21 November 1858 Mara[e]kak[a]ho My dear Donald Your letter to Alexander and myself came to hand last night. I am glade to hear you are all well at Auckland. I am now going to tell you my oppinion of matters here. I see that it is your wish to have the wool washed and I have been speaking about that to Alex before he went away but he did not say much about it. From what I can learn the sheep here are so very clean it would be a pity not to wash and gain the difference in price as it could be done without any great trouble. You expected we were shearing. Alex does not intend to shear before January as the latter end of next month. I am hard at work shingling the wood shed and getting it ready for shearing by the time Alex comes back. I will do all I can to get Alex to give you a proper account of the sheep and other things. He always says he will do so as soon as possible but they have no idia of time here. I tell you it takes me all I can do to keep the boys at work and if I had not come down here to assist things would be far behind in the building way and gardin way. You do not say you have received my former letters. I hope you have as I would not wish them to go into other hands. As to economy and sobriety and truthfulness depend upon it was always strictly observed by me. I am quite a different man when at busness of any kind to what you saw me in a disapointed being in Auckland. I have had many disapointments through life but thank God they never were caused by any neglect on mismanagement of my own. I feel very much now to be obliged to have come here to have to rely mostly on your kindness but let me tell you no one can take more interest in your property than I do and will only make up to you more than any expence I ever will be. At all my wish is to live in peace and get a piece of land here abouts I can call my own and I will make a living out of it and yet will be a credit to my family. If my wife will get all that belongs to us together altho but little it will make me quite well pleased as I then could get a corner on your run and looking out for your interest to rest of my days. I fondly hope you will come down this summer and see us then you will find out if I am worth having about the station. You say you have a number of trees in view for the station. I got a very fine lot of pear and apple trees, plum and fig trees from a man of the name of Carr that brought them up here to go on Maori ground but fell through and sold all his things to all the settelars round here. The trees I got from him for the trouble I had in selling his goods so they are doing very well besides I got all the tools required for any work about the place from him very cheap. Now I have tools to do any work in the way of house building, furnature or anything. You need not send tools. I am going to make a nice store room in the wool shed for everything as soon as possible I can and have things under lock and key. No more of the loss way that has been here before. Alex says I am worse than you about the expences. Indeed I supose I am being an eye witness. The only thing I know you can send down if cheaper is tea and sugar & flour but Alex always says he can buy it cheaper here than you can send it. I got the Guinea fowls and two nice pines you sent by Ferguson. I am going to plant the trees in front of where we intend to build the house. I have got a perfect heatrate [hatred] to any spirits to be brought here and none has come till about a week ago. Canning got some up and I was very much annoyed about it and spoak to Alexander regarding it. Also it was only a few bottles but you may depend upon I will never be party to any thing that way. There is two of Domett's sons here now. The young one came here about a month ago. A perfect pest he has been. Told several times to go but I get all the work out of him I can so that as we are so very busy about the shed he cooks and several other jobs. We had three wild dogs among the sheep for the first time two days ago but fortunately they did not do much damage. They killed one ewe and two lambs. I saw them some time ago and poisoned the run & sent them on horse back after them yesterday and fortunately killed two of them and the other has not been seen today and likely never will. I mentioned about the home people in my letter the other day. Please remember me kindly to Jessy and Aunty, also to Mr Strang & my dear little Douglas. Tell him his Lala Mouts is broken in now and a beautiful mear. Hoping you will pay us a visit. I remain your affectionate brother Archibald John McLean