My dear Friend, I herewith forward the queries which you sent me some time ago. I should have returned them sooner with more full replies but the attempts I have made to get to Wairarapa have failed and I could not always conveniently leave the province from the disturbed state of the country. I trust the answers now sent will be suffucuent if you could send me Coopers original account of the period in which £100 for Ngaio appears I could trace that out Cooper who went over the published statement of accounts with me believes that it is as I have stated in my reply. I shall be very glad when these questions are disposed of and I was in hopes when last at Auckland that we might have done so then but your time was so much taken up with the business of the House that it was impossible. If I can get away I intend shortly to visit Auckland and if you can then spare me a day or two we can settle everything. We are as yet tolerably quiet down here but as the Natives are driven back from the Bay of Plenty and Waikato it is quite probable they may come down upon us, our own Natives who are interested preserving peace require a deal of looking after, it is much more troublesome to manage them than the Europeans, I remain, My dear Friend, Yours faithfully, Donald McLean.