If Mr. Russell's supposition be correct, it will be a white feather in the cap of Napier Street to be nominally associated with a hero who fills a distinguished niche in English history. When the time came for proclaiming the streets, the members of the Melbourne Corporation accepted a grand opportunity of gaining a nominal, though very empty, immortality, for we find no less than eight of the old mayors placated by themselves in this way, viz., Condell, Moor, Palmer, Hodgson, Nicholson, Bell, Greeves, and Smith. Just below Moor Street is a block, bounded by Brunswick, Greeves, Young, and St. David Streets, and this is "the lost Square of Fitzroy," whose queer story is told in the chapter on the "Melbourne Corporation," and which Mr. John M'Mahon, the mayor for 1880-1881 (and the most indefatigable mayor Fitzroy has ever had), has taken much trouble to find. Reilly and Johnston Streets were called after the names of two aldermen. Young Street after one of the first councillors for the Ward. A private property-owner, of very Orange proclivities, took an early opportunity of dedicating two adjoining streets—one to King William, and the other to his beloved Hanover; and a very distinguished and respectable citizen now in England—William Westgarth—is perpetuated in another. Brunswick Street, at an early date, blossomed forth into a kind of quasi-aristocratic region, for it contained a few neat cottages, which were tenanted by some of the then élite. The house now ornamented with the prominent scroll of "Blakemount House," and whose iron gate is emblazoned with a thick brass plate inscribed with the legend "J. R. M'Inerney, Physician and Surgeon," was the residence of Major St. John, one of our first police magistrates, of whom strange stories, recounted in another chapter, used to be told. The late Mr. Justice Williams, when he started in professional life amongst us, set up in a cottage, still standing, nearly opposite the last mentioned, until recently occupied by another physician, Dr. Browning. This is the spot rendered memorable by the confession made in Mr. Hartley Williams' maiden electioneering speech, some years ago, at St. Kilda, that Fitzroy can claim the high honour of being his birth-place. Mr. H. Williams is now a Judge on the same Bench where his father sat before him, so that one judge tenanted this house, and another judge entered the world there. The once well-known Mr. J. D. Pinnock was also one of the fashionable "swells" that abided here. He had arrived from Sydney with the appointment of Deputy-Registrar of the Supreme Court, an office held by him until Port Phillip was separated. Near the corner of Nicholson and Palmer Streets (then unnamed), two remarkable stone twin-houses-one the facsimile of the other—were erected for Messrs. Watson and Wight, mercantile partners, and for several years were occupied by them; but on the arrival of the first Sisterhood of Nuns from Ireland, in 1857, this place was considered a suitable spot for the founding of a nunnery. The "twins" were purchased, passed along to other guardians, and, after various processes of extension, alteration, and improvement, are almost unrecognisable in the comfortable, well-looking, well-ordered, Convent of Mercy of to-day.
On the subject of "nomenclature," Mr. Russell further wrote at length, thus:— "Few streets in Fitzroy, Collingwood, and Richmond—the true old suburban ground—have obtained their designation from public colonial men, Nicholson, Smith (John Thomas, no doubt, for it was not my father-in-law), stepped in in lieu of plain Government roads, their predecessors. Condell slipped in when a name was wanted; Kerr dethroned Argyle (if I mistake not, in suburban 83, sold 23rd October, '49, by the Bank of Australia). As similarly at Richmond, Coppin transplanted Elizabeth. Again strange cases occur when the original name is misunderstood. Thus Fraser, as now pasted up, takes the place of Euphrasia Street at Richmond. Large proprietors, as Otter and Docker, naturally retain a street in their own name. But, in general, the streets were named when the land was cut up; and it is amusing to look back to this process. For instance, suburban 49, in Victoria Parade, 25 acres, Crown to Thomas Walker, passes to Smyth and Baxter; and 8th May, 1849, they subdivided it, and forthwith appear Brunswick and Gertrude Streets; the latter, probably, a family name; whilst the half chain road, east of Brunswick Street not having been considered worthy of mention, years after is suddenly seized for, or by, the well-known David Young. Next on the east on suburban 50 comes our friend Napier, and then George Street. Suburban 51 again on the east presents us with Gore Street. The Crown purchaser was Thomas Gore. It was claimed by John Gore, 29th July, '42 by advertisement; sold 8th May, 1850, by Captain Cole, the name Gore sticking well to it from first to last. We then (still on the east) come to the Walmer Estate, upwards of 70 acres, Crown to Sandeman and to Donaldson, which subsequently passed to M'Killop the first
