Camp, Tamaterau 9th April 1857 My dear Sir I am much obliged to you for your very kind and welcom letter of 21st Ultimo and much gratified by the unmistakable expressions of approbation which it contains. I am happy to think that you should consider me worthy of your attention, and fortunate above many that I should enjoy your friendship, I trust that a sense of gratitude will prompt me to the utmost exertion in the performance of my duty as being the only exression I can make. It also gives me much pleasure to think that my mother and Sisters are under your care, I should feel much greater concern than I do if it were not the case. I suppose Mr. Johnson has given you an account of the opposition I met with at Parua. Hakiro an old native forced me to leave the place after I had a considerable portion of the survey performed, After being a week at Parua and meeting with nothing but the greatest consideration from all the natives I was awoke one morning at daybreak by loud shouts from an old native who was waving a sword in the opening of the tent, which had been better fastened than usual. The man finding it difficult to tear the tent, unfastened all the cords, and threw the whole right over, exposing us to the morning air at an hour a little earlier than usual I thought it prudent not to oppose the old man more than to remonstrate with him on the foolishness of his conduct, and to show him that there was no just reason for my leaving the place I had been invited by a large number of chiefs and others to survey the land before it was bought by the Government, and it was absurd for him to oppose the wish of all the other Natives He replied that wishes had not been consulted and that it was a rong thing of me to commence work without having given him notice. Last year and the year before Hakero has been much pressed by the Chiefs of Nungur to allow the land to be sold but without effect --- his great fear being that he will not participate in the payment --- My course was to inform Mr. Johnson and allow him to decide what was to be done --- He came down to Parua on Saturday last, but thinking it better to allow the Natives to settle their own disputes returned on Monday, to Otaika, without doing any thing in the matter. Sydney has been exerting his influence to get the principle claimants to take action in the matter. A rough sketch showing the boundaries of land offered for sale by the natives at Parua --- I have no doubt that the natives of Nunguru will be able in time to obtain the consent of the old man to the sale as they have already offered him the sum of two Pounds for his claim. In the mean time I have commenced the survey of Tamaterau the only other block in the district which is not disputed. It contains about 3,000 acres and will be completed by the end of the month of the weather keeps fine. Please excuse inconvenience, and unfitness for writing after a hard days work and Believe me to be Yours most sincerely Andrew Sinclair