_Sirius_, sailing from Bristol, and swung into New York harbor on the
twenty-third, making her passage in two days' less time than her rival.
Both were hailed in New York with "immense acclamation." They sailed on
their homeward voyage in May, six days apart, and made the return
passage respectively in sixteen and fourteen days. The _Great Western_
on her second homeward voyage beat all records, making the run in twelve
days and fourteen hours, and "bringing with her the advices of the
fastest American sailing-ships which had started from New York long
before her."[U] This clinched the matter. The Admiralty now invited
tenders for the transatlantic mail service, by steam, between Liverpool,
Halifax, and New York.

The first call for tenders was made in October, 1838. The St. George's
Packet Company, owners of the _Sirius_, and the Great Western Steamship
Company, owners of the _Great Western_, put in bids, the former offering
a monthly service between Cork, Halifax, and New York for a yearly
subsidy of sixty-five thousand pounds; the latter, a monthly service
between Bristol, Halifax, and New York for forty-five thousand pounds a
year.

Neither offer was accepted for the reason, as was stated, that a
semimonthly service was desired.[V] Instead, private arrangements were
made with Samuel Cunard and associates for a carriage between Liverpool,
Halifax, Quebec, and Boston, twice a month, for a term of seven years,
the subsidy to be sixty thousand pounds annually, less four thousand
pounds for making only one voyage a month in the winter season.[W] The
contract required Mr. Cunard and his associates to furnish five ocean
steamships and two river steamers, the latter on the St. Lawrence.[V]
There were also definite restrictions as to turning their steamers over
to the Government for use in time of war. All were to be inspected by