9 December 1862 Maraekakaho My dear Donald I am glade to say we are getting on very well with the shearing. We were stoped today washing the ewe flock but we commence again tommorrow. You ought to try and come up to see us at work. Things have gone on very well so far. Neil Walker is loaded with 29 bales 17 wether wool and 12 hogget. We have shore of the wethers & hoggets 3307 which have yeilded 40 bales of good wool and about 1 1/2 bale of locks and I think there is from 1600 to 1700 of them still to shear so at that rate you had better get 10 more bales ready