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the blighting pressure of the crisis of preceding years. T h e change was not perhaps very apparent amongst the working classes, yet Port Phillip had righted itself, and was once more like a ship in a calm sea, the breakers subsided and the angry waters stilled. A month of the n e w year had not glided by when everyone saw what the Council could not or would not see, and at length it dawned upon the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors, and in February they resumed the assessment; the reduced salaries were again raised, giving the T o w n Clerk ,£200, the Treasurer ,£150, and the Surveyor ,£125. T h e clashing of bells and other noises in the streets, opposite auction marts—a great nuisance m u c h complained o f — w a s suppressed by a bye-law, which rendered the ringing of bells and sounding of gongs, or the display offlagsin the streets, punishable by a fine graduating from ios. to ,£5, whereat the "knights of the h a m m e r " yvaxed yvroth, but rapidly recovered from their indignation. At a Council Meeting in March, one of the Councillors appeared in a state yvhich occasioned m u c h amusement, not untinged with annoyance, to those yvho belonged to his side of the table. There was not m u c h of the "Celestial" about the member, yet he (or, rather, his big head) yvas hedged by a heathenish divinity, for, like Minerva, he yvas azure-eyed, at least as regarded one of his optics, yvhich had a bluish circle drawn round it, the luminary itself being more than half-closed, and seemingly in a state of total eclipse. Whilst the laugh at his condition flew about, the Corporator himself "eyed " the laughers with astonishment, and calmly assured them that if their rudeness were directed towards himself, he could not see what they were sniggering at. Next morning one of the newspapers elucidated the mystery. A couple of evenings before, the m e m b e r alluded to had been participating in a public entertainment, and, as yvas his wont, imbibed too much, and grew quarrelsome over his potations. A scrimmage ensued, ending in the Bacchanalian getting the "turn-out," and a "blinker" at parting—as a reminder to behave himself better the next time. Three vacancies occurring in Lonsdale, Gipps, and Latrobe AVards, three well-knoyvn surgeons were returned, thus strengthening the intellectual and gentlemanly section of the Council, as well as improving the tone of the proceedings. They yvere Messrs. J. F. Palmer, W . H . Campbell, and C. J. Sanford. T h e Mayor (Councillor M o o r ) having refused to nominate some members of an Orange Lodge w h o applied to him for appointment in connection yvith the preparation of the Electoral Roll, yvas roughly handled in the Patriot neyvspaper, and he took occasion to defend himself at the next meeting of the Council. H e declared that during his Mayoralty he should not appoint any m e m b e r of a Secret Society, either " Orange " or " Green," to any office in his gift. This was a notion he had imbibed in Britain, and one he should never forget. It had been alleged that whilst he discarded the " Orange " he recognised the " Green," but this he most positively denied. In March, 1845, " J o h n n y " Fawkner, after tiding through the terrible crisis referred to, yvas, whilst others yvere settling doyvn at safe anchorage, compelled by stress of weather to run for shelter to that harbour of refuge—the Insolvent Court; and his seat being thereby vacated, M r . A d a m Pullar, a merchant, was elected thereto as Councillor for Lonsdale Ward. T h e "Pentonvillians" still arriving in drafts from England, the Council was again up in arms, and transmitted another Petition against such demoralising importations. T h e want of a powder-magazine was m u c h felt, and the expediency of purchasing the " Samuel Cunard," a vessel then for sale, as a powderstorage hulk was brought under the notice of the Government, but unavailingly. Melbourne in the olden time yvas a veritable paradise of "stumperdom," for every few yards, even in the principal streets, trunks and stumps of trees remained, to the imminent danger of life and limb, and the greatest inconvenience to traffic. Even three years after the incorporation of the town, the nuisance was of such an obstructive character, that the Public Works Committee yvas specially charged to take s o m e effective steps for its abatement. Since 1843, the Council had been endeavouring to negotiate a loan with the banks, but yvithout success, in consequence of the doubts at times expressed as to the validity of the Corporation Act, even by some of the Council members. T h e question was noyv revived, and the Finance Committee was authorised to effect a cash credit with the Union Bank. T h e attempt was for a time unsuccessful, as was also an endeavour to issue ten ,£50 debentures. T h e consideration of a site for the Toyvn Hall yvas also resuscitated, and there appeared a desire to have portion of the Western Market Reserve for the purpose. T h e erection of a T o w n Hall was looked