Murdoch to Rogers (Permanent Under-Secretary)

With reference to your letters of the 14th August
and 1st October last directing us to provide passages
(viâ Cape Horn) to British Columbia, for the Wives and
families of the 7 Men belonging to the detachment of Royal
Engineers stationed in that Colony, I have to report for the
information of the Secretary of State that the "Marcella,"
in which vessel passages were engaged as mentioned in
Mr Walcott's

letter of the 20th ultimo, sailed on
the 12th instant from Gravesend for Vancouvers Island
having on board the 3 Women & 4 Children named in the margin.
*

2. All the women comprized in the List which accompanied
your letter of the 14th August last except Mrs Holroyd
(who stated that she preferred to remain where she was a little
longer) accepted the offer of a passage when made to them—but
subsequently Mrs Goskirk, Jane Bingley, and Catherine May
declined to proceed—the first alleging that she had not the
means to travel from Scotland to London to join the vessel—

the
second that she had been informed that she was to go out
as an Emigrant and not as a passenger—and the last because
she was an Indoor patient at the Dover Hospital with but
little prospect of recovery.

3. A passage warrant was sent to Mrs Goskirk to
enable her to reach London without expense—and the nature of
the arrangements were explained to Jane Bingley but in neither
case with any change in the result.

4. Bingley and May appear to be young women who were
probably going out to be married to the men who sent for them.

5. The Secretary of State may perhaps deem it advisable
to notify to Colonel Moody the sailing of the "Marcella,"
and the reasons why Catherine May, Mrs Holroyd, Mrs
Goskirk and Jane Bingley have not proceeded in her.

6. As the two former gave us notice of their intention to
remain at home, before the preparation for their accommodation on
board the ship were completed, we shall not be required to pay any
forfeit for their passages, but in the cases of Mrs Goskirk and
Jane Bingley we shall have in

justice to the Shipowner, to pay the
usual forfeit of half the passage money, as their change of
mind was not communicated until all the expense of fittings and
provisioning for their accommodation had been incurred.