On the evening of our first arrival at Messina, I had a chance to talk to Senator Duranti, the chief of a hospital expedition sent by the order of the Cross of Malta. I asked him what articles of food, clothing and medical supplies were most needed, and how the American money accumulating in Rome could be spent with most profit to Messina. He told me that medical stores of all kinds were sadly wanted, and that there was still a lack of food, bread, macaroni, olive oil, butter, and especially milk—for the women and children—and also underclothes and shirts. The milk should be sterilized, not condensed, because the ignorant peasant women could not be induced to give their children an unaccustomed food, especially if it had to be prepared or mixed. Acting upon Senator Duranti’s advice, we telegraphed that night to the Ambassador in Rome for the enumerated supplies. The U. S. despatch boat _Scorpion_, which had just arrived from Constantinople, was starting for Naples to coal. Her commander, Captain Logan, kindly took our dispatches to the Ambassador, and brought back the supplies, which we received on the 6th. At the same time we learned that an American relief ship was being stocked in Rome, and would soon arrive with huge stores of food and clothing, and that the U. S. S. _Culgoa_ was due on the 8th from Port Said with immense supplies of all kinds. The arrival of our first stores—which luckily far exceeded our requests—brought us face to face with the problem of direct distribution. Messina was already more orderly. On the 6th or 7th the Marina was first lighted by electricity—a fortunate occurrence, since most of the foreign warships on whose search lights we had been dependent, had now departed. To these ships Messina and Italy had good reason to be grateful. BRITISH AND RUSSIAN SAILORS’ AID.