21 October 1862 Maraekakaho My dear Donald I do not know what to make of your staying away so long after all the letters you have got requesting you to come down for your own benefit as well as for us all. Tollemache is here for the last 3 weeks and has sold Smith the [A]orangi run or Tuke's old run with 5000 ewes for £12,000. It contains 14,000 acres and gave him 14 years to pay it if he likes. He is now going to sell Oliver & Ormonds runs. They have 22000 acres and about 3000 sheep and 30 cattle and if you were only here a bargain could be made that you never again will get such a chance of in this country. It would be the making of us all. I got Alex to go to speak to Mr Tollemache to see and keep the runs till you came down or to make a bargain himself if he could. The debt on them is £6,000 if those runs could be bought for £7000 with what stock and improvements there is on them and the advantages of not having to fence and all the innumerable advantages you could if you go home at all rise the money there to pay for them for £5 per cent and before the 14 years or whatever term that could be agreed on with Tollemache they would pay for themselves with this as the mother run. Alex said he would take Gollan with him to speak to Tollemache and I hope he may do some good but Oliver said that if you were here you would get them at once for the debt. So as the mail leaves here today I write you all I know till Alex comes home. He did promise to be here on Monday but he perhaps may be kept by Tollemache. I cannot say any more about the runs as you see the necessity of your trying to come here. You never are here when you ought to be and all the good chances are lost in other things as well as this but I hope that altho there is a great many looking after those runs that he will keep them till you come down. Douglas is quite well. Catherine is a great deal better than she was and I will not say any more as I hope you will be down by the steamer. I send you inclosed a letter from Mr Strang about some cattle which he inclosed to me in your absence. Ever your affectionate brother Archibald John McLean