Wellington Augt. 3rd./65 My dear McLean, I have sent you back by this steamer the Petitions of the Europeans of Turanga get them signed by as many interested in Poverty as I have noted and return them by Steamer. I shall present the one Native Petition I have here Inorder to broach the question. The consideration of the case by the House I shall of course put off until I get the other Native Petitions which I hope will be numerously signed. The Hawkes Bay Petition will be ineffective for the want of names to it. News has just come in of a skirmish at Warea. A Captain Clive and one man on our side were killed and 2 or three wounded. The loss if any on the Native side is not known. The Natives were under a brute known at "Big Jack". No news has yet come from Pipiriki. Ministers still assure me that as soon as the present operations now going on there are concluded that no delay shall take place in the occupation of Opotiki. Since I wrote last I have seen Grey he promised that we the one Regiment at Napier for the winter. I told him the moral affect wd. be very great in the East Coast generally, but deprecated the employment of any of the Troops on Stations on the East Coast. He said he had and the intenting of sending some of the Troops on the coast but that if we did not desire that it shd. not be done and the location of Troops confined to Napier. Grey said we must keep the intentions if the Troops going to Napier secret at present. I can give you very little political news by this opportunity we have had a few weak attacks made by Stafford, but nothing has come of them --- indeed he has signally failed in making out a case and as you will see by the papers he has seemingly selected the weakest points of attack when there are plenty of strong points open to him. There will yet be a debate on the removal of all the troops. The address might have produced it, but by general consent it was waived on that occasion. No explanation has been made by Ministers of how they expect to make provision in place of the Troops --- considerable discontent is felt at their not doing so. If we have no information from them during the next few days pressure will be brought to bear to extract it. I asked today when the Native Lands Act Courts are to be established. The reply given to the House was that they will be established immediately. I suppose the Papers will report as to parties. I shd. say Weld's Govt. is strong and will last unless something unforween springs up to alter present opinions. The Principal source of weakness of Weld's Govt. is want of tact. Old Sewell and Richardson are enough to ruin any Ministry, instead of being conciliating they seem to step out of the way to offend people who ad. be kept with them. There is nothing else to write you of as to political moves here. You will have to come down about the 15th. or if not then certainly not later than the 25th. I shall want your help most when we get the Petitions for annexation and it wont do to put the consideration of them off until too late in the Session --- at any rate pray see that the Petitions are properly got up and well signed. You will by this time have received an answer from Canterbury Govt as to their buying the Dredge of us. If not I am informed she will certainly sell at Nelson and I should recommend her to be sent down here to get her rigging etc. put up and be then sent there and Okitiki fully insured to trade there in the hands of the best agent that can be got. If she is sent here to me I will make the best arrangements open to me for speedily getting rid of her. I fancy she will fetch £3,000 to £3,500 --- I am unaware what the cost wd. be of fitting her rigging and putting copper in her. I shd. of course have to draw for necessary expenses. About rationing the men at Waiapu, I have shown Atkinson the ten der of Sutton he is writing to you to make the best arrangements you can for supplying them for Napier on the understanding that the arrangement is not to supposed be a permanent one. You might offer it to Sutton who wd. probably do it as well as anyone else. Barabbas is very quiet as yet he speaks seldom and at less length than formerly. He has been at Domett about Luff's case and told old Domett Luff was the most honest man in Napier and very hardly used. I told Domett history of my case and Barabbas will do Mr. Luff no good now. Barabbas fully believes that Tiffen wrote the letter I put in the Herald --- he hinted it unmistakeably to me the other day. I have been able to get no satisfactory answer about any of our claims on Govt. for money --- I shall stick at the harvest and go at this in the House if I cant get our dues without. That old beast Fitzherbert is not to be moved. I send you some House Papers you will like to see. Yours always, J. D. Ormond.