THE P. AND .O. COMPANY.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1616, 10 September 1861, Page 4

THE P. AND .O. COMPANY.

The Government has entered iutp ap^ arrangenient with the Peninsular and? Oriental Company for the reuewal of the Australian Mail Service, by the conveyance of the mail between Point de Galle, Ceylon and Australia.' The subsidy, is £134,672 per annum, with a guarantee from the Company of £25,000 fqr the; due performance of the .contract. * : ■•'

' The British Government, in its support of the European and Australian Royal Mail * CompAny, and also by its strenuous efforts to throw the Australian' contract into' the hands of the W^est India Mail Company, laboured hard but vainly to raise up a rival to the Peuinsu^, *• lar and Oriental Company in the Easterir* Seas. The French Government is vow going to try its hand at the same sciheihe. A French Orieutal line has long bee,n an object of ambition with the Frenoh Emperor, and he thinks the time opportune now for realising his desires. It has npt escaped his notioe how largelyjp recent wars Great Britain has been helped iv the transport servioe by the mercantile steamers that have beeu withdrawn from the subsidised postal lities ; nor has he failed to observe how largely the carrying ! trade of Great Britain and its general | commercial supremaoy have been/ in-*, creased by these generarsteam navigai* tion lines. "Ships, colonies, and,commerce," were what, the first A Napoleon ilesired, to lift France to the pinnacle of greatness he piotured for her, and the nephew with not less tenaoityi but with more caution^ is pushingiteadily tov/ATdsJ the realisation of _,' the _. same "-Ideal.' tii J itsolf the aim is a**gqod and^wqiithy^ne,^ and if not idesirectsimpiy ;for*.:the:pußpoß^ of being ' made* subordinate s';5 '; to ' milit^Mr* •• aggVahdisemeuti 'Miitfot ? faiFtb 'torom"6'w|A , the spread of oivilißation. ; . ; sh > _^v- ,: , . ■ n •'' M*>fy A