to go on board the "Kenilworth" when we sailed and made a most tedious passage of 16 days. I, however made myself tolerably comfortable having the Carringtons to talk to and carried on a quiet flirtation with Miss, to the mortification of a young cub, who by the way turned out afterwards to be no other than her affianced husband, nothing unusual occurred to me excepting a row which I had with the Captain when we sighted Taranaki which orgiihated in a difference of opinion as to a point of land which was then in view, and as I know that locality well, you may easily imagine I came off victorious. We landed in the evening and the weather being wet the streets were knee deep in mud together with the universally depressed state of New P. so disappointed the poor Carringtons who had visionary ideas of the extreme value of their property there, that they became at once chapfallen to that degree that would excite pity in a sterner individual than myself. I called at Halses and had a satisfactory settlement of all the monies he had received on my a/c which amounted only to £120 --- he explained that Norris could not pay him a balance owing, which was the cause of his not remitting, I took a cheque of Norris' for the £60 of the above amount which has been presented at the Bank in Auckland and Only imagine how extremely disgusted I feel at this, to receive only a small sum after 2 years expectation and half the amount no better than waste paper. I can assure you that Taranaki has fallen immeasurably in my estimation. The hospitality of old, still obtains there, which is the only redeeming feature I could discover in it. Sharland gave me a grand champagne dinner, W. Halse, Henry, Watt and R. Brown, being the guests and we talked old times over again. R.B. gave me the next spread and I had a long talk with him on the never to be forgotten swamp case, thanked him for you, for the part he had taken in the matter and wound up by giving him an invitation to stop with us at Auckland should he again pay that City a visit while you and I are there, which which between