Letter from P. Wilson to Donald McLean Esq., dated 5th. May 1856. Henui 5th. May 1856 Gentaculum. My dear Mac, Fine clear morning, but the tips of my nether extremities tell that after our very long summer, it is now "winter fairly." Your letter of the 28th. came down in due course. I quite accord that our Constitution requires amendment, so as to fit it to our shoulders; and sheer necessity will soon teach its warmest advocates this. Our native folks are still resting on their conquests quietly; and as to the enemy, the Wareroa folks, they have not yet made their appearance on this side of the mountain; and the accounts, as to their coming, are so very discrepant that one is almost tempted to believe they mean not to come at all. But come, I believe they will; and when they do, my own particular far-seeing seership predicts that they and Adam, and Katatori and that instigating rascal of all the mischief, Wiremu Kingi, will have a Korero and make peace. Both sides, I believe, are getting very tired of war; and as both have now shed each other's blood, they ought, with all customary propriety, to make peace; and so again return to the peaceful arts of selling lands, and growing corn and potatoes. The old Duke has not had a letter-writing paroxysm for these two months; but we hear very regularly from his truly far better half; and she writes that Wanganui never was so gay before; as you may well believe when I tell you that the terpsichorean mania so extended as to affect my son, who actually, she says, gave a Ball. So also did the Duke; and what with the festivities of the one, and the other, the epidemic lasted between and days. What a pity that two such nice young light fantastic toe trippers as me and yourself were not of the parties. Never mind, - when we next foregather there, - which will be according to the burden of that excellent ditty, - "When McLean comes up" we shall have a Ball of our own. The Editor of the New Zealander, we shall contrive to give an dose of Common Pretence, and so prevent him from publishing such injurious non-sense as that silly body Ironsides writes to him. I allude to the stuff said to be an extract from his letters in the New Zealander of the 26th. of last month, relative to our war parties here, and of a frightful message from Katatori. Really he ought to be ashamed of himself, and the Governor ought to give both writer and publisher a hint to be less with their partisanship in future. Poor Leech has been getting a sad dressing in our paper of June 26th. ult. The author is unknown, signs himself ""; and some think, hence, that it is Sharland, but he has not the stuff in him. Be it who it may, I trust it may have the effect of curing him henceforth of his very often most offensive presumption. I enclose a copy of your edification. We were nearly having a serious fire a few nights ago at Gledhill's auction room, opposite Jas. Hoskins'. Luckily Black saw it in time to check its progress. But there are some very suspicious circumstances connected; but I could neither get the Government nor the Magistracy to move in it. But the latter instructing me that in fact it was the ..... [The rest of the letter seems to be missing, also the newspaper cutting of the letter referred to, in it.]