Wallingford Decr. 23rd/63 My dear McLean, I have nothing much to write you about but just send a line to thank you for your note keeping me up in the news of the day. I am very glad to see that the Thames Natives are still ready to contest the supremacy we have not done enough yet to settle the native question, in the permanent way I shd. wish to see it settled. I quite agree with you as to the dejected state of the Natives at their friends reverses, they seem convinced at last that they bend their necks. I have been talking a good deal to them about the improper way in which thro' their Runungas they deal out illegal and unfair (very often) judgements among themselves. Just lately they have seized horses belonging to every Maori who has transgressed the edict of the Rununga that they should not shear. I have told them plainly that this nonsense must stop and that we intend to have but one law and one set of courts in this country for both races. I really think it would have a very, very good effect if Whitmore were to put a few lines to this purport in the Maori paper, and also assure any Native applying to him for redress from the illegal proceedings of the Rununga's that he should get it. I believe that just now such a course would be most effective in breaking at once the head of the Maori league against land selling etc. this Province which is only kept in existence by the terror the Rununga imposes. If you think this proposition a good one, speak to Whitmore of it. Get him to take action/in it - there is no danger now in doing anything of this kind. The natives to whom I have spoken on these heads have only remarked that if we intend to prevent the levying fines etc. by the Rununga's it is right before we do so that we shd. warn them they wd. be doing wrong in that case they say they should obey and I believe also they wd. be very glad to do so. We got up all right and pretty quickly too. The traces broke once and left the trap in a dip but barring this we got on well and neither Mrs. Ormond or the children were the worse for the journey. I begin shearing on Monday having secured shearers just when I wanted them. The country around here is looking beautiful. The Run is overgrown with food the grass being literally knee deep over it. My paddocks too are splendid. In fact such a year we never have had before. My overseer tells me that the whole spring has been a succession of warm showers day after day. It is quite wonderful the difference between this part of the country and Waipukerau and Te Aute there the feed was as we passed quite burnt up as we noticed it to be at Napier on arriving by the Steamer. I have nothing to write you by this Mail. I note what you say of Buchan and shall be glad to hear what you think of the country from the Military settlers after your trip there. Always yours sincerely, J. D. Ormond