I don't know if this is of any relevance by I have a "Captain Roper" who was the captain of the Brigintine "Clara" which sailed from St. John's, Newfoundland on 24 December 1864 bound for New Zealand. The ship was purchased by a consortium of Robert Pearce, William and Elizabeth Foote, and carried their familes (Pearce, Foote, Gibbons, Ferguson) and supposedly my Newfoundland relatives (Brace & Angell) to NZ. When the ship arrived in New Zealand in June 1865 it was sold off and I have no idea if this Captain Roper ever made it back to Newfoundland. There's a link to the story online
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/the-voyage-out/9/6Sarah Angell