Napier February 29th 1872 My dear McLean, There are some things it is better to telegraph about and some better to write about I have telegraphed you about general matters and will now write about other things altho' necessarily hurriedly. Of course I found a large amount of work waiting me here and as yet have had no rest. However it is something to be back with one's own family again instead of wandering over the Colony. What I write mainly about is to tell you that I am by no means satisfied our both leaving here is safe or judicious I find the enemy very active and making way and it seems to me if we give them the opportunity we shall in time get worked out of our own Province - The case is not like that of Taranaki - where a little attention puts all to rights. Here we have a revengeful clever set of wretches who will stand at nothing to injure us and are doing so. For instance I find quite a number of people, some who you wd. least expect who begin to speak depreciatingly of the Public Works Policy - altogether I dont like it and wish you to consider well before it is too late what shall be done - Rhodes will probably be elected Super in my place - altho' Tiffen is intriguing and it is said He ADeane and other candidates will go together rather than let Rhodesin - but even supposing Rhodes did get in - He will be and has been in my late absence entirely in Wilson's hands, he simply cant help it - the other is the stronger will and has control over him - A good deal of capital has been made out of Colonel Russells appointment which is very unpopular and has been used both with Europeans and Natives - altogether I sum it up in saying we both risk our seats if we both leave the place to itself - If I go on with Public Works I see plainly it cannot be done creditably from here and that after the Session I shd. have to live at Wellington. If we could leave the decision until then it wd. be all right - very likely some arrangement might be made - but in April say I must resign the Superintendency and when that is done we have lost the strongest hold we have of keeping things right here. My preference wd. be -if it were possible, to remain here and do my old work. When I joined I said I wouldnt live at Wellington now I see clearly that if I go in next year I should almost certainly have to live there and I dont think myself justified in sacrificing my private matters as I shd. if I did so. I have a family growing up to look after and am bound to think of them. What I want you to do is to think all this over and let me hear your opinion - It may be it wd. be very advantageous to get some one from Middle Island for Public Works - for instance John Hall might take it. If the others would agree I shd. be only too glad, if desired I wd. continue in Cabinet and work at anything which wd. allow of keeping the Superintendency and direction of things here and of course work in House during Session. I wanted you to have got this at Wellington so that Gisborne and you might have talked it over - I should not have written about it now but that the time is approaching when I shall resign Superintendency and it is well to think it over before that is done - Our interests are so entirely one in the matter that it is your affair almost as much as mine - I take it we shall meet at Wellington and be able to discuss it some time next month. Of course I wd. not think of doing anything except in accordance with wish of colleagues but I dont like the idea of giving up Hawkes Bay to the enemy. The next business I have to write about is the Herald libel case - You know the history of it up to lately and gave £25 towards it not long ago - well - on Monday last Herald proprietors proposed I shd. take the whole responsibility of the case on the ground I had supplied the information. I told them if I made myself responsible for all the information I have given them in past years I shd. have a good many actions to defend and of course declined to do anything of the kind - at the same time telling them I wd. assist them all I could - other people have told them the same, but the wretched Lawyers were eager to get some one they could bleed and adopted this plan - They had run up a Bill now of about £300 and said they wanted £200 more - this was on the Herald side of the case. After a good deal of talk the Herald people have been to the Lawyers told them they have no funds, and do not find me or anyone else willing to be security - and that either the Lawyers must carry on the case with the hope of winning it, or drop it altogether in which last case theywill get nothing - They were told however that if they carried it on and did their best, the friends of the Herald would see what they could collect towards the costs of the action. I have no doubt myself, that £300 or £400 wd. be got together. In case the local Lawyers give it up Carlile means to defend it himself - This has been a troublesome business and has given me a good deal of worry - The Russells and Wilson have run their expenses up as high as possible in the expectation that you and I and others wd. have to pay - It will be rather a sell for them if they have to pay themselves. They have employed Attorney General - Travers - Izard and Pharazyn in addition to Wilson. They are very active and trying to get on terms with all sorts of people Lord Henry and Purvis for instance have made overtures to Colenso - the latter showed Me Purvis' letter and told me what they had said to him - It is reported that faction wd. endeavour to get Colenso to stand for Napier in the event of a dissolution and Buchanan for Clive - Colenso professed to me not to have listened to the Russells but he is very vain and I think what has been done has had its effect on him. I judge from this - I offered to get the sum you promised for educating the Maori lad he is bringing up and he refused at once saying he wd. rather not - As for Buchanan we ought to find him something to do he is capable and wd. be useful as also wd. his brother - Kennedy asked me to name to you that Rich. Major Richardsons son-in-law has heard that Searancke is going to resign the R.M. office at Waikato and that Rich who has a farm there wd. like it - I just promised Kennedy I wd. name it - The Country here is looking very nice better than any place I have seen since I left it - and after going round the North Island I think we have the best of it not excepting the far famed West Coast. The staggers were absurdly exaggerated and the only really bad thing that has happened was the burning the country which did some harm - Brogden is here and went today to Pakipaki and all round the Plains he is delighted with the place and says it is the best he has seen - I see in your last you refer to the Governor's anger at Vogel using Govt. House he was very wild whilst I was at Wellington - He also got into a tiff with Gisborne about some man he wanted put into the Constabulary. Gisborne demurred and would not do it and the old Governor was furious - when Gisborne and I went to an Executive instead of being as usual he was ushered in in great state, and formally desired us to be seated. I advised Gisborne to have the man taken on trial and told Sir G. it was arranged so that I made my peace I suppose - He was very bitter and silly in the way he talked of the Vogels such as fancy Lady Bowen's bed room being used by two Jewesses and such like - and now I must wind up write me what you think after considering the more important part of my letter. Yours always J.D.Ormond