22 March 1855 Liverpool My dear brother I was glad to find by your letters to Uncle Donald that you are quite well and doing so well. Nothing gaves me more pleasure than to hear of my brothers altho they have all even you that wrote formerly wrote me so many touching letters was for 7 years neglected writing a warm and affectionate brother. Certainly my profession has caused such a distance and uncertainty of my address doubtless may have caused you not to answer my letters. I was grieved to hear of your severe loss in your faithful and affectionate wife but be thankful you have a sweet boy to keep you in remembrance of her. At the same time I make no doubt but you can in time get some other one worthy of you were you coming to this country to take your worthy and highly respectable sisters out to New Zealand with you. There is not any young girls in the country more worthy of brothers' attention and with all my misfortunes I have been the only friend they had. If ever you sent Uncle any money your sisters never got any of it but of course it went to his own sisters. Besides I even gave them many times the sum of 3 & 4 pounds myself and got but little thanks for it. They are a mean greedy lot not one morsel of McLean's blood