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English
H.M.S. Eclipse Auckland 12 March 1866. My dear Maclean, I write you a few lines to remind you to enquire for my double glasses if you have any opportunity of communicating with the Wairoa. They certainly are not on board here and I must either have left them at the township or the Maoris must have walked off with them. My name was both on the case and the glasses themselves so there could be no doubt as to whose they were should any civilised individuals have seen them. If they turn up please send them to Auckland by the first opportunity. We had tolerably fine weather at Waiapu and Opotiki at each of which places we stayed during the day getting to Kawau on the evening of the 6th. where I left H.E., coming on here the next morning. I shall most probably go to fetch him on the 15th. but I doubt his starting for Tauranga for some days afterwards. Old Morgan was delighted to see the Governor, we rode to Waiapu from Awanui and Rota held his Maori service it being Sunday after which we had the usual korero. The surrendered hau-haus seemed pretty quiet but I gathered that Morgan did not keep them in quite taut enough order. At Opotiki there was nothing going on, the hau haus seem to have made themselves scarce and 3 days marchings out resulted in no one being seen. A few friendly natives brought in about a dozen surrendered hau haus who were tired of skulking in the bush, then there were of course speeches denunciatory of Te Ua and war dances more or less indecent in which the Arawas came out strong. These latter appeared to think it an uncommon hard case that 3 of their men had been eaten by Te Ua's hau haus and that the exigiencies of civilization precluded them from returning the compliment. It certainly is a hard case only to be allieved I suspect by extra allowances of grog and tea. At Opotiki it came on to blow so that the bar was impassable and we could not get off. So the ship took shelter under Whale Island; the old master is very proud of the success with which he performed this feat. I can't tell you much about the Governor's plans especially as I don't believe he knows them himself. Whittaker and Col. Haultain have gone to Kawau in the Sturt. The Brisk is here having just brought 330 men of the 43rd. from Taranaki - Capt. Hope is very much much annoyed at having to go trooping while we are yachting about with the Governor, but as we can carry the Governor and cannot carry 330 troops or even half that number he has no option but to give us the benefit of the situation. We are in a great way about our mails, and we stopped both the Jany. and Feby. mails at sea and took them back to Sydney for which he has been dulyanathemised of course. I hope the hau haus continue to be quiet and that the emigration business will turn out a good stroke of policy. Ever yours truly, E.R. Fremantle.

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