Exhibit 10.4(a)

			      J. P. HAYDEN, JR.

			     CONSULTING AGREEMENT


	This Consulting Agreement (the "Agreement") is made and entered into
between J. P. HAYDEN, JR. ("Hayden") and THE MIDLAND COMPANY ( "Midland").

			     W I T N E S S E T H:


	Midland desires to engage Hayden to render the consulting services
subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement because of Hayden's
valuable experience in operating the business.  Hayden is willing to perform
such consulting services for the fees and upon and subject to the terms and
conditions set forth in this Agreement.  Accordingly, Midland and Hayden
agree as follows:

	1.      Term.  The term of this Agreement (the "Term") shall be for a
period of 5.75 years commencing on April 1, 2000 and expiring on December 31,
2005 (the "Expiration Date").

	2.      Consulting Services.  During the term of this Agreement,
Hayden's duties include, at the request of Midland: (a) consulting with officers
of Midland during regular business hours, and (b) promoting the good will of
Midland by being available to attend and attending insurance-related conferences
and functions as a representative of Midland.  Hayden shall devote only such
time and attention to the business of Midland as may be reasonably necessary to
perform Hayden's duties under this Agreement, up to a maximum of twenty (20)
hours per month.

	3.      Consulting Fees.
		a.      Fee.  In consideration of the consulting services to be
			performed by Hayden, Midland agrees to pay to Hayden the
			following annual amounts:

				Year            Consulting
			       ------          ------------
				2000             $543,750
				2001             $600,000
				2002             $500,000
				2003             $400,000
				2004             $300,000
				2005             $200,000

Midland shall pay such amounts in equal monthly installments on or before the
fifteenth (15th) of each month.

		b.      Other Consideration.  Hayden shall receive additional
			consideration as follows:

			i.      Midland shall continue to pay its share of the
		premiums (or $585,856 per year) under the Split Dollar Life
		Insurance on the lives of Hayden and his spouse until the death
		of the survivor, provided, however, (x) Midland shall only be
		obligated to pay such premiums for a period of ten (10) years,
		(y) Midland may, at any time after the sixteenth (16th)
		anniversary date of the policy, request a return of all premiums
		Midland paid into the policy and (z)  Midland may also take
		advantage of any premium reduction or minimum payment options
		under such policy provided Midland pays the equivalent of the
		sum of $585,856 for ten (10) years with such sum reduced by any
		special dividends, demutualization distributions or other policy
		distributions;

			ii.     The Midland Health Insurance Plan shall be
		available at normal employee rates during the Term and after the
		Term.  Hayden's coverage shall be secondary to Medicare after he
		reaches age 65, and Hayden's spouse shall be covered until she
		reaches age 65 at which time her coverage shall be secondary to
		Medicare;

			iii.    During the Term, a car shall be provided by
		Midland consistent with the program in effect at the
		commencement of this Agreement;

			iv.     Use of the Midland plane shall be available
		secondary to Midland's business use during the Term;

			v.      During the Term, Midland shall continue to pay
		club dues for the clubs Hayden was a member (and Midland was
		paying such dues for such clubs) at the commencement date of
		this Agreement;

			vi.     No director fees shall be paid during the Term

			vii.    Any existing stock options or stock grants of
		Hayden may be exercised at the earlier of the normal expiration
		date during the Term or for a period of three (3) years after
		the later of (x) the Expiration Date of this Agreement or (y)
		the date of retirement of Hayden as a member of the Board of
		Directors.  Any future awards while a director during (or after
		the Term) will be equal to the stock awards of an outside
		director;

			viii.   Midland shall provide Hayden with an office in
		headquarters building during the Term;

			ix.     During the Term, Midland shall provide payment
		for Hayden's estate planning and annual tax preparation
		consistent with the current level of fees that were being paid
		at the commencement date of this Agreement; and

			x.      On April 1, 2001, Midland shall provide for the
		payment in a single lump sum of Hayden's benefit from the
		Nonqualified Self-Directed Retirement Plan, and an additional
		payment equal to 45.6% of the benefit to provide for the payment
		of any federal, state and local income tax due on the payment of
		the benefit.

	4.      Proprietary Property; Confidential Information.  For purposes of
this Agreement, the following definition shall be used:

		a.      Proprietary Property.  The term "Proprietary Property"
			includes any and all ideas, creations, developments,
			improvements, inventions, trade secrets, patents,
			copyrights, trademarks, trade names, logos, processes,
			computer programs, databases, spread sheets,
			documentation, models, methodologies, strategies,
			material works or authorship, know-how and methods
			of applying and putting into practice any such items
			that are created, developed or discovered by or for
			Midland or are acquired or licensed on a proprietary
			technical information generally known in the business in
			which Midland operates, even if disclosed to Hayden or
			known or developed by Hayden as a consequence of or
			through Hayden's performance of services under this
			Agreement.

		b.      Confidential Information.  The term "Confidential
			Information" includes any and all information which
			relates to Midland's products and services (including
			their development, marketing and sale), the financial,
			marketing and other aspects of Midland's operations, and
			the intellectual property and business and other rights
			which it owns, licenses or otherwise has the right to
			use, which is not generally known outside Midland (other
			than to Midland's customers or suppliers or other third
			parties in connection with their business with Midland)
			and which is disclosed or accessible to or known or
			developed by Hayden as a consequence of or through
			Hayden's performance of services hereunder or prior
			performance of services for Midland.  It includes, but
			is not limited to, memoranda, files, books and records,
			financial and accounting methodologies, catalogs, lists
			of customers or prospects, price lists, advertising and
			promotional materials, packaging design, business plans,
			operating policies and manuals, internal controls,
			policies, procedures and guidelines, and other business
			information and records used in the conduct of business
			(whether intangible - including written documents,
			magnetic tapes, disks or other media - or intangible
			form), agreements and understandings between Midland and
			third parties, and trade secrets, software and other
			licenses, source codes and object codes, designs,
			drawings, plans and other such information and rights,
			intangible or otherwise, whether or not such information
			comes within the term "Proprietary Property".

		c.      Rights to Proprietary Property.  Hayden agrees that,
			except as Midland may otherwise expressly agree in
			writing, (i) Hayden shall have no rights and shall
			acquire no rights to any Proprietary Property that
			comes, or has come, within Hayden's knowledge or
			possession through or as a consequence of Hayden's
			performance of services hereunder or prior to the
			effective time of this Agreement, and (ii) any
			information or other property that is, or has been,
			invented, created, discovered, written, developed,
			furnished or produced by Hayden, solely or jointly,
			wholly or partly, while performing services for Midland
			hereunder or prior to the effective time of this
			Agreement or with information proprietary to Midland
			(the "Developments"), shall be the exclusive property of
			Midland, and Hayden shall have no right, title or
			interest of any kind in and to the Developments,
			including any results or proceeds therefrom.  Hayden
			hereby sells, transfers and assigns to Midland all
			right, title and interest which Hayden may be deemed to
			have in and to the Developments, including the right to
			patent, register copyrights for or obtain legal
			protection for the Developments, and agrees to
			communicate promptly and disclose to Midland, in such
			from as Midland requests, all information, details and
			data pertaining to any Developments.  At any time during
			or subsequent to the term of this Agreement, upon the
			request and at the election and expense of Midland,
			Hayden will patent, register copyrights for or obtain
			other legal protection for, or permit Midland to patent,
			register copyrights for or obtain other legal protection
			for, any Developments and execute any and all
			assignments, instruments of transfer, or other documents
			that Midland deems necessary or appropriate to transfer
			to Midland all rights in or to the Developments or to
			evidence Midland's ownership of such rights or any of
			them.

		d.      Use and Disclosure.  Except as may be otherwise
			expressly authorized in writing by Midland, Hayden shall
			not use any Proprietary Property or Confidential
			Information except for the benefit of Midland and shall
			not disclose any Confidential Information to any other
			person.  As used in this Agreement, unless the context
			otherwise requires the term "person" includes, but is
			not limited to, any individual, partnership,
			association, firm, corporation, trust, unincorporated
			organization, joint venture or other entity.  This
			restriction on use and disclosure applies without
			limitation as to time or place.

		e.      Applicability to Midland and its Affiliates.  For
			purposes of this Section 4, and Sections 5, 6 and 7 of
			this Agreement, references to Midland shall be deemed to
			include Midland and any corporations or other business
			entities affiliated with it.

	5.      Midland Property.  Following the Expiration Date of this
Agreement, Hayden shall promptly return to Midland all property of Midland in
the possession or control of Hayden (and any and all copies thereof) including,
without limitation, all Proprietary Property and Confidential Information.

	6.      Non-Competition.  During the period commencing on the date of
this Agreement and ending five (5) years after the expiration of this Agreement
(the "Restricted Period"), Hayden shall not, either on Hayden's own account or
for any other person or entity, directly or indirectly, (a) engage in any
activities or render any services which are similar or reasonably related to
those performed for or rendered to or on behalf of Midland during the term of
this Agreement or the two-year period preceding the date of this Agreement
(together, the "Extended Term"), to any business which competes with Midland in
any place where Midland is engaged or, to the knowledge of Hayden, intends to
engage in business or (b) owns a greater than five percent equity interest in or
be connected with the management, operation or control of any such business, but
the foregoing shall not be deemed to exclude Hayden from acting as a director,
officer or employee of or a consultant to other business for the benefit of
Midland with the consent of Midland's Board of Directors.

	7.      Non-Solicitation.  During the Restricted Period, Hayden shall
not directly or indirectly: (a) attempt to induce, or assist others to attempt
to induce, any person who was or was actively negotiating to become a customer
of Midland at any time during the Extended Term, to reduce or terminate such
customer's business with Midland or to direct any of its business that is then
being or may be done with Midland to any other person; (b) attempt to induce, or
assist others to attempt to induce, any employee of Midland to terminate his or
her employment with Midland; and (c) whether in an individual capacity or as the
owner, partner, employee or agent of any entity, employ or offer employment to
any person who is or was employed by Midland during the Extended Term unless
such person shall cease to have been employed by Midland in any capacity for a
period of at least one year.

	8.      Survival.  Sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 shall survive the
termination of this Agreement.  In the event Midland is acquired or merges with
another entity, this Agreement shall survive unless otherwise agreed to in
writing by Midland and Hayden.

	9.      Remedies for Breach of Agreement.  If Hayden commits a breach or
threatens to commit a breach of any of the provisions of this Agreement, Midland
shall have the right to have the provisions of this Agreement specifically
enforced by any court having equity jurisdiction without having to prove the
inadequacy of the available remedies at law or irreparable injury, it being
acknowledged and agreed to between Midland and Hayden that any such breach or
threatened breach will cause irreparable injury to Midland and that money
damages may not provide an adequate remedy to Midland.  In addition, Midland may
take and pursue all such other actions and remedies as may be available to
Midland at law or in equity and shall be entitled to such damages as Midland can
show Midland has sustained by reason of such breach, together with court costs
and attorneys' fees.

	10.     Expenses.  Midland agrees to reimburse Hayden for all his
reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Hayden in connection with the
performance of the duties under this Agreement.

	11.     Title:  Relationship of Parties.  Hayden may hold himself out as
a consultant to Midland.  Hayden is retained by Midland only for the purposes
and to the extent set forth in this Agreement, and Hayden's relation to Midland
under this Agreement shall be that of an independent contractor and not that of
an employee, partner or joint venturer.  Hayden acknowledges that he is solely
responsible for all withholding, social security and other taxes with respect to
the consulting fees paid to him under this Agreement.

	12.     Independent Judgment.  Nothing in this Agreement shall be
construed to interfere with or otherwise affect the rendering of services by
Hayden under this Agreement in accordance with Hayden's  independent and
professional judgment and in accordance with Hayden's own means and mode of
performance.

	13.     Indemnity.  Each party ("Indemnifying Party") agrees to
indemnify and hold harmless  the other party (the "Injured Party") from and
against any damages, liabilities, actions, suits or other claims and from
reasonable attorneys' fees and costs incurred by the Injured Party in defending
against same with respect to the discharge of the Injured Party's duties and
responsibilities under this Agreement unless such liability arose out of the
Injured Party's gross negligence.

	14.     Trusts.  The obligations under this Agreement (i) shall
accelerate, (ii) shall be entirely funded upon a Change of Control, as defined
in the Consulting Agreements Rabbi Trust (the "Rabbi Trust"), through the Rabbi
Trust and as prescribed in Rev. Proc. 92-64, and (iii) shall be paid within
thirty (30) days of the effective date of the Change of Control.  No other
provisions shall be made with respect to segregating assets of the Company for
payment of any distributions under this Agreement except as may be required by
the Rabbi Trust.  The right of Hayden or his designated beneficiary to receive
a distribution under this Agreement shall be an unsecured claim against the
general assets of Midland, and neither Hayden nor a designated beneficiary shall
have any rights in or against any specific assets of Midland.  All amounts to be
paid to fulfill the obligations under this Agreement shall constitute general
assets of Midland and may be disposed of by Midland at such time and for such
purposes as it may deem appropriate.

	15.     Tax Gross-Up Payment.

		a.      Amount of Payments.  In the event of a Change of
			Control, benefits under any plan or other agreement
			including this Agreement in which Hayden participates
			are accelerated and distributed prior to the time such
			benefits would otherwise have been distributed under
			such plan, Midland shall pay Hayden the following
			additional amounts (the "Gross-Up Payment"):

			i.      The amount of the Excise Tax, if any, imposed on
		Hayden by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

			ii.     The amount of any federal, state and local
		income tax due to any payments to Hayden under i above.

			iii.    After the payments are made in i and ii above,
		an additional amount shall be paid to Hayden grossing up all
		payments made pursuant to Section 16 such that the additional
		amount paid is sufficient to pay the Excise Tax and the federal,
		state and local income taxes being reimbursed in i and ii above.

		b.      Calculation of Payment.  For purposes of determining the
			amount of the Gross-Up Payment payable pursuant to a
			above, Consultant shall be deemed to pay (i) federal
			income taxes at the highest marginal rate of federal
			income taxation in the calendar year in which the Gross-
			Up Payment is made; and (ii) state and local income
			taxes at the highest marginal rate of taxation in the
			calendar year in which the Gross-Up Payment is made
			(but based on the rates of taxation of the states and
			localities with respect to which the Gross-Up Payment
			will be taxable), net of the maximum reduction in
			federal income taxes which could be obtained from
			deduction of such state and local taxes.

		c.      Payment is an Estimate.  The Gross-Up Payment provided
			for in this Section 16 shall be an estimate.  Midland
			will cause its independent auditors to make an estimate
			of the liability and Gross-Up Payment within 60 days of
			the Change of Control (a copy of which is to be
			furnished to Consultant as soon as possible), and
			Midland shall pay to Consultant the Gross-Up Payment in
			cash in a lump sum within 30 days of such estimate.  In
			the event that the amount of the estimated Excise Tax
			and other tax liability exceeds the amount of the actual
			Excise Tax and other tax liability, Consultant shall
			promptly repay the portion of the Gross-Up Payment
			attributable to the reduced Excise Tax and other tax
			liability, and such excess shall constitute a loan by
			Midland to Consultant, payable on the 5th day after
			demand by Midland (together with interest from the date
			Consultant received the Gross-Up Payment at the rate
			provided in Section 1274(b)(2)(B) of the Code).

		d.      Subsequent IRS Review.  In the event the Internal
			Revenue Service subsequently makes a determination
			resulting in an Excise Tax and other tax liability in
			excess of the estimate as determined by Midland's
			auditors, Consultant shall promptly notify Midland, and
			Midland shall have the right at its expense, to contest
			and participate.  If any additional Excise Tax and other
			tax liability is assessed in respect of Consultant by
			the Internal Revenue Service, such additional Excise Tax
			and other tax liability, plus any penalties and interest
			assessed, shall be paid to Consultant by Midland
			(together with an amount sufficient for all other
			federal, state and local taxes on the additional Excise
			Tax and the payments provided for in this Section 16)
			within 10 days of the date that the Internal Revenue
			Service makes such an assessment.

		e.      Interpretation.  The interpretation of matters relating
			to the Gross-Up Payment shall be made by tax counsel
			selected by Midland's independent auditors and
			acceptable to Consultant.

	16.     Entire Agreement.  This Agreement supersedes any and all other
understandings and agreements, either oral or in writing, between Midland and
Hayden with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement and constitutes the
sole and only agreement between Midland and Hayden with respect to the subject
matter.  No change or modification of this agreement shall be valid or binding
upon Midland and Hayden unless the change or modification is in writing and
signed by Midland and Hayden.

	17.     Legal Construction.  If any provision of this Agreement shall be
found by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable for
any reason, such invalid or unenforceable provisions shall not affect the
validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement which
shall remain in full force and effect.

	18.     Parties Bound.  This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall
inure to the benefit of Midland and Hayden and their respective successors and
assigns.  Hayden shall not assign any of its rights under this Agreement without
the prior written consent of Midland.  Midland shall not assign any of its
rights under this Agreement to any person or entity without the prior written
consent of Hayden.

	19.     Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in any number of
counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which shall
constitute one and the same agreement.

	20.     Governing Law.  This Agreement shall be governed by, construed
under, and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio.

	21.     Headings; Gender; Number.  The headings contained in this
Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be construed as substantive
provisions of this Agreement.  Singular words shall include the plural and
plural words shall include the singular, unless the context requires otherwise.

	22.     Other Activities.  Hayden may get involved in other activities
which do not materially interfere from a time standpoint with the duties of
Hayden hereunder.

	23.     Effective Date. This Consulting Agreement shall be dated as of
July 1, 2000, to be effective as of the first day of the Term of this Agreement.
This Agreement restates and thereby supersedes any Consulting Agreement
previously executed by the parties, and the parties agree that any prior
Consulting Agreement shall be of no further effect.


						/s/J. P. Hayden, Jr.
						J. P. Hayden, Jr.


						The Midland Company


						By: /s/John I. Von Lehman

						Its: Executive Vice President