6 June 1858 Napier My dear brother I have this evening received your letter of the 4 of May and am glad to hear of your safe arrivall in Auckland. I am glad you have taken the boy with you as he will be much better than in Wellington. By your letter I find you had a letter from Archy saying he was comeing out to New Zealand and may bring Anabella out with him. I should be most happy to se them if they had the means of settling down comfortable hear but if he has not I should rather he would stop at home. What can a sailor do in this country and a man at his age. As for Anabella I should wish much that she would come out hear. Really we are in want of one of our own sisters much hear. For my own part own part I am most uncomfortable hear for want of someone to look affter the house. This woman we have hear is a slovenly dirty extravagant person. They have four children hear and I cannot sleep at night with them as for my part I shall work day and night to make one of my sisters both happy and comfortable. I am writeing John to Melbourne in case they may come their to prevent Archy from comeing hear if he has no means to come with for a few years longer. As I am going home in the morning cannot write a long letter tonight but I shall let you no how we are doing hear. The tow boys are getting very usefull. Fred and Jo...ney In fact I th[ought] the place could not do without them. Gascoyne is a fine lad. I have finished the sheep pen and am down hear for hinges for the gates gates and is to have Tuke sheep in on Theusday to draft Harding sheep out of his flock as they will be lambing at the end of this month. I may safely tell that the pens are the best in the island. It took me a long time to get it up but it gives me satisfaction. The yards will hold six thousand sheep and three men can draft them. The plan is a new place of my own and it will last for the next fifteen year. The posts are all totaro and matie and verry stout. I am getting down the timber for the woolshed and will build the one halfe of it this year and the next halfe some other time. I have it good and strong so that what we do shall not want doing aggain in a hurry. The sheep are doing well. They are to fat this year alltogether. We cannot eat the weathers. I cannot tell you the exact number of lambs till I get the sheep in the yard and have a week drafting at them. I have got all the sheep. Some from Lawry from Pope and Olliver. I have sold old Jack the horse for a three year old mare small but good and forty maiden ewes so that is a good price for him but he was a good horse. I am riseing Argyle. He is very tame and I am going to sell him for 100 ewes. I have broken the bay colt Havelock. He is a smart poney. I shall sell him before long for fifty pound or 50 ewes. The mares are all in foall and fat. The Maid of Islay is up hear. She is a fine strong mare. The old Rangatiki has got a filly foal and in foal aggain. The Auckland mares colt will make the best stallion in the district. He has grown a large horse. The Maid of Islay is not in foal this year. We have ploughed six acres of wheat land and shall have it sown this next week if we are spared and I am going to plough six more acres for oats and grass and potatoes and garden and four acres of grass for the colt to keep him away from the mares and I hope next year we shall have nothing to buy but tea and sugar. The land turns up well and I think it will grow a good crop. I hope you shall be down hear at shearing or before then and bring Douglas down and I will have this poney mare ready for him to ride. We shall have a great deal of work down hear soon. The place will be quite different when you se it again. The last time I was down hear Hear John Alexander Smith had a sale hear and some of the goods went of cheap. I bought a plough and one hundred woolpacks and I have sold the halfe of them to Rhodes. Some blocks and ropes for a leaver press, shirts and trousers and different goods that we wanted for the place. I shall send you the bill of them in the next letter and I have given Munn an order on you affter sight for the money and I have got a good bargain. I am going to be as careful as ever I can but I must have a little money at times to carry on. I could do without the woolbales for a while but finding I bought for 1/6 and 2/6 and they cost last year eight shillings to bring them to the station. I wished much to buy them. I must conclude with my best wishes to little Duggy and Mrs Gascoyne and should like to se them boath down hear if I had a good house. I remain dear Donald you ever affectionate brother A McLean PS. I hear my friend Fitsgerald has gone to Auckland. When you se him give my best wishes and tell him I shall give him a great blowing up for not comeing to se me before he went away and I should give an account of the land at Patea the other side of the Ruahina. I was their for three weeks in the snow. Rather a cold country at this time of the year. I had a pleasant trip three days journey from hear. I don't think much of Patea. Mind me to John Curling. In haste A McLean