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English (ATL)

Via Panama 3 Adelaide Place, King Wm. Street, London
1 Febry. 1867


My dear Sir,

The mail from New Zealand via Panama is delivered this forenoon, and as the outward one closes in a few hours I must briefly acknowledge your favors of 29 and 31st Octr. and 29th Novr. last.

I have read your account of the Province with much interest, and to many I have repeated the satisfactory news. You may rest assured that I lose no opportunity of making known the advantages of the Province. I am well pleased to receive your official report which I shall endeavour to get published in the Times and in Scotland.

I am thankful that no further outbreak of war has taken place and that things are quiet.

Your last letter upon the subject of Miss Rye's Emigrants concerns me most, for what is done cannot be undone. I am deeply vexed at having had to do with them, but when you wrote "we much require more emigrants" I considered it would benefit rather than inconvenience your Government. I cannot see Miss Rye before this mail leaves but will call upon her and inform her of the contents of your official letters. I have already expressed myself very openly to you about the shipment of these people and I must just await the result of the whole matter, for now I cannot alter what has been done.

I have sent you the result of the Wellington Loan, it is floated but at a low price. It is rarely that you can get, in proportion, as much for an eight per cent as you can for a 6 p.c. They call Canterbury and Otago 6 p. cs. as worth 90 (but you cannot get within 7 p.c. of it for our friend W. S. Grahame sold some of the latter only last week at 83) if that can be had, the 8 p. cs. realize the same should have sold at 120, and at 111 if 83 is only taken as the price of the 6 p.c. You will notice that Robt. Brooks, who is a director of the Bank of Australia, applied for the whole quantity. The Bank held the bulk of the old Loan, Mr. Larnach of the Bank of New South Wales also went in for the whole in two lots. I learn by this mail I am to attend to the interests of the Colony at the Paris Exhibition, so I am afraid it will prevent me leaving for the Colony so early as I intended, moreover you will learn that the route is infected with yellow fever, and I regret to add that Mrs. Cookson of Canterbury and another gentleman of the name of Willes who was proceeding to that settlement, have died of it.

This alone is sufficient to deter me from leaving.

I am, My dear Sir,
Yours faithfully
John Morrison
His Honor Donald McLean Esqre.
Napier, Hawkes Bay, N.Z.