10 February 1860 Napier My dear brother I received your welcome letter from Canterbury and was happy to hear that your hea[l]th was so much better. Hopeing it may continue. I am glad to hear John is likely to do well. We are getting on quiteley hear. Got the shearing over and the wool in good order and I think a pretty fair clip. The wool is on board the Esther, one of the Blair vessels. I send sampples of the wool to Bethune. The wool might have been in Wellington long before this but their was no vessell but the Wonga and she was engaged by others. I received the fifty pounds you sent through the bank. I am hard up for cash. MacInnes sent three or four lawyer's letters and I had to pay him £20 and done with him. Shearing, washing and p[r]essing the wool, extra labour at the time of shearing runs away with a great deall of money. The reaping and cutting of the crops came on all at one time and I was obblidged to put more labour on so without a little money I shall be at a stand still and canot do nothing. I have insured the house and woolshed for three hundred pounds. I am getting afraid of fires. The cost is £4 per annum. The season is dry. If we do not get rain before long we shall be bad of in this district for grass. We have plenty. I am putting the fence up between Tuke and us. It will soon be finished. The most of the timber is on the ground. I have sold some of the old ewes for horses 200 and am glad to se them go of this month and the shepherd is proud of their leaving. I got the best entire horse in the province. A brother of Ferguson's horse but a far better horse, more bone and a heavey horse and he is a handsome colt. I give a hundred of the old sheep for him and that will bring his price to about 50 or £60 pounds as I do not value the sheep more. I bought a mare and sold her for £45 and I give 40 ewes for her. She is a fine mare but I wanted the money and I could not keep her. The other tow mares I bought, the sheepherd will take one and the bulock driver the other. We shall be drafting in ten days time and you shall have the totall number of lambs and sheep seperate. I send you the number shorn but we cannot give you the sexes till we draft. You need not send me aney money till you hear from me. In haste dear brother Yours allways Alexander McLean