Wallingford Decr. 12th./66 My dear McLean, Thanks for yours by the mail. It is very late and I shall not get a very long epistle written to you this week. I see you have written the Bank to float a part of the Loan. In case of your requiring funds for Land purchaseing you could draw against it safely enough I shd. think as to Immigration - you have no authority to spend money on that and a scheme wd. have to be submitted to and approved by the Council before your view could be carried out. At the present moment bringing men to New Zealand seems unnecessary when we consider the destitution that prevails in Auckland, Sydney and many other of the neighbouring colonies. However there is time enough to talk about that. As to the confiscation of the lands of the Natives lately in rebellion, I think it is essential that the land shd. be taken as a lesson to neighbouring tribes and a just punishment to the peoples themselves. As to the terms I do not expect the Genl. Govt. will do anything more than allow the Province to administer for them. There is no law that I know of under which lands (confiscated) could be leased. All right about the Rams that is a settled matter - I get Wethers from you and Rhodes puts the exchange value on them. I see Witherew is canvassing for Te Aute I haven't heard of it as yet. I will write some letter this week and start some people to work an our side though who we shall put forward as Candidates I don't know. Tanner for one will get in I think for Te Aute and I fear Carlyon from Hampdens and a nice troublesome pair they will be. I hope to be down soon for a day or two. I shall come down as soon as I hear the Ruramu case is to come on. I must look out for that this time as I have a good deal of money at stake there. When do you purpose going on your cruise - there is nothing to stop you that I see. If any difficulty arose I wd. undertake to go and give Rhodes help until you came back and he and I get on very well together. Probably next month wd. be as good a time for you to take your trip as any other. You would then manage to get back before the Elections come on. What a lucky devil that Tigfen is. I quite agree with you if we were he we should either of us take our fling to the auld country - and yet Tiffen with all his wealth is I fancy anything but a satisfied man. He has no friends - he is one of those men, who I doubt has no one who is a friend in the right acceptance of the term as to writing to Grey for troops I doubt if there be much use in it, tho' there can be no harm and if you tickle him judiciously abt. Taupo and settled state of things here, affecting matters there, you may succeed. Tomorrow morning I have to start at daylight to meet Mr. Townsend at Waipawa. Master G.S. Cooper was up here abt. a week ago. It seems the Bishop went at him the other day abt. this report of improprieties between himself and Miss Fannin and Mrs. Cooper heard it all. The Bishop's interference led to an enquiry being talked of, and accepted by Cooper. The Bishop proposed first Mr. Townsend and then myself as proper people to conduct it. Cooper refused Mr. Townsend and agreed to me. He then came down and begged me to do it. His poor wife who I feel very much for also wrote. I refused to do it by myself and after some pressing I very unwillingly agreed to go into this very unfortunate and unpleasant business provided Mr. Townsend)(who I consider a very proper person for the affair) wd. consent to act with me. Today I have his (Mr. Townsend's) letter asking me to meet him at Waipawa tomorrow morning. Can you fancy any more unpleasant, and certain to be unsatisfactory concern to be mixed up with. I feel convinced that Cooper is guilty. I have no faith at all in him. I very sincerely feel for and pity his poor wife, and yet here I am dragged into this most difficult and unpleasant position. I wish the confounded old Bishop had been in Bath before he came meddling here. Good night I have I find after all written you a long epistle. Yours always J.D. Ormond. Townsend writes me that he relies on me to investigate the Cooper-Fannin matter. How I am to get Miss Fannin to give satisfactory evidence on the matter is more than I know. Just imagine the position! How ever I came to be such an ass as to agree to have anything to do with it is more than I know. If the verdict be adverse to Cooper, What then? I suppose Society will take it up.