28 May 1869 Glenorchy My dear Donald As the Counsel is now over you of course will be of to Wellington, and I will not see you but I hope that things will be more favourable than last session, but I need not tell you that you have deep intrigues against you in that fellow Russel and his colegues. They have done plenty of mischief already but they will do a great deal more before the country will oppen their eyes to what they should do. I always heated [hated] the whole cleque and as honest men say if they were not rogues they would not league with such a government. And I trust a better time is near at hand. What good is their expeditions now doing but putting the country into deep dificulty and debt. I supose you will have orders about the fencing the gardin as after you are gone I would like to see all the place planted. I would willingly go down for a few days and see it properly done when the place is a piece. If Annabella is not going with you she could come up here part of the time as it would do her good. Will you tell your man to take the two peach trees that are on the east side of the sypress and plant them in the gardin 4 feet from the boundry fence and 15 feet apart and make a row of peach trees allong that side. Also tell him to shift the pine at the corner of the big gate and put it over on Colnisa's side the grounds among the fruit trees 10 feet from the sypress. If you are going to keep the man on I will gave him plenty of work to keep him going till you come back as I would like to see all the Conlisa side planted. Also all allong the road and the fruit trees removed. Of course the horse will be sent up there and as no beasts will be in the grounds the fruit trees can be planted out and fenced any time, after I supose Maney has sent the posts. I was very much surprized to here the potatoes were not sold. I hope you will see Kennedy about them and of course he will charge the bags at 1/6 each. The country here never looked better and the grass that was sowened on the surface is doing very well indeed. I have some up here good feed now. I wish you could have come up this way before you left but that is impossible. I have had great dreams about Douglas. I hope you have got good accounts from him. Dear boy he is continually in my head for the last few nights. I have had no dreams at all about you this time. Whatever is the way perhaps things may turn out better than I expect. Yours always Archibald John McLean