timber. - "taihoa tatou ka kite". One thing too that has annoyed me very much is the Europeans entrusted with the work have been actually cutting up the peach trees in the old cultivations trees that have been planted by the owners of the property. Can we wonder at the Natives being angry - I have an idea that it would be a good plan to engage a principal native Chief at the villages through which the line passes to take care of the wire - say one at Maungatapu - and another between Maketu and Rotoiti - at a salary of £30 or £40 per annum. This would give them a vested interest in the matter and they would look upon it as their "taonga" - talk the matter over with Mr. Vogel and let me know and I will put it in official form. We must not despise the day of small things and the amount of ignorance that has to be bought over. I got your note of the 6th. from Wellington - very many thanks for your thoughts of me. I hope for the sake of helping you all I can that I may keep my helth. You have all my heart and soul in the work. Yours very faithfully, Hy. T. Clarke. P.S. Of course you have heard long since that Hopkins is here. Capn. Turner is to do the survey through the forest from the Rotorua side. I can depend upon him. I am very much afraid that Gundy is very injudicious and unwittingly puts dangerous ideas into native heads. H.T.C.