21 October 1862 Maraekakaho My dear Donald I do not know what to make of your staying away so long after all the letters you have got requesting you to come down for your own benefit as well as for us all. Tollemache is here for the last 3 weeks and has sold Smith the [A]orangi run or Tuke's old run with 5000 ewes for £12,000. It contains 14,000 acres and gave him 14 years to pay it if he likes. He is now going to sell Oliver & Ormonds runs. They have 22000 acres and about 3000 sheep and 30 cattle and if you were only here a bargain could be made that you never again will get such a chance of in this country. It would be the making of us all. I got Alex to go to speak to Mr Tollemache to see and keep the runs till you came down or to make a bargain himself if he could. The debt on them is £6,000 if those runs could be bought for £7000 with what stock and improvements there is on them and the