indefatigable, but too fussy. Lieutenant Blamire worked his red-coated contingent to much advantage, and the following residents (all publicans) deserved honourable mention for their praiseworthy activity, and disregard of personal danger, viz. :—Messrs. J. S. Johnson, of the Southern Cross; J. G. Taylor, Bakers' Arms; Kennetli Bethune, The Star Lnn; Michael Lynch, The Rising Sun; William Mortimer, The Crown Lnn; and E. C. Greene, The British Hotel. T h efire,which had confined itself to the brewery, burned out about io o'clock. T h e loss amounted to some £700, and there was no insurance. T h e fire was supposed to have been caused by the overheating of a kiln ; and it had the good effect of expediting the organization of a fire-brigade—an institution often talked of. In the afternoon of the 30th January, 1846, afirebroke out on the premises of Mr. T. B. Darling, a chemist, at the east side of Elizabeth Street, between Collins and Little Collins Streets. It originated in a weatherboard out-house, used as a laboratory, through the bursting of a pipe worked in the distillation of lavender water; and in ten minutes the structure was a heap of ashes, the proprietor losing about ,£150. This was the occasion of the debut of a newly-establishedfire-brigade,and it did its duty well by means ofthe Cornwall Insurance Company's engine. T h e wind, as has been often remarked, is prone to shiftiness in seasons of conflagration, and on this occasion it luckily changed its direction, for, had it not done so, the Melbourne Tavern close-by, and Darling's other property, would have shared the fate of the laboratory. FIRE IN A COACH FACTORY.
In the olden time the north-east corner of Collins and Queen Streets was occupied by an extensive grocery establishment kept by Annand, Smith and C o , a well-known firm. T h e place was for years known by no other n a m e than " Annand's Corner," and adjoining it in Queen Street was a coach factory, kept by two equally well-known Melbournians—Messrs. Liddy and Passfield. Next to Annand and Smith's, in Collins Street, was a saddler's shop, worked by a M r . T h o m a s Hamilton, and at its rear was a shed, adjoining Liddy and Passfield's workshop, and here on the 16th September, 1846, a fire was believed to have originated, the whole building being suddenly in flames. This happened about 3 o'clock p.m. just as M r . J. 'P. Smith was riding by. H e was the first to observe it, gave the alarm, and galloped away to s u m m o n the aid of the police and military. T h e inevitable crowd wasfirston the ground, though Chief-Constable Sugden (superintendent of thefire-brigade),with his brigadiers and the Cornwall engine, were not m u c h behind. T h e engine did but little service, for it was no sooner got to work than a pipe burst and it had to give up. T h e water-carriers, however, stood like m e n to their guns—or, rather, to their barrels—and, by the united help of a good supply of the Yarrafluid,and unwearied bucketing, the extension of the fire was prevented, and Annand and Smith's place saved. It was said they had 2000 lbs. of gunpowder stored away here (there was then no magazine), and if this had been touched there would have been a blow-up, the consequences of which it would be hard to calculate. It was fortunate that the occurrence did not happen at night. A s it was, Liddy and Passfield were the only sufferers to the extent of a few hundred pounds. W h a t was nearly eventuating in a fatal accident occurred to one T h o m a s Aldorough, whilst on the roof rendering assistance. H e fell through, and was m u c h injured, but was dragged out of thefirein time to save his life. Several townsmen rendered valuable service on the occasion, and their names, as given in some of the ancient annals, were :—Messrs. D. C. M'Arthur and C. L. Hussey (manager and teller of the Bank of Australasia), John O'Shanassy, James Purves, William R. Belcher (clerk of Police Court), W m . Finn, M . Croker, and William Pender. THE FIRST FIPE IN BOURKE STREET.
In 1848 there stood midway between Queen and Elizabeth Streets, on the north side of Bourke Street, a tavern of more than questionable reputation, known as the Golden Fleece, and from near its Eastern side there ran a range of wooden, ginger-bread looking tenements, not continuous, for at every third or fourth one there was a hiatus in the form of an unbuilt-on allotment, fenced or unfenced does not m u c h matter. T w o of the houses adjoining were severally occupied by Nathan, a clothier, and Clay, a dealer of the "Johnny all sorts" species, whilst Michael M'Culla, a blacksmith, resided in a two-storied edifice at the rear. Clay's wife was being nursed by her husband, w h o sat up with her at night
