Wellington April 25th 1871 My dear McLean I must not let the Luna go without a hurried line, though I have very little to tell you, and hardly a minute to write in. Branigan seemed wonderfully well when he first arrived here, though even then he was quite plainly out of his proper senses. However he got worse the second day and worse again the third - having drawn £180 from the Bank (wh. they ought not to have let him have) and buying all manner of useless things with it. He was so very much worse than when he arrived that legal steps had to be taken, and on the evidence of Drs. Grace and Johnston he was regularly committed by Cranford to the Dunedin Asylum, for wh. he sailed yesterday per Rangitoto. It is expected that Dr. Alexander will be able to let him live in private lodgings, though still under surveillance and under his medical care. It was quite evident that official and A.C. associations made him worse as when we got him to the Hutt for a couple of days he improved wonderfully. I have taken a great liberty about wh. I hope you won't be very angry - namely, to return a voucher which you had approved for reconsideration. But the case seems to me so clear against the man (Watson of Tauranga) that I am sure you could not have had it properly explained. So I have sent all the papers in the case wh. will bear out the history of it that I have given. When you get to Napier Ormond will tell you of the mess I have got into with my Poverty Bay run. Fortunately for me sheep farmers coming to grief is not an entirely unknown phenomenon, and bad as the compromise I have offered is it is better than a great many, and there is no question of personal extravagane involved. I have paid out of my income to the run instead of drawing upon it, and still I am not in debt more than a month's pay in Wellington. I have not time to explain all particulars, but Ormond has them and will tell you. He will also explain the offer I have made to Read, and I trust to your good offices with him to induce him to accept my offer, wh. is my only chance of keeping out of the Bankruptcy Court and so losing my office and 30 years' service. Featherston's family have sailed from Lyttelton, and he goes on in the Nebraska. Buller follows as Secretary - on leave for 18 months on half pay (£200) made up to £600 as Sec. to F. and passages paid both ways. Verily some people are lucky. He is to bring out his book on N. Z. Birds when in Engd. Sir G. B. sails tonight in Luna. I am told he has very long stories about the shipwreck, with wh. he will no doubt entertain you when you meet. Ormond in a private note talks of resigning the Agency. I hope you will manage to persuade him out of this, as I don't know what the Govt. wd. do without him. I suppose the House wd. give him a bonus for his services for wh. he cannot accept pay. I have no local news to give you. You have of course heard of Fitzherbert's easy victory for Supt. Everything here is going on as usual in the old style. My work is as hard as ever, or rather has been for I have just got rid of Public Works, Knowles being appointed. Still it is pretty close work and I seldom finish the contents of my despatch box before 1 A.M. I must now finish, as it is just dark and I shall not be able to get this on board Luna if I delay any longer. I remain, Faithfully yours, G. S. Cooper Please agree to my request for an Interpreter's certificate for Tucker of Poverty Bay. G.S.C.