Samuel Freeman Miller

“ Provided, that all steamships hereafter accepted for said service shall be of not less than four thousand tons register each, and shall be built of iron, and, with their engines and machinery, shall be wholly of American construction; and shall be so constructed as to be readily adapted to the armed naval service of the United States, in case of war, and, before acceptance, the officers by whom they are inspected shall report to the Secretary of the Navy and the Postmaster-General whether this condition has been complied with. ”

“ That vessel had been examined and accepted by the Postmaster-General, as one of the new and higher class of vessels, and the mails had been delivered to her at San Francisco, on the 20th of February, 1875, and she had started on the round trip ten or twelve days before Congress passed the statute annulling the contract, and she carried the mails under that contract on the voyage out and the return voyage. ”

“ Holman says:-- 'SIR,-In the matter of the contract between the Postmaster-General and the Pacific Mail Steamship Company for an additional semi-monthly mail service between San Francisco, Japan, and China, said service to be performed with American-built iron steamships of not less than 4,000 tons register, and to have been commenced on Oct. ”

“ That such was the understanding of the parties to this contract receives strong confirmation from language found in the bid or offer of the company, which was accepted without qualification by the Postmaster-General. It is this: 'We are now building two iron propellers of about 4,500 tons register, capable of steaming twelve knots, and propose, as soon as practicable, with the limited facilities now available in America, to build two more steamers of like construction, but larger and of higher speed, all of which we shall offer for the service in question. ”