Auckland, 3 July, 1848. My Dear Sir, I duly received your letter of May 30th from Wanganui giving me some account of your successful exertions to have the land question at that place settled. It is a fortunate circumstance for the Colony that it is so and the Governor is much pleased with the good service you have rendered on the occasion. I have heard otherwise of your being extremely ill - almost dying but as the complaint has been Rheumatism from all I can learn I am not much afraid of the result. The complaint is one painful enough but very rarely fatal - and with your good Highland constitution it is not likely to prove so. I daresay your anxiety was as much the cause of your illness as anything else, for such is by no means uncommon. So therefore if you have any remains of it still pray study tranquillity, use flannel live moderately and attend to your bowels. I received safe the box of birds you were so kind as to send me. I have no doubt you must have some peculiar to your part of the Country, and I hope I shall some time or other have an opportunity of judging for myself on the spot. I must if possible visit Taranaki before the end of the next good season. The long journey I had to the interior in March last has whetted my appetite for further travelling, and I will gratify it if I can by a journey up Mount Egmont. You will hear, no doubt of the burning of Government house about a week ago. Fortunately no life was lost nor personal injury received but the Governor must have lost not much less than £1500 worth of property otherwise we are getting on very well and after the late news of Revolution in France we may almost expect another war. If such should take place and an attack were made on this Colony I think we might now count on the Natives fighting with us. I remain, My dear McLean, Yours truly, A. Sinclair.