25 August 1863 Glenorchy My dear Donald No doubt but you will be anxious to hear how I am getting on by this mail as the last mail went away before Catherine's letter went down . I am up for the last 5 days and going about but unable to do but very little. I commenced trying myself yesterday and the pain rose in my left side nearly as bad as ever but I hope and trust I may soon be able to look after things away from home as well as at home. Alex poor fellow was here last Wednesday and was quite correct. He told me he was going down to turn Maorie McKenzie of and put another man and young Atkins down there. He did so and returned on Friday night. He said he would be here on Saturday but never came. I feared that something was wrong and I sent the boy down on Sunday as Walker had come up with the dray I feared he might have got the run you were so good as let me have. The boy came back and said that he and two others were there very much the worse for drink. On Monday poor Kate went down and found him in a sad state laying in his beat not fit to speak and this low fellow McKenzie and Capt Sennet who I believe is not much better from what poor Oliver told me. He also was their wanting. Poor Kate was cut to the very soul as well as myself. Here was the place in a mess of dirt and beer bottles in all directions, beer and tumblers half full, here and their and of course poor Baker half drunk. It is sad and painful to think of it. Cases of fresh herrings and all those things, as she said, utter distruction. She roused him up and gave him a severe lecture. He said that he, Capt Sennet and McKenzie was coming up here. Of course she told him never would she allow him to take such people to her there. I must stop here till you all kill me. She said all that was necessary on head but I can assure you the scene has made her feel so truly sorry that she cryed for an hour after coming home and I never felt so much put out. The idia of him knowing that that other vagabond McDugald was on this Capt Sennet's place to have allowed his own credit and family to go so low is to me very painful and to you poor soul still more so but what can I do. My heart is in doing what is just and I must try to help to form some plan for the benefit of this most unfortunate brother and one that might do very well if he could be relyed upon. The only thing that I see is this to remove him to Oliver's and let McKenzie and his wife go their and then, as you said before let the other place be made an accomodation house of for a time, gave Baker 2 months tryal and see how he got on till you could find out some respectable person to put there, and then perhaps his poor sister might take him in hand again. I mean poor Kate for she tryed all she could with him before but perhaps among us we might get him round to his senses in time. He is a poor fellow worth taking care of. I cannot imagine how he can go and drag beer and wine at times up their without you knowing of it and stoping it. I told him the last beer cask he had there must have cost some money and that I would suply him with better beer for nothing. He said that was true and said that I would at shearing time gave him as much as he wished of it if he provided the Indian corn. I did this to induce him to leave of getting what was doing him no good and heaving money away. He told me he sold old Capt the pole bullocks for £16 and the Partanie bull for £15 and some others for good prices to Mr Grey. I then told him to write to you to that effect or that I would do so for I was pleased at the price. I am sorry you sold that colt I had from Ormond's for I could have got £30 for him any time. Of course you did not let him go for £20. I was offered £30 for him so that you better see into that but if he helped to sell the others it makes no great matter as the hollow backed colt was not much. I heard that you had a good sale that day. I hope it is true. Some one that came up from there said you sold young Tramp for £70 and that grey Auckland mare to Gordon for £60. I was very glad to hear it and hope it is true besides 20 others with what went before. I hope I may be able to go to market with my produce by the end of the month but if you had a spare day I think it would not be out of place for you to come up on Saturday and go down on Monday. The rum came up and it was not it but the beer that did the damage. It is here all safe now and will be for the credit of the place for a long time. My love to Douglas and poor Kate. Ever your affectionate brother Archibald John McLean [Note on transcription: Archibald John McLean was severely injured when he was gored by a young heifer]