 On March 3, 1845, Congress authorized the Postmaster General to invite bids on contracts to carry mail between the United States and abroad.Regular subsidized service between New York and Bremen, Havre, Liverpool and Panama was established under the Act of 1845.Subsidy payments averaged between $19,250 and $35,000 per round trip, and aggregated government expenditures to 1858 amounted to $14,400,000.