I can only hope she will not be too weak to move, as I should not know what to do. With regard to Knowles, I really hope you will give up the idea. If we succeed as Featherston expects (but not I) by a coup de main, it would be simply money thrown away. If we dont, the services of a Secretary wd be equally useless to us, as the very last thing we ought to do would be to get into a memorandummiad. My chief objection is on the score of expence. It would add many hundreds of pounds to the cost of our mission, and as regards Immigration could do us no possible good inasmuch as we can't enter into any engagements or do more than enquire. I should hate to look like big people, with Secretaries and paraphernalia. We We have clerical assistance gratis if we want it, as McLean lade it a condition with Rowan (wounded at Ngutuotemanu) in giving him fully pay leave that he was to work for us whenever called upon -- I never saw Rowan before, he brought me a letter and was introduced by Gisbourne on the wharf as we were leaving. Yours very truly, F. D. Bell