§ The EARL of ELLENBOROUGH reminded their Lordships that a Committee, of which the noble Marquess (Marquess of Clanricarde) had been a member, had sat on the subject of the contracts entered into for the conveyance of the mails to foreign countries, and that the Committee had recommended that the contracts should be thrown open to competition, and that when the profits of the companies conveying the mails exceeded a certain rate, the nation should participate in those profits. Now, he had seen in the newspapers of the 19th of April an advertisement for tenders for the conveyance of mails to Alexandria, such tenders to be delivered in on the 18th of May. This Was one of the most profitable contracts of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, and one month was not a sufficient time to allow to the public to tender for this contract. He wished to know also whether any inquiries had been made into the profits of the Company in accordance with the recommendations of the Select Committee, and whether the Government had had access to their accounts?
§ The MARQUESS of CLANRICARDE said, that the advertisement had not emanated from the Post Office. He agreed with the noble Earl that one month was too short a time to allow for making the tenders; but then it should be remembered that the Government had the power of refusing to accept any of the tenders, and of re-opening the contract if they did not conceive it for the interest of the nation to accept any of them. Although a Member of the Committee, he did not agree with all the recommendations of that Committee,