The Indian Relief Fund.

( Copr . ) " Fund for the Relief ofthe Sufferers by the Mutiny in India . " 27 , Cannon-street , F . C , London , 28 ( 1 Feb ., 1859 . " Sir , —I am instructed by the General Committee , to acknowledge your letter dated the 14 th hist ., inclosing a bill of exchange for £ 28510 s . Gel , for which I enclose a formal receipt .

" In reply , I am directed to communicate to you the thanks of the General Committee , for the sum subscribed by the Masonic body in Victoria , and to request that you Avill clo the General Committee the favour to communicate their sense of this very liberal contribution , and the generous sympathy Avhich has been evinced by the members of the various Masonic Lodges in that colony . "The Committee direct me to observe , that they are very sensible that the present remittance represents only a portion of the amount contributed to the

General Fund by the members of the Masonic Lodges in Victoria . <; I have the honour to be , sir , your obedient servant , ( Signed ) " T . PARKY WOODCOCK , Hon .-Ses . " Captain A . Clarke , Colchester . ' '

Solemn Adoption Of A Mason's Children.

SOLEMN ADOPTION OF A MASON'S CHILDREN .

WE read in Bro . Rob Morris ' s Voice of Masonry , published in Kentucky , United States , that at the recent funeral of Bro . Wintersmith , towards the close of the ceremony , " Fast G . M . Wintersmith , a cousin of the deceased , after the grave had been filled up , placed and held b y each hand the tiA'o small orphan children ofthe deceased at the head of the grave of their father and said , with an utterance faltering with his OAVU grief : —

"' Brethren , I present you these orphan children of our deceased brother . They are indeed orphans . They have neither father nor mother . Both have gone to their long ancl final vesting place ; AA'e hope they are in a bri ghter , better Avorld . 1 charge you to protect and take cave of these little ones , as you have often promised , and guard ancl shield them from danger . Bo to them father and mother , for they are helpless and alone . And I trust you will raise your hands and register Avith me now a voiv in heaven which shall be kept sacred and never broken . '

" The brethren all raised their ri g ht hands to heaven , while Bro . Wintersmith repeated the following : — " ' Here , at the grave of their father , and before Heaven anil this congregation , Ave solemnly vow that we will Avatcli over , protect , defend ancl sustain tliese little orphans , ancl whenever tbey shall need our help or interposition it shall be freel y and certainly bestowed—that ive will never wrong them nor suffer it to be clone by have raiment

others—that as long as AA-C , food , or shelter , or the means to procure them , they shall Avant for neither—that it shall be our special charge to see that they are reared and educated properly and Avell , aud that we shall guard them as our OAVU children , so help us God . ' "During this ceremony the eyes of the congregation and the bretliren were raining copious tears . "