Wallingford March 22nd 1865 My dear McLean, Todays post brought me your two letters, one written at Wellington and one since your return to Hawkes Bay. I trust you may find yourself really better and that you will save yourself as much as possible work that will be likely to upset you. I should have liked much to come down at once and have seen you but I cannot. Next week I have to deliver a lot of sheep I have sold to different people and I have no one who could see to this in my absence. I shall come down for a few days as soon as I can. In the meantime I will write you on the points raised in your Napier letter. I should have liked to see the defence corps increased to 50 men and recommend it shd. be done, as indeed Weld promised it shd. be when we saw him at Auckland. I think that number wd. be sufficient to do the kind of work that that kind of body could do in this Province if needed. They are expensive and I shd. not under any circumstances have recommended a larger increase. I do not think a Volunteer cavalry corps wd. be of any actual service to the Province and shd. decidedly recommend that no such body shd. be raised. I would at once enrol men as military settlers and with the garrison the different stockades employing the men in the formation of roads in the neighbourhood of their posts - As to number I would say increase the present company stationed on the Northern frontier to 100 men. I would also raise another half company and station it so as, as far as possible, to command the approaches from the West Coast and in rear - I mean between these other forests - of the present rendevous of the "Pai Mariri's - in this Province viz. old Hapuku's pah - such steps wd. in my opinion do allall that seems necessary to check aggression insofar as the more settled districts of the Province are concerned. With regard to the more exposed positions such as Wairoa and the people on the Taupo road I can recommend no other steps but those you have already taken. No force at, or likely to be at our disposal could assure the safety of these districts shd. the natives of those parts prove untrustworthy, nothing wd. remain for the people but retreat. In the meantime at any rate as regards the Wairoa and Table Cape natives I think they have so far dealt fairly with us and as a matter of policy it is very much our interest to keep them on our side. As to the issue of arms and ammunition it shd. be as sparing as possible of their issue to the natives. The Militia I shd. keep up the organization of, that is to say in place of once a month having a parade to examine arms I wd. have a parade 2 or 3 times a month and exercise the men during that parade in the practice of their fifles. I cannot and do not however hope for any good to come of militia training in the inland districts. I know well the sheer impossibility of making that body effective. To sum up my opinion as to the desirability of doing anything just now with the Militia I shd. say do as little as possible comportable with keeping up appearances - I have now touched on nearly all the points raised by you. I add one that appears to me essential to take action in. Have the present body of Fanatics who are at the Hapuku's sent away at once - to let them remain here is in my opinion to be avoided at any risk. Depend upon it if we let them stay here we shall rue it - I would have them out of this at any cost. I shall hope to write you more by next mail. I am very busy to night - and I hope also to see you within the next fortnight. A lways yours very truly, J. D. Ormond