man in Wellington. Mr Paul is much better but he is still very weak. I saw him a few days ago for the first time since his illness and I was quite sorry to see him. He is so much changed. Mama has been very unwell lately. I think the weather has had a great effect upon her. It has been such an unusually warm and dry summer. For two months we have had scarcely any rain and the heat has sometimes been quite unsufferable. The consequence of every thing being so dry there have been a great number of fires in all directions which alarmed some of the people in the bush very much. Two houses were burnt down and at Karori Mr Chapman's house was in such great danger that all the furniture and