Auckland Sept. 13/45 Dear McLean, Your interesting report and letters by Revd. Bolland arrived on Teusday last we made some extracts from the report and sent them to the Secretary of State and by the time this reaches you they will be on their way to England. Your account of your interview with Te Heuheu was much in character and your quiet settlement of the little difficulties both among rival tribes and thoughtless Europeans will tend to make your services very acceptable to all parties. I am only sorry that you cannot leave your post and make more frequent visits into the interior I am persuaded that much good would result from such visits. I know of no remedy for the evils arising from women leaving their husbands especially as many of their marriages are far from being agreable to the females especially when matched with their conquerors or with their children. I do not wonder at their running away from their husbands to their friends and families. When their contracts are voluntary and grow out of mutual attachment there will be much less running away. All we can do is to persuade to peace and point out the way we should act, and do act, under such circumstances. We are first careful in making marriages and if by mutual consent consider the contract binding and for a wife to leave her husband is considered by us as her degredation the husband leaves her to pursue her mad career and would not permit her to return when she thus would. I am afraid we must look for trouble on this h head until we can raise the moral condition of the Natives. We are still at war with the Ngapuhi but no further aggressive movements have been made by us several letters have been written asking for peace even Heke has written to the Govr. suing for peace but whether he will come to the Governor's terms is quite a query with me he is still unsubdued. I am thankful to say Henry is doing well it will be some time before he gets the use of his leg but he is much improved in his general health, and getting flesh very fast. George is also in much better health than when he was at the South but he has much to do in a troubled and distracted District. I am sorry that we have not more regular communications with you we are now obliged to watch opportunities, but I am sure you will not allow one to pass without writing. Will you communicate with the Natives of Mokau and tell them that the Govr. has seized the Hydras having heard that they have partly paid for her and he will either oblige the parties to pay for the Pigs or on the Natives completing the payment will make the Hydras over to them we shall be glad to hear from you immediately about this affair. Yours very truly, George Clarke.