22 August 1862 Maraekakaho My dear brother I received your kind letter of the 6 of this month and I am glad you are pleased with the arangement I made with Nairn respecting the sheep and run. I was in a way compelled to buy him out to save the anoyance of a strange party steping in and buying the whole as plenty was on the look out for the place. Nairn in his quite way comenced to give me some trouble in hunting the sheep away from the boundary so as to forse me to put a sheepherd on with him that I declined and I got the sheep all to mix and then he came wishing sheep at the present time. I am living at Spur Nairn. The sheep are to lamb soon and I intend to be hear all the time and I can allso se to the horses. Nothing doing at the station at present. Archy and his wife are much dissatisfied because the tow thousand sheep was not bought for them and give them Spur Nairn to themselfes. I thing [think] if you give them fewer promises and wrote less about your business affairs you would find it better for you but I hope you will soon be hear and you can se for yourselfe. Douglas came hear with me yeasterday and he is much pleased with the wharie. He is growing a fine big boy and allways good, He is going home today. Archy wife is not well but Cathrine is pretty well. I have no more news to give you at present but in hopes to hear from you by the Queen or se you. I remain allways your affectionat brother Alexander McLean PS. The natives all seem well pleased with this arangement. I dod not the Hapuka since and the tow principall owners .. that the Hapuka sent to me as the real owners of the land has joined the rest so I hope there is no danger. In haste. Alexander McLean. PS. If you can buy a good Sydney dray cheap new and with broad tynes say about 30/ pounds or under I want particularley for the natives and I may make something out of but I want a good dray. I have seen them in Auckland. Do not forget. Alexander McLean the sheep to be drafted and I asked where. He told me at your yard. I then told him the sheep are all right just as I want them and they shall remain so till I want them drafted and we shall se about it shorteley. Affter he came and said I find that you are not disposed to be neighbourley and am afraid we will not get on together. I told him he acted wrong toward me and that I fully intended to have him of. He then said you will buy the sheep and run. I might [buy] the sheep at a price but I will not the run as I consider that is mine by rights and I don't want to buy sheep at this critical time in the Coloney and he repeated again buy the sheep. Then I asked at what price. He said £2000. I offered him £1500. He said no but he would see his brother first so he went down the coast and saw Charlie Nairn and when he came back he wanted £2200 for the sheep. I then told him that he was what I expected not to his word and that I would not buy at aney price so I went to the natives and mad[e] a complaint against him for hunting the sheep of the land they leased and if they would not send him where he came from I would give up the land. Bring the sheep on the Queen land and take the rest of them away to Otago and leave the country when they all said no you must not go, John Nairn is a bad man but Charlie is good, John must go and you must stop and so on. I then went to Grindle and I got him to write them a letter but he did not give them my sentiments corect. However I sent the letter to Kiritiana paw and he read the letter and sent it on the rest and it happened it was at the time Williams was holding some church meeting at the place and they give Williams the letter to read and he told them they acted wrong and Nairn allso and it was all wright for them to send Nairn of[f]. You will be astonished that Williams would say so but so is the case. They then wrote Nairn that he must leave as boath parties acted wrong. Then Nairn came and said you have been putting the natives against me. I said I told you so that I would if you can read Maaurie I will show you a letter I have sent them concerning you. Then he said it is no use of me holding out but if you give me £2000 for the sheep house and the other implements I shall be of tomorrow and shall give you up my tow leases if not I shall take my sheep back so we agreed. The number of are as follows 955 ewes tow and four tooth 1308 wethers 29 rams bought from Tiffen imported rams. They are good and I wanted a change much. The ewes bought from Nairn has lambed the most part of them and on the whole I hope they would pay well. What of them that has not lambed. They shall at the end of the month in ten days more all the flock will be lambing. The weather is fine and it may continue so. Before I bought the sheep I spoke to Braithwaite asking him if he would let me have the money and he said that he would for six month because he thought it was a good bargain and on tow ocasions prevented other people from buying them which was good of him to do and Newton allso told me he would back a bill for the amount in tow bills but Nairn own backing of the bills was all that was wanted but since then I was offered a good price for the ewes 25/ per head to be left on the run for 6 year 3/ per cent taken of for death and 45/ per cent increase given 1/9 for wooll on all shearable sheep. If I sold at that price and sold 30/ rams it would leave the 1300/ wethers at about ten shilling per head and when the wooll came of then they would onley stand me at about 6 per head and you may se they would be cheap at that now it is best to make the sheep pay for themselfe all at once or borrow money and at interest there is between 8 or 9 thousand sheep on the run at the present time and about I expect about three thousand lambs this year and if you are to get sheep from Gollan next year you will find that their will be soon plenty of sheep. However the place will keep about 25/ thousand sheep and if your Akitio sheep has to be removed I do not se but their will be plenty of sheep without having anything to do with Grahame or aney one. It is time enough to look out for a partner that has money when the natives taulks of selling their land. When in Auckland last I was not so well pleased with the cooll maner I was treated with Mr Graham brother. He never asked me to his house nor did he ever come near me altho I was their tow months to thank me for what I had done for them and God nows I work hard for them and no thanks and I had allso hard work and anxious times for the last twelve month to secure this place and cannot tell if it is all right as yet but I must keep in possession and that is the main point at present but I fully intend not to give this run up to no partner. Tow is quite enough and I may be abble with care to stock it however if I am not you have plenty of