Napier March 7th My dear Donald I am longer in writing to thank you for yr kind letter than I intended but we have been so busy fixing up the house so as to make it habitable that it has taken up all my time 4th & I shall never feel comfortable untill she does come. The ship that we came out in is a very good ship and I am quite shure that Capt. Bishop woul[d] be very kind & attentive if sent out under his care. He is a very gentlemanly kind of man & I think he told me that he expected to leave home for here (Wellington) in August or September which is a very good time of the year so that if you do not think of going home soon yourself & that you agree to Anna's coming in the Wild Duck I shall myself write to Capt B & arrange with him regarding her passage. Flora Ann and her dear children were quite well but Matthew says that F.A. still grieves at my leaving home. Had a kind letter from Lady Boswell saying how much she misses me. I am longing much to see yourself & yr son & heir. Catherine was quite proud of yr kind note to her. Archy is much improved since she came but I can see that Alexander & he does not sail in the same boat which is a sadd pitty. Now I think that I have given you a long epistal. I can't think of anything else to tell you. By the bye Mr Park from Wellington is here & is going up with me on Satturday. Tell my darling little nephew that I have got views of Edinr for him. I hear from every one that he is such a good boy & I do long to see him. My dear brother I am ever yr affectionate sister C McLean but we have got it now into pretty good order. All the rooms papered & a good many things done of which it greatly stood in need for it was a saddly neglected place & I feel quite certain that it has been an unspeakable loss to my dear brothers not to have one of us out long ago both to look after themselves & their house. Poor Archy is very anxious and works very heard [sic] indeed. I do think but for him the place would have been to reek long ago. I am very fond of Alexander. I think a warm hearted man & very clever. He is exseedingly kind to me & we get on remarkably well. This Otago business has put him a good deal about. I mean the delay in the ship coming but she has now 2nd arrived though at a bad time as it is the rassis [?] here but he hopes to get the sheep all shipped this week so as to be able to leave on Monday. By his own request w[e] came down to the port with him & are staying with Mrs Smith who is a kind nice person. I am very glad indeed that I have came down with Alex for he is doing so well, looking so well & a perfect gentleman. Mrs Smith says that she has not seen him look so well & happy for a long time as he is doing at present and may God grant that he may keep so & that my cousin here may be the means of doing him good for I suppose at times he does forget himself. He has promised me faithfully not to tutch spirits all the time he is to be away which I hope shall not be for long for I shall miss him saddly. I think that I shall like the country life very well. Poor Archy's delight at seeing me was beyond what I can describe. The voyage and change of climate has done me a great deal of good. 3rd I have not been so strong for this last eight years as I feel now. I get several letters from home by this mail. My dear dear Annabella is quite well but missing me saddly. Soon after I left our Uncle wrote a long pressing letter for her to go and stay with him during the winter months. Aunt Hellen has been very poorly & he feelt dull & unhappy so that I am very glad that Anna did go to him although I feelt vexed at her for giving up her music for she was beginning to get on with it very nicely, but however she tells me that she is keeping up her practice with the Miss McLeans of the Free Manse and soon as she could get away from her Uncle that she would go back for a short time, (a quarter) to her studies again but I do think my dearest Donald now that there is so little chance of yr going home for a time that the sooner you send for her to come out the better. She shall never feel happy appart from myself