Letter No.2. Napier, Jan. 16th, 1871. My dear McLean, My longer letter goes with this presently by Lord Ashley - From my official you will get the correspondence relative to Ngatiraukawa and be able to judge yourself how the case stands - I am pretty sure it is all right and that the section of Ngatiraukawa referred to wish to come over to our side and that Poihipi and Hohepa who have a feud with them make the difficulty - Maling the man in charge of the Rotorua road is a very decent fellow, quiet and reliable - To make sure I send Locke up-to see that no difficulty is created - He will go to Tokano and see Heu-Heu and the others - His trip will be a quiet one as he is Returning Officer for the Maori Election and has to be here again by the 1st February. Your Election takes place in three days - It is all right - Rhodes has to go away by steamer today to Tolaga Bay but I will get either Kinross or Kennedy to propose you instead of him - John Begg seconds - He of course had a talk on the occasion of being asked to do so, and "does not believe in the Commissioners" barring that he has no fault to find. Branigan goes by the Lord Ashly to Auckland. He has only 25 recruits available for Waikato. If there is any chance of wanting a force sent against Waikato from this side Taupo had better not be weakened as we could not send more than 100 to 130 men now which wd. be little enough from the European element. Of course I look on Preece and Mair's men as part of any force tobe used from this side - I am pushing on the different Roads and if all goes well shall produce considerable results during the season. Mail is closing. Yours very truly, J.D. Ormond. Many thanks for looking after young Eyre if I had known he wd. be so long he might have come down here, J.D.O.