4 June 1860 Napier My dear brother It is a long time since I wrote you but I am glad to tell you that we are doing well hear and thank God we are all in good health. Hopeing you are the same. I wrote you to New Plymouth. I do not no if you have received my letter. Just a few lines. The sheep are doing well. I have them in tow flocks. One at the bush and the rest on the plains. John MacLay is still with me as carefull as ever and I have another as good a man with the wethers. You can safeley give 94 per cent to all parties and that is the best in the district. You can let them have their returns as soon as you are abble. Onley for the dogs and pigs they would have 100 per cent this year but I hope they shall have them this year. We had a dry season hear but the stock looks wel[l]. Our sheep are done lambing and had not a shower of rain. I hope this spring lambing will be as good. The horses and cattle are doing well. I am glad to tell you that we are improving the run fast. I have all the flats down below nearly fenced. Four good padocks and a padock of three hundred acres at the bush. I am getting grassed all over the run. I have tow horses and the bullocks harrowing on the run for the last tow month. I shall have a hundred acres of grass at the bush. The fern had a good burn this year and I think it is better than ploughing to harrow but I shall plough all spring down below. The ten bales of wooll I gave Stewart was some of Nairn's and Canning and Domet's and some of the stations. As the steamer sails tonight I have no time to say much onley I wish much to se you and I should like much to se hear if you could spare time. If not I should like much to se you if you were in town as I want particularly to se you for maney reasons that I can not explain to you at this time. One night or tow with you might be a great deal of good boath to you and myselfe. Maney things I wish to explain to you that I cannot do at the present time and I want to se Douglas much but I can not go till I hear from you. The old skiper is all right. I have got the way of him at last. We often have a growl but it does him a great deal of good. There is a man of the name of Robison, a ploughmaker near Auckland who sent me tow fine ploug[h]s and a doubble set of harrows, the best I have seen in the coloneys. The price is about £34. I hope you will pay him or Bain Grahame as he may want the money. As the steamer goes I have no more to say. Hopeing this will find you and Douglas well. Dear brother allways in haste Alexander McLean