s, I must say that in
extraordinary circumstances they help each other with the most
disinterested and prompt liberality. Some of those who go to California,
having borrowed the money here, remit it generally in drafts payable to
order of lenders, who, being unknown to the bank, are refused payment.
The Maestro then, of course, is applied to, and for the first two or
three cases I found it hard to make them understand that I did not do it
for money. They would insist on my receiving something for my trouble in
procuring payment by the drawees, and one, especially, on having paid a
draft of one hundred and sixty dollars gold, followed me for a block,
with a coin piece in his hand, insisting that I should take it. 'My dear
man, keep your money,' I would say; 'I am very glad to have been able to
render you this service.' 'No, Maestro, no. Well, take _at least_ these
five dollars' (gold). That _at least_ struck me that he must have been
laboring under the impression that my services were worth considerably
more, and I addressed him in that sense. In answer, he explained that an
Italian, who has gone away from New York, charged him and others ten per
cent, for cashing drafts to order.

"In conclusion, the Maestro is called upon for every emergency;
Questions undecided between two or more dissentient parties are referred
to my arbitration. Family quarrels are submitted to my adjustment. It is
no exaggeration to say that the good which could be effected by thus
visiting among this class is immense--in fact, far beyond the
expectation of those who might take as a basis of comparison the result
of visiting among the low classes of other nationalities.

OUR FRIENDS.

"As the work was done in a most quiet way, our patrons were at first
few, and for six years all Americans. After that period, the few
distinguished Italians in this city were applied to with favorable
result. But it was not until the end of 1868 that their co-operation
proved efficient, and relieved considerably the Children's Aid Society
of the pecuniary burden. Previous to that time, five or six of them,
headed by the Italian Consul-General, Signor Anfora, visited us, to look
into the working of the School, and, becoming satisfied that a great
good was being accomplished, later on, at the invitation of the Trustees
of the Society, organized themselves into a _Co-operative
Sub-Committee,_ consisting of Prof. V. Botta, President; E. P.