Friday, February 28th

Another calm and cool day—delicious weather. The provoking Camilla will not sail till Monday, so that probably my little parcel will arrive too late in Wellington for the Robert Syers, though I heard that she is not to sail positively for a fortnight. Entrusted the parcels to Mrs Russell's servant, who is going home disgusted with the country after having lived with her mistress from infancy and followed her here. She cannot do the roughing her mistress does. Begin to think Mrs Russell a very nice person and a good colonist—a very contrary opinion to what I had at first formed of her. Dined with Montagu and a party at the Mitre—had a most civilized dinner of soup, fish, fowl, pastry, &c., wine, beer & dessert: some excellent peaches from Akaroa, the stone of some of which I kept to plant in the Island. The yawl has her thwarts in and looks spicy. Mr Godley promised me the use of the boathouse to put her in while in paint. Got a Gazette sent me from Wellington containing my appointment to the Magistracy. The other cow owners of the town have raised the price of milk to sixpence the quart. I think of continuing at the same price as before. Fawcett came home last night from Motunau with four cows and three calves. His beautiful bitch, Lass, has been poisoned by strychnine laid for wild dogs on Caverhill's run. She is a great loss to him and Cholmondeley, and I can easily believe what he says, that he cried like a child when she died.