228555/85
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Company to convey maile,
twice each way every
calendar month, be tween England and Alexandria, and be-
Articles of Agreement made this first day of
January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, between The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company of the one part, and the Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (for and on behalf of Her Majesty) of the other part.
Witness, That the said Company hereby covenant, promise, and agree with the said Commissioners for and on behalf of Her Majesty, that the said Company shall and will at all times during the continuance of this Contract, or so long as the whole or any part of the service hereby agreed to be performed ought to be performed in pursuance thereof, provide, maintain, keep seaworthy and in complete repair and readiness for the
purpose of conveying as herein-after provided all Her Majesty's mails (in which designation all despatches and bags of letters are agreed to be comprehended) which shall at any time or times or from time to time by the said Commissioners or Her Ma- jesty's Postmaster General, or any of the officers or agents of the said Commissioners or Postmaster General, be required to be conveyed twice each way every calendar month between England and Alexandria in Egypt, and twice each way every calendar month between Suez in Egypt, Calcutta in India, and Hong Kong in China, by means of a sufficient number not less than fifteen of good substantial and efficient steam vessels, each of such vessels to be of not less than eleven hundred tons burthen, and supplied with first rate appropriate steam engines; and also a sufficient number of good substantial and efficient steam vessels tween Marseilles and (not less than two), to be employed twice each way every calendar month in the conveyance of Her Majesty's mails between Marseilles in France and the island of Malta; and Singapore and Sydney, likewise a sufficient number of good substantial and efficient steam vessels (not less than two), to be employed each way every alternate calendar month in the conveyance of Her Ma- jesty's mails between Singapore in the Straits of Malacca and those vessels to be of Sydney in New South Wales; each of such vessels to be employed between Marseilles and Malta, and between Singa- pore and Sydney, to be of not less than six hundred tons burthen, and supplied with first-rate appropriate steam engines.
tween Suez, Calcutta, and Hong Kong, by not less than 15 steam vessels, each not less than 1,100 tons;
and also employ not
less than 2 vessels
twice each way be-
Malta;
and not less than 2 vessels between
not less than 600 tons.
Company to convey mails to satisfaction of Admiralty,
as mentioned in Tables 1 to 5.
4
That the said Company shall and will during the continuance of this Contract in every case diligently, faithfully, and to the satisfaction of the said Commissioners, convey the said mails on board the said vessels respectively as mentioned in the Tables of Routes numbered 1 to 5 inclusive hereunto annexed, and ali the stipulations, clauses, matters, and things mentioned or con-
i