Napier August 11 th, 1871 My dear McLean, I can only write briefly by this mail. The Hapuku business is giving me a good deal of trouble and I fear Maddock is but a poor lawyer - at any rate he has misled me frequently over this business. The whole object of endeavouring to make Hapuku bankrupt is to enable Sutton to come on Ngatarawa for his claim in other words to plunder you of some £200. There is by the by one other reason, and that is, that if they succeed in making Hapukubankrupt the creditors will appoint their own man to wind up the estate, and as this wd. be Wilson - Lord Henry would be screened in respect to his shameful conduct respecting the Bill of Sale and seizure and retention of Hapuku's sheep - if however we can prevent or even put off making Hapuku Bankrupt we will soon get to the bottom of all these proceedings. I telegraphed last night asking you be see Hart and Buckley about the time being extended for preparing Pleas in the action Russell against H. Bay Herald - Wilson's Solicitors Izard and Pharazyn agreed to give time if Maddock wd. allow the action to be tried at Wellington but that of course wd. never do - Maddock tells me the necessary time for preparation of the Pleas but I am not sure of his Law - and want to hear how the matter really stands. No doubt I shall hear from you in the course of today about it - By this mail I am sending Turton's reports on working Native Frauds Prevention Act. Will you have the whole including my covering letter printed - and the sooner it is laid on the Table of the House after it meets the better. The importance of Turton's report as bearing on the case of Russell against the Herald will be very great and unless it were made a public document by being laid before Parliament it could not be referred to. Of course the correspondence is of a character that both justifies and requires its being presented to the Assembly. I have no end of work which I must do before I can leave here so that please do not send the "Luna" till the middle of next week. It occurs to me that if you do not want her she might be useful for communicating with Wairoa at any rate if she comes she wd. require to wait till about Sunday the 20th which is the earliest date I can see my way to leave by - Col.Russell and Stokes are in no hurry. Vogel I conclude is sure to be here by the Nevada and will be with you by the end of next week. Let me hear when the new members arrive how they are likely to go, it is them more than the old hands you should look after. I am very sorry Driver has resigned he was very useful and the most reliable man for Otago you had. Can he not be got to reconsider - perhaps if he did he could not be re-elected. That poor devil Green is in a mess instructions have come out from Home to sell him up for some large amount he is liable for, for shares in some swindling Company. He cant pay for he has nothing and he has written saying if pressed he must file his Schedule. It is no fault of his seemingly and I have promised him he shall be allowed to resign and come back when whitewashed if that is forced upon him. I fancy however they will drop it when they hear his determination. Since I wrote the foregoing Kinross has been to me and offered to advance £400 to Hapuku's Trustees to settle the most pressing claims. I am waiting for Attorney Generals opinion on the points telegraphed for last night and will then decide what to do. It is dreadful work fighting these harpies but if I can save old Hapuku from their clutches I will. Locke is still at Waipawa grinding away at the Bush purchase business the agreement to sell which we have now executed will be sufficient to justify us in saying to Parliament that the Block is bought even shd. no more be done but I hope the whole concern will be now wound up. Ropata was very sanguine when I saw him, he said to me "I have never before told you I shd. succeed now I tell you I shall" Knowing the man you will agree that was pretty strong. No doubt though supersttion and dreams had something to do with it. He landed at Wairoa twenty four hours after he left here, having been to Gisborne got his men and back to Wairoa with them. Then he marched at once for the Lake - there was no drinking or delay so there can be no question of his earnestness and also of the able way he handles his men. Cuming a very good man for Wairoa Town is useless at the Lake. He thinks of nothing but his rear like all soldiers I have had to do with. Ropata refused my offer to take his food to the Lake for him saying his men should carry it. I have directed Cumming to return to Wairoa with Constabulary and Wairoa natives so as to reduce expense. Good bye till we meet remember me to Fox and Gisborne. Yours always J.D. Ormond