satisfactorily the Taranaki question. The people there seem to think nothing will succeed but fighting, how pugnacious they are, now the red jackets are amongst them. With all due deference I believe fighting will not succeed even in Taranaki. We should have the discontd spirits from all parts of the Island sneaking quietly towards the scene of action and joining the enemy, with whom we cannot cope in the cover of the forest and Huatoki would be a second Kororarek before long. I am sorry to say McInnes is not advanced in the knowledge of surveying as I could wish in fact he has only been with me in the field altogether 4 days but his foot was the great cause and I could not reasonably expect him to travel barefoot. I was obliged to leave him behind again