| Description | The letter gives an Engineer's report of the tender submitted by John Scott Russell to the Great Ship Company and confirms that it is identical to the one submitted to the Eastern Steam Navigation Company the previous April and refers the Board to the letter that Brunel wrote the previous December expressing his opinion of the tender. The letter also gives Bennett's opinion of Russell's inclusion of an arbitration cause and his opinion that Brunel would object if the Directors allowed this clause as it stands which would supersede Brunel's authority as Engineer at Russell's whim. The letter also reminds the Directors of the figures for the number of state rooms, bed places and sofas to be included in the contracts. The letter also objects to the recommendation in John Scott Russell's tender to settle the bulwarks at a uniform height which counters Brunel's most recent plans which call for graduations to the dimensions of the bulwarks between bow, amidships and stern which will add considerably to the work and expense since some of the iron has already been made for Brunel's plans. The letter also raises several points relating to the construction of the masts and yards and other matters that are omitted in Russell's tender and points the the necessity of ensuring, due to the short time-frame given for the completion of the work, the legal liability of the contractor for paying penalties in case of delay. |