A MELBOURNE LETTER. By Cigarette.

Otago Witness, Issue 2004, 21 July 1892, Page 42

A MELBOURNE LETTER. By Cigarette.

The one topic of conversation just now is the prevailing distress ; the newspapers are full of pathetic appeals to the public, and the labour bureau in Flinders street is crowded with applicants for work. Never before has such distress been known as that which now exists in Melbourne. The weather is bitterly cold, keen winds and drizzling rain seem to add to the general depression and make the condition of the homeless more pitiful than ever. The charitable committees are doing their utmost to cope with the distress in their midst, but even their energetic efforts are insufficient to deal with all the cases and hundreds are perforce overlooked ; besides there are many who hays known better times and cannot bear to mnko their poverty public. Tbe Salvation Array are doing a great deal of good by giving lodgings at night to homeless men, but tho shelters are no\v full to overflowing and many poor homeless ones have to tra-np tho streets, having^lilerally nowhere to lay their heads. The public gardens, which in the Bummer months provide grassy be Is for many homeless one?, are now too cold and damp to sleep in. And it is an unsolved problem still where all the wanderers and homeless ones lay their weary bones at night. When questioned they are reticent on the subject, though most of them affirm they have their particular •' cribs." Sometimes they creep into empty houses, and make themselves as comfortable as possible for the night with old newspapers and straw ; some camp out under the shelter of a bit of canvas and some old sacks ; while others " doss " it on the doorsteps when unable to find anything better.

Yesterday the total number of unemployed registered 6325. The Government are doing all they can to provide work, but in many cises unavoidable delay is cassed by the plans not being ready for certain public works Tbe Premier received a letter from one of the unemployed asking him to come and share his lodgingd while the estimates and plans were being prepared. The address given was "Tree No. 41, Fitaroj Gardens." NeedleES to say tho invitation was not accepted.

Amidst all the poverty and distress it is strange to see how loth the men are to accept work in the country. The other day a farmer at Albury wanted 10 men to chop wood, 7s a day being offered as wages, and

free transit, yet strange to say 400 names were called over, and only six accepted the work. It s.ems that men oat of work would rather stay in town and chance starvation than leave town for promised work in the country. Soup kitchens have been established in various suburbs, an.l relief committees aud the Lidies' Bsnevolent Society are working haid in ever* part of Melbourne. Everyone with time and money to spare seems to be doint* all they can to aid their suffering brethren, for the Victorians are a generous people, and always respond nobly to every appeal to their sympathies. A capital suggestion *vas made by one young man and has been adopted by a great many others, and that was that the money devoted to daily " drinks " should be given to the relief fund. Many spend half a crown a day in drinks alone, and this sum by a little self-denial would make a nice little hoard at the end of the week One woman joined tho self-denial list by saying half a crown from her housekeeping allowance, and sending it in from " a woman who does not drink." The Age newspaper has started a snowball fund which gathers as it goes ; the Governor, Lord Hopetoun, has promised L 25 a month while the distress lasts ; and the Bishop has ordained that on Sunday, the 7th of July, the collections in all the churches Shall go towards the relief fund. People who oannot afford to give money send clothing to be distributed among the poor, and the farmers round about Melbourne are sending supplies of potatoes, fuel, flour, rabbits, oatmeal, Sc\, which are carried free on the railways and received by the Relief Committee ia two shops, from whence the goods are sent out to those who have orders from the different Benevolent Societies. All that can be done is being done, and it is hoped that by degrees tbe distress will diminish. Many who could afford it hare gone to Tasmania, the steerage fare being only ss, but from all accounts things are not much better over there. The small-pox scare has kept the doctors busy with vaccination. The Victoria Coffee Palace is tabooed, and no doubt will suffer great loss by it, for notwithstanding fumigation no one cares to stay where small-pox has beec. And now to turn from gloomy Bubjects to bright ones. There is to be a ball at GoV:rnment House on Thursday, and in anticipation of the event the principal shops are gay with ball dresses. Silk and crepe deechen appears to be tbe favourite materials for evening wear, whilst serges and tweeds still reign supreme for walking dresses. Owing to tho bad weather which has prevailed lately the New Zealand boats have been much delayed, the Wairarapa and Tekapo both experiencing very rough passages. New Zealand fish is much appreciated in Melbourne. The Mutual Proridoring Company have always a fine supply temptingly and daintily arranged in their windows. To day a frost-fish, which arrived by the Tekapo, drew crowds of curious passers by, wbo were anxious to inspect this Maoriland curiosity. HOME INTERESTS. Rock Cakes. — Take of butter and lib of sugar and beat them to a, cream. Add five wellbeaten eggs, one cupful raisins, one teaspoonful soda, two of cream of tartar, and 21b of flour. Place the dough in spoonfuls in a tin, and bake. Tub Queen's Omelet. — Place in the frying pan about loz of butter. Break three eggs separately to see if they are fresh ; beat them up with a little chopped parsley and a pinch of pepper and salt. The eggs should not be beaten too much, or the white of them separates aud you produce a watery mixture which destroys the flavour and appearance of the omelet. Now the butter is melted pour in the frying pan the omelet mixture and stir it till it begins to set and thicken ; shake the pan occasionally and fold over the omelet neatly into an oval shape, and when it is of a golden colour turn quickly into a dish. To be able to prepare a plain omelet is to be able to prepare every kind of omelet. If you require a cheese omelet introduce into the omelet mixture about a dessertspoonful of grated cheese, with a little pepper and salt and sometimes a few grains of cayenne pepper. In a sweet omelet no pepper or salt, but a little grated sugar, and just before the omelet is folded in the pan distribute very evenly over it a little jam. In preparing an omelet remember five things : a clean pan, the mixture must not be too much beaten, the omelet must not be too large (three eggs are better than six, which make two omelets), they should not be too much cooked, they should be eaten immediately or they become tough and more like a pancake. Chicken Pie. — Cut the chickens as you would to fricassee them, boil for 40 minutes or an hour, as they seem more or less tender. Skim all the scum carefully from the water as soon as it boils. Line your yellow or white nappy with a thick, rich paste, made like soda biscuit, only with more shortening, and cut out the paste from the bottom of the dish, as it is apt to be heavy. Then put in a layer of the pieces, with heart, liver, &c. ; add a sprinkling of flour, salt, pepper, and butter in thin shavings. Repeat this till all the pieces are used, dressing the top layer liberally with butter. Roll a thick upper crust, cut it twice across the middle, two inches each way, and lay over the pie, wetting the edges of the crust so they will adhere and prevent the gravy (of which you have previously added a pint or less) from running while baking. Cut out leaves, or any fancy trimming, and ornament the top. Be sure to leave ample space for the escape of gases while cooking and cooling, as a meat pie of any kind without this precaution is not wholesome. A large pie requires two hours' baking.

Treacle Pudding.— Put one tablespoonful of baking powder and suet, finely chopped, into lib flour. Stir one gill and a-half of lukewarm milk into jib treacle ; beat one egg well, and mix with the treacle and milk. Mix the dry ingredients with the treacle, milk, and egys, and pour into a greased basin. Tie a well-floured cloth over and boil for two hours.

Fricasseed Tripe. — Cut lib tripe in narrow strips, put a small cup of water or milk to it, add a bit of butter the size of an egg, dredge in a large teaspoonful of flour or work it with the butter, season with pepper and salt, let it simmer gently for half an hour ; serve hot. A buuch of parsley cut small and put with it is an improvement.

Sponge Gingeruread. — Take one cup of sugar, one cup of sour milk, one small teaspoonful of soda, one cup of golden syrup, four eggs, the whites and yolks beaten separately, one cup of butter, one tablespoon ful of ginger, one cup of raisins, four cups of flour ; in place

of sour milk and soda you may use sweet milk and baking powder. Milk Toast. — Toast slices of bread very quickly, and dip each slice into nearly boiling milk as soon as toasted, then spread with butter which has been melted to soften it. This toast must be served very hot, and eaten at onco, when it is delicious.