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it was only after their receipt of the Government Surveyor's Certificate of Measurement that they were enabled to know how many passengers the law allowed the vessel.
I would also most respectfully point out that my letter of the 22 April forwarding Gurney Castle's application for overcrowding licence for the purpose of conveying 8396 Chinese passengers to the Australian Colonies, while my minute and initialled alteration of figures from 600 to 5379 in the body of the form was made on the 23 April, a day later.
In addition to keeping all the documents connected with the Gurney Castle in complete state, I may add that it has not hitherto been usual to make special application for permission to make such corrections, especially when the same document referred to drew attention to it. His Excellency's present instructions will receive great attention under this head.
I have &c.
(Signed) H. G. Thomsett
Harbor Master, &c.
A pen was, so far as I recollect at this distance of time, drawn through the figure 600, and 8396 placed underneath, with a view...
By oversight C.S.O. 1150 omitted from letter No. 965. Will the Harbour Master be good enough to add the date to the document?