8 July 1859 Maraekakaho My dear Donald I received your kind letter by Munn's son and the book which lets me see how much you study all our good and how much we ought to think of your good intentions, indeed it is a book that one and all of us ought to have studied many years ago but it is I hope not to late as yet and I sincerely hope it may do good. Alex was reading it tonight and poor fellow I do think he is going to change for he said to me today 'Old man I am going down to get the cattle home and go to church'. He is a good fellow in many ways but just wants management and I think I am beginning to find out a plan on him now. I was hard working fencing today and I told him you see now what one man can do with application and said now Alex we must study time & the weather to do our work and there is great economy in that even you will be able to plow when you cannot go to the bush and I have used every stick of timber so they must go tommorrow. Then he said at ... they would. So you need not say anything to him about my complaints in case it will sour his temper for his temper is different from either yours or mine. The best way is to in a quite way reason with him and he will then almost do anything. The sheep are coming in again next week to finish cutting etc. Mr Smith is here, Duff cousin, a very nice young man. He tells me he is determined to try and purchase land some place near us. He is a very fine young man and one you would like much. He is very fond of both me & Alex. I am in treaty with him about something I think will please you and I may go down with him likely on the 22nd inst. He talks of buying 1000 ewes from Saint Hill if cheap and good and I said if so I might as a great favour get you to take them for a year or so on thirds but that I was not shure about it. I was only paving the way. You would perhaps be surprised how weary I am altho some people thinks I do not know much. Poor Archy is getting on very well. I sent him and the donkies away pig hunting and to all their great surprise he came home with three fine pigs, more than any of them would do one day in the week. Pig hunting must be attended to for it save mutton. This will last us for 7 or 8 days and with the run on as sometimes it is astonishing the meat that is used but economy is the order of the day and the cook is doing first rate and cannot bear having me away. I told him today I was going as far as Duff for some fowls and seeds. Well I hope you will be home before Monday. Why I asked him. Because nothing is wright when you are gone. You see it was quite different with Baker because he was never checked and he wanted the old still indeed Donald I have great satisfaction in having the pleasure of seeing the great alteration in many things here and time will improve it. I hear you are doing a great stroke in the purchase of land. I am pleased you got all the cattle for they will turn in the money well before long. I am shure my letters tese you but I like to tell everything as it is as I think you are something like myself in mind about many things. Your affectionate brother Archibald John McLean