28th. October 1862 Whangarei My dear Sir, I find that I shall be compelled to visit Auckland for a few days and purpose being there at the end of this week and look forward to the pleasure of meeting you notwithstanding you say that you are leaving for Napier. I am not as you may imagine a firm believer in the movements of the Native Dept. I look forward to my visit to A. as an almost stranger it appears quite an age since I was there. After my very quiet life here again to enter into the stormy atmosphere of politics, I quite dread it. Of one thing you may be assured that I shall not again enter into the Native political question but hope thro my profession as a Surveyor etc. to get sufficient to keep me. I therefore am glad again to be entered upon the books of the Dept. My object in coming to Auckland is to see Bell on purely business questions and I do trust to also meet you there as I should like to have heard your views on the Native Lands Bill, I am of opinion that the Bill (if sanctioned) will give a good margin for pickings for people like myself. There is still a great deal of surveying of these old Land claims to be done and considerable time to be expended in talkin ing the land out of them the more so that in hardly any cases are the actual sellers alive nor are their descendants now living on the Land. As regards Raniera's money £20 at his request I retained the money with the understanding that it was to be paid in October and I have actually got a letter written to Maxwell asking him to pay it with the interest of 25/- the difficculty I have had is to get an order on the N. Bank for the amount, this have written to the Bank of N.S.W. for and on its receipt will forward it as you wish. In respect to the political state of the Natives here, they are all very quiet (except when indulging in their spiritual execises) round about this Neighbourhood and all from Ngungura northwards are anxious to sell land, I have invariably referred them to the Govt., tho I have my doubts whether it is worth buying, but of that I would not for the world give an opinion, leaving it rather to those who perform the functions of purchasing Land etc. Thanking you most cordially both for my wife and myself for all your kind wishes. I am My dear Sir, very faithfully yours William N. Searancke. D. McLean Esq., Auckland.