they acquired. Alexander is past ever being brought into any early habbits and he has got always such a disagreeable way when I tell him about pushing ahead and getting work done I find it is better to let him be. He always thinks I have no right or finds all kind of faults. He has no idea of any push or time. Let it pass any way. No application only on the spirit of the moment. All his hobby is a horse and away but for all that he is a capital man among stock but full of mistery and no wish to impart anything he knows to others. It hurts me very much to find him so indolent and so headstong. When he goes away to Acatea I will commence hauling the timber for fencing myself and then astonish him again when he returns. I wanted a few loads to commence with the other day and he told me I might go myself but that I would not get the cattle which hurt me very much to be striving against my good wishes but there is no use to say anything to him. The only way is to work round him quietly to get anything at all done for without he had a ship load of men round him he cannot do any good for