Wallingford December 31st./68 My dear McLean, I have a good long letter from you by the mail but I am full of correspondence to-night that I must attend to and must therefore reply hurriedly. I am much surprised to hear that Te Kooti is holding out at Ngatapa - shall be more astonished if the force finds him there when they attack the place as you say the little fellow ought to crush the enemy with the force he has - and it is difficult to see how it can be otherwise. Still I shall be agreably surprised if he does for I confess I consider anything being in his hands being quite sufficient to damn it - and so Rich mond has at length discovered that the little man's veracity is at fault - anyone that has anything to do with him must discover that sooner or later - my notion is that he lies much oftener than he speaks the truth. I have your official reply to the Resolutions passed at the Porangahau meeting and will communicate the same to the settlers. I agree with you that the desire for Block-Houses will probably die out, as it has done at Meanee and elsewhere. At the time the idea of building a place of refuge had a good effect and restored confidence and so did its good. However I will communicate with those interested and see what they say. About Koche's dismissal of course I agree with and support you in the course you have taken. I have no time tonight tolook at the Executive Act and shd. like to do so before I put my official minute on the papers. I will do so and return the papers by an early mail. About the Wellington Debt, all right, you can name me as Commissioner provided I can act when we go to the Assembly. I see no difficulty in that and will do my best to settle the matter - perhaps a line from you to Featherston proposing that the matter be settled while the Assembly is in session will arrange it so far as he is concerned. You say that Carter is not likely to return to his office. I thought so when I last saw him he appeared to me terribly broken. I think Tylee is as good a man as you can get for the office and in addition it is assisting a very worthy family. I have no doubt he will be a good deal quicker at accounts than Carter was and he is thoroughly trustworthy. And so my friend Mr. Luff wrote the letter in the Herald quoting Stafford's speech - the beast is one of the clique and always was. He is an illconditioned sweep and will never forgive me for stopping his little game of extorting money at Crown Land Auctions. I note what you say about Hadfields letter and also about Sam Williams - Staffords object in making use of Hadfield is plain enough he wants to shift upon you the responsibility of not providing for the security of Poverty Bay. I should not advise your entering into the question now. But I wd. recommend you to make notes now (whilst the whole matter is fresh in your recollection) of all that took place - particularly keep record of the dates and of the weight Richmond attached to the information. If I remember rightly Richmond saw Biggs after the information was given by Sam. My own recollection of the matter is that Sam did not attach very great weight himself to the information after the day he obtained it. I think I remember him very full of it for one day and no more. I may however be wrong and it may have occurred after I had left. I have a few thousand more sheep to shear and begin them next Monday as soon as they are done I purpose coming down for a day or two, it will be ten days yet however before I shall get away. I shall be anxious to hear what is done at Poverty bay and hope we may have good news. Wishing you a happy Xmas and a better new year than the last. Always, Yours very truly, J.D. Ormond.