the day but in spite of all, as you will see by my last letter, the expences are in my eye dreadful, and indeed will be so till the improvements will be so far finished that the work can be done by ourselves. The getting the timber from the bush is attended with heavy risk and labour but thank God we are getting on very well. Alexander is just as you told myself, very misterious in the ways of accounts but for all he is a pushing and noble fellow to manage land and he & I agree in everything only he says I am to anxious for this world but from what I see going west in many things it would be considered a good living in our mother land had we the timber close to us the expences would not be half as bad. You will see by my last letter the misfortune happened McLauchlin with the cow 23 days ago so that Alex or myself had to shepherd instead which has been lost time. Indeed I find McLauchlin's wife and family