Wednesday Evg. Dear McLean, I send you a mem. of the Instructions I think Tiffen and the other Inspectors shd. get. I have thinking about McNab, the man S. Curling spoke of, getting the offer of the boundary Inspectorship. I fear that unless it is given to him, it had better not be for I hear on all hands that he is a confirmed and continual drunkard and cd. not be depended upon in consequence. They tell me he lags for weeks drunk at these bush houses about here. It is not fair to the Sheep Interest to entrust its guardianship to such hands. W. Speedy wd. be a very good man if he wd. take it, but the pay is small. Pray do all in your power to stir them up about our armed force - if that unfortunate Tarranaki war is to be renewed, this Province has a right to expect that proper precautions shd. be taken in her behalf. Keep at them, that is the only way to get anything out of Governments. If war is to be, Grey will be very strong shortly when the relieving regiments arrive; but yet after all former experience has shewn us that we get nothing but disaster from these wretched disturbances. We may I believe congratulate ourselves that our Province has nothing to fear from our resident Native population - the danger has always appeared to me to rather in possible hostile incursions from other tribes. I propose being in Napier for a month or six weeks in winter we can work up together then any matters you have undertaken to prepare for the next Council. Yours always, J. D. Ormond.