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The Company agree to convey the Mails between Point de Galle and Australia.
Vessels to be furnished with appropriate machinery, tackle,
&c.;
And manned with certificated officers, &c.;
Also a Medical Officer;
Also a sufficient
number of engineers
to approval of Post- master-General.
with the said Company, for preparing a Contract on the footing of such alternative proposal.
Now these presents witness that the said Company, in con- sideration of the payments herein-after agreed to be made to them, do hereby for themselves, their successors and assigns, covenant, promise, and agree to and with the said Postmaster- General, his successors and assigns, that they the said Com- pany shall and will at their own costs and charges at all times until this agreement shall be determined to the satisfaction of the Postmaster-General for the time being, convey Her Majesty's Mails (which term Mails shall for the purposes of this agreement be considered to mean and include all letters, newspapers, books, and printed papers, and also all bags, boxes, and packets of letters, newspapers, books, and printed papers, sent by the post) which shall, during the continuance of this Contract by the Postmaster General, or any of his officers or agents, be required to be conveyed between Point de Galle in Ceylon, viâ Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, according to the table in that behalf hereunto annexed, by means of a sufficient number of full power steam-vessels (not less than three) supplied with first-rate appropriate steam engines.
That all the vessels to be employed in the services hereby agreed to be performed shall be supplied and furnished with all necessary and proper machinery, engines, apparel, furniture, stores, tackle, boats, fuel, oil, tallow, provisions, anchors, cables, fire pumps, and other proper means for extinguishing fire, lightning conductors on Sir Snow Harris's or other approved principle, charts, chronometers, proper nautical instruments, medicines, medicaments, and whatsoever else may be requisite and necessary for equipping the said vessels, and rendering them constantly efficient for the service hereby agreed to be performed, and also manned and provided with competent officers with appropriate certificates granted pursuant to the Act 17th and 18th Vict. cap. 104, or to any other Act or Acts of Parliament in force for the time being relative to the granting certificates to officers in the merchant service, and also a medical officer to be approved by the said Postmaster-General, and who shall give medical attendance, medicines, and medica- ments gratis to all persons conveyed under or by virtue of this agreement, or whose passage money may be paid for either in whole or in part by the public, and with a sufficient number of efficient engineers, and a sufficient crew of able seamen and other men, to be in all respects subject to the approval of the
and crew, to be subject said Postmaster-General, or of such other person or persons as he shall at any time or times, or from time to time, "authorize to inspect and examine the same, and the said Company shall (if required) submit the designs, plans, and sections of each vessel to be employed in the performance of this Agreement. to the said Postmaster-General; Provided, however, that all vessels belonging to the said Company, and which at the date of this agreement shall be employed in the performance of any
Designs, &c., of vessels to be submitted to the
Postmaster-General, if required.
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Departure of vessels.
Vessel shall delay
departure for 24 hours
if deemed expedient by the Postmaster-
General or his officers,
Company to convey Mails from Point de Galle, viá Melbourne,
and from Sydney vid Melbourne, to Point de Galle in
24 days.
Post Office services, shall be considered as having been approved by the said Postmaster-General.
That one of such vessels so approved, equipped, and manned as aforesaid shall during the continuance of this Agreement, on such days and at such hours as are respectively mentioned in the said Table hereunto annexed (until and unless any other days or hours shall under the proviso herein in that behalf contained be substituted instead thereof), and immediately after Her Majesty's Mails are embarked, put to sea from, touch, and arrive at the several ports or places respectively mentioned in such Table, and all the said vessels to be employed in the services hereby agreed to be performed shall, during the con- tinuance of this Agreement, convey the said Mails as mentioned in such Table, and all the stipulations, matters, and things therein mentioned and contained shall form part of this Agree- ment, and be observed, kept, and performed by the said Com- pany accordingly. And the said Company shall convey in the vessels to be employed under this Agreement to and from, and cause to be delivered and received at such of the ports or places mentioned in the said Table from or at which the said vessels are to start, touch, and arrive in performance of this Agreement all such of Her Majesty's Mails as shall or may be tendered to, delivered, or received by the said Company, or any of their agents, officers or servants by or from the said Postmaster-General, or any of his officers or agents.
That should it be deemed by the said Postmaster General, his officers, or agents, requisite for the public service that any vessel to be employed under this Agreement should at any time or times delay the departure from Point de Galle or Sydney beyond the period appointed for its departure, the said Postmaster-General, his officers or agents, shall have power to order such delay, not, however, exceeding twenty-four hours, by letter addressed by him, or other his officers or agents to the master of any such vessel, or person acting as such, and which shall be deemed a sufficient authority for such detention, any thing herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding.
That the said Company shall convey the said Mails from Point de Galle via Melbourne to Sydney in twenty-two days,
to Sydney, in 22 days, and from Sydney via Melbourne to Point de Galle in twenty- four days: And it is hereby agreed that if the said Company shall fail to deliver the said Mails at Sydney via Melbourne from Point de Galle in twenty-two days, or at Point de Galle via Melbourne from Sydney in twenty-four days, then or in either of such cases, and so often as the same shall happen, the said Company shall forfeit and pay to Her Majesty, Her heirs and successors, the sum of Two hundred pounds per day for every twenty-four hours consumed on the respective voyages beyond the periods as herein-before respectively agreed and specified: Provided always, that the full amount of such sums on any one voyage shall never exceed the sum of Five thousand
Penalty for delay.
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