sanguine of any success in getting him - I was much struck with the evident dread the Urewera have for him and feel sure that unaided he would have nothing to fear from them. I was also struck with something Rogan told me - When at Poverty Bay he had Ropata with him occasionally and got him to talk and Ropata told Rogan when in drink that Te Kooti would never be caught - we need'nt expect that, and that instead of that we should make a Bishop of Te Kooti and he wd. be a great man with us yet. Rogan was much struck with this language from Ropata and told me of it - I give it you as I got it - in the event of any trouble with Waikato it wd. be very important to make sure of Topia and Upper Wanganui getting them away from Waikato makes a great difference in the strength they could bring against us - as well as that it secures all the south of this Island of which Upper Wanganui is the key on the West side - I hope Hare Tauteka is going back to Tokano that is a very important position and I want some one there who is reliable and can influence the others there is a large body of natives collecting there and they want leading - Heu Heu is a miserable fellow and there is no good leading man in Hare's absence - I see what you say about Pollen in your letter- my notion is that Pollen is very useful as an official, as to his administrative ability I know nothing about it and it is not an easy thing to find men fit to be