Friday Evening, Wallingford. Dear McLean, The mail is just arrived and very glad I am to get my letters. You will probably get my batch of letters to you before the Mail gets down. They went this morning by a man His Lordship had sent down to get the overland mail. The said Mail by the bye consisted of 4 letters and six newspapers. I must bring His Lordship's despatch to me to Shew you the style of the man is inimitable. He had been at Napier fortunately in time to enable you to come to conclusions on the present crisis - Whitmore he had got to go to Auckland. He had done this and done that in fact the egregious vanity of the man is beyond anything. What I dont understand is how he has so soon after leaving you worked himself into the state of panic he was evidently in when he wrote to me. He did alarm me in one piece of information he gave me. He wrote that you were immediately to call out the Militia of the Province. I have yours fortunately now and am at rest upon that score. I felt sure that your judgment was too sound not to at once see the undesirability of such a step. I am glad now to find that we think precisely alike upon the subject. I see what you write. Domett says about the fresh difficulties in the way of the Defence Corps. I confess I do not see our way to enrol such a force, without the chief Portion of the expense is to be borne by the General Govt. At the same time we mast make some provision for getting a protection force somehow. And also we ought without delay to see about getting some place built at Waipawa - the main uses of such a place are. First - That it wd. give a sense of security to the terrorists who are so plentiful that it is essential in case of difficulties suddenly arising and also because there and. be some place in the inland districts where arms and ammunition can be kept without risk, in the event of such being needed for the population. I wrote you last night proposing that if you will you shd. take a trip inland. I hope you may be able to do so for I think your presence would do a great deal of good and put a stop to this alarm cry which is going about and which cannot but be most unjurious. From His Lordships letter I gather that he and others are meeting daily. I got orders to go up them today to concoct measures of communication defence etc. Now as you will know these things being talked of to everyone they meet and exaggerated cannot but do mischief and it is for this reason that I want you to pay a flying visit to Maipukerau to meet these people and soothe their fears. If it were not alarming it wd. be very absurd to watch the effect one terrorist has when coming among a lot of the disinfected. His Lordship's man came here last night and filled my people with all kind of fears which I laughed at and soon dispersed. You will probably hear a report that a Meeting of Natives took place at Porangahau a day or two ago with it is said certain emissaries from Waikato. These were a lot of people down here from Waipawa and Waipukerau before the Tarranaki news came and they were detained by the wet. I do not believe any Waikatos were among them. But there were visitors of the Wairoa and about that part. I just mention this as these things are repeated and exaggerated. What do you think of the doings of Governor and Government - apart from all want of precaution and serious errors of judgement of that nature, I insofar as at present informed cannot but think that the proclamation giving up all claim at Waitara is at the present moment a lamentable exhibition of weaknesssomehow. we always seem to do acts of this kind at times when they appear wrung from us and the Savage respects our motives accordingly. I see what you say about the Lodge. If the right of the use of the building when required for Masonic purposes is retained. I think it for best plan to let it. I agreed to become security but only on condition that the land, house etc. was mortgaged to me and the property insured for the amt. to which I was to be security. Smith at first asked me to do so without any provision of this kind which I declined. Tell Michael I haven't time to write him but that I agree to let the Lodge - in fact to accept to the Lodge as stated in his note to me - and that I think the terms very good ones for the Lodge - My hands still bad poisoned with something and the inflamation going from finger to finger. Yours always, J. D. Ormond