
          Royal Gardens, Kew.
Oct. 17, 1846.

My dear Friend, The present letter
is to announce to you that one of my
family, my eldest daughter, with her
husband, the Revd. Walter McGilvray, will
if God grants them a good voyage, [crossed out: will]
have the happiness of seeing you & yours at
New York in a very few days after you
recive [receive] this. They have been already [added and crossed out: been]
mercifully preserved in the "Great Britain."
They were to have gone out in the Great
Western but she was full (& she suffered
tremendously in going out). Thus they
embarked in the Great Britain, & but for
the shipwreck, they would have been in
New York a fortnight ago. Then, 200
passengers having to look out for berths
in other ships, the steamer was soon
crowded. They took passage in the
“Liverpool,” New York Line, which ought
to have sailed a fortnight ago, but bad
        