11 April 1871 Glenorchy My dear Donald Having built a very nice cottage worth about £250 with my own labour with the carpenter who is to get his part of the contract £83 and having no way of selling what produce I have till June when I will have 1/2 ton bacon etc I am going largely into honey and hope next year to have about 1 1/2 tons at the very least. I had 350 lb last year for which I got 5 1/2d at Napier and I have sent down 5 cwt last week for which they onley offer me 4 1/2d there fore the 500 I have to take I intend to send home through some of the Napier merchants if they will gave me 4d in advance. I see by the papers some person in Canterbury sent some home last year and cleared 6 1/2d all expences paid. Now that I have got proper shelter and houses for the bees and well up the management of them I expect to make something worth while out of them. Do you once remember telling me a story about the poor English curate. I never lost sight of that and I am now putting it to some account. I was in hopes you would have been down here before this and you would see for yourself how matters stood, but as you are not hear and that I want to keep my cridit up I have drawn on you for sixty pounds which I trust you will honour. You said I should not loose the £30 I gave to Alexr and the other £30 will be settled to your satisfaction when you come and see what I have done. I hope when you do come that dear Douglas will come with you as now you could enjoy yourselves for a few days up here. This has been a great year for rain and abundance of grass and a good year for surface sowing. They are doing a good deal that way. Young Archd is worth gold to the place, never a moment idle. He is a most deserving young man and Condie does his best. I cannot say any more till we meet. I remain your affectionate brother Archibald John McLean