London 22 April 1870 My dear McLean The Southampton mail has brought us your letter of 17 February just in time to acknowledge before the outward mail leaves today. I wish all your letters had been posted via Marseilles, for the delay of a week in their arrival entirely spoils the interest of receiving any. You will gather, if you are with our colleagues, and see the letters I have written by this mail, how very strongly I feel about these Expeditions and following up Kooti in to the fastnesses of the interior. No possible gain could counter-balance the risk of taking our people right into the King Country: remember that this risk we turned Stafford out upon, and it doesn't seem to me to matter one straw whether the risk was run by one set of Ministers or another, though I am quite sure it is your being at the head of Native Affairs which has prevented a catastrophe. Fox's letter to Featherston speaks of his being on the point of joining you at Auckland for the purpose of putting an end to the expenditure; and I can only hope the expeditions will have been finally given up not later than the date of the March telegrams just received which speak of Kooti again escaping. You will see by all the letters that we have not only not succeeded with the Imperial Govt. but that for all the good we have done we might as well have stayed at home. Certainly we have talked to hundreds of people of influence and excited a genuine feeling of sympathy and goodwill outside: but the Gladstone Ministry and our great enemy the Times are not only omnipotent but immovable. No time for more. Ever yours truly F. D. BELL Hon D. McLean