YOUR EXCELLENCY: Permit me to express, through you, to the Italian government and to the people of Italy my most profound appreciation of the honor conferred upon me by the presentation of the beautiful reproduction of the civic crown of Rome, as a token of gratitude for the sympathy and assistance of the American Red Cross after the terrible disaster in Sicily and Calabria. It was with a sense of the greatest sorrow and the sincerest sympathy that the people of the United States, through their Red Cross Society, found means to express in tangible form these heartfelt emotions. To many of our people Italy is the motherland, and to many others she has given so rich a treasury of art and literature that we must remain forever in her debt. Stricken by one of the great and mysterious forces of nature, thousands of her people were destroyed and thousands were left homeless, suffering, and in dire distress. Our people, overwhelmed by her misfortune, were glad, in the spirit of brotherly love, to take some share in her assistance. That the Italian government selected as a token of gratitude an object around which clusters the great traditions of ancient Rome moves us deeply, and will be an inspiration for our Red Cross to continue constant in its efforts to conquer suffering and be worthy of such recognition. Permit me to express my own gratitude, and to say that what little I have been able to do personally has been done with sincere affection for Italy and her people, and because of the sympathetic and hearty support of our people and Red Cross officers. With earnest wishes for the prosperity of your country, and for the speedy rehabilitation of the stricken communities, and with cordial regards and many thanks for your excellency’s most kind communication, I am Yours, sincerely, MABEL T. BOARDMAN. Senator TITTONI, _Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rome, Italy_. On June 10, 1909, the Executive Committee adopted the following resolution: WHEREAS, It has sometimes occurred that members of the American Red Cross, engaged in some special work, have been presented with gifts because of appreciation of this work; and, WHEREAS, The Executive Committee of the American Red Cross considers that this is an unwise custom to permit to continue; and, WHEREAS, The American Red Cross itself provides a medal of merit for recognition of especially meritorious relief work; _Be it resolved_, That hereafter no member of the American Red Cross shall be permitted to receive any valuable gift in recognition of special relief work in which he or she has taken part, and that no testimonial or medal shall be accepted without authority of the Executive Committee. PORTUGUESE EARTHQUAKE RELIEF [Illustration]