be. Your minute has in fact answered the Dispatch of 7 October and left nothing to be said on that: and to go into the questions generally would take a long and most carefully guarded statement, at the same time that for all practical purposes it will be useless so far as the Troops question goes. We shall however do our best: but I wish I had not lost, as I find I certainly have done, the ease I used to feel of old in writing. I could dash off a Minute in the old days without trouble; now, every dispatch is a great labour. But apart from the line to be taken about the past, is the much more important matter of the line for the future. You shadow out, yourselves, the possible cutting of the painter as the consequence of Lord Granville's course; and I see that many of the newspapers are agitating that way. Now for my own individual part I cannot have anything to do with seceding from England, though I admit we should be justified in going, and I will not coincide in any action that looks like a menace of that consequence really taking place. Sir George Grey is here every day, preaching separation and Independence with great eloquence and pertinacity; and I dont sometimes know how to answer him, except that I am resolved to have nothing to do with them. I see every day more and more that there is a party here, and one getting stronger, which is in favour of colonies cutting the painter; but then it seems to me that is just playing into the Ministers' hands. Grey has got into very hot water by his agitation; and is turned out accordingly into the cold; he will soon join the Conservative cause, and is now gone down to Newark with the Tory whip's support to see if he cant get into Parliament. Now I believe in trying for something that is possible: I look upon New Zealand Independence as moonshine; not mere nonsense, but really very dangerous to us. For if once Lord Granville can set