22 December 1858 Maraekakaho My dear brother I write you a few lines to let you know what is doing hear as I know you are allways anxious to hear what is doing on the station. The market for wool in the grease has not been so good at home as I expected last year but for all you will find that the wool will pay well considering the weight this year. There is no demand for wool in grease and I have washed and that well better than aney in the district. This wool will be got up well and I hope will bring a good price as I have gone to a deal of trouble to get it When I was drafting the other day I found we had a great number of dry ewes and all last year's ewes lambs 600 or theirabouts shall lamb in March. You may do with the March lambs what you like. In March the percentage on the flock may be five or ten per cent not including your ewes lambs. You may tell the parties about the March lambing. If ther is only 2 per cent they should have their share. I am in a hurey and I think I have said all till I hear from you or se you. If you find a good strong iron bullock harrow do not buy it yourselfe as they will charge you more. Get one of the farmers to buy for you, Maclean or aney one you know well. I shall let you no what I want before long but I do not want much. Mind me to John and his wife not forgeting my boy Dugy. Tell him I am going to se him soon. Archy is well, growling away. In haste dear brother. Yours allways Alexander McLean I hope you may make this out. I have not time to read it over. A McLean clean. I have a splendid shear and all the convenience for getting the woll in good order this year. I should have been done shearing by this time but the we[a]ther has been very unfavourable. When I washed the dry flock it set in to rain heavey from the east and south east. Such we[a]ther I never knew at this time of the year. Luckey for me I had native shearers and I sent them home till the weather would clear up. If I had white men they would be a ruin all this time 8 days and hardely saw the sun all that time. I shall not commence till affter Christmas and I hope to have fine weather. I shall wash the ewes flock on Friday and have them all readey for next week. It is no loss to shear lat[e] this year as we were so lat[e] last year but every year comence a fortnight before hand which will bring the shearing a month earlyer without loseing a month's wooll as the wool growers move at this time of the year than aney other. I am at a loss what to do with the wool this year. Will you sell or send home. If you send home you can send through Stewart Kinross. They send the wool from Napier direct to England for thre halfpenys. They have a vessell that comes to the port and brings the wooll to Welinton for one ½ and home for only 1d. They buy an advance on no store rent at Napier or at Wellington charged to the shipper. Charleton expects a vessel from home, the Glentarfe but is doughtfull if she comes. She will be let in February and I think the best way is to send by first chance as I shall have the wool done in a short time at the harbour. I want most particularly to hear from you so as to know what to do. You shall se Stewart in Auckland in a short time. He is going on rather on a strange message to Bain Grahame. Be on the look out for them if you have aneything to do with them Stewart is going to push them for some money as soon as he gets to Auckland but it may be all a report money they owes in England. Don't tell Stewart I told you altho he told me to let no the offer you made Domet was good enough for him for he never shall make so well himselfe but if you find there is a chance of getting the run try. I should offer him 50 per cent on all his breeding stock and 2/2 lb of wooll and to keep his boys in employment for the term of five years or six as it would be a great benefit for us to have the place for rams and wethers even if you give a little rent besides the boundarys are so good and the means of keeping our sheep in order however I shall leave all with your selfe. If Domet makes no more in the affair before I se you I shall make up my mind what to offer him. I have safed his runn from being purchased and from being stock[ed] by other parties and Alexander has been writing him. By all means to let me save the run back again if he donot he shall have to pay me from three to four hundred pound for my trouble and expences. If you do not find time to come hear I shall go to se you affter shearing and bring their horses overland and taulk the matter over as I want to se John and his wife. The reaping of the wheat and oats comes on in a fortnight. We shall have a fair crop and a fine crop of potatoes. We have plenty of potatoes for use of our own growing at present. John Campbell has arrived today from Whanganui and brought the young entire named Staffa safe to the station. The old Auckland mares colt is the best of the tow for heaveyer and stronger he has covered the most of the mares this year. The old mare has foaled to Boliver and I sent her to Ferguson horse a fine filly foal. The tramp has a fine horse foall the best I have seen this year. Campbell will take delivery of Tikacura affter shearing. I have bought all the land from the Maraekakaho to the native boundary and I am going tomorow to buy the flats up at Oliver's house as I am doubtfull that they may be bought and one or tow 40 acres lots in the middle of the flat on the dray road to the bush. I am doing the best I can and that is not much. If you wish to give the return of the sheep you may but affter but after [crossed out] shearing and seperating the lambs from the ewes is the propper time to give the returns of sheep. You may cut a good maney that may not live however the number I marked is 2069 lambs 200 of them were lambs that belonged to last year leaves for this lambing 1869 which will make a percentage of 86 for all and the best lambing in the district. Gollan had 60 Tiffen had 30 Tuke had 60 Oliver had 50 and some far less the number of breeding ewes on the station are as follows from Gollan 702 from Harding 400 Carter 201 Collins 110 Abbot 100 Abbot 54 Oliver 100 Lowrey 60 1737 Domet 202 1939 for old ewes dead 70 take of[f] 1869 which will give you 86 per cent. The most of those dead are Domet's and old Gollan's ewes.