if the people had bought any land lately every shilling of available cash would have been placed at your disposal. As it is I am keeping no more in hand than is unavoidable to carry me over the next couple of months, during which owing to the Earthquakes it is most improbable any purchases will be made, and were I to divest my treasury of every thing I should at the same time have to put an immediate stop to all the surveys. But it appears to me so really essential to run no risk about Taringakuris people going to Taranaki, that if you can possibly spare out of your fund in