Napier Oct. 1 1867 My dear McLean I have yours of the 28th Sept. and was surprised somewhat, thinking you would have been here instead. I fancy you will enjoy yourself quite as well in Wellington as here for 10 or 12 days to come - It appears that we shall have some £2000 less to vote than was expected, and our only hope is that all the members will be anxious to get away to their homes this busy season and not waste much time in mere talk - Wilson in spite of all I could do to urge him on with the Bills has done nothing to them, and has not even shown up at the office at all this morning nearly 1 o'clock now - I fancy it will take us the usual 3 days before we get fairly to work - The weather is splendid and does the heart good - Country looking magnificent - never saw it looking better any time these 20 years past - There is a meat speculator here from Hokitiki just now and he has offered 10/- a head for 1/2 bred weathers after the wool is off - He said he had bought 1000 from you I wanted 12/- for mine, and shall keep them a bit longer as there is plenty of feed - I shall have about 70 Prime Leicester Rams to hire or sell this season 2 and 4 tooth and they will be in demand on the plains. We have had a meeting of the original boiling down company to day and have accepted an offer from a Melbourne firm to supply us with a steam apparatus for £275 capable of boiling 400 a week - Another call of £1 per share and the remaining 3£ to be paid on Jan. 1 /68. So there will be two companies it appears both steam after all - and the contractors Messrs. Langlands of Melbourne and a highly respectable firm - the whole thing to be entirely new and the cost between 500 and 600£ all complete ready for operation. Ormond is writing you about these eternal finances which are such a bugvear to both private and public individuals sometimes. Mr. and Mrs. Locke are looking both very well after their trip - Surely there will be an opening somewhere about the Nelson side this summer for our surplus sheep. Auckland does not promise much but still I live in hopes of good news there yet - Yours very truly Joseph Rhodes