Wallingford March 23/69 My dear McLean, I duly received yours with enclosures by the mail. The miserable brutes have withdrawn the agency from you in the most spiteful way open to them, but that of course was to be expected. The action I took at once on hearing of the matter you are aware of. What I purpose doing at Thursday's meeting is - to get 2 Resolutions passed (I have not drafted them yet but will try and do so to night and enclose you copies) the one referring to the Agency the other petitioning the Governor to call the Assembly together without further delay. I should advise you to have no further communication with Ministers beyond in the curtest possible terms denying any interference with the Ngatiporou who had been sworn in as Constabulary you can do this and I think should do it as it is the point on which you will be mainly assailed in regard to this matter. I should simply acknowledge receipt of letter dated - and state that the statement I have referred to is untrue. Now as to what we can do to retaliate upon the wretches I think you shd. get up a large meeting at Napier and pass similar resolutions to those wd pass inland. The demand for a meeting of the Assembly is of course the main point. Let us lead in that and you will see other parts of the Colony will follow suit. You should however write at once to people in leading positions in Otago, Canterbury and Auckland and get them to cause similar action to be taken as we are taking here. A joint demand made simultaneously from allparts of the Colony wd. probably shake this funk-stick of a Govr. and he wd. do what is wanted. Rolleston in Canterbury wd. be a good man to write to. Vogel and Reynolds in Otago. In Auckland you know the people better than I do. Take a little trouble about this. If you took the trouble to put the case well to the Southern men, you wd. have great weight in inducing them to take action - the sooner it is done the better for unless the movement be simultaneous it will be of little effect. I will try and send you copies of the Resolutions I want to get passed at the meeting. I am going to Telegraph to Wood the result of the Meeting on Thursday Evg. so that if I get the resolutions passed without alteration you can please hand them to him for publication, indeed he might get them beforehand, but of course unless I telegraph ''they are passed'' they must not appear. Will you name to Wood I have his note and will send him accounts of what is done at the Meeting as soon after it is over as possible. Things look nearly as bad as we expected in the North. I fully believe we shall have Waikato up directly. If the paper accounts are correct Te Kooti has got himself into a ticklish position and I shd. not be surprised to hear that the Arawas had smashed him. If on the other hand he meets with success. Waikato will support him without doubt. It is late and I must close this. Always, Yours very truly, J. D. Ormond