Napier, Sunday, July 25, 1875 Midnight. My dear Sir Donald McLean, Just at xii have I finished writing! for 3 successive days and nights (each until mg.) have I been hard at work not even over the door-step, and without dinner! . I received your telegram and replied briefly, and I hope you have received what I sent per "Luna" all right. I now send you a little more: - (1) of the Maori Eng; just a couple of the heavy root verbs, (that those who know nothing of our N. Z. tongue, may what amounts of work there is!) and, (2) a few pages of the Eng.-Maori part, just enough to make (I suppose) pages of the Specimen Sheet, which I hope you will get printed: (should a little more be required) to make up 2 pages, you can take it from what I have already sent you - the ) You informed me, that some Member had already tabled a Motion re the Dy.! He seems (if I may say so) to be in a hurry. I hope you will reply, until you have what I sent you all ready (with this also) printed to lay on Table: or, that you will request him, to hold on a bit: but there you know best. Now I have just copied all in the rough from my Mss. I may add, that, if ever completed and printed, - (1) It will not, of course, be so diffuse as you now have it: (2) It must be first settled, whether in some words - as taaua, maaua, maaku, etc. - or a: (3) It must also be settled, whether the N. Z. alphabet shall run as I have it, (all vowels, A,E,I,O,U, , and then the consonants, - as the Polynesian dialects have it, and as ours formerly had it,) - or whether it shall run - A, E, H, I, K etc. My dear Sir Donald - You will be to write, but I shall be thinking of you, often. I hope your health will be good, first rate; and I heartily wish you well through all the heavy duties of the Session, Believe me to be, Yours very truly, W. Colenso