to be
to take this opportunity of saying that the gratitude of carried on by this company for something under 25,000/.
the proprietors was due to the whole body of their corn- per annum. (Hear, hear.) With regard to the diree-
maders and officers for their excellent and safe conduct tors not having accepted the Admiralty's suggestion of
of the ships committed to them. (Hear.) During the throwing up the contract, he had no doubt that one cir-
whole existence of the company there had never been a cumstance weighed with them, though it was not alluded
year in which the directors had had more anxious duties to in the report. He meant the great importance of
to perform than that now drawing to a close. It the mail contracts to the company. He believed that if
would be seen by the correspondence with the Ad- the contract had been surrendered the market value of
miralty, that by requiring the double performance of the shares would have fallen from 20 to 30 per cent, at
the great trunk lines of communication between Cal- once. (Hear.) But he would take this opportunity to
cutta and Southampton, as well as with China, disabuse the minds of the shareholders as to the propor-
India, and Australia, it was necessary that no less tion of the contract to their whole earnings. The whole
than 11.1,000 tons of coals extra should be placed amount paid for the conveyance of the Indian mails
in the different depots. At the time when this service was little more than one-fifth of the sum required by
was required, not only was the price of coals much the extensive operations of the company to yield a fair
enhanced, but the power of conveying that indispensable dividend. Wore the company without a contract at all,
material to their motive power was almost entirely taken arrangements could be made to accommodate the traffic
away, by every British ship being taken up for the Aus- and passengers when they were greatest, and for using
tralian trade. At Liverpool two or three Dutch vessels smaller vessels when they were few, and he believed the
received cargo for Australia, and in one case even a result would be important. He repeated that if the
Spanish ship. Under such circumstances the directors company had no contract at all the company had ground
thought it right to appeal to the Government in the to stand upon. (Hear, hear.) No new party could
manner detailed in the correspondence. On that corres- possibly compete with them upon equal terms. This
pondence he would make no further remark than that was the ground upon which they stood, and by their the directors, at its close, felt it
,their duty to the pro- own enterprise they had achieved it. The
prietors not to shrink from the difficulties before them, had never had any official favour whateverd ; bcuotrnwpahneyn
They would endeavour to meet those difficulties to the the Government found that they could un ertake public
best of their ability ; and they had now the proud sets- business upon better terms than could be done elsewhere
faction of meeting their constituents with the report the Government gave it to them. (Hear, hear.) With
that had just been read. (Hear, hear.) In coming to regard to the transit throw h Egypt, the reason no
their decision the Admiralty had not perhaps taken into allusion was made to this gsubject in the report was
consideration that the company bad been several years very simple. The directors expected to have received
in fOrMing their staffs at Calcutta, Bombay, and Si.- by the last mail a communication of
.considerable ins-
gapore, to say nothing of the smaller intermediate portance, which, if they had received, they would.
stations ; and that the first outlay of those establish- have laid before the shareholders—namely, the aboli-
mente had been 100,0001.. Their annual maintenance ton of the half per cent, transit duty, and the open-
amounted to nearly 70,0001. (Hear, hear.) Such being ing of a free transitfor merchandise to and from the
the case, it would be impossible for all the wealth even East through
.tgycipute.stiTonheasdiroencetoorfs
vital
dl
inalil)woartaysno
of that great city, without such establishments, to main- garded the tgran
re-
tain our communications with our deppndencies in the
bEoaarrlyd ltaostviyseitarEsihe (Mr. Anderson) was deputed the
Pachae.
gaYPt reduction, and
o
East and in China in the manner they had been main.
tamed by the ships of the company, by the energetic and to Abbas
commencement t
faithful services of the agents and representatives of the thelice
presentyear, of the conveyance
company at the different stations. He mentioned these cir- of ass rates charged for the
cumstances in order that they might not in• future be
communication
would be multiplied ing commun
frightened out of their propriety by the idea of any with
by the increasing p engers . across Egypt, in considering that they
Another proposal
nfrtohma that occasionh
e
fresh enterprise driving them from the ground they had should India.
hitherto so honourably and usefully filled. TT
hoped,
e free transit
remit the half per cent. trans'
t for the Oriental and
too, that when the time arrived for them to extend their P • through Egypt, not fur for all the world.
communications between Aden and Bombay, and emnsular Compan alone, but
gave him a written promise
so (Hear, hear.) The Pacha
eg complete the whole line between England and India, propositions upon the con-
the company would be found still more advanced was,
dttlij:Pt, and oPpeanebaa
their efforts to secure the comfort and the accommod:: that he would agree to thes
in dition that they should only
differences in which .
tion of those who travelled by their ship I
Britain and her these
feetthe etahrenoeostmdrotreioaotfiotnhebodtiwreecetnorGs
retaots. t would be with the Porte had been
certain political differe
visited Egypt to bring
improve and per- year he (1\ .fr Anderson) again becarried into effect after
nclusion. e succe‘
inwtashe
involved
present
things to aco settled.Earlbyld
in
satisfactorily settled, for the ,
empire in the East, with her depend • • Australiaassengers
and even to the eastward of that country, 8 Inwritten agreement, binding
gett
they expected there would be otherof entered into
ofooorso that relative to p
modes communi- himself to
through Egypt. As to the other
cation with the more distantcolonies h did the .mails
ut he trusted he
Pacha, was not prepared to name
that no events whatever would interrupt sition, the
• , it into effect ; but within
the communi:. ' prop° transmit passengersa at the same time as
cation between Great Britain and.the East, and that the a time had • edprivate
he (Mr. Anderson) received p
company would realise its motto—adopted from the a day or two .
h led him to believe that it would not
chivalry of the sister island—of "Q • ' " information which
good reason for the Pacha
um separavit. long. There was a
Mr. WYNDHAM GOOLD, XP., moved the adoption be very
kee in, up the steam-boats. He was making aof the report, and referred at some length to the not p for carrying
way across Egypt. This railway was progressing better
rail-
correspondence with the Admiralty. He was glad it
had been published separately, and circulated cl 4
'ln' thei connect Alexandria with the Nile, and thus save the
than was expected, for below next Low Nile it would
the proprietors, because when he first read n....most disagreeable part of the transit. In twelve months
report of the select committee of the Househiotffeieulionign:
it was expected the whole line mould be completed to
mons on contract packets, he did so that Cairo. There was consequently some reason why the
and
of indignation. And he now distinctl_asrdnsswoi
in this correspondence the Governmenetiht vteerrtedstepped Pasha should not be spending money in repairing
°light to have keeping up the steamers referred to. The transit through
fair limits, and passed beyond the lint
the company. Egypt to the East had now become a European ques.
t-iersYteted that in such tion. The Government of this country, he was satisfied,
the office of a viewed it as such ; and as a diplomatic agent was about
. overnment
k(Hepeta,ri,nboeardr.7 toHpolabcaeditaslewlfayins hiuensdere,
one hand, and the going out to represent this country there, he had
matters Government held, as
that it was their duty hope that the question would soon be settled every'
the other'not victimized, and that the torily. (Hear, hear.) satisfac-
contracting party on
trustee between the public °n
Colonel DAGNOLD said the G
this capacity with respect to
hayed in a manly •
to see that the public vier Every one knew that the
contractor did not suffer..
had not be-
way in relation
e, to Cunard's lines and to others.
himself would have thrown to the contract. He
the West India
the directorsline,
of this company preferred the
I depended for profits it up, paid the 35,0001., and
But when euest that they would institute an in-with economy in upon freights and passengers, for,
Government had acted in
difficulties which the directors experienced
_every establishment, he believed that
very: these alone
• into the .
of coals for carrying out the con- would pay well,
quirt' . supplies He suggested that the
in procuring
moderater