must give way. It would be a splendid thing to get some of that fine tract of country we rode over Wanganuiwards when poor Hare Purumene beat your roarer ridden by yourself by a neck, and got a kick in passing which lasted him for life. Our Xmas is chiefly remarked for the extreme fierceness of the season which is all owing to the Comet. A hot sun and clear sky by day, and occasional showers chiefly by night, and an absence hitherto of those drying winds