Woburn June 30th 1863 My dear McLean, I have come on to town, after settling all that was to be done on the Coast, for the purpose of urging upon the Superintendent the settling of a lot of outstanding matters especially the Wakatahi reserve at Castle Pt. I find however that His Honor is up at Wanganui and won't be back for a month. I intended starting tomorrow for home, but there is a heavy flood tonight which will keep me a few days back, and I suppose it will be a fortnight before I get home yet, and perhaps you may not get this letter much sooner. However I did not sit down to write an account of my adventures but to say a word about Fraser, and the adventures shall be the subject of a conversation that I hope to have with you very soon after I arrive at home. You know that Fraser has taken service under the Wellington Govt., Taut he does not much fancy working under them - in fact will not stay with them. He has had an offer of very good pay from Canterbury, but he has got the old departmental hankering upon him, and would like if possible to get to Napier even at a sacrifice of salary. So I have advised him to write to you on the chance of getting Tiffen's office, if he should persist in his intention of resigning rather than swallow the Treasurership. I have told him that the general impression is that Tiffen will not resign, and also that it is possible that you may have promised the office to FitzGerald. Still he thinks, and I think, that it is worth his while to write to you in case the office may be at disposal, as I feel sure, and so does he, that you would as soon give the appointment to him as to anybody else, and he as I said before would he glad to be alongside of you onae more. The Airedale is not in, though due from Taranaki, but a Maori report has come down from Wanganui to the effect that upon Saturday, Sunday and Monday week cannonading was going on against Parenga Kingi's pa. People seem to Relieve this story. All the Ngatikahungunus are in a very satisfactory state - Ngairo, Karauria Hape and one or two others in Wairarapa talk in a mischievous way hut they have no influence and are I shd. say by no means dangerous. But I don't much like the look of matters on the West Coast, and think that the Waikanae and Otaki people wd. like to have a row. Buller is a failure and does more harm than good. Wellington is very dull and stupid I have only been in town part of yesterday and today and there has been a fierce S. Easter all the time. I have not seen Mr. Strang and suppose I shall not do so as I shall be only once more in Wellington before I go home. The Maria has arrived from England. She had 2 entire horses on board, a throroughbred and a Suffolk Punch, intended for Hawke's Bay, and belonging to Mr. Gaisford, a young man at Purvis Russell's station. The thoroughbred has come out all right, but the draught horse died on the voyage. It appears that though the mail passed through the Hutt at 11 o'clock tomorrow they have some regulation to the effect that letters have to be posted here the day previous, and I shall have to make an imposing looking official packet of this, or else I shall not get it sent at all. Purvis Russell and his wife are here. He is writing to you. Ever faithfully yours G. S. Cooper