London 25 March 1870 My dear Fox I must begin by apologising for having accused you by last mail of not sending any telegram. Gisborne's telegram reached us all right, but the day after the mail had gone out. There is some reason for the officials not sending on your telegrams at once from Galle, at the same time as they send the press telegrams: we imagine it is because they are not marked on Government service, and we have got Reuter to send special orders to his agents at Galle to forward any telegrams for us without a moments delay. It is very unfortunate that this month the only telegram you have sent us is about the Postal Service via San Francisco; that is to say, we have received no other as yet, though we hope there may turn up one. The day after the arrival of the mail last Monday there came a press telegram published in the papers of Tuesday that "great depression existed among the colonists in New Zealand on account of the renewal of hostilities, and that several skirmishes had already taken place. This produced an uneasy feeling among all our friends here, and as we have no intimation ourselves of what the report means, we can say nothing in answer to constant enquiries. I write this to you instead of to Gisborne, in order to keep up the chain of correspondence: but you must of course know that my letters are really addressed to all, and Gisborne must not think me neglectful because I don't specially reply to the letters from him received by last mail. There is nothing satisfactory to tell you: nothing to say,