ABSTRACT
Bushell notes that in the early 1870s the days of Admiralty control and large mail subsidies ended and the Company was required to operate on strictly commercial lines, 'with the carriage of passengers and cargo a primary instead of a secondary consideration'. A period of expansion lay ahead, described by him as 'the second epoch of the Royal Mail story'. The new 1874 annual contract for the West Indies was sharply reduced to 84,750, a shock for management yet a relief that it had been retained. The directors advised shareholders that they had considered the matter and concluded that 'it would be well worth while' to continue to carry the mails. British shipping continued to dominate trade with South America, with the French in second place. The USA maintained significant traffic while the Germans, from the 1870s, were an increasing threat, particularly to Brazilian ports where significant numbers of German migrants were established.
