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T H E RELIEF OF THE SUFFERERS. It yvas the Geelong Advertiser that first designated the 6th February " Black Thursday," and to the credit of Geelong a movement to raise funds to alleviate the distress occasioned by the misfortunes of the day, was c o m m e n c e d in that town, where the considerable s u m of £ 1 1 0 0 yvas soon raised, and it was subsequently augmented to £ 1 5 0 0 . O n the 18th February a public meeting ofthe citizens of Melbourne was held at the Mechanics' Institute, to devise means for the relief of the Bush-Fire Sufferers, but the attendance yvas not so numerous as one would have expected from the nature of the object. T h e Mayor presided, and addresses were delivered by Messrs. J. P. Fawkner, J. F. Palmer, W m . AVestgarth, N . L. Kentish, John Hodgson, J. T. Smith, Abel Thorpe, T. M'Combie, and J. C. King. Resolutions were passed (1) "Declaring the movement to be one deserving ofthe hearty support of all persons w h o have under Divine Providence been exempted from the ruinous losses occasioned by the late dreadful conflagrations, and that by liberal contributions in money or kind to aid in the alleviation of the misery and distress." (2) "That subscription lists be immediately opened, and all be asked to subscribe to meet the emergency of the case; " and (3) " That the Clergy of every denomination be solicited to grant their aid and assistance in promulgating the views and objects of the meeting, and stirring up their congregations to co-operate." T h e folloyving Committee was appointed to take the steps necessary to effect the purposes contemplated:—viz, the Mayor, Messrs. J. F. Palmer, John Bear, J. B. Bennett, G. S. Brodie, J. Dinyvoodie, J. S. Griffin, Robert Kerr, M . O'Connell, N . Guthridge, John Lush, A. F. Greeves, Peter Davis, Abel Thorpe, Dalmahoy and D. S. Campbell, J. R. Pascoe, J. Dunbar, AAT. U . Tripp, T, Lane, M . Lynch, J. P. Fawkner, J. T. Smith, David Young, Joseph Raleigh, Captain G. W . Cole, and Major AA'. Firebrace. T h e Mayor and Mr. Charles Bradshayv yvere nominated co-Treasurers, and £ 3 0 1 6s. was subscribed in the room, the Chairman, M r . Ar. Nicholson, heading the roll with a cheque for £ 2 5 . A meeting of the subscribers yvas held on the 22nd April, yvith Dr. Palmer as Chairman. T h e Committee's report shoyved the total receipts at £ 1 6 7 1 17s. 8d, viz, £ 1 6 0 3 4s. 8d. subscriptions, and £ 6 8 13s. donations from the neyvspapers in account for printing and advertising. T h e expenditure consisted of—Various Grants, £ 6 3 3 12s.; T o Kilmore Relief Committee, £ 2 8 1 5s.; Incidental Expenses, £ 9 17s. 4d. ; Commission for collecting, and grant to Secretary, £ 2 0 ; Balance, £ 7 2 7 3s. 4 d . — £ 1 6 7 1 17s. 8d. T h e balance yvould be reduced by some outstanding claims to £ 6 5 8 ios. 4d, and this the Committee, not deeming there was any further relief use for it, thus appropriated—£250 each to Melbourne Hospital and Benevolent Asylum, £ 4 0 each to the Friendly Brothers and St. James' Visiting Societies, £ 3 0 each to St. Peter's Visiting and the Strangers' Friend Societies, and £ 1 8 ios. 4d. to the Ladies' Society, established in connection with the Church of England—the uncollected balance when received to be distributed, pro rata, to the same purposes. T h e report declared that the damage supposed to be suffered, fell considerably short of general expectation. T h e losses sustained by persons w h o had been relieved were m u c h over-estimated, and amounted to £ 6 5 0 2 5s. 5d. T h e returns as furnished by a Relief Committee appointed at Kilmore amounted to £ 3 1 4 5 , a n d the Plenty £ 2 3 6 0 , or an aggregate of £12,007 5s- 5 d T h e number of individuals, inclusive of children, relieved by the Committee was 255, and the amount £ 9 1 4 16s. Separate collections had been m a d e for the Plenty and Kilmore, and for the latter, £ 2 8 1 5s. had been given to purchase seed corn, whilst the Plenty had £ 1 3 1 12s. for the like purpose. T h e relief was administered upon certain principles determined by the Committee, and to be regulated by the losses and position of the sufferers. Such a summary appropriation (or mal-appropriation, as many preferred to term it), evoked m u c h dissatisfaction; but as the Committee had not only disposed of, but actually paid away the balance to the several Charities there was no alternative but to grin and bear it. T h e credit, or discredit of the " sharp practice " was accorded to Dr. Palmer, w h o had an unhappy knack of often doing a good thing in a wrong way ; but there is no doubt that he was freely aided and abetted by three-fourths of his co-Committee m e n , who were members ofthe Directories of the several Institutions so pecuniarily benefited. T h e surprise and dissatisfaction prevailing amongst the general body of subscribers found vent at a public meeting held in the Mechanics' Institute, on the 6th May, presided over by Mr. T h o m a s M'Combie. Here a letter was read from the Rev. A. M . Ramsay, Presbyterian Minister, expressing strong disapproval