18 December 1874 Glenorchy My dear Donald I have much pleasure in writing you that the rains we have had the last two days have done unspeakable good to the country. Douglas and I was up through the Wakiperou Hill yesterday and they are looking splendid. In many places they could be mowen altho the grass & hay crop was a failure in the earley part of the year it is making up for it now. Condie was finished shearing on 16th all but the straglars and had a fine crop of wool. We hear you are at the Thames and likely to oppen that country. That will be a great boon to the digging population and Auckland. Of course you will know that Smith is going to cut up and sell 1700 acres joining the block you are selling at the back. I consider it a wise step and the money realized will do far more than ever the land will besides the chances of perhaps buying some of it back improved. There is another thing I would like to see done when the surveyor is here, that is to survey a block at the point on the Aorangi Flat, say 150 acres for a village in ten acres and 1 acre & 20 quarter acres sections for a village. The labour would in time be got close at hand for much less than at the preasant and that point is valueless for anything ealse. It is the proper place for a township and ought to be called McLean Vallie or Tyree as an everlasting remembrance of the founder. Besides traffic will be shure to come that way more and more every year and a branch of the railway will be cheaper than a road to that junction. It could be made at a very small cost from the Willow pa branch. I have so often told you the great good it would do you to have Douglas here in point of seeing after the place and those on it besides the very great benefit it would be to himself in point of health and experience. A year with Condie most of his time would be of great use to him besides if you should go to the Fiji as I have very good reason to believe you will for a time I am determined to go with you and may be of some use to you and myself. At all events I will see that nothing will go wrong and might get some property there among the islands that you would never think about. At all events I would answer well as Captain of the ports. I am not too old for that for a few years yet, besides I could run up to Ha[w]kes Bay and see how things goes on in your absence and back again. I can see many things I could do in a new place that would be usfull besides it might improve my health which is very indifferent for some time back. I have been pointing out to Douglas the many ways he would be invaluable to the station by sowing and looking after sowing grass seeds in proper season which I have written down for him my experience. In my last letter I mentioned to you in my last the talking I got from old Wilson, the lawyer when I was driving him up to Gussy Carlyon's funeral. He asked me if I had any influence over you that I should use it on behalf of Douglas for he said it was a shame to keep a young fellow like that going about learning law that never could be of any great use to him besides his constitution would not stand it. He said oppen air and station life with a knowledge of a/c was the thing for him and said he thought you had more wisedom than keep him wasting the most valuable part of his time in the way he considered he was doing. I was quite surprised at the interest he took in the boy. He was quite in earnest in the matter and he is not the onley one. I see it myself and so does Smith and many well wishers. No more at present but wait anxious for the trip along the East Coast. Yours forever Archibald John McLean