WCP4310

[1]¹

Feb: 16^th 1854

Foreign Office

Lord Wodehouse²

My Lord,

With reference to your Lordship’s letter of yesterday stating that H. M. Government would defray the expense of M^r. Wallace’s passage to Australia in one of the Mail Packets, I have to inform your Lordship’s that M^r. Wallace will at once accept Lord Clarendon’s³ kind offer, which he hopes will include his servant lad⁴, who was by the permission of the Lords of the Admiralty allowed to accompany him on board HMS "Frolic" and "Juno".

It will be in your Lordship’s recollection that the original application by Sir R. Murchison⁵ to the Earl of Clarendon in favour of M^r. Wallace’s scientific exploration of the Indian Archipelago made on the 27th of July last, was for a free passage to Singapore to which place it is still M^r. Wallace’s intention to proceed as soon as possible.

The offer of a free passage to Australia in HMS 'Frolic' was accepted, as your Lordship will recollect, because none of H.M Ships were at the time proceeding to Singapore.

M^r_. Wallace would therefore feel greatly obliged if through your Lordship’s kind consideration he might be granted as soon as practicable a passage with his assistant direct to Singapore instead of Australia.

I have the honor to remain &c. | Norton Shaw. Sec. R.G.S. [signature]⁶