17 July 1861 Maraekakaho My dear Donald I have received your letter of the 2nd inst yesterday and I am very sorry indeed to see its contents. I was always in the dark how matters were doing but thank God you give us all the details without any under hand or hiding about anything. The only pleasure I have got is to know how things are progressing with you for it is all the hope I have myself. I cannot conceive what cause or reason poor Alex has for trying to keep every thing dark. When he came home of the first trip he was in great spirits and I thought things went much better than I am sorry to find they have gone. There is no doubt but he is a good manager and good judge of cattle and horses but if we could only get him to tell what he was about their would be a great satisfaction and pleasure attending any busness to know the profits and losses over a year at all events but that under the preasant situation can never be properly got at. If I had you once down here I intend to point out to you plans that will answer you much better and gave me some chance to live but I will not say any thing about them till we meet. There is no doubt but this place has been managed at very heavey expence but the worst expence was in being so often away from home that was the cause of great grief to me. Of course any one in charge of a station will have to go at times to the port but they do not require to stay their for weeks. No one would do more for Alex than me if I had it in my power but I must say that all I could say to him about expences and other matters only made him worse. He detested my writing to you above all things