6 October 1857 Port Napier Dear Brother I wrote you a few lines by the last vessell for Auckland but as Munn is going up in a few days I take the oportunity of sending you a few lines by him. I wrote you that Carter's sheep are on the run and that I sold the cattle to Collins for sheep. The cattle sold £5 five and took young sheep at the lambing for them at £1.4 per head. They are at home lambing and I hope we shall have a good lambing this year. I have sold Akbar to Mr Lowry for 60 young ews and one his best cows and sold old Jack for eighty and I bought 50 more from Abbot. Sheep are on the rise hear. Not many wants to sell. All the peopple down hear are buying up runs fast. I got a start the other day that a party came up from Wellington to buy Tuke and all the good land in the neighbourhood and was afraid they would pick up that flat of yours and I was going to purchas when I found by going to the office it was not ofered for sale for the next three month to my great satisfaction. I have looked over the survey of Tuke flat and I find that seven 700 acres of the flat will make a good boundary for you as it takes all that narrow part of the plain and that is all you want. I should not buy no more than seven or 800 at the most which will make a make a splendid run of yours. I hope you will be hear soon as the land will be sold on the 12 of November as Tiffen told me if you are not hear I shall try to rise the wind some way to make a deposit on the seven hundreds acres. Your horses and cattle has arrived hear safe from Wanganui. Some [of] them is likely to sell at fair prices. I have been drawing on Munn lately for some money I wanted and likeley he may want some in Auckland when he get their. £20 I give Danvers who brought the horses over as I must have him for Domet's run that is in advance which is not last as the money goes in wages. All the money I have drawn is money that will all come back again in time and you must have money hear to carry on with. I have wrote you to send me a ton of flour but I think you need not send it as I have bought one hundred bushels of wheat from a vessell from the Wairoa. I could not get the wheat from the natives. They are so busy fighting ... and I have no hopes of getting all I believe I can get six bags by taking them away. Wheat hear at the present time is 12/ per bushell. If you could find a respectable man and his wife to come down hear at low wages a man without encumbrance. I shall have no more men of famieleys as I expect John shall soon leave. They taulk of buying land. Be sure and get all the sheep you can on third as you can allways sell your own sheep and make your flock up with other that you may save on terms. Don't be backward in taking any number and when we want money we can allways sell our own and still make up our flocks with the sheep on third. As I have no time to spare I have no more to say but remain your affectionate brother Alexander McLean