expected that sore distress will prevail in the city, and with this in view the board feel the necessity of having a good fund at their disposal to meet the wants of worthy but unfortunate members of the fraternity. Thus far the craft abroad have responded to the needs of the suffering brethren quite liberally. Up to late date these sums have been received: From Craft in Chicago, Ill. $930 00 " Grand Lodge of Canada 1,000 00 " " " Illinois 237 75 " Craft in Charlottetown, P. E. I. 300 00 " " Newfoundland 336 44 " Masonic Relief Board, Memphis, Tenn. 94 75 " St. Andrew's Lodge, Bangor, Me. 95 00 " St. John's Lodge, Bathurst, N. B. 50 00 " Star in the East Lodge, Oldtown, Me. 66 50 " Alexandria Lodge, St. Mary's, York Co., N. B. 20 00 CHAPTER XVIII. The Destruction--The Loss--Estimates--The Acreage and Streetage--Has the Land Decreased in Value?--Incomes swept away--What is Left--Hope!--The Insurance--The Corporation Loss--The Dominion Loss--Additional Deaths--The Wounded--The Orange Body. In forming an estimate of the destruction which the fire has caused great care has been exercised. I have been careful to verify every statement I advance. Thoroughly competent engineers have, at my request, re-surveyed the area through which the fire raged, and I am therefore in a position to give reliable information on a subject which has given rise to much speculation and doubt. The acreage has been taken and the streetage made and the result has shown that the fire destroyed two hundred acres of territory and nine and six-tenths miles of streets. To be more exact the acreage is not quite two hundred acres but so very near it that it may be accepted at that estimate. Not more than two-fifths of the city have been burned and the reader will see the truth of this when he comes to consider that Carleton which forms a part of this city has been untouched by the flames, and all the upper portion of the city has escaped. While the acreage and streetage shew that the city is not totally destroyed, yet what has been burned represented enormous value. The fire penetrated to the very heart of the great commercial centre of St. John. It laid waste the fairest portion of the city. It swept away the palace-houses of our wealthy people and destroyed nearly every public building in the place. When one considers all these circumstances and begins to realize the situation, he is apt to form too high an estimate of the loss. He looks around him while going about surveying the ruins, and on every side he sees the great waste and the figures forming in his head grow larger and larger as he proceeds to sum up the result of the sad fire. Every man has his own