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and cannot be deemed a large amount, when a wooden building for half the number of men sometimes costs £1670, and which, from the correspondence you have transmitted, it would appear, if the same building were constructed at the present time, would cost double that amount. I forward memoranda of my agreement with the contractor. The building will be of a very substantial character, covered with corrugated zine iron, lined throughout with grooved and tongued boards, well ventilated and lighted, loop-holed all around, and with the requisite guttering and down-piping to convey the whole rain-water into iron tanks, which I will send for that purpose. It will be weatherproof in every respeet, little, if at all, affected, I believe, by earthquake, and in addition to the many advantages which it will possess over ordinary wooden buildings, it will be able to withstand fire from without. A small guard-house will accompany it, together with the requisite cooking apparatus, as required. Every part will be carefully packed and marked, so as to render its re-erection easy, -and I propose sending a man with it, familiar with its construction, and who will be able to superintend its erection at New Plymouth, for which place I shall cause it to be shipped direct. A tracing of the building will accompany this letter. May I request that steps will be taken to meet the drafts I shall have to make upon the Colonial Treasury at Auckland for the payment of this work. Under the circumstances, I trust that his Excellency the Governor-in-Chief wiil approve of the course I have taken, believing that the result will be more economical and satisfactery than had I literally even had 1 been able, carried out your instructions, independent of the embarrassing and unfortunate position the troops at New Plymouth, which I see are about to leave Auckland, would have been in, had I declined to undertake the responsibility I have, in departing from those instructions. I have, &c., (Signed) And. Clarke. {True copy.) (Signed) J. Greenwood, Major of Brigade.