was attended by so much success at Hong Kong : Indeed the field for competition is relatively greater here, and there is nothing in the Machinery of this small Vessel which first class Firms possess any speciality for one another.
14. It is the custom of the Comptrollers to conform to the leanings of Executive Officers in the Colonies as far as to invite the Maker named by such Officers to compete with others for the work to be done, and in this manner Messrs Maudslay were invited to tender on this occasion, and had they shown any great superiority of arrangement for the Engines and Boiler, their tender would probably have been accepted, notwithstanding its higher amount; but no such greater superiority was apparent, and as both the Firms were equally competent, and one of them was £380 lower in price, with other advantages of construction, Messrs Maudslay did not receive the order; but in giving it to Messrs Blyth, who had executed a similar order for another Colony most satisfactorily, the Committee were...