Wallingford May 16th./66 My dear McLean, I have yours by the mail and have also to thank you for the Times you enclosed me, I see they refer to Jamaica but as yet I have not had time to read them. You were just starting for Wairoa and Poverty Bay surely this last blow will settle matters in that neighbourhood unless these rumours about Kereopa and Patara are correct. If they are and the scoundrels are in the neighbourhood it-wd. be a crowning feather in Kopu and Ihaka's caps if they could get hold of him. I see you have had old Russell with you for some little time past, as you say it is miserable to think that such an old Booby is really at the head of the Administration of Native Affairs. I hear that he is to receive a Land Court Judgeship as the price of his services and that he is endeavouring to hand it over to his son. I hope to God they wont send wither of them here - that incapable blockhead who was here and messed everything so the other day, was bad enough and has done mischief enough, but God help us if we get old Russell or any of his progeny. So you have let Barabbas get in again to the P.C. It doesn't matter the reptile has no fangs he can only hiss - if he does try to bite it is harmless. Who is going to come in for the still vacant seat-will Newton try again? I see what you say about the Petition for Annexation. As long as the thing is done and done fairly well I don't care. As I have told you before it wants a little trouble from whoever takes it in hand - the Petitioners should all sign their own names and the paper itself should be as effective as possible. I wish you would write to Featherstone and urge him to get on with his end of the road through the Bush. It is a fact that there are 20 miles on the other side of our boundary untouched - in fact he has done nothing this side of the Township he is about to sell. Please write to him at once and tell him he must push his work on, that we have performed our part whilst he has nothing. By the bye could you make any excuse to get old Hirawanu down to Napier next month. I have not seen the old fellow since he got back from Napier but I hear he is not altogether satisfied or does not understand thoroughly his agreement with me. I think myself the old fellow is a little weak now in his head. If the second man Hohepa a very decent Native could be got to go down at the same time I wd. like it. It struck me that you might perhaps get them down ostensibly to talk about the road from Manawatu (Puhaetahi) to the Wairarapa - so that we might settle that matter with Featherstone when down. If that road could be got it would be a good thing for us and the whole cost would have to be borne by Wellington, or very nearly so. We have fulfilled our part of the agreement in making the road thro' our Province and Featherstone was to meet us from bboth West Coast and the Wairarapa. How would it do to get the Natives down to talk that question over. If I have any explanation with the Puhaetahi natives about my Country I would rather have it down at Napier where I could have Locke to talk for me than in at Puhaetahi by myself. If you thought well you might tell them that I wanted to settle with them about the Lands going thro' the Court (the application has gone in) that wd. perhaps bring Hohepa who is the chief claimant down. I have heard nothing positive about any dissatisfaction on the part of Hirawanu and his people they wrote a little time ago asking me to go in as they wanted to see me and they talked at a Meeting they had the other about the agreement with me as something that was got on a misunderstanding. However I need not bother you more about it. If you can manage it try and get them down about the middle of next month to Napier and try and get Hohepa as well as Hirewanu. You haven't called the Provincial Council yet. I see by the papers it is doubtful if the Assembly will meet on June now - it will be sure to be the end of the month if it do. Featherstone has followed the same plan as ourselves his Council is to meet on the 23rd. June. If you have not yet called ours I would make it a day or two later than you proposed - say the 20th. of June. Even if the Assembly did meet at the end of the month that wd. give us 5 or 6 sitting days before the Steamer of the 26th left for Wellington and that wd. be quite long enough for all our purposes. The notices calling the Council ought to come out at once. I shall be down as I before told you about the end of the first week in June and if you call the sitting for the 20th. we shall have for 10 days to a fortnight to get ready in. I shall have nothing to do when I come down and be able to do any work that is wanted. I think that is all I have to say this time. Tell me when you write if you will be able to get the Manawatu Natives down. Always Yours very sincerely, J. D. Ormond.