ZO.VDOiV, SATITJIBAV, SEPTEMBER 10, 1839,

CONSIDERING tlie labours of our Craft at tlie building ofthe first temple, and the important position in Masonryassigned to King Solomon, his magnificent seal ought to provean. interesting subject of investigation by the brethren of tlieOrder. This signet is described as " the sacred stamp ofIsrael," bearing a device significant of promised spirit andgrace, and the motto, " The Lord knowetli them that arehis."

A circle surmounted by a cross is meant to represent m theEast a sceptre and dove ; and this is the device upon the sealof Avliioli Ave Avrite. The prophet Job, grandson of Keturah,Abraham's second Avife, carried many holy things and cus-toms into Persia, from which country Hebreiv ideas Averedisseminated all over the East among the Assyrians andBabylonians, as Avell as elseivhere.

The gate of Semirainis (of ivhich Mr. Bryant gives alearned account) was itself an emblem, and the name a com-pound of "Sama Ramis," or "Romis," signified "the DivinoToken," " the type of Providence;" and as a military ensign,it may with some latitude be interpreted "the standard ofthe Most High." It consisted of the figure of a dove, whichwas probably encircled with the iris, as those two emblemswere often represented together. All wdio understood thatstandard, or ivho paid any deference to that emblem, were styled" Semarim " and " Seniorim." One of the gates of Babylonwas styled the gate of Semiramis, undoubtedly from havingthe sacred emblem of Sama Ramis, or the dove, sculpturedby ivay of distinction over it.

The subject of the doi'e is connected with religion in alltongues, and this mysterious emblem seriously contemplatedaffords scope for much comment. It teaches faithfulness ,love, truth, beauty, timidity, and Christianity.

The rod, or scep tre, was of more ancient origin as a, markof sovereignty than the crown . Many of these staves had adevice upon them, especially in Persia—sometimes an appleor a pomegranate, an eagle or a dove ; perhaps the Hebrew-nation had the same, for their rods or staves regulated theirsteps and j ourneys.

Solomon's reign was the most glorious, and his crown shonethe brightest beyond all of those recorded in tho HebrewBook of Kings. During the whole of his life he had peaceon every side, and each of his subject s sat under the shadow ;of his own vine and his own. fig tree. Solomon perfected the !

hereditary right of the Hebrew nation , wliich was to be !entrusted with the revelations of Cod, in preference to allother nations. And he f elt tho awful responsibility lie ivas 'under to maintain unpolluted truth and wisdom. In erect- Iing the earthly temple, which was tho wonder of the Avorld, he ¦doubtless intended to present the pure type of heaven's ever-lasting one; for Christ is tho true temple. He himself spake jof his own body.

We may also observe that tho Psalms of David, parti cu-larly the loth, and 20th , forcibly make use of the image " aholy seal," ivhich is described there as being set upon the in- ;spired people of the Lord. !

THE SEAL OE SOLOMON.

AN EXCURSION VERY EAR WEST.I HAD lately arrived in the New World , after forming

intimacies on board the ocean steamer with several wanderingspirits like myself ; and together we resolved to explore theunknown region which lay before us. Together we visitedits newly built cities, ivith their spacious churches and statelyhalls ; traced the course of its n oble river glittering withrapids, until at length we reached the glorious Niagara, tolook on which for a single day is Avoyfch a thousand miles'j ourn ey.

We had still .another desire—that ,of seeing the Indians ofi-Hf woods, thf t f $) '< "Of ? pw ittmy?, <?f Ma imk conm.eji.t-, in

their natural state, The hunting grounds to -which theyhave retreated were still many hundred miles further ivest ;but fortune favoured our wishes so far that it ivas the season.Avhen they come down in. thousands to a military post at thehead of Lake Huron, to receive the gifts annually presentedto them by government as a compensation for the laudsceded by them to the whites.

Such an opportunity ivas not to be slighted, so hiring acutter and crew together with an experienced guide, atthe foot of the lake, we Avere soon speeding on. after thesetting sun—sometimes out of sight of land, tossing amongthe sweet fresh waves, at others coasting along the silverysands which alone divided the primeval forest from the lake,and anon threading our way through groups of fairy islets—until at length Ave cast anchor at Drummond's Island, fifteenhundred miles west of the Atlantic.

A quiet spot, it was said to be at other seasons, inhabitedbut by a small military par ty and a few traders, with two orthree hundred civilized Indians dwelling in the vicinity.But now the summer sun. shone down on a whole city ofwigwams, congregated on tho broad green sv'ard, spreadingup from the shore,.and the air resounded with the murm urof its ten. thousand inhabitants—OttoAvas, Winnebagoes,Minominies, and Sioux. '

To us who ivci-G-neWto those regions, that city was deeplyinteresting, for it contained innumerable phases of life suchas we had never before witnessed. It ivas to us a novelsight—each little flotilla of canoes coming skimming acrossthe lake like - a flock of sea-birds, Avith a gay union jack,floating as proudly as an admiral's flag from the stern of one,in token of its owner's chieftainship; and then to see theoccupants of each little craft, as it touched the strand, springout into the Avater, and, with a wild yell, such as issues fromIndian lips alone, lift their light boat, and rush with it outof reach of the Avaves, Avhich otherwise Avould soon have.Avrccfeed its liirlifc frame of laths and cover ino- of birchenbark !

The Indian's task was then done, and he Hung himselfidly oil the grass, or else, joining some others, smoked apipe of cherry wood, with a carved stone bowl, whose lengthand size Avould have made three English " clays" hide theirdiminished heads and stems. Wi fch all his chivalry in war,tho Indian is AVO fully deficient in the attention due to thegentler sex, or ho ivould noA'er have left to his slender youn gsquaw (as tho English have corrupted the pretty Ojibbewayword " cqua ") the weary task of unloading the canoe.Indian dignity says Avoman is the inferior being, and deeplydoes he make her i'eol ifc , for on lier devolves all the meniallabour—the erection of the wigwam, the arrangement of itscontents in. the shape of mats and furs, weapons and orna-ments, pots and kettles, and wooden bowls. Then she mustfetch wood from the bush, and water from the lake to cookher husband's sturgeon soup, and feed the gaunt viciouslooking dogs ivhich are his companions in the chase, and thehalf tamed fox that is the wigwam pet ; and, Avhen all this isdone, she has for the first time leisure to atten d to the babe ,who, ivith the patience and endurance which perhaps ages ofpractice have rendered inherent in his race, bus reniMnedquietly all this time in his wooden cradle, leaning against atree.

The Indian, hoivever, docs not altoge ther escape^ thepenalty due fco his Avanfc of gallantry : on no human beingdoes time tell so hardly as on the Indian woman—and thesoft, beautiful winning companion of the red man's youthbecomes the coarse, haggard , hideous hag Avitli whom hislatter years must be spent. Certainly, Indian customs permithis taking to himself a second helpmate ; but, with her othercharms, the squaw loses her low sweet voice, and the loudharsh tones of the aged virago ring through the ivigwam inceaseless vituperation .of her husband and rival .

Djiw zi'd we passed through the wigwam city, glancinE

curiously in at the open doors, and pausing ivhere anythingof interest presented itself. What a busy, active scene itwas : AA'omen bustling to and fro from the bush or lake, orlaboriously bruising maize AA'ith a heavy wooden pestle in ahuge mortar, hollowed by fire out of the trunk of a tree, allthe Avhile chattering and j esting, Avith their low silverylaughter, to their companions, who sat at their doors Aveaving.fine rush mats of various colours, or engaged in some of themany descriptions of curious needloAvork in -wliich the IndianAvomen excel.

Through the mazes of their city moved the Indians them-selves—grave, reserved, and dignified—passing ivith haughtysuperiority the laughing squaws, only pausing now and thento speak, Avith stately language, to some of their own sex.Despite their apparent coldness, they were interesting andintelligent-looking men, with their lofty features and glit-tering eyes, keen and bright as the knife and tomahawk thateach bore in his belt. Like tho women, those from no greatdistance Avore mostly clothes of British manufacture, thoughmade in Indian fashion ; but those from more remote terri-tories were probably much as the early navigators foundthem—clad iu skins, and daubed with paint, in broad streaksof black, white, and vermillion , and though, doubtless,to the learned in such matters, the lines Avere indicativeof peace and amity, they yet added greatly to the ivild-ness and ferocity of the ivearer's appearance, and it waseasy to comprehend ivith what terrors the significanttracery of the war paint must have surrounded theseSioux and Winnebago warriors as they came leapingand yelling on towards their foes, their nearly naked bodiesflaming AA'ith paint, and plumes of brilliant coloured feathersstreaming from the long scalp tufts, AA'hich , according to therules of Indian chivalry, every warrior wears, so that, incase of defeat, his conqueror may bear off his scalp in tokenof victory ; and , setting aside our civilized horror of thatbloody trophy, there is something nobly chivalric in thusproviding for the glory of an enemy.

But in the stern and worn aspect of many of these men,and the amazing acuteness of thoir senses of sight andhearing, it was easy to trace their life of forest hardsh ip—outlying days and nights on the Ai'ar-path and in pursuit ofthe moose and the deer, and folloAvi ng up their game din -inn-hours of intense toil , urged on by the'terriblc knoAA -ledge thatthey must bo successful or there ivould be no food Avithintheir lodges; and probably the sufferings of those hours forma fair set off to the menial labours of their squaws.

It astonish es one to hear from tlie li ps of those AvildAvarriors tones soft and clear almost as a woman's; and theyare certainl y not without their influence in rendering effectiA'etheir far famed oratory, as Ave had an opportunity of jud gingwhen, during our stay, a council was held by the ollicers ofthe post and the principal chiefs, to settle the preliminariesof a treaty.

The scene Avas a most interesting one. The Englishofficers and officials Avere in full uniform, and their scarletand gold flashed imposingly in the eyes of the chiefs, AVIIOwere mostly attired in their Avar costume, ivith fresh suits ofpaint, and long eagle's feathers floating from their war tuftsover their naked shoulders, while endless silver bracelets andbells flashed in the sunlight and jin gled softly on their wristsand leggings. In addition , many of the chiefs wore mantlesof scarlet cloth draped classically round them ; while othersAvere Avrapped iu large skins, emblazoned in savage heraldryivith their "totems"—that is, tlie resemblance of the animalAA'hose name they bear, which they regard as their titularspirit, and believe Avatches over their safety.

After the "p ipe of peace" had been smoked, the pro-ceedings began ; and thafc council might advantageously havebeen taken as a model by many a more civilized assembly,so close and courteous was tlie attention each member paidto what fell from anoth er— un til in his turn , taking in his

hand the Avampum belt (the badge of peace), he addressedthe meeting with great earnestness and dignity, and ivithmuch gesticulation, and, moreover, in a voice so skilfullymodulated that, Avhen once we had gained the clue to fchesubject, Ave scarcely needed to aAvait the interpreter 's trans-lation to learn the speaker's opinion , though sometimes Avewere struck by admiration of the force of language and rich-ness of imageiy the speeches preserved even in translation.

As the council dreAv near its close, a chief Ave had hithertooverlooked came forward to address the assembly. He Avasa calm, intelligent looking man, with a mild, thoughtful ex-pression in his deep eyes, contrasting forcibly ivith theflashing orbs of those around him. He ivas without paint orfeathers, or show or glitter of any sort ; but, ivhen once liebegan to speak, his Avords flowed with startling energy, andivere full of the closest and most subtle reasoning. He ivasin every way the most powerful man there, being king of theWinnebagoes, the ruler of a mighty nation, and an orator sorenowned, ei'en among an eloquent race, that they hadbestowed on him tlie name of the Son of Thunder.

In one corner of the council sat a richly dressed Indianwoman, a most unusual intruder on such a scene, for thesquaiv has no voice hi either public or prii'ate affairs, butmust submit in all things to the will of her husband, like abondswoman as she is. But this Avoman sat calmly by, neitherseeking to attract notice noi- yet shrinking from it, but watch -ing Avith Avrapfc attention every ivord Avhich j iassed in theassembly, Avhile every UOAV and then her form dilated or hereye flashed, according as affairs progressed agreeably to herAvishes, or the reA'erse. She ivas the queen of the Winne-bagoes, and had obtained this unprecedented considerationpartly in consequence of her being a great chief's dau ghter,but principally from her great genius for politics, in whichshe Avas unequalled by any man of her nation ; and it wassaid the Son of Thunder nei-er took any step of importanceAvithout consulting his AA'ife upon ifc.

Subsequently to this Ave saw much of their Winnebngoemajesties, who paid us many visits, for wherever the Son ofThunder was, there Avas his queen also, not walking behindin slavish Indian fashion, but by his side, his most trustedfriend and counsellor. lie ivas Avont to say emphaticallythat " she ivas a Avoman Avho never told a lie," if it Avere sothe Winnebagoes ivere much better and the other Indiannation s much worse than wo had hitherto believed. But shecertainly ivas a highfy talented woman, and, all Indianthough she was, her wit and poivers of mimicry made her amost amusine- visitor.

As a body the Indians are remarkably intelligent, and canreadily comprehend the use of any scientific instrument ;what amazed them most ivas the Avonders of a microscope,but seeing it in the possession of a doctor, they muttered sig-nificantl y— " mishihiwiniuic "—(medicine-man, or conjurer),evidentl y considering that the Ai'hole secret AA'as to be foundin his powerful magic. Yet one of the Avildest of theseIndians, Avho had noA'cr before seen a map, so far compre-hended one shown to him as to be able to trace on it Avithhis own hand the course of a river near the Bear Lake ; andother Indian s to Avhom the map AA'as subsequently shown ,said it was done correctly.

Shortly after returning from the council, a sudden clang otmusic and a group of dark forms outside our tent, drew usto the door. Ifc ivas a party of young Indian s come accordingto custom , to do us honour by dancing before our residence.Dancing among the Indians is not as wirh us, a mere amuse-ment , but enters into nearly every phase of their lives.Indeed, except a council, a dance more or loss solemn appearsto precede every step of importance.

This complimentary dance began ivith a sloiv circularmovement, beating time to a monotonous song, Avith theaddition of drums and IIOUOAV calabashes filled AA'ith peas, thewhole being productive of anythin? but harmony. Bnt this

soon changed to a mask, and men Avith heads covered bythose of wild animals, and clad in their skins, performedstrange antic dances illustrative of the animal they perso-nated. In. return for the honour done us, the Indians re-ceived a gift of provisions. The present duly acknowledged,they Avent on their Avay, and ive soon heard their savagemusic echoing from the door of the nearest officer 's house.

Some of our part y inquired from tlie chiefs if they couldnot gratify us Avith a sight of their celebrated Avar dance ;but they shook their heads solemnly:—"Tlie hatchet isburied ," they said ; "let us not pretend to dig it up, lest ouryoung men dream it is true." In other Avords, they dreadedthe excitement.

In the evening Ave strolled through the Indian camp, tosee Avhat AA'as going on. The Avarnith of tho Aveather hadbrought all the inhabitants out of their close Avigwams, andthey stood grouped around the entrances; the ivomen gossip-ing and laughing together in their musical voices, the menstanding or sitting together in circles, either smoking or lis-tening to some legend or tradition, related by one of theirnumber ; or, as in tivo or three cases, singing in a IOAV recita-tive love songs, or the Avarlike deeds of their forefathers. Butthe greatest number were collected Avhere the boom of thedrum and the rattle of the calabash announced that the danceivas being held before the Avigwam of some chief.

In these dances the women though spectators, are notallowed to mingle, nor are they permitted to join in anyother social gathering, except the "medicine dance," and therethey enjoy equality ivith the men. The " medicine dance,"ivhich we had subsequently an opportunity of seeing, is thefestival of a society of men and ivomen ivho pretend to almostunlimited magical powers, and are highly reverenced, andtheir impostures implicitly believed by the simple peopleamong whom they dwell.

As we strolled down towards the shore, we Avere surprisedby seeing a number of gloiving fires, like gigantic fireflies,Hitting across the lake, and sending long gleams of quiveringli ght over its glassy surface. The Indians ivere fishing by torchlight, aud the fires streamed from huge pine torches, borne inthe prows of the canoes to attract fche dazzled fish , and at thesame time enable the spearsman to take aim, ivhich he usuallydoes unerringly.

And now it greAv late, and we departed from the city ofAvigAvams, highly pleased AA'ith the quietness, order, and de-corum of its uncivilized inhabitants.

" Were spirits permitted to be sold on the island, youAvould have witnessed a very different scene," replied one ofthe residents, to Avhom Ave had imparted our sentiments." The rod man loves Avhisky, and, like pouring fire Avater ontire, it influences the fierce natures that only slumber, to apitch of ungovernable fury. The ancient feuds between theirtribes are ever ready incentives to battle, and the Avar ivhoop,the fcomahaAvk, and the rifle are the speedy folloAvers of the'fire water. ' It is the Indian's greatest failing, and has donemore for his destruction than all the encroachmen ts of theAvhifces. "

Ix a series of letters in the Voice of Masonry (published byIh-o. Hob Morris, at Louisville , Kentucky), from the pen of Bro.Elisha D. Cooke, at present on a visit to the united kingdom ,Ave find the following on the English Masonic charities :—'' From Avhat 1 have seen and can learn, the Lodges in London usuall y

meet some time in the afternoon , s;iy from three to five o'clock. Aboutsoi-eii or eight o'clock they repair to the banquet , which is generallygood enough for a prince, and this is the case nearly (and with someLodges quite), every time they meet. Those who are fond of jokin g,my it is the fourth (librae in JIasonry . Thence originated tin ; sayingjhat in England they are knife and foil; Masons , and here, I must con-j oss, that while Ave hang very heavily on the one extreme, our Englishbrethren by far outiveigh us on the other. But , after all, the amountIj,1. eharity dispensed by the Freem asons of England is almost incredible.¦Uiey can point with pride to their Female School , the graduates ofWlu.cn aro ornaments to society ; to their Male School, Avhich is pro-

ENGLISH MASONIC CHARITY.

clucing some ofthe most useful men the country can boast of; and last,but not least, to their Benevolent Institution for agod and decayedMasons and their Avivcs. These three institutions are supported byvoluntary contributions, and it is at the festive board they get many otthese largo contributions. It is when the work is done, anil the J.AAr.litis called them from labour to refreshment, at the time when the socialfeeling is perfectly developed, that the British hearts beat most respon-sively to the calls of their less fortunate brethren. Is not this a gloriouswork to be engaged in; what a beautiful theme for contemplation !Think of them taking the little orphan child, and while giving it foodaud clothing, furnishing the young tender mind with good and whole-some information , thus teaching it the duties of an E. A., and when itbecomes au F. (J. placing it in a situation in which it may put the infor-mation already obtained to a proper use. Noi- stopping here, butwatching with care until it becomes a M.M., yea, even through life, andwhen old, feeble, and tottering with decay, and through, misfortunes, sodestitute as to need Masonic assistance, furnishing a home in whichoven old age is nursed with that tender caro and affection , that Avhenthe hour of death comes and the M. M. is called from this imperfect tothat all perfect Lodge above, he passes aivay thanking the Divine Pro-vidence that gave birth to an institution founded on the principles ofbrotherly love, relief and truth. "

A R C H E O L O G Y .

BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.THE proceedings of the forthcoming congress at Newbury are

attracting considerable attention , and arc looked forward to withmuch interest. A programme of the intended excursions , &c, hasbeen published , iroirHvhichlt appears that the first day, Monday,Sejitember 12th, will be chiefly devoted to the general meeting,the Earl of Carnarvon's opening address, and visits to objects ofinterest within the toivn ; Tuesday, excursion to the first battlefield , the Countess of Craven's park , Roman encampment atSpcen , Donningto n Castle, Avingtou , Wickliam, and SpecnChurch , &c. ; Wednesday, Silchester, Upton Cour t , Alverinaston ,Brimpton , and Tliatcham Churches, &c.; Thursday, visit toGrimsbury Camp, and other similar objects of interest on theWhite Horse Hills ; Friday, visit to the President at HighclercCastle, thence to Reading, reception iu the council chamber, theAbbey ruins, Friary, churches of St. Lawrence, St. Mary, St.Giles, &c. ; Saturday, excursion to the Vale of White Horse, andvisit to the many objects of interest in that locality. A meetingivill be held in the Mansion House on the evening of each day,when papers on various objects of local and national interest willbe read.

Ox Jlonday week the members of this society proceeded to theancient toivn of Glastonbury, for the purpose of holding theireleventh annual meeting. The annual meeting took place attivelve o'clock ; Mr. F. II. Dickinson presided. The Rev. F.Warre then read the annual report , from ivhich it appeared thatthe society is making progress, and continues to further the ob-jects for AA'hich it was established. ;' The committee ivould referto the volume of proceedings recently issued as an indication ofthe progress which is being made toivards collecting materials fora County History, and they feel assured that the periodical issueof these volumes ivill be the meansof creating and sustaining moregenerally an interest in the objects and pursuits to ivhich thesociety is devoted. The outlay, however, which the productionof such a volume involves, without any of those special donationsfrom individual members which other societies of a similar naturefrequentl y obtain , necessarily absorbs so large a proportion of theannual income, as to leave a very small balance for carrying outotlicr jiurposes equally important. Tbe committee are likciiiseengaged in preparing portions of Collinsous History of Somerset,according to the suggestion of R. AV. Falconer , Esq., M.D., ofBath , to be used as the basis of a more complete aud correct his-tory of the district to which the sections respectively relate.During the past year the committee have provided a fitting casein which to deposit the Pigott Collection of Drawings. It is withgreat regret the committee have to report that, on the sudden dis-appearance of the late curator , it AA'as found that a considerableamount of subscriptions had been collected hy him , but not paidiu to the treasurer'. The exact amount of the defalcation has notyet been ascertained , but it is partly eoi'ereil by the value of thecollection of objects of natural history, &c, belonging to him ,which remains in the museum as the property of the society."Upon the motion of Jlr. W. A. Sanford , the report was unani-mously adopted. Mr. W. A. Sanford read an interesting paperon the arrangement of specimens in the museum at Taunton,

ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL SOCIETY OFSOMERSET.

The ReAr. F. Warre read a paper on the word "Pig," as appliedto a cross in BridgAvater, &c, by H. N. Sealy, Esq. The Rev. Mr.Jones and Mr. Serel also read intevesting papers on " The reputeddiscovery of King Arthur's remains at Glastonbury," and " St.J olin's Priory." Under the guidance of the Rev. F. Warre, thecompany then proceeded to visit the Abbey kitchen, almshouses,barns, &c.

IfliEEHASOXS' MANUAL IS EltEXCH.A BKOTIIEE has advised me to look at the French Manuals on

Freemasonry as I wish to see all I can bearing on the subject.What Manuals are they that I am referred to V—F. II. R—x.—[There are hosts of French Manuals extant but , perhaps, the mostpopular is that by Bazot (Etienne Francois), entitled,—Manuel desFranc Macons: there have been three editions printed in Paris;the first , in 1809 ; second, 1812 ; and third , 1817. And theywere followed by Le TuU.tr Expert * * * Outrage poucanl * * *servir de Comjileiuei/ l ou Manuel du. Fritiw Macon, 12mo., Paris,1828.1

LAToarirs.The seal of the neiv Grand Lodge of Canada, given in the last

number of the Freemasons '' Magazine, bears the word " Latomorum"iu its inscription. I am also aware there is a work called ActaLalomorum, and I know that we accept it as Latin for Freemason ;but from whence is it derived? Aaro/ iof (Latomus) is, accordingto Littleton's Lutine Dictionary, 4to., London , 1G78, "A Quarryer,one that getteth stones out of the quarry, an liOAA-cr of stones, aMason," _ but I do not find even this in any Of the modern classicaldictionaries, and I want to know I IOAV AA'C arrive at "Latomorum '?"—LAPICIDA.

ROYAL AX!) SELECT SLASTKll .[Iii Masonic "Notes and Queries," p. 92, "R EX " asks if the

degree of "Royal and Select Master," alluded to by Bro. ElishaD. Cooke, "is part of pure and ancient JIason ry ? AVhat degreeis it V" and " To what rite docs it belong ?" AVe are enabled toadd a scrap of information for " Rex." It is no part of pine andancient Masonry, and we strongly suspect its transatlantic origin ,for AA-e have seen the titl e of a book , written by one CorneliusMoore , called 'Flic Craf tsman! s ami Freemason 's Guide , containing aDelineation of the JlUuals if Freemasonry , v-ith the Jimblems andExplanations so arr anged as greatly to Facilitate in Acquiring aKnoidedge of the Files and Ceremonies of Ihe Setxral Degrees, f romEnteral Apprentice lo that of Select 3 f aster of the Order of Priest-hood , 12mo. (317 pp.) published at Cincinnati, Ohio, J 838.]

MASOXIC 1H0GI1AIJ]1Y.Have any extended series of Masonic .Biographies appeared

either here or abroad ? of course those in the old scries of theFreemasons ' Magazin e, Quarterl y Alasonic Magazine, aud the pre-sent Freemasons ' Magazine excepted.—-A. D T!— [There arcseveral such foreign works ; one by Basset is popular in France, itisciititlcd /liograp hie desPraucs-Maijons et iptch/ ues attires Elran ge rs ,Utefs des Secies, Cre'ttteurs des Fates, ;Vc. .yc., and gives an liitro-.-liiction to Masonry in France from 1.725 to 1828.]'

till- , J.CCK OF KDEXILALL.I read in a new work, viz., White 's Northumberland , as fol-

lows :—'- Conic,-' said Sir George Musgravo, on my return to the hall , -'let me

show you the Luck at once f and opening a leathern case which hebrought from his muniment room , he took out an ancient drinking glassand placed it ou the table. Curiously did I scan tho precious relic—thefamous Luck of Edonhall—fearing to touch it until assured that itsowner had no superstitious dread of seeing it in a stranger's hand. Ima-gine a tall tumbler, of old-fashioned glass, green aud specky, expandingin easy curve from the bottom upAvards, and terminating in a gracefullip, and enamelled with a. geometrical design in crimson , blue, and yel-low, and you see the Luck ivhich has been in the possession of theaiusgraves for many generations. It has a threefold value : in the mys-terious tradition ivhich associates it with the fairies; in the sacred useto which in all probability it was once applied : and as a specimen ofancient art. The leathern case is with good reason believed to bo work-manshi p of the fifteenth century ; it bears the monogram LH. S., ivhichidentities it ivith the church, and AVC may believe the Luck to have beena chalice used for sacramental purposes, made at Arenice, perhaps in thetenth century. I ivas permitted to complete my examination of theLuck by drinking a draught of sherry from it; then restored to thecase, it was locked up once more in its receptacle in the munimentroom.-'

<i - . r U

^ou >.01' K01n e of your antiquarian correspondents to the

" Masonic Notes and Queries," give mc any idea of what the geo-metrical design in crimson, blue, and yellow, is like ? I am in-

duced to put this query, because I have occasionally seen Masonicemblems and monograms on early glass vessels.—T. T. S H.North Shields.

AA'AS THE LATE DUKE 01' AVELLIXGTON A FKEEMASOX ?The Duke of Wellington was a Freemason ; and I am in posses-

sion of tiA'o notes from his grace to myself, one stating that he wasnot a Freemason, and one acknowledging that lie was. In thelatter he says, "I do not consider myself a Freemason, neverliaving been in a Lodge but once , and that many years ago," orwords to that effect. The notes are carefully put away, and Icannot find them at this moment, but , when I do, you shall havecopies. I am probably the only person holding proofs on this in-teresting subject , together with the illustrious duke's OAVU reasonsfor saying he was not a Freemason , mistaken though he was inthat opinion , not knOAving fully the nature of om- institution.—J. RAXKLX Si'Ei3i!ixi>, W.M., No. 1087, St. Andrew's Lodge,Southampton .—[From Bro. Stcbhing's communication, it wouldseem that the great duke had been initiated , but never madesufficient progress in the royal art to comprehend its principlesand practice.]

AliP.IDG.MHN'!' Oil" THE BOOK 01' COXSTITUTIOXS .Have any of the various editions of Anderson's Book of Constilii-

lioits ever been abridged, or published in a smaller form '?—T. A. C.—[There have been some abridgments of Anderson, several PocketCompanions and others, but the most curious is an 8vo., entitled27ie Complete Freemason , or Alalia Faucis for Lovers of Secrets ,published about 170 !-, and having an engraved title page designedby Bro. Powers and engraved by Bro. Larken.]

AXCIEXT MS., AVJIEliE DEPOSITED?I saiv in an imperfect copy of The Use and Abuse of Free -

Masonry, by Captai n George Smith , Inspector of the Royal Mili-tary Academy at Woolwich , Provincial Grand Master for theCounty of Kent ; and R.A.., Svo., London , 1783, at p. o!3, thefollowing note iu reference to the existence of an ancient MS."Also MS. in the possession of Mr. AVilson of Broomhead , inYorkshire, written in the reign of King Henry Alii." Can anyone tell mc what the SIS. was about ;—in whose possession it is;—or who ivas Mr. AVilson?—E. E. D.

OUIGIX OF THE HOYS SCHOOL.AVho was the first promoter of the Boys School ? I have not

any of the reports at hand , and should be glad to knoiv throughyour columns.—P. G.—[The Boys School was established 1798,and sanctioned by the Duke of Athol , (the Grand Master of thethen termed Ahiient Masons) and was originated in the followingmanner :—

" The United Mariners' Lodge, JSfo. 23, observing with concern thedistressed circumstances of several of their brethren , and the exposedsituation of their children , at the same time viewing with pleasure thodaily progress making in the Freemasons' charity in St. George's Fields,for female children , induced them at a meeting held on the 3rd day ofJuly, 170S, to consider the means to establish a Masonic charity forclothing and educating the sons of indigent Freemasons ; and for thatpurpose thoy immediatel y opened a subscription , ivhich, at their secondmeeting, increased beyond their most sanguine expectations , that enabledthem to receive six children to tho benefit of this charity. But as it istheir intention to extend the same, the Fraternity at large, the luimiincand benevolent in general , are therefore most earnestly solicited to con-tribute toAvards accomplishing this laudable undertaking, whoso objectis to clothe and instruct the sons of indigent Freemasons, and to trainthem up in the knoivledge of virtue aud religion, and to inculcate stronglyon their minds, obedience to their superiors."

The foregoing extract is taken from the Eev. John. Cole 'sIllustrations of Alasonry, 8vo., London , 1801, and ivc hope willprove acceptable to the querist.]

MASOXIiY AND 'THE DJtAMA,Iii most of the song books, Pocket Companions, and other

ivorks of the same kind , bearing on Masonry, there arc numerousprologues and epilogues spoken by the principal actors anilactresses, in most instances before certain Lodges that had , intheatrical language , " given the company a bespeak ." NOAV whatI want to know is, if these public displays of Masonry were usualin the early part of the last century '?—C. BEACHE .—[Until thepublic processions were prohibited , owing to the Scald Miserablesburlesque in 1747, AVC seldom trace Lodges going to theatres ; butafter these processions were abolished , then the "bespeaks " werevery numerous. The earliest we know of is important , as it wasattended by a Grand Master, and the Masons sang T7ie EnteredApprentice , for which a scene of Shakespeare had been altered.But as we deem it a curiosity AVC will give the extract entire. Atthe end of The Antient Constitution of the Free and Accepted Masvns

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES.

neatly cngraccd on copper p lates , Svo., tivo editions, London , 1731 ,ive read—•

" On Friday, the 27tli day of .'December , 172S, the Eight Hon. theLord Kingston , Grand Master of the Autient Society of Free andAccepted Masons, bespoke a play, viz., the second part of "King HenryIV.,'' to be acted on the Monday following, at the Theatre Royal inDrury-lane, for the entertainmen t of fche brethren , and ordered a neivprologue to be spoke on that occasion ; as also a scene to be altered forintroducing tho 'Prentice 's Song, as published in the Constitutions,ivhich was done accordingly, and all the Freemasons in the pit andboxes joined in the chorus, to the entire satisfaction of the AA'holoaudience."

AVe omit the prologue and epilogue referring " C. Beachc " tothe Book itself.]

CHARLES MUDIX ,Particulars arc wanted of the Lodge, dates of initiation, &c, and

what offices , if any, were held by the celebrated Charles Dibdin ,the naval song writer and composer, AA'ho was one of our brethren.—M.C.

illi. KAXE , THE AMERICAN TKAA'ELLEIi.Being in company with some brother Masons lately, some

among them stated that almost all the celebrated travellers ot lateyears had been, or were Masons, and Dr. Kane was cited as anexample. Can you inform me if such is correct?—Burro.—[Ifour correspondent will take the trouble to turn to the Freem asons'Magazine for July, 1857,p. 215, he will there find that a Masonic flagivas presented to Dr. Kane, by the Masons of Nova Scotia , and pre-sented by our brother , Dr. Kane, to the Grand Lodge of Massa-chusetts , upon his return from his Arctic expedition. See also anobituary notice of Dr. Kane, in the Freemasons ' Magazine, p. 1)69 ,for May, 1857.]

AMERICAX MASOXIC PERIODICALS.I am desirous of consulting some of the numerous American

periodicals on Masonry, but inquire far and near, as I do, I can-not hear of tiny brother ivho has such a collection , nor do I believethere arc any to be found in our public libraries. It is impossibleto purchase all of them, as the cost would be enormous. LatelyI had a little JIasonic book imported for me from Neiv York , andafter it had been five months in transitu , from the date of myordering it, I had to pay eight shillings and sixpence for a pam-phlet, published last year, containing just fifty-nine pages ! AVhatI wan t to knoAv is, IIOAV are we to get a sight of American Masonicpublications ? and , if admissibl e to ask such a favour, can anybrother kindly furnish the readers of this il/tu/astue with a list olsuch periodicals ?—S. B. AV.

MASOXIC CHARTS .A brother inquired of me where he could obtain a Masonic

chart ? A l l I k u c A v of thcin was that Jeremy L. Cross publishedin the United States, The True Alasonic Churl , a Jlierotj lijp hicMonitor : containing all ihe, Emblems, expla ined in (he Dei/ r 'ees ojEntered Apprentice , Fellow Craft , Master Mason , Marie Master ,J ' usl Maste r, AIosl Excellent Master , Jloyal A rch , Royal Maste r ,and Select Alaster. Designed and dulg arranged accordini/ lo theLectures. _ To which is added , Illustrations , Charges , Sou'gs, fr c ,icilit Additions and Engravinqs. This , I am informed, has gonethrough sixteen editions, the last dated New York , 1801. I wasalso told that sonic one used to travel about London, offering tosell Alasonic char ts to the different Lodges. If any brother re-members this, perh aps he will kindly afford the information, andalso a description of what is known amongst us as a JIasonicchart ?—BiiiLiopoLE.

THE LADY FREEMAKOX.Haiing often heard about the lady Freemason , I am inclined to

ask you to solve my doubts on the point , for I have no means ofelucidating the facts for myself. Is the legend that a lady wasmade a Freemason true, or is it only a quiz on the Craft ?—AX OEXG- MASOX.— [The legend is perfectly true, and may be seen ,very happ il y told , in Burke's Anecdotes of the Aristocracy, as wellas in the Freemas ons' Magazine for July, 1850, p. 480.]

DIt. HEMMIXG.Is anything known of the late Rev. Dr. Hemming, who, ivith

others , altered the ritual at the Union in 1818, and sat as Masterot Lie Lodge of Reconciliation. He was, it is said , Chaplain toour late M.AV.G.M., H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex . AVhere can abiography of him be found ?—F. R.

_ . AYREx 'S CANDLESTICKS.Inl resion 's Filusii-alions of Masonry, thirteenth edition , correctedand revised by Stephen Jones, Svo.', 1821, page 172 , occurs the

lolloAYing note :—" It appears from the records of the Lodge oi

Antiquity that Mr. AVren at tins time attended the meetingsregularly, and that, during his presidency, he presented to thatLodge three mahogany candlesticks, which arc still preserved,and highly prized , as a memento of the esteem of the honourabledonor ." Would it be too exacting to request some member ofthe Lodge of Antiquity to furnish a description of these gifts ofG.M. AVren '?—A NEOPHYTE .

I;ED CROSS OE ROME AXI > CONSTAXTIKK .Is there such a degree among the higher grades as the Red

Cross of Rome and Constantine ? And if so, where is it held,and ivho are eligible to be received into it ?—D——¦x.

LODGE AVARDENS,In an old plate representing the interior of a Lodge room , and

published by authority, the Wardens' chairs are placed, bothtogether, at one end of the table, and the Master 's at the other.HOAV long did this observance last ?—CRITO .

\%ihx\xt\xm,

REVIEWS.

WORKS ON ORGANS.1. A Short Account of' Organs Buill, in Eng land from the Reign of

King Charles the Seconel lo the Present Time. By SIR JOHNSUTTOX", Bart. \ London : Masters , Aldersgate-street.

2. Sciidamore Organs , or Practical Hints respecting Organs fo rVillage Churches and Small Chancels , on J.mproced Princip les.

By the Rev. JOHX BAROX, M.A., Rector of Upton , Scudamore,AVilts , and late Michel FCIIOAV of Queen 's College, Oxford.London : Bell and Daldy, Fleet-street.

8. The Organ : Lis History and Construction; by E. J. Hoeiaxs,Organist of the Temple Church. Preceded by an Entirely NewHistory of the Organ , Memoirs of Builders, &c. ,- by E. F.RiMBAUi.T , LL.D. London : Cocks and Co., N CAV Burlington-street.

EACH of these works—the two former of which are comparativelylittle known , the latter extensively known, and of acknowledgedmerit—are ivell worthy of a notice iu our pages. Organ building,an art so intimately connected or rather associated with thatof church building, as to have become an almost equal matter ofinterest to the Craft (whose prov ince it has ever been to promoteand encourage the fine arts in any and every department) witharchitecture itself—has made rapid strides within the last tivo cen-turies, and may now be said to have arrived perhaps as nearly atperfection as can ever be the case with any art.

The first tivo of these works seem to tend decidedly to thedepression , the latter ns decidedly to the exaltation , of the nobleart. Sir John Sutton's work was published anonymously, butthere never ivas any real secret as to its authorship, for inde-pendently of its being openly and unreservedly spoken of at thetime , the author's views with regard to organ building were soAvel l known that it could scarcely have been written by any oneelse. And one word ivith regard to the author himself, which, asall that ivc have to say of him is in his praise , cannot be consideredoffensive. At the time at ivhich lie published the work he ivas aFelloAV Commoner of Jesus College, Cambridge, in the beautifulchapel of which (at the time undergoing a thorough restoration)he erected an organ, which he undertook to play himself at thechapel services, making provision at the same time for the forma-tion and maintenance of a choir. He has since joined the Churchof Rome (in which step, as he was doubtless actuated by earnestand conscientious motives, no one ivill presume to ju dge him), sothat his college is deprived of his future services ; but the organwhich he erected , and the choir ivhich he originated , still remainas monuments of his generous munificence.

The list and account of the principal organ builders, fromFather Schmidt (or Smith , as he is more commonl y called ,) down-Avards , may of course be relied on , and contains some interestingparticulars, giving us at least the probable history of some wellknown organs , e. ti.:—

"A more celebrated man than Loosenioru,* and indeed than any otherof his time, was Ital ph Dallans, but the remains of his handiivork arcunfortunatel y very scanty. Amongst those knoAvn we may reckon thoorgan of the parish church of Kogby, Kbrthanqitonshire ; t and Anthonya AVood says, that he also built the instrument for th.e Music School atOxford, and that it contains four stops. Now, at the present time, there

* Tho builder of the organ ill Exeter Cathedral .•I- AVai-ivickshire ?

exists still in the school a small organ, evidently of this date; it maypossibly be the identical instrument. It now contains six stops, and hasa modern set of keys ; but an inscription upon it informs us that it ii-asrepaired by Samuel Green in 1770."

AVe may add to this account that this curious little organcontains what is noiv considered a rarity—a wooden twelfth.

The author tells us that his principal object in publishing hiswork , AA'as the hope that it might , in some measure, check thegreat destruction of the fine old organs ivhich , for some sixtyyears, had been going on in this country. A practice heartily tobe condemned , trul y—AVIICU will people learn that old organ pipeswill not bear to be replaced by neiv ones ?—an object praiseworthyin itself, but carried out to an excess which has gone far to damagethe work itself, and mar the cause it advocates. A case in pointoccurs to us. George III. once ou a time visited SalisburyCathedral ; being much gratified Avith his visit he asked the deanwhat would be the most acceptable present he could make to thecathedral. "AVhy," said the dean , "our organ is very old , and

." " Oh , I'll give you a neiv one," said the king, and as themeans of providing it chiefly depended on the contributions of thegentlemen of Berkshire and AViltshire , desired that it might beconsidered his contribution as a Berkshire gentleman. A neiv andline organ AA-;IS erected by Green , in Salisbury Cathedral , but St.Helen 's Church , Abingdon , has since enjoyed the tones whichSalisburv Cathedral has lost. The authorities of that church weronot aware ol the fact (as an eminent musician who knciv the in-strument lately said , figuratively, to us) that their organ possessedpipes of silver.

" The reason ," says Sir John Sutton , "Avhy these beautiful instru-ments are so often destroyed, is, that the clergy and those in authorityEire persuaded by their organists that the instruments in question are notlit to play upon ; by ivhich they mean th at it is impossibl e to show offupon them iu the most approved fashion, for they have neither pedals,sivoll , or an}' of those complicated contrivances with Avhich these modernmusic mills (as 3Ir. Jebb aptly calls them in his lectures on the chora lservice) are crowded. Every lover of true cathedral music must haveexperienced hoiv much these modern alterations and additions to theorgan mar the effect of that most devotional maimer of performing thochurch service."

_ He then proceeds to observe that the attention is con-tinually dniAvn from the voices by the clattering of compositionpedals and changing of stops ; that organists thunder on the pedalsso as to droivn the small choirs our cathedrals IIOAV possess, con-sisting (as he says) of about ten boys aud six or eight men , threeor four of Avho m tire most likely disabled by oldage or drunkenness—and much more to the same purpose. In fact Sir John Suttonhas clearly made his idea of giving a sketch of organ buildingfrom the revival of the art in the reign of Charles IT. to thepresent time , in a great measure an excuse for making a crusadeagainst pedals , swells, and every conceivable mechanical con-trivance for adding to the comfort of the organist and the poiverof the instrument. Again , after giving a fair account of the organsof St. Paul's Cathedral ; Christ Church , Oxford ; and TrinityCollege , Cambridge, as built by the celebrated Father Schmidt,be comes to the Durham Cathedral organ by the same builder.After giving the particulars of such stops , &c , as it formerly con-tained , he proceeds as follows :—¦ It has been put into the hands of Mr. Bishop, who has added pedal

pipes, new chorus, &c, &c. Tho instrumen t is now nearl y tivieo thesize it was ,-it first ; the tivo fronts being placed further apart than in theoriginal arrangements , to give room fin- the additions. * The writer can -not but think the additions lately made to this organ unnecessary, a* thoinstrument Ava s perfectly effective before ; at the same time he docs nottear in this case the usual consequences of increasing the size of a cathe-dral organ, viz., the destruction of the choral service, since the manage-ment is in the hands of perhaps the first cathedral organist in England ,.-ind ono AVI IO thoroughl y appreciates the solemn choral services."

NOAA-, all this is real ly much too strong. AVe arc willing toagree with Sir John Sutton that "fugue playing is not the chiefobject in an English cathedral ," but by no means that the intro-duction of pedals and pedal pipes has"been so "mischievous" ashe contends it has been. It is not our purpose here to enter intoa dissertation upon church music, which would perhaps scarcelybe suited to these pages. AVe will merely say that AVC go very far¦¦' Since the publication of Sir John Sutton 's book , the organ of

Durham Cathedral has again undergone a change, aud has been movedfrom tlie choir screen to the ground ; a change on Avhich (at least asregards its position) AVO shall take the opportunit y of say ing a feiv wordsin the consideration of the architectural arrangement of organs. Wemay add that wo have every reason to believe that the services at Dur-ham arc still in every way worthy of the praise bestowed upon them bySir John Sutton.

with Sir John Sutton in his opinion as to the character of themusic that ought to be performed in our cathedral churches—viz.,the music that was written for them—that is to say, the music ofwhat may be called the Tudor School, the compositions of Tallis,Gibbons, Aldrieh, Farrant, Blow, Purcell , &c.—in short, that ofwhich Boyce's score, in three volumes, may be taken as a type.Much as Ave love the compositions of Handel, Beethoven , Haydn,Mozart , &c, we by no means wish to see them introduced, as isbut too often the case, into our cathedrals, and for these simplereasons, viz.:

1. That , grand as they arc , their character is different from thatof the music of the English Church.

2. That their composers never intended them for the serviceof the Church of England, or they ivould not have n'rittcii themin orchestral score.

8. That, even had the}' been so intended , we should not ivish tohave them performed otbenvise than in their integrity—that is,ivith that orchestra which in English cathedral services is out ofthe question.

But, agreeing with Sir John Sutton in some points , andespecially as to the excellence of tone in the old organs, whichAvill probably never be surpassed—ivhy such a crusade againstpedals and pedal pipes, which, without drowning the voices ofone choir only, can be used with great effect with the full organin accompanying both , or even one , and undoubtedly give atonce depth , strength , and solemnity to the harmony ? And whyshould ilr. Jebb,'* for whose opinion in many particulars we havethe highest respect, call an organ with modern mechanicaladditions by the opprobrious name of a "music mill ?" AVhyshould not our organs have the advantage of any mechanicalappliances that ingenuity can invent , to give variety to the musicperformed upon it ? As for the rattling of stops and compositionpedals, of which Sir John Sutton complains, that evil has longbeen obviated—both stops and pedals being noiv made to work asquietly as the most fastidious person can desire, and compositionpedals being by some makers dispensed with altogether by theapplication of the pneumatic princi ple to the draw stops in theirplace. And why should Sir John Sutton suppose that theorganist of Durham cathedral (AVIIOSC taste we impugn not) is theonly organist in England who can refrain from using them all atonce, and so making them a positive nuisance ? That some ofonr cathedral choirs are small , no one will deny ; but why fixupon them the charge of drunkenness and inefficiency, when it iswell known that, Avhatever cills of this kind may hiiA'c onceexisted , they are fast disappearing ? And why suppose thatorganists general ly have a tendency to overpower them whenweaker than usual ? AVe cannot but think all this very uncalledfor—very unnecessary—questionable as to its taste—and cal-culated to do rather harm than good.

One word more before we pass to the consideration of Sir JohnSutton's last chapter , on the important subject of the architecturalarrangement of organs. Our author appears to ns somcAvhatinconsistent , since, while he condemns some modern improve-ments, he praises others, and , though he abuses the additions ofBishop, 1 Till , and other eminent organ builders of modern date, asmaking organs too large, he commends the large organ s built byHarris, Snetzlcr , and others , ivhich , from the account he himselfgives of them , must have been nearly, if not quite equal , in sizeto many of those built now, which he condemns as " music mills."

N OAV, as to the architectural question , we quite agree with himas to the quaint beauty of the form of Father Schmidt' s organcases, and prefer the tryptych form to any other. It is observablethat all these old organ s are built in what may be called thetoAver form—that is to say, with four projecting towers of pipes ;whereas in most modern organs the front is entirely flat , or , ifprojecting in any part , still not curved. As for the "indelicate fatcup ids by way of angels," and other grotesqu e absurdities whichadorned the organs of Harris, and the " innumerable pinnaclesand incorrect Gothic details" which Green used to "engraft uponhis tasteless boxes," there can be no question about their proprietyor impropriety. But AVC do not at all sec why Sir John Suttonshould be so very severe upon the practice of placing the cathe-dral organ upon the choir screen. In many cathedral s it wouldbe difficult to place it anywhere else. Look at St. raid's, andwho could lit int. of any other place ? In AVestminstcr Abbey,though the effect of the divided instrument is not as unsatisfactoryas might have been expected , we yet cannot consider the change ahappy one. Look again at the disastrous effect of the removal ofthe Canterbury Cathedral organ fiom the screen into the trifoiium

* Rev. John Jebb, M. A., Triii. Coll., Dublin , Prebendary of Hereford ,and late Prebendary of Limerick,

of the choir , with its heavy movement ninety feet in length , theonly way of connecting the pipes with the keys—the happy idea ola Avorth y dean , IIOAV deceased , ivho thought to thro w' open theview from east to west, but ivho forgot that, first of all, the screenagainst which stood his own decanal stall, and seen above thatthe beautiful stone screen inserted by Prior Goldstone, about1500, betAveen the IAA'O western pillars of Bell Harry Toiver tostrengthen them, ivould intercept nearly as much as the organ, thevieiv just . throAvn open. Again :—"AVhat," he says, "can havea more distressing effect than the cumbrous organ at York, withits details taken from the stalls, and its iron-looking pipes?"This, like many others , is a matter of taste, and one in which wediffer from Sir John Sutton. There can he no doubt that, asregards sound the screen is the best place: all the best musicalju dges are HOAV of this opinion , and it is by many allowed that anorgan may be easily so arranged, placed in such a case, as to heeven in this place, abused as it has been, a positive architecturalornament. AAre have no objection to diapered pipes, though that ,again, is a matter of taste ; but as regards the York organ , thevery points AA'hich offend Sir John Sutton would strongly com-mend it to ns. Placed on one side, as at AAlnchester; in the roof,as at Canterbury and Ely ; on the ground, as at Durham—theeffect can never be equal to the place assigned IIOAV to the organby almost invariable custom and old association ; and it is to behoped that no more eccentric experiments will from this time betried on that noble instrument, the cathedral organ.

Let us IIOAV turn our attention to Mr. Baron's work, on whathe calls " Scudamore Organs." This gentleman is rector of theparish of Upton Scudamore, from whence arises the name" Scudamore Organs." Mr. Baron attended the architecturalcongress at Oxford in the summer of 1S5S, on which occasion heexhibited and explained the instrument so called, and AA'hich thepublic had been led to think was constructed on some UCAV prin-ciple. But, in the mean time , Sir Henry E. L. Dry den , Bart.,of Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire, had been examining theinstrument, and declared that there was no neiv principle at all,it being nothing more or less than an ordinary organ of thesimplest possible kind , without a case, and with all the large pipesat one end and the small ones at the other , graduated after thefashion of Pandean pipes, and that there was no IIOAV invention ,no neiv principle whatever in the matter. It really scarcelyappears to us of sufficient importance to write a book about , andMr. Baron , moreover, though evidently an earnest man , is, wecannot but think , mistaken in some of his theories. For instance ,in his preface, he says—

" From first to last , however, the religious considerations of the abovefourfold question , ought evidently to be regarded as of tho highestimportance. How far ivill the organ help the soul to lift itself heaven-wards and draiv nigh to Cod ! HOAV far will it real ly hel p both choirand congregation to sing with heart and voice Itis praises ? In a councilgathered to provide an organ for such objects , tho mere secular musi-cian , however accomplished , will be worse than useless. A musician , tobe of real value, must be a religious man, acquainted with church musicand the structure of the organ, and also a member of the Church ofEngland. If the advice of such a musician cannot readily be procured,the loss will not be great, because the organ builder, if of real merit,must know more than enough of tho theory and practice of music , to betrusted for the musical excellence of such a plain and straightforwardinstrument as I trust to show in tho folloAving pages a village organought to be."

" If the organ builder be of merit "—but Mr. Baron lias beenrunning down the organ builders of acknoAvled ged merit. Amember of the Church of England—h ighly desirable on generalprinci ples we confess, as belonging to that Church ourselves; butAve do not see the necessary connection between Church of Englandprinciples and a know-ledge of organ building. " Acquainted withthe structure of the organ "—we should think so, though wecannot see that religions feeling, though necessary to man , isnecessary for building an organ . An infidel is quite as capable asa religious man of knowing that an open and stopped diapason ,dulciana , tivclfth , fifteenth , and flute are sufficient for a smallbuilding, and not for a larger one. AVho ever heard such aquestion raised before ? On the princi ple laid down by Mr. Baron ,the builders of organs for Roman Catholic places of worshipmust be Roman Catholics ; for Dissenting communities, Dis-senters , &c. NOAV, it happens , as we are informed ou goodauthority, that there is not a Roman Catholic organ builder inLondon , and yet the Roman Catholics get j ust as good organs asAA'e do.

The blowing handle is not essential , inasmuch as an easier aud moreseemly arrangement is to furnish the bellows with a treadle, to be workedin small organs by the player himself."Jiasier—Aye are quite sure that it is net so, More seemly—yes,

if to mar the whole effect of the music is more seemly. In smallorgans—they must be very small.

AVe AA'cre present at one of Mr. Huron 's exhibitions of Scuda-more organs, and the opinion of every one then seemed to bethat, out of four organs exhibited , the largest, coiisistin;;- of fourstops , ivas the only one fit for practical use, and that , if larger, itwould be better than it then was.

Altogether, organ building, though it may be Mr. Baron'shobby, is clearly not his forte. AAre need not go all throughhis book ; it contains a number of fallacies with which Ave neednot weary our readers. Let us say a feiv—necessarily a feivwords—oil the really valuable work of Messrs. Hopkins andRimbault, gentlemen who evidently know something more of thesubject they have undertaken to illustrate than the tivo amateurs,who, however good may be their intentions (and we doubt not,their excellence as regards their own consciences), will, ive sin-cerely hope, be unable to cany them out , and so reduce organbuilding from the perfection at which it has IIOAV arrived to theimperfection exemplified in Scudamore organs.

A brief notice can by no means do just ice to the elaborate workof Messrs. Hopkins and Rimbault, and we have not space to giveto it, that large amount of attention to minute detail which it soAi'ell deserves. AVe can but give a short sketch of its contents.

The first part is occupied by Dr. Rimbault's history of the pro-gress of the art-of - organ building, from the earliest ages to thepresent time ; the second part by Mr. Hopkins's lucid explanationof the instrument itself, together ivith an excellent and useful listof the principal organs_jn' England and other parts of Europe,with their contents ; and a chapter on tuning and temperament ,which deserves especial praise, and which contains a number ofclever examples of the musical effect of improper tuning.

Among many passages of interest, we offer to our readers thefollowing curious description of an organ at AAlnchester, of thoeleventh century, translated by Mr. AVackerbarth from a Latinpoem by the Monk AVulstan :—

" Such organs as you have built'are seen nowhere, fabricated on adouble ground. Tivice six belloiA's above are ranged in a row, andfourteen lie beloiv. These, by alternate blasts, supply an immensequantity of wind , and are worked by seventy strong men , labouringwith their arms, covered ivith perspiration , each inciting his companionsto drive the wind up with all his strength, that the full-bosomed boxmay speak with its four hundred pipes,* wliich the hand of the organistgoverns. Some Ai-hen closed, he opens, others when open ho closes, asthe individual nature of the varied sound requires. Two brethren(religious) of concordant spirit, sit at the instrument, and each manageshis OAVU alphabet. There are, moreover , hiddon holes in the fortytongues, and each has ten pipes in their duo order. Some aro conductedhither, others thither, each preserving the proper point (or situation) forits OAVU note. They strike the seven differences of joyous sounds, addingthe music of the lyric semi-tone. Like thunder the iron tones hatterthe ear , so that it may receive no sound but that alone. To such anamount docs it reverberate, echoing in every direction , that every onostops with his hands his gaping ears, being in noivisc able to draw nearand bear the sound ivhich so many combinations produce. Tho music isheard throughout the town , and the Hying fame thereof has gone outover the whole country."

Mason, in his "Essays on English Church Music," gives the fol-lowing metrical translation of eight lines of AVulstan's poem. I lewas not aware ofthe original , hut quoted from Dom Bcdos, whoin his turn took the passage from Du Gauge's (llossary .

" Twelve pair of belloAvs , rang'cl in stated rowAre join 'd above, and fourteen more below :These the full force of seventy men require,AVho ceaseless toil, and plenteousl y perspire ;Each aiding each, till all the wind be prestJn the close confines of th' incumbent chest,On ivhich four hundred pipes in order riseTo belloiv forth that blast that chest supplies."

Dr. Rimbault's treatise contains much more that is curious andinteresting, but which perhaps ivould not equal ly interest all ourreaders ; while the subsequent work of Mr. Hopkins goes into themost minute details of the internal construction ofthe organ in alaborious and painstaking, but yet lucid manner, which is calcu-lated to render his book of great real value to any clergyman orother individual in any way concerned in tbe erection of an organ ,especially if of any size -, but yet by no means so as to make thesame impression upon us as on one of his reviewers ; who tells usthat "any one who has spent half an hour over the book , must beconvinced that a small organ is an absurdity, and that architects ,

* This is spoken of as a large organ. AVhat ivould its builders havethought ofthe organ at St. George's Hall, Liverpool , wliich contains onehundred unci eight stops and eight thousand pi pes {

if they would build churches worthy of the nineteenth century,must provide suitable accommodation for a large organ."

Mr. Baron must have strangely misunderstood Mr. Hopkins, ifhe thinks that a church musician of his eminence could for aninstant intend to advocate the building of none but large organs ;Mr. Hopkins lays doiA'n general principles, as applying to organsgenerally, to large and small alike, for a small organ may, for its-size, be made as perfect an instrument as the giants of York,Leeds, and Birmingham.

Before we close tins subject , let us once more give some littleconsideration to the architectural question , and especially to thecase of the organ . As we have before stated , it is quite possibleso to arrange an organ as to make it an architectural ornament.Among the organs, the cases of which w'e may thus commend, thefollowing occur to us—those of St. "Paul's, York, 'Winchester,Gloucester , Peterborough, and Ely Cathedrals ; the Chapels ofKing's College, Cambridge, of Neiv College and MagdalenCollege, Oxford ; and again, of AVestminster Abbey and theTemple Church in London . AVestminster has, as' AVC havebefore said, a divided organ in tivo gothic cases. The organof St. Paul's is what may be called of the square tower form, andis a beautiful , and indeed noble specimen of' this kind ; and it iswith very deep regret that we have heard since we began to writethis paper, that a scheme has been set on foot for supplyingSt. Paul's Cathedral ivith a neiv organ , in a divided case. Enoughviolence has been done to the great architect of St. Paul's (SirChristopher AVren) by removing the inscription under the westfront pf the organ, to make room for another key board, an in-scription which , from the associations connected with it, hasbecome actually a portion of the history of the Cathedral itself.*

Among other organ cases remarkable for their beauty, we mustespecially mention that at Neiv College, Oxford, built in tivosquare towers, with an opening betAi'cen them in the form of aGothic arch. This arch discloses the central portion of the greatwest window to a spectator standing in the centre of the cast endof the chapel. AVe do not, hoivever, commend it so much on thisaccount as for its intrinsic beauty and elegance, which i\re shouldadmire just as much for themselves, if the instrument stood beforea brick wall instead of a window by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Theorgan at Magdalen , again, is in the square tower form, and alsoin a form somewhat more approaching to the triptych one whichwe hope to see again encouraged.

A brief allusion to one more kind of organ will for the presentconclude our remarks on this interesting subject. AA' e mean akind , several of which h ave been lately built by Gray and Davi-son, Bcviiigton , and other eminent builders , with scarcely anycase, the pipes being arranged externally so as to supply the placeof a case, such as the one at the American end of the Great Exhi-bition of 1851 (noAA', we believe, in the church of St. Ann , Lime-house , by Davison), and another in the large Roman Catholic churchin St. George 's Fields, Lambeth (Hill) -. but little of which is seen ,and yet none badly placed , the pedal pipes lying on the ground ofthe organ loft , as at AVestminster Abbey, aiid some of the metalpipes forim'ng a semicircle dow-nwards in front ofthe west window,the large pipes standing outside, the smaller ones in gradationbetiveen them. Thus no musical effect of the organ is marred , noarchitectural feature ofthe church is hidden , and the appearanceof the ivhole arrangement is pleasing to the eye. There arc Icworgans indeed whose arrangement does not admit of some improve -ment; let us hope that the books which have appeared on thesubject of organs generally, good , bad, and indifferent , may tendto the promotion and encouragement of the noble art of " organbuilding. jj

7' eeemasmrry Past and Present , in iis relations to Society. A Sermonpreached at Allinglon Church, .Dorsetshire , ou Thursdat/ . Aui/ usl.llth , 1859. By the Rev. ' IIKXBY R AWLINSOX, M.A.'. ofSt. John's College, Oxford.

MASOXIC sermons preached in the temple of God , in the face ofa congregation but f ew of whom belong to the Craft , must ofnecessity but briefly allude to our ceremonies and mysteries, butare peculiarly fitted to display in all their purity the grand prin-ciples upon which our Order is founded ; and if unfortunately theshortcomings of some of our brethren have occasionally giventhose of the outer world opportunit y to cavil and taunt us withprofessions which we do not carry out in our lives , the reverendbrother truly states " there is no association , civil or religious,aye, or even our OAVU church also, which would not suffer from sosevere a jud gment." After alluding to the earliest works ofarchitecture with wh ich AVC connect our Order, and those works

* See our last week's impression, p. 10S.

in monasteries and cathedrals still extant, as a proof of the skillof the operatii'e Masons of the middle ages, our reverend brothersays :—

" For many years (siuce, I believe, the seventeenth century), we haveceased to be operative, and have now become speculative Masons; andgiving to Freemasonry a wider range, we keep another and a nobler objectin view—the cultivation of the mind, and tho most enlarged charity audgoodwill to all. And while professing to be tbe servants of the GreatArchitect of the universe, we lay tho foundation of our society on thebasis of religion. Having no further use for our working tools, we carrythe emblems of them into real life, and from the square learn morality,from the level equality, and from the plumblino justice and upright-ness of life. Thus squaring our actions by Masonic rule, and endea-vouring to harmonize our conduct by the precepts of thafc Divine Beingfrom Avhoni all goodness emanates—and remembering that we are allsprung from the same stock, are participators in the same frail and fallennature, and sharers of the same blessed hopes, aud that no eminence ofstation, should cause us to forget that we are all brethren—we keep insight tho criterion of moral rectitude (ivhich, like Jacob's ladder, formsa line of union betAveen Heaven and earth), and look forward hopefullyto that time when AA-C shall be summoned from this sublunary sphere toarise from the tomb of transgression to Heaven itself, where the GreatArchitect of the luuVerso lives and reigns supreme, and where, throughthe all-sufficient merits of a crucified Saviour, we shall 'shine as the starsfor ever and ever.' And thus it is that this speculative Masonry that Aveprofess, not only harmonizes so completely with the description given bySolomon of wisdom and her house with- her seven heivn pillars, butexhibits also a general coincidence of principle and design ivith theChristian scheme.

"Such, brethren, is the faith—such tho hopes of a Freemason. AVhile,then, you have seen our predecessors in the Craft fulfilling their missionby erecting, as operative Masons, those noble structures of mediaevaltimes, whose very [ruins and moss-grey stones bespeak their pristinegrandeur and bear witness to the skill and zeal of their noble-mindedbuilders, we, w-ho have succeeded them, having no longer any call forillustrating the genius of their art. and fully recognizing the truth ofthe words of the text , that ' the Most High divelleth not in templesmade with hands,' endeavour to be built up a habitation of God throughthe spirit. And oh, ' what an incentive to holiness, to purity of

^ life

aud conduct lies in the fact that the body of a saint is the temple of theliving God—a truer , nobler temple than that which Solomon dedicatedby his prayers—and a greater even than Solomon consecrated by hispresence ! This poor, pale, sickly, shattered form is the casket of aprecious jewel. This moan and crumbling tabernacle lodges a guestnobler than palaces may boast of. Angels hover round its walls, andthe Spirit of God dwells within .' "

Throughout the sermon there is a vein of true religion andcharity which shows our reverend brother to be a true ministerof the gospel—but who has deeply studied , and understands thefoundation upon which our Order is based—and the importanttruths AA'hich its ceremonies are designed to inculcate.

NOTES ON LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND AUT.AV ITH reference to the rumoured engagement, ivith Mr. Dickens to

lecture in America , wo find it stated, on tho authority of the New- A'orkf icening -Post , that ho is under engagement to give sixty readings atsundry places in the United States, in the course of the autumn; andthat the honorarium is to be $25,000, paid at starting, besides one-fourth of the not profits of the entertainments. The Leader says :--AVe incline to the opinion that tho projected engagement will not hecarried out.

A Paris correspondent, dating Jlonday last, states that the annualexhibition s at the Beaux Arts commence on A\rednesday next , when themodels sent iu for the prize in sculpture will be open to the public, andcontinue on viciv for three days. Tho exhibition of paintings, engrav-ings, and gem-cutting will take place on succeeding 'Wednesdays, Thurs ,days, and Fridays, and the prizes will be exhibited , together ivith thew'orks sent homo from the French school in Rome, from the 25th of•September to the 2nd of October.

Prince Liieicn Bonaparte has printed a catalogue of the works editedby him in the various dialects of Europe—also a list of works IIOAV inthe press. The more recent works are the Cauticles in Basque, theGospel of St. Mattlieiv in the vulgar dialects of Arenetia , Milan , Naples,and Bergamo. Among other labours, the Prince has printed thoSong of Solomon in four English dialects—Low-land Scotch , aud thedialects of Cumberland , Newcastle, and AVestmoreland, preserving, forthe use of linguists aud historians, tho exact state of language in thosedistricts , as spoken by the native population iu the reign of A'ictoria.

AVe hear of au Eloctvo Printing Block Company, formed to bring intopractical operation certain patents known as Collins 's Patents, " for thecheap reproduction , on an enlarged or reduced scale, of original drawingsand existing engravings, maps, and prints, aud for making therefrom

electro blocks for surface printing, either at the hand or steam press."It is stated that by these patent processes illustrated works can be ex-ecuted at an immense saving in cost, and that the processes must belargely employed in all branches of trade " where the first cost of ex-pensive engraving has, under the present system, to be renewed withevery variation in size or form ," Amongst the names attached to theprospectus Ave notice Messrs. AVm, Bradbury, F. M. Evans, A. J.C'opeland, M.P., Herbert Ingram, M.P., Charles Knight, Mark Lemon,and S. L. Sotheb3'.

It is stated that the Due d'Aumalo has lately purchased a library inParis for £15,000, said to be very rich in rare and fine editions. TheDuke's library was already one of tho finest private collections in theworld, and he one of the leading members of the Philobiblion Society.

The fourth general meeting of the International Association for ob-taining a uniform decimal system of measures, lveights, and coins, willhe held on Monday, the 10th of October, at four o'clock, in St. George'sHall, Bradford, Yorkshire. M. Michel Chevalier, vice president, willtake the chair. Beyond routine business, the association will chieflyoccupy itself ivith the metro, the litre, and the gramme, as the respectiveunits of length, capacity, and ivcight, as recommended by the Britishbranch.

The annual meeting of the Academic Eraiieaise, for the distributionof prizes for literary performances and meritorious conduct took placelast week, at the Institute. It ivas presided over by JI. Guizot, whodelivered an address suited to the occasion. Not a political allusionivas to be heard ; but some eloquen t periods ivere introduced upon themarch of humanity and civilization , and upon the exercise by thehumbler classes of virtues that proved that good examples of disinter-estedness and of courage were to bo found in the smallest villages—instancing the prizes having been gained by tivo females of the poorestcondition for the admirable fulfilment of their duties towards theirfamilies. In the literary department tivo ladies were victorious. Thesitting was terminated by the reading of the poem which had gainedthe honours of the day, entitled "The Sister of Charity in theNineteenth Century," by Mdlle. Ernestine Drouot.

Lieut. J. D. Kennelly of the Indian Navy, and Secretary to theBombay Geographical Society, has been recommended by Lord Elphin-stone for employment as explorer in North-Eastern Africa, in theregions just visited by Captains Burton and Speke. " Mr. Kennedy,"says the Poona Observer, "is a fine, athletic, active man, in the veryprime of life. He is familiar with the use of astronomical and meteor-ological instruments, and goes most liberally supplied therewith. Dr.Silvester, AA'e believe, accompanies him as draughtsman and naturalist,and they leave some time in November . They will proceed at once tothe lake districts, aud endeavour to circumnavigate the northernmost ofthe lakes."

In the Stockholm state library a number of highly curious MSS. fromthe hand of Sivedeuborg have been discovered. They are, most of them,iliaries or daily records of his inner and outer life. Jn that referring tothe year 1731, the famous mystic alleges very natural, and not altogetherdelicate, reasons as the cause of his visions.

The tOAA'n council of Berlin has just subscribed £1,600 to a foun dationin honour of Humboldt, destined to afford aid to learned men andtravellers in the prosecution of the studies to which he devoted his longlife.

Tivo forcible and excellent lithographs, published by Mr. Schenk, ofEdinburgh, noiv lie before us. One of Lord Loughborough—a greatMasonic authority in Scotland—is boldly and cleverly drawn by Mr.AVilson, with all the vigour and none of the dreary blackness that is theusual attendant of German lithographs. The series of Scottish M.Ps,,of whom Colonel Sykes, JI.P. for Aberdeen, is one of the most ruggedand sturdy looking, promises AA'ell. The stormy ledger lines on thehroiv, the deep pits under the eyes, the almost fierce mouth, are finelytouched-iii, without the usual cosmetic flattery of popular portraits .

POSTHUMOUS HEAVARDS or GEXIUS .—At Lord Northwick's sale, weread in the Court Journal , a picture by Patrick Nasmyth brought £750!Poor Patrick never made more than sixty pounds a year 1 This picture,full of beauties, ivas the labour of a fortnight. " Genius and its rewardsare briefl y told." Patrick sleeps in Lambeth churchyard, little known ;even ivithin the sound ofthe steam hammer of his less illustrious brother.Yes, in Lambeth churchyard lies all that is mortal of our English Hobbima;naJ'> of ft better artist than Hobbima, able as he ivas.

llffeimGfp 'o

CHEISTMAS MUSINGS.BY W. HEATON.

CHRISTMAS has come with its boisterous breath .And its leafless trees and bowers,

AVhile the flowers all roundLie hid in the ground,

And AA'ait for the summer hours.AVhere is the daisy's crimson fringe, :.

The pink and the damask rose,And the bells of blueIn the woods which grew

AATiere the mm-mm-ing streamlet H OAA'S ?AAliere is the lark with its matchless song,

And the throstle's joyful time,And the cuckoo's noteAAThieh did sweetly float

Through the ivoods in tho month of June 1Hopes and delights ivhich were young and fair ,

And joys that wero fresh and gay,Like the choicest flowersIn the springtide hours,

They have long since died aivay,And left the sndiy on the mountain broil',

And frost on tlie windoiv pane;While the friends we lovedAfe~lJy death removed

| To the grave's deep dark domain.I But music floats on the midnight air ,I Through the leafless trees 'tis borne,j And voices sing| ' Of a glorious King-,

AVho came on this joyful morn.- * * *

AVhen the mistletoe and the berries redOf the holly-bush are seen

On the old church wallsAnd the ancient halls

AA'ith leaves from tho ii'y green.And many a bough from the old yew* tree

On each picture frame is spread,AVhile the box tree gay,On this festal day,

Is torn from its woodland bed,And hung in the homes of my fatherland—

The homes of the gay and proud,AVhile the log fire gloiA'S,And the cold wind bloivs,

And snow doth the grass enshroud.Then raise a song to old Christmas true,

As they did in the days of yore :To the Saviour bornOn this happy morn

P.e glory for evermore.

On! could i but lorgetHer beauty, her siveet tone,And talking, and that lovely look at one,

Jfy martyrdom, I think, were ended yet,But, ah 1 I cannot bear myself apart ;

And great simplicityIs hope in me.

Only such thrallGives one the heart

To go through all.And how could I forget

Her beauty, her siveet toueAnd talking, and that lovel y look at one ?

My martyrdom's too siveet. ' LEIGH HUNT ,

JAIEETIXO off TUB LEVEL.—In the American Voice of' Masonry AA-O findthe following definition of meeting on the level , by Bro. H. N. Marks, ofKentucky :—"It is said that Jlasons meet upon a level ; generally speak-ing they do. They fail to take some Masonic periodical whereby theymight hold converse with the wise and the good through the medium oftheir wri ting. And when we meet together to interchange the greet-ings of an exalted friendship, and to counsel and admonish each otherupon the theme best adapted to the purposes for which we associated ,we say nothing of importance, because we know nothing ot importance ,Yes, Masons " meet upon a level 1"

THIBAULT, KING OP NAVARKE, TO HIS L0ArE.

.[THE EDITOE does not hold himself responsible for any opinionsenterta ined by Correspondenls. J

TIIE CALEiSTDAB.TO IMS EDITOR OP TIIE EBBEMASOKS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR.DKAR Sn; AXD BnoTiom,—The Calendar Committee seem to

treat all suggestions from brethren ivith perfect contempt. Eorseveral years past there have been letters in the Magazine fromcorrespondents pointing out things that sadly required altering ;but still the Calendar is as useless as heretofore. Not only arethere a number of Lodges that have ceased from their labour^ ,figuring away in the list, but with existing and working Lodges avery great evil is allowed to continue. In this list there is nodistinction made betiveen those Lodges which meet all the year-round (which might be done with a simple asterisk) and thosewhich have a summer vacation. The consequence is, brethrenfrom a distance are often sadly disappointed. I will give yon aninstance. A friend had occasion to visit a town not one hundredmiles from here, and , looking at the Calendar, he found that on acertain date he could kill tivo birds with one stone, though at apersonal inconvenience—transact his business, and enjoy thepleasures to be alivays found in a Lodge of good working Masons.Arriving there, lie found to his mortification that the Lodge metregularly during the winter months, but not at all in the summer.To make the Calendar really serviceable to the brethren , thisdifference should be clearly stated , and it would be a great im-provement if the months of installation were likewise given in aseparate column. As the Calendar is issued by the Executive,we have a right to expect that it should be a perfect one ; but redtapeism seems not altogether abolished from the office of theCommittee specially appointed to amend, revise, and correct this,at present, very useless pocketbook.

I am, dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally,Dudley, Sept. 3, 1859. A Pnov. GEAXD OFFICER .

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE M A S O N I C M I R R O E .M A S O N I C M E M S .

A PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE is to be held at the Freemasons' Hall,at Leicester, on the 14th, when the building will be consecrated anddedicated by the Eight Hon. the Earl Hoive, Prov. G.JI. The Prov.Grand JIasters of Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire , aud theChannel Islands, and other eminent brethren , are expected to attend.

AVE understand that the brethren of Norfolk intend to invite Bro.B. B. Cabbell, their G.Ji ., to a grand banquet next month, to testifytheir respect for him as a brother, and their sense of the services he hasrendered to JIasonry iu the province of Norfolk since his installation .

M E T R O P O L I T A N .

SUPREME GP..AKD LODGE.THE regular quarterl y communication was held in the Temple, on

Wednesday last, the 7th inst., the B.AV. Bro. Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis ,Prov. G.JI"., Hants, presiding as Grand JIaster, .supported by the 11.AV.Bvo. Sir AV. AV. AVynn , Prov. G.M. for North AVales and Shropshire , asD.G.JL ; Bros. Col Browning, P.G.AV., as S.G.AV. ; John Savage, S.G.D.,as J.G.AV. ; Hoxburgh,G. Keg. ; the Rev.AY'entivorth Bowyer, G. Chaplain;AV. Gray Clarke, G. Sec. ; King, P.G.D., as S.G.D. ; Slight, J.G.D.; Jen-nings, G. Dir. of Cers.; Pocock , G.S.B. ; Daukes , G. Supt. of AVorks ;Horsley, G. Org. ; 1'arnfield, Asst. G. See. Bros. Havers, Scott, Hop-wood, Potter, S. B. AVilson , J. X. Tomkins , T. R. AVhite, Faudel , andPhillips, P.G.Ds.; Bros. AValmsley, Spiers, Phili pe, Masson , P.G.S.Bs. ;Chevalier Hebeler, &c, &c.

The minutes of the last Grand Lodge having been read and confirmed,the Grand Secretary read the report of the Board of Benevolence, fromAvhicb it appeared that in June, eight petitions were relieved by A'otes,amounting to £97 2.f., and £30 recommended to be given to Bro. NoahWardle, of No. 12] , Marple; in Jul y three petitions were relieved with£40 ; and August seven petitions , ivith sums amounting to £1)0 10s.,aud £30, recommended lo be given lo Bro , AVm. !•, Loiye. of No. 05,Sunderland ,

The report was received, and the IAA-O sums recommended, granted.The report of the Board of General Purposes which appeared at p. 176

of our last number, was then read.The President of the Board of General Purposes said it became

his duty to move " That the report just read be received," and in doingso he felt it due to Grand Lodge to make a few remarks on two statementsin the report Avhich did not require confirmation. The report stated thatit had been brought under the notice of the Board that the members ofcertain Lodges were in the habit of emblazoning on their aprons emblemsnot wan-anted by the Book of Constitutions. This Ai'as so directly op-posed to the spirit and laws of JIasonry, that the Board had called theattention of the Prov. Grand JIaster to it. The next subject to whichhe had to direct attention was, the future publication of the official reportsof the proceedings in Grand Lodge. Complaints had been made by manymembers that they did not receive those reports until about ten daysbefore the following Grand Lodge. These complaints appeared soreasonable, that the Board , having given their attention to the question ,had made arrangements for issuing the report as early as possible aftereach quarterly communication. (Hear, hear).

Bro. AAr. P. Scott, P.G.D,, having seconded the motion—Bro. the llev. Gr. 11. Portal rose to ask a question relative to the Lodge

at Littlehampton , but AA-as stopped on a point of order, the only questionbefore Grand Lodge being the reception of the report.

The resolution having been put and carried ,The President of the Board of General Purposes said it now became

his painful duty to move a resolution on the subject referred to by Bro.Portal . It AA'as with great regret that he felt called upon to move aresolution asking Grand Lodge to confirm the suspension of Bro.Heward, of the Mariners' Lodge, No. S78, at Littlehampton , from hisMasonic duties. The Board had received a complaint from the D. Prov.Grand Master that Lodge, No. 878, had neglected to make the usualreturns. On inquiry they found that Bro. Cheriman had been the lastJIaster, and that Bro. Heward had been the proprietor of the house atwhich the Lodge was held. The Lodge had fallen into difficulties, andBro. Heward, AVIIO was the Secretary, had left the house, taking withhim the charter and furniture of the Lodge. The Board summonedBro. Heward to appear before them, when he wrote a very proper letter ,in which he stated that the Lodge, consisting principally of the mastersand mates of vessels, had fallen into difficulties during the Crimean warAA'hen the trade of the toiA-n AA-as much interfered AA'ith, but that if timewere given him he ivould call a meeting and endeavour to revive theLodge. Time AA-as given him ; but nothing being done, a second summonsAA-as sent to him by the Board , in May or June, when he again asked fortime—promising to call a meeting in a fortnight. That he had notdone, and since that time he had taken no notice of the communicationsof the Board of General Purposes beyond simply writing a letteracknowledging that he held the furniture and charter of the Lodge, byivhich he stated he had lost money. (Hear.) This was an instanceamong many of the great inconvenience which arose from alloiving themaster of a house where a Lodge was held to become the custodian ofthe charter and property of a Lodge. (Hear.) Whether Bro. Howardshould even have been appointed the Secretary of the Lodge was anotherquestion ; but he held a letter in his hand from that brother, stating thathe held the charter and regalia, and declining to give it up. He there-fore would IIOAV move that the suspension of Bro. Heward be confirmed.

Bro. Roxburgh, G. Beg., seconded the resolution , thinking it most,important for the interest of JIasonry that the authority of the Boardshould be uph eld.

Bro. the llev. J. 11. Portal said there could not bo two op inions ivifchregard to the justice of suspending Bro. Howard ; but he objected to thepresent motion upon two technical points. In the first place, ho did notsee the necessity of the motion at all , as all that the Board of GeneralPurposes had to do, according to the Book of Constitutions, ivas toreport that they had suspended a brother; and Grand Lodgo was notcalled upon to express any opinion upon the subject unless an appea livas made against the decision of the Board. In the second place it ivaslaid down at p. 45, that all subjects of Masonic complaint against Lodgesor individual brethren were to be heard and determined by the ProA'.Grand JIaster or his deputy, and it was not shown why this case hadbeen allowed to conic to London, whilst the Prov. or D. Prov. GrandJIaster might much more easily have arranged it on the spot.

Bro. Savage, S.G.D., full y concurred ivith the last brother that thesuspension was j ustified , bufc was of opinion that Grand Lodge oughtnot to bo called upon to express an opinion unless an appeal was lod gedagainst the suspension as laid down at p. 100 of tho Book of Constitutions.

Bro. Spiers, P.G.S.B., stated that in a case which occurred in hisprovince no report of a suspension of a brother ivas made to GrandLodge.

Bro. Stebbing was of opinion that this subject ought never to havebeen brought before Grand Lodge or the Board of General Purposes at,all. It ought to liave been adjudicated upon by tho Prov. GrandJIaster or his deputy, when probably local interest might have beenbrought to boar upon the brother , and led to a conclusion which mi ghthave rendered tho suspension altogether unnecessary. A great dealmi ght be done through the influence of neighbours and friends ivhichcould not be effected through the Board of Genera l Purposes.

Some further discussion ensued in which Bros. Gregory, JIason ,Adlard , and Symonds, took part , and in which it-was shown that thecomp laint ivas laid before the board of General Purposes by the D, Prov.

Grand JIaster, AVIIO had failed in inducing Bro. Howard to surrender thecharter of the Lodge.

Bro. the ECA'. J. S. Sidebothani moved that the matter be referredback to the Provincial Grand JIaster of Sussex.

Bro. Havers briefl y replied, and contended that it had al ways boon thopractice , or ought to have been, to take the opinion of Grand Lodgerelative to the suspension of a brother , and no sucb power should beallowed to exist in any but the supreme body. The Board of GeneralPurposes had not, or ought not to have , tho power of suspending abrother without the confirmation of Grand Lodge; and even if therewere not many precedents for the course now proposed to be taken, hewould call upon Grand Lodge to make a precedent for the future, andthereby prevent the supreme power being exercised by other than them-selves. AA'ith regard to what had been stated relative to the ProvincialGrand JIaster, it was not until the Deputy Provincial Grand JIaster haddone his best to secure the charter of the Lodge for the brethren thatlie had remitted it to the consideration of the Board of General Pur-poses, whose power to deal with it could not be questioned.

The resolution was then put and carried , with five dissentients.THE HALL.

- Tlie President of the Board of General Purposes AA-ould, as an intro-duction to his next motion , read a paragraph from the report of theBoard : " The Board further report chat they have received an appli-cation from Messrs. Elkington and Co., the lessees of the tavern, re-questing the grant of a stun of money , to be expended in repairs of thegreat hall ; that they have caused inquiry to be made under theauthority of the Grand Superintendent of AA'orks, who reports that therepairs necessary may be completed for a sum not exceeding £275, andthat competent persons are ready to undertake the work. The Board,therefore, recommend that the sanction of Grand Lodge be given forsuch outlay." He might mention that their house had cost them a, largesum in repairs—in ten years grants having been made for the purpose tothe extent of £1,500. It had been proposed by Messrs. Elkington andCo. that a grant of £500 or .£700 should be made for repairing the hall.The question had been referred to the Grand Superintendent of Works,who had reported that the necessary repairs might be made for £27 5.He believed that the tenants were satisfied Avith Avhat was proposed tobe done, and he, therefore, moved that that sum be granted.

Bro. AAr. Pulteney Scott seconded the motion.Bro. Masterinan thought that the lessees ought to repair the house

themselves. AVere they not bound to do so under the lease ?Bro. Havers : They were not.Bro. Jlastermau : Then they ought to be. The lessees got the benefit

of the house, and the Craft had the benefit of paying for the repairs,ivhich was no benefit at all. (Laughter.)

Bro. Stebbing rose to oppose the motion, as he thought it mostridiculous to expend £275 on the repairs of the hall, when they wereou the eve of a discussion with regard to the future arrangement of thepremises ; ivhich might make those repairs perfectl y useless. Helooked upon this as a most reckless expenditure of £275, abstractedfrom charity. (Cries of " No, no.") He maintained that it ivas so;for, though the money Avas not avowedly subscribed for that purpose ,whenever they had a surplus of money they transferred it to the fundsof one of their charities. (Hear, hear.) He thought, on the eve ofmaking alterations in their property, the expenditure most inopportune,and that the utmost they should be called upon to do before tho Avholequestion was taken into consideration should be to keep out wind andwater. (Hear, hoar.)

The resolution was then put and carried.THE ORGANS.

The President of the Board of General Purposes had next to bringforward a resolution , which he believed AA-as to be opposed by one of hisearl iest friends. It was a question in ivhich neither himself nor anymember of the Boa rd of General Purposes had the slightest personalinterest , nor could have. It related to the organs. They had receivedfrom the Grand Organist an opinion that the present organs were per-fectl y useless, and he ivas opposed to all expenditure upon them. TheBoard had come to the conclusion to recommend that they should berepaired at an expenditure of £70, but they had not done so Avithout thefullest consideration. He held in his hand a report from Jlr. Bates—hebelieved he ought to say Bro. Bates, for ho was a highly esteemed mem-ber of the Order—the organ builder, of Ludgate-hill , which stated thatnot only could ho put them into serviceable repair, but that if properlylooked to from year to year they AA-ould last for twenty-five years. He tookthe opinion of that gentleman as that of an upright man, and he statedthat he could efficientl y repair the organs for £70, and guarantee to keepthem in good order for £5 5s. a year ; the reason they were out of orderbeing, that they ivere not sufficientl y used . Seeing that in Bro . Bates'sopinion the organs might be made serviceable for twenty or twenty-fiveyears at a moderate expenditure, and not believing that organs whichthey bad had in use but a comparatively short time could be altogetherii-orn out so as to render new ones necessary, he would move thafc £70be granted for the repair of the organs.

Bro. Dr. Kinsman seconded the motion. He had seen Bro. Bates,who assured him that he could keep the organs in good repair at anexpense of £5 5s. per annum each (not £5 5s. the two), ivhich sumshould include every expense. The cost of repairing the organ in thetemple he estimated at £40. and thafc in the lull at £25.

Bro. Horsley, G. Org. said he was sorry to intrude himself upon thebrethren. Indeed this AA-.-IS the only subject upon which ho would ven-ture to address them. He had noiv had the honour to hold his officefor nearly three years, aud Avhen he Avas first appointed ho was asked toexamine the organs, lie did so, assisted by a most competent person ,aud he found thorn in such a state of rack and ruin , that the first thinghe recommended was that they should discontinue the payment of£12 12s. a-year for keeping them in repair. He sent his report to theBoard of General Purposes, but Avhether it was received he had neverheard. Last year another committee was appointed to examine theorgans , ou A\-hich were Bros. Eoberts and Le Veau and upon their con-sulting him (Bro. Horsley) he repeated that the organs were perfectlyuseless ; and that to attempt to repair them would be to throiv themoney away. He recommended thafc they should have tivo entirelyneiv organs, Avhich might bo obtained for about £300—£200 for thehall and £100 for the temple. No notice was taken of his report , andthe first intimation he received of the proposed expenditure of £70 un-repairs , was when hesaAv it on the printed paper of business—not havingbeen at all consulted with regard to it. He had the greatest respectfor Bro. Bates, with ivhoni he had had business transactions , and knewhim to be a gentleman of the highest honour and probity, but he AA-a sconvinced from the rottenness of the materials that they might as wellthroiv the. money in the Thames as attempt to repair their presentorgans. Ho was convinced that they ivere utterly ivorthless, and howould recommend that they should either have IIBAV organs , or Avaifcuntil the whole question of the property was under consideration. Inthe meantime he could manage to play a little on the organ in theTemple, and Avhen they liict^

in the hall it ivould be better to dispensewith the music altogether, or to hire an harmonium. He would moveas an amendment that that part of the report Avhich recommended anexpenditure of £70 on-the~o'rgans be not approved.

Bro. the Eev. J. S. Sidebothani seconded the amendment ; consideringthat as the Grand Registrar was the legal adviser of the Craft, so oughtthe Grand Organist to be as regarded the organs, and they were boundto act upon his opinion.

Bro. Col. Browning thought it Avould be useless to expend .£300 uponIIOAV organs, when they had the assurance of Bro. Bates that those theyIIOAV had might be put in good repair for £70. As to the rottenness ofany portion of the materials, that was for Bro. Bates to consider iumaking his contract, and not for them.

Bro. Jennings, G.D.C, said that the question of the organs had beenfull}' considered by the Board , after placing them under the closestinspection. They had heard the opinion of the Grand Organist , thatthe organ in the gallery ivas utterly useless, and that in tbe templeivorthless ; but they must recollect that the Grand Organist ivas aplayer of extraordinary skill and standing, and that he was in the habitonly of porfonning on instruments of a character commensurate ivith hisposition in the profession , and great alloAvanccs ought, therefore , to bemade for his opinion , that nothing could be done ivith the present,organs. They should also recollect that they had the organs inspectedby a manufacturer, who stated that for every purpose of the Craft hi;could put them in repair , and guarantee to keep them so for twenty-liveyears at an annual cost of £5 5s. each. AVhen they considered thesolemn silence with ivhich thoy had opened their business that evening,and the entire absence of any attempt of the Grand Organist to produceany notes from their organ, it surely became them to make an effort togive bettor effect to their ceremonies if they could do so throug h anexpenditure of £70. He (Bro. Jennings) had taken considerable pain- ;to make inquiries on the subject, and ho Avas authorized by Bro . Bates tosay that, if he did not put the two organs in a satisfactory condition ,he "would make no claim for payment." (Hear , hoar.) If they weivplaced in such a condition that any ordinary player could perform uponthem, IIOAV much more might they not expect from the skill of theiresteemed Grand Organist. (Cheers.)

The amendment ivas then put and negatived , and the original resolu-tion carried.

EUASunt: or LODGES .The President ofthe Board of General Purposes had now the pai n ful

duty to move that seven Lodges be erased from their books ; but , if anybrother had anything to advance why in any case the erasure shouldnot bo proceeded with, the Board ivould willingly consent to its being-held over to give au opportunity for resuscitation , though ho lookedupon the Lodges proposed to bo erased as defunct. In the first place heshould mention that, since their hist meeting, five Lodges had been re-moved from tho list proposed to be erased , simply on the ground thafcthey have complied Avith the requisition of Grand Lodge, and made thenecessary returns. And here he might be alloived to say that, in someinstances, this had been done under circumstances highl y honourable tothe brethren in the provinces, ivho had come forward and paid the duosfor a quarter of a century, iu order to revive the Lodges ; and he hadgreat pleasure in omitting them from the resolution he had to move.He would noiv go through the list of those proposed to be erased,begging them to recollect that they ivould only put them iu a positionsu.bjudiee until the resolution was confirmed ,- and if anything could bedone to resuscitate either of the Lodges in the meantime, there Avould bonothiug to prevent its being taken out of the list at their next meeting.The first Lodgo ou the list w-as No. 4S, Lodge of Concord , London , andwas formerly held at the Turk's Head , in tlle Strand. The Lodge hadnot met for many years past, and ought properl y to have been erased

before. It had come to his knoAi-ledge within a feiv days that somezealous brethren AA-ere exerting themselves to recover tho Avarrant, andresuscitate the Lodge. He Ai-ished them every success, and should havegreat pleasure if they enabled them on the next occasion to take it outof the list. The next Lodge was No. 360, School of Plato, Cambridge,which was reduced to three members—the warrant being in thehands of the junior member, who declined to hold a Lodge, and theProv. Grand JIaster ivas of opinion it ought to be erased. Henow came to No. 459, Lodge of Benevolence , Sherborne, regarding ivhichhe had a letter from Bro. Highmore, a most zealous and active JIason ,dinting there was no chance of resuscitating it. Tlie Lodge had not metcilice 1851, and it was believed the warrant ivas iu the possession of theividoiv of the last AV.JI. and would be recovered and returned to GrandLodge in a few- days. The next was No. 751, Prince Edwin 's Lodge, Eye,.Suffolk. It had not met since 1852, and the remaining members haddetermined not to make any exertions to revive it, and the D. Prov. G.JI.,i he AV. Bro. Fleming, reported that it might be already considered as de-funct. He then came to No. 705, tho Roden Lodge, A Vein , in tho provinceof North AVales and Shropshire, the Prov. Grand JIaster of which (Bro.Sir AVatkin AVynn) they had the pleasure of having among them thatevening acting as D. Grand JIaster. The Prov. Grand Secretary reportedthat the Lodge was defunct , and that there ivas no prospect of revivingi t. The next was No. 806, Castlemarfciu Lodge, Pembroke, South AA'ales,wliich the Prov. Grand JIaster (Bro. Johnes) reported as also defunct.He now- came to the last on the list, No, S7S*, the Mariners ' Lodge,Littleham pton , which had occupied their attention in the early part ofthe evening—the Lodgo having fallen into difficulties and the warran tbeing in -tlie hands of the Secretary who was the keeper of the housowhere the Lodge had been held—both the last JIaster of the Lodge(l3ro. Cherimaii) and the D. Prov. Grand JIaster recommended that underthe circumstances the Lodge should bo erased as the only means ofresuscitating JIasonry in Littlehampton. The R.AV. brother concludedhy moving a formal resolution for the^erasure of the Lodges.

Bro, Hopwood, P.G.D., seconded tho motion , which ivas carried 'item,eon.

All business being ended, Grand Lodge was closed in due form.

OLD COXCOED LODGE (NO. 201).—On Thursday, the 2-ith ult., upwardsof fifty brethren of this Lodge celebrated their summer anniversary atthe City of London Hotel , Anorley. At the dinner Bro. C Jlancy, W.M.,presided, faced by Bro. Sivainston , S.AV., and amongst the visitingbrethren present ive observed J. Suter, P.JI., No. 219 ; Jas. Queeley,P.Jf., No. 219; II. Norman , P.M, No. 209 ; AV. P. Blackburn, P.JI.,No. 169 ; AV. Carter, P.JI., No. 165 ; AV. Oxlev. P.M., 274 ; J. Covcrlcy,P.JI., No. 257 ; J. Jl'Davitt, No. 362; T. Lewis, No. 53 ; AV. Davies,P.M., No. 663 ; E. Sissou, No. 118; J. Clark, No. 211; J. Edney,No. 107 ; and J. Smith, No. I.0 .f4 . After dinner the President gave'• The Earl of Zetland ." followed by " Lord Panmure, D. Grand Masterof Eugland ," in comp limentary term s, and next proposed " Tho healthof the Rev. Bro. Laughlin , their Chaplain," who in reply said, ho thankedthem sincerely for the generous manner in lrhich they had received themention of his name. He cordiall y concurred in all thafc had been saidin reference to JIasonry. He believed that every minister who becameacquainted with it ivould find it- to be really and trul y the handmaid ofreli gion. The AV.JI. then gave '•' The Visitors ," coupling ivith the toastthe name of Bro. Norman , No. 209 , ivho briefly replied. Bro. Kennedy,No. 201, then rose to propose "The health of the President ." Thev allknew how indefati gable their brother was iu the discharge of his duties,IIOAV creditably he had ever performed them , and with what honour toIhe Lod ge to which ho belonged. The present not being a meetingwhere the princi ples of Freemasonry need be fully dilated upon , lefthim but little to add. He would , therefore, simpl y propose the healthof their President, thanking him for his attendance , and congratulatinghim on having such a numerous assemblage around him. Bro. Jlancy,in returning thanks, said he hoped he had ever been , and should everbe found , doing his utmost towards the promotion of tiie interests of theCraft. He feared he did not merit the compliment that had been paidhim, but at any rate he endeavoured to discharge the duties intrustedto his hands faithfull y and honestly, to the best of his abilit y. If hehad done so satisfactoril y it gave him additional pleasure, and he shouldever feel proud that he had been of at least somo service to theOrder. Some very excellent singing and music interspersed theroasts.

INSTRUCTION .Amiox LODGE (NO. 9).—This Lodge held its firs t meeting for the

; eason on Sunday last, at Bro. Gurton 's, the AVestern JIasonic Hall, OldBond-street; Bro. Collard presided as AA'.JI, Tbe Lod ge was opened inthe first degree, and the ceremony of initiation and lectures ivorkod bythe many eminent brethren present.

.ROBERT! BURKS (No. 25).—This Lodge commenced the winter sessionon Friday, the 2nd ; Bro. Newal l presided as AA' .JI'., who, having openedthe Lodge in the three degrees, proceeded with the ceremony of raisingand lectures in connection with that degree, the whole of which wereperformed adm irably, and greatl y to the satisfaction of tlie members,An expression ot regret was evident at the absence of Bro . AVatson , atpresen t in Dublin ,

CRYSTAL PALACE LODGE (NO. 1,014).—This Lodge, held at the CityArms, AArcst-square, Southwark, had a very numerous meeting on Monday-last, to witness and take part hi working the fifteen sections. Bro. D. R.Parmer officiated as AA'.JI. ; Bros. Thomas, S.AV. ; Bradley, J.A\r.;Ansloiv, P.JI. The Lodge AA-as opened at seven o'clock, and the sectionsof tho first lecture wero worked by Bros. Stewart, Newall, Newman,Charnock, Blackburn, Crawley, and Thomas. Those of the secondlecture were given by Bros. AValkley, Oliver, Daly, AVarren , and Arnold ;and of the third lecture by Bros. Anslow, Smith, and Hill. AATc haverarely seen the fifteen sections moro ably illustrated. Several visitorsbecame joining members, among thorn , Bro. Coggin, P.JI. No. 276, whotook the opportunity of impressing on the brethren and Lodges ofInstruction in particular, the desirability of supporting the Freemason) -!Magazine , as the only authentic organ of publicity the Craft possessed,by subscribing to AA-hich they would derive much information not other.Aviso to be obtained.

P R O V I N C I A L ,

.HAMPSHIRE.WINCHESTER .— Lodge of (Economy (No. 90).—The ordinary monthly

meeting of this Lodge took place on AArednesday evening, August 31st ,at the Masonic Hall, adjoining the Black SAA-an Hotel , Allien there werein attendance the W.JI. (Bro. J. L. Hasleham), Bros. F. La Croix, S.AV".;G. Oakshott , P.JI.. (J.AA\ pro tem.); S. Everett. P.M.; C. Sherry, P.JI.:G. Durant, P.JL ; AV. Russ, P.M.; J. Withers, P.M. ; AV. CoAven , P.M. ;G. P. Jacob, P.M. ; and Bros. Elson , Snary, Butcher, Gerrard , Huggins,Smith, AYaterman , &c. After the Lodge had been duly opened, and theminutes of the last meeting read and confirmed , tho AV.JI. proceeded toread some documents and communications received from Grand Lodge,and called attention to the motion given notice of by Bro. Binckes,AA-hich, to somo estent, bore upon the motion given notice of for thisevening by Bro. Sherry.

Grand, Lodge and the Provinces.—Bro. C. Sherry, P.JI., then rose toaddress the Lodge in introducing the motion of which he had givennotice at the last meeting, and in the course of his preliminary remarks,he said most of the brethren present would remember AA'hat he hadadvanced upon this subject at former assemblies, and therefore there«-as no necessity for his going at any length into details upon the presentoccasion, especially as those brethren who might not have been presenthad the opportunity of reading the reports of their meetings in theMagazine. The motion of ivhich he had given notice for this eveningw-as as folloivs:—"That a memorial be presented to the Board ofGeneral Purposes, asking them to take into their consideration thepresent representation of provinc ial Jlasons in Grand Lodge, ivith aview of affordiu"- them a fair share in the election of all Boards con-nected w'ith the Order , and requesting them to bring the subject beforeGrand Lodge." Bro. Sherry proceeded to argue that it would be seen,on application to the Book of Constitutions, that the provincial Jlasonshad not that share (under present circumstances) in the representationof Grand Lodgo to which they were duly entitled. In the " Regulationsfor the Government of the Cra ft," (at p. 16), occurred the folloiving :—" The public interests of the fraternit y are managed by a generalrepresentation of all private Lodges on record , together Avith the GrandStewards of the year, and the present and past Grand Officers , and theGrand JIaster at their head. This colleetii-e body is styled the UnitedGrand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Jlasons of England , and itsmembers rank in the folloiA'ing order," &e. The Book of Constitutionsalso, in the course of its general directions , provides that the GrandJIaster and Grand Treasurer , the Board of General Purposes, theColonial Board, and the Committee of Benevolence, are to be annuall yelected by Grand Lodge, that is to say, by the AVorshipful JIasters, PastJIasters, and AVardens of every Lodge on the English register. Inpractice, hoivever, (said Bro. Sherry) these elections are really in thehands of those members of Grand Lodge (greatly predominating in theattendances) who happen to be resident in or near London, ivhilo thoseat a distance are, for the most part, precluded, by the expense of thejourney and the claims of their business occupations, from being presentin London and exercising their franchise. Under these circumstances avery great injustice is inflicted upon a large portion of the provincialJlasons, indeed, on all those whose homes are at any distance from themetropolis, who, nevertheless, aro so numerous as to constitute a vastmajority of the members of Grand Lodge, and from whom the greaterpart of its funds are derived. The consequence is, that the virtualcharge of the nuances of Grand Lodge is thus invested in the power andmanagement of those parties in Avhose appointment to office tho chiefcontributors to thoso finances have practicall y no voice. The onlymeans hy which this widely felt grievance eoiild be remedied , in bis(Bro. Sherry's) opinion , AA-as the issue of voting papers (hear, hear), tothe JIasters of all Lodges, to be filled up in open Lodge by those mem-bers entitled to vote, were they present in Grand Lodge ; and this inplace of obliging the said members to poll in London if they exercisetheir privilege at all. Then , and then only, the brethren of everyLodge Avould have the opportunity of exercising their full share in theelections , as provided they are entitled to in the " Book of Constitu-tions ," (p. 06, clause 24), where it says, " The majori ty of the membersof a Lodge, when congregated , have the privilege of giving instructionsto their Master , the immediate Past Masters and Wardens, before the

meeting of the Grand Lodge ; because such officers are their represen-tatives, aud are supposed to speak their sentiments." Having held thevieiA'S he had expressed upon the subject , he had lately made au appli-cation to the Grand Secretary iu Loudon , and that officer had kindlysent him doAA-n some particulars, ivhich showed the great distinguishabledifference in the attendance of the London and the provincial brethren atGrand Lodge during the last two years. The returns he had receivedgaA-e him fche folloAving details in this respect :—

No. of No, ofQuarterly Meetings, London Provincial Total.

Brethren Brethrenpresent. present.

1857—Jtme S 150 11 161September 2 191 7 198December 2 196 39 235

1858—March 3 178 42 220June 2 148 30 178September 1 104 11 115December 1 212 40 252

1859—Jlarch l 213 46 259June 1 130 42 172

Totals... 1522 268 1790These figures shoiA-ed that the attendance of London Jlasons had been

four fifths more than that of the provincial brethren. He thought itwas quite time something should be done to ensure to all an equal voiceunder equal opportunity of exercising it, such as vote, by proxy wouldcreate, and for tho purpose of bringing tbe question into the propercourse of discussion, ho had prepared the folloiving memorial, ivhich hewould read to the Lodge :—

"' To the Board of General Purposes,—" The memorial of the Worshipful JIaster, Pasfc JIasters, AVardens,

and brethren of the Lodge of (Economy, No. 90, in open Lodgeassembled,—•

" Showeth—That according to the Book of Constitutions, ' the publicinterest of the fraternity (of Free and Accepted Jlasons) are managed byn representation of all private Lodges on record,' with the addition of a(band JIaster, Gran d Officers , &e., and that this collective body is styled'The United Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons ofKugland.'

" The Quarterly Communications of Grand Lodge are held in London,where the general business of the society is transacted , and the variousHoards of Management are from time to t ime elected."That while in theory such representation is -'general,' ifc is proved iu

I 'l-aetico to bo only ' partial ;' the proportion of the London brethrenconstituting more than four fifths of tho total attendance.'¦' That this inequalit y arises from the difficulties caused by distancemid expense under winch tho members of country Lodges labour as com-pared with brethren resident in the metropolitan district.

"That though of late years these difficulties have been partially¦j bviated by the facilities afforded by extension of ra i hvay accommo-dation , yet the expenditure of timo and money still presents a seriousobstacle to such an attendance of provincial brethren as is desirable.

"'That various plans have been devised Avith a view to promote suchregular attendance, but the circumstances alluded to, and others whichway be adduced, have only been attended with limited success.

''_ That your memorialists are of opinion that in the election of therm-ious Boards of Management, some scheme should bo introduced bywliich the entire English Craft shall be fairly represented in Grandlodge. They would therefore humbl y suggest that 'voti ng by proxy '!,( - adopted." Your memorialists therefore respectfully urge upon yonr Worshipful

ward to take this subject into your consideration , and also to submitHie same to Grand Lodge. And your memorialists will ever pray, &c." Dated this 31st of August, 1859."Bro. Durant, P.JL, said he begged to second the motion, and he couldn''t conceive that any opposition could be offered to it either on the part

"' the M.AV. Grand JIaster or any of his officers. He thought the"tentorial was worded in such respectful terms thafc they could not take"mbrage at it; and more than that, he fancied they ivould be glad to"We the opinions of more of their brother Jlasons from the country ,under the means proposed, to share in the management of the affairs ofJe Craft. He thought the memorial , ivith any little clerical erro r tha fc'"ay lie apparent, corrected , should be sent to the Board to which it was"'dressed.

kro. F. La Croix, S.AV., asked IIOAV proxy napers would be managed,apposing tiie system were adop ted 1 'ihe AVorshipful Master said, in ease the idea was received and adopted ,

'lin m imS o£ ;t Avould not be difficult under the superintendence of"o orheei-3 duly appointed to the task._ ro. Sherry said when they went to London under (he present system,

V n ? Wei'° pufc int° theil' llands ,vith , :erti""a names on them. They inmerTirSter

•Could ]'eoommend imy one of themselves for instance. Eachabol rt Totlng, lll the oloctions soratolled out a" the nominated namesn- t&e nu mber for election , leaving the fourteen he individually au

proved of for office. They might have proxy papers sent down uponthe same principle. He certainly did not Avish to assume to himself theprescribing of any exact rule, but (as in the wording of the memorial hehad sought to express) he wished to have some system adopted underwhich proxy votes could be received in London from provincial members;and at fche same time the metropolitan members of Grand Lodge couldexercise the same privilege.

Bro. Oakshott, P.JL, said he must confess that he fully concurred iuthe motion then before the Lodge. He did really consider that—extend-ing as the body w-as every year—it AA'as absolutely necessary every membershould have a voice in the affairs of. Grand Lodge as far as possibly couldbo managed ivith fairness, and he could not conceive any measure bettorcalculated for that purpose than the one suggested in the memorial. Ifcwas throughout most respectfully worded, and offence could not betaken with it; at 'least if such a tiling should arise there would be noreason for it. All the provincial Jlasons wanted was a fair share in thodoings of Grand Lodge, and they were not asking too much when theydemanded it, when it was considered what heavy expense and incon-venience they were put to to be present at the time of Lodge meeting,compared to the advantage of metropolitan members. They thoughttho best and fairest possible means for putting all on an equality was,the alloAving country Masons to vote by proxy. AATien they asked forthat they were only asking for what they had a perfect right to expect.Since they sent a large sum of money every year towards tho generalfund they had a right to ask how it was expended , as well as to have avote in its outlay. It ivas the case with subscribers to any public insti-tution to have a vote regarding the general expenditure, and they, inthe same way, had a right to join iu the regulation of the JIasonic dis-bursements. He was very much pleased to see Bro. Sherry take somuch trouble and shoiv\so much energy in regard to the affair; hesincerely hoped the subjecYwould'be met in a proper spirit by GrandLodge, and he trusted that body would say all had a right to vote byproxy.

Bro. La Croix, S.AV., called attention to what he thought must be aclerical error iu the memorial. He alluded to the word " universal."

The AVorshipful JIaster remarked that ifc would be necessary forbrethren to confine their observations strictly to the matter before theLodge. The memorial referred to members of Grand Lodge voting byproxy in the election of the'Boards of Jlaiiagement.

Bro. Russ, P.JL, also observed upon the wording of the memorial.Ho supposed ifc ivas intended to ask for the privilege of voting either bypersonal attendance or by proxy.

The Worshipful Master explained that there was merely a slight erroriu the transcription of the memorial.

Bro. Jacob, P.JL, observed that the system of voting by proxy wasalread y adopted in tho election of recipients of the charity benefits , abranch of their affairs ivhich comman ded a great deal of interest. Byadopting the prayer of the memorial he thought a good deal more unionand fellow feeling ivould bo observable.

Bro. La Croix also thought it would tend in every way to raise theinterest felt in the affairs of the Craft and increase their numbers.

Bro. Smith asked whether, if. the question were brought before theGrand Lodgo, some plan should afc the same time be suggested or specifiedfor carry ing their idea into practice. He thought that would be betterthan merely expressing a wish to have a change, and leaving what theymeant indeliuitelv stated. The distribution and collection of the proxieswould require arrangement.

Bro. Jacob said every Lodgo being responsible for itself , no difficultywould be experienced in that respect.

Bro. Everett, P.JL , thought there could be no objection to the ivay inAvhich the subject had been brought forward. For five or six years pasta great deal of litigation and party feeling had exhibited itself in G randLodge, and there had been much more bitter feeling and animosity thanthere ought to have been. Out of good never cometh evil , It ivas fre-quentl y said, but a great deal of evil arose out of the objectionable exhi-bitions sometimes taking place at Grand Lodge. He did not think thafcthe creation of such ill feeling and animosity had any thing to do withthe manner in which Freemasonry was intended to bo carried out, andthe sooner all jealousy was got rid of the better.

Bro. Sherry then briefly replied. He said ho ivas exceedingly glad tofind such a largo number of P. JIs. present that evening, showing, as ifcdid, the interest Avith which they looked upon tho subject named in thenotice paper calling them together. He believed there were more pre-sent that evening than there had been for some months. He would addjust one word in respect to an observation thafc had fallen from. Bro.Smith, to the effect that some definite scheme should bo sent up foradoption. Perhaps it might bo forgotten that the Board of GeneralPurposes performed the duty of framing all law's for the Order. As heproposed in the memorial he had that evening submitted to the Lodge,tlie best plan was to call upon the Board to introduce somo schemethemselves, that should recognize the principle recommended. Theydid not intend ,to memorialize Grand Lodge, but the Board of GeneralPurposes, that the latter in due course mighfc recommend to GrandLodgo to take the subject into consideration. He thought it ivould betoo dictatorial to send up their OAVU definition of the scheme to beadopted.

The observations made by Bro. Sherry ivere very generall y approvedand supported by the ivhole body of tho Lodge.

The Worshipful Master observed that the best thanks of the brethren

of the Lodge AA-ere due to Bro. Sherry for fche indefatigable zeal he hadshoAvn and the trouble he had bestowed in getting up information forthe introduction of so important a subject. The AVorshipful Master alsoproceeded to remark that that mighty engine " the Press;" he alluded,of course, more particularly to their OAVU Magazine (hear, hear), wouldcontinue to stimulate the brethren not only of the Province of Hampshire,bufc of the provinces generally, to come forward as one man and asserttheir claims to a fair representation in the election of the various Boardsappointed by the Grand Lodge. The AVorshipful JIaster concluded byputtiiig the motion to the meeting, expressing how satisfactory ifc wouldbe for him to soe it adop ted unanimously and the memorial signed byall present in open Lodge.

The motion w-as carried nam. con., and the memorial signed accordinglyby the folloiA'iug members then present :—Bros. J. L. Hasleham, AA'.JI. ;Charles Sherry, P.JL ; George Durant, P.JL ; John Naish , P.M. ; AVm.CoAven , P.JI. ; George P. Jacob, P.JL ; AVilliam Russ, P.JI. ; Samuel R.Everitt, P.JL ; Geo. Oakshott, P.JL, J.AV. ;»-o tern- .; Fred. La Croix , S.W.;John Henry Elson ; Henry Butcher ; Henry Huggins, Prov. G. See. ;J. Waterman; Alfred Smith ; Isaac Snary; AA'illiam John Gerrard :James Withers, P.JL A motion was then carried , admitting Bro. HarryGrant as a joining member of the Lodge, the general feeling of the mem-bers being gratefully expressed for the long and valuable servicesrendered to the Lodge by that brother. The Lodge AA-as then dulyclosed, and the brethren adjourned for refreshment and spent an hour orso in that unity and concord for which the Lodge is so eminentlyconspicuous.

NORTH AJIPTONS HIRE.

PETER BORO UGH.—St. Peter 's Lodge. (No. 646).—The Lodge was heldas usual on Thursday last, the 1st of September. Bro. George Cattel,AAr.JL, in the chair, a great many other brethren being present. Theminutes of the previous Lodge being read and confirmed , a ballot wastaken for Bro. AA'illiam AVells as a joining member, he having beeninitiated in the Lodge of Coreyra, at Corfu; he w-as unanimouslyaccepted. The AAr.JI. passed Bro. AVells, ivho had previously taken thefirst degree, fco the second degree, and also explained the second tracingboard. The Lodge was honoured ivith the presence of a brother of thecandidate, Bro. Capt. Grenville AVells. There being no other businessbefore the Lodge, it was closed in due form, and the brethren adjournedto refreshment and spent the evening very agreeably.

SUSSEX.PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE.

THE annual Provincial Grand Lodge was held in fche NOAV Music Hall,Hastings, on Friday, Sept. 2nd. Bro. G. C. Dalbiac, R.AV.D. PI-OA-. G.JI.,presided, supported by Bros. Cordy, P. Prov. S.G.AV., as D.G.M. ; Bacon ,Prov. S.G.AV.; Powell, Prov. J.G.AV.; Fermor, P. Prov. S.G.AV. ; Arerrall ,Prov. G. Treas. ; Gavin Pocock, G.S.B., Prov. G. Sec. ; AVood, Prov.S.G.D. ; Woolven , Prov. J.G.D. ; Bannister, P. Prov. S.G.D.; E. Scott,Prov. G. Supt. of AVorks. ; J. Fabian , P. Prov. G. Supt. of Works ;Schilling, Prov. G. Dir. of Cers. ; AVellerd , Prov. Assist. G. Dir. ofCers.; Smithers, P. Prov. G. Dii-.of Cers.; Boivmer, Prov. G.S.B.; Stuckcy,P. Prov. G.S.B. ; Kuhe, Prov. G. Org. ; Butcher, Prov. G. Purst. ;Burchell and Collins, Steivards ; fche AV. JIasters, P. Masters, Wardens,and about seventy brethren. Amongst fche visitors were Bros. J.Symonds, P.JI. 21, and member of the Board of General Purposes ; andBro. H. G. AVarren , Past G. Steward, &o.

The Prov. Grand Lodge was opened afc three o'clock. On the lists ofthe Lodges being called over it was found that all excepting No. 878,Littlehampton, were represented. The minutes of the last Prov. G.Lodge were read and confirmed. A most favourable report ivas readfrom the Finance Committee, showing a balance of ,i'S5 19s. f id . in hand.Bro. AV. Verrall was unanimously re-elected Treasurer. Tho Prov. G.See. read a statement prepared from the returns, shelving the progress ofFreemasonry in Sussex during the year ending June 1859.

The Deputy Provincial Grand JIaster thus addressed the ProvincialGrand Lodge :—

"Brethren, it is noiv my pleasing duty to offer to the officers of thepasfc year ray grateful thanks for the efficient support ivith which theyhave enabled me to conduct the duties of the province, and for tho zealAA-hich has characterized their efforts to maintain in every instance ourancient landmarks, the interests of the Craft in general, and of this Pro-vincial Grand Lodge in particular. I believe this to be a fitting oppor-tunity, without detaining you long, to take a slight review of the pastyear in order that the brethren may be full y acquainted with tho man-ner in which the executive have performed the trust reposed in them,and also to recall any particular incidents that have occurred since welast met, and to mention one or two subjects I Avish to impress uponJIasters of Lodges and upon the breth ren generally. These and a feivstatistical facts, comparing the funds and our present numbers in theprovince Avith those of the year 1855 (the year immediately succeedingonr resuscitation as a Provincial Grand Lodge), will, I feel satisfied , beacceptable to the brethren , as manifesting the steady progress Free-masonry is making amongst us, and proving that the officers of the lastyear have acted Avith that zeal transmitted to them by those worth yPast Provincial officers who have set them so bright an example, manyof whom I delight in seeing here to-day : and more particularly that thebrethren may know how the finance lias been looked after , the funds

applied and the great objects of Freemasonry always borne in nihiil.This is only our fifth annual meeting since the re-organization of theProvincial Grand Lodge. The first returns in 1854, shoiv a total of 19!)members ; by the returns up to Juno 30th of this year, we have 329 sub-scribing members. In 1855 there were fifteen initiations, in this yearthirty. In 1855 the quarterage, &c, amounted to £23 14s. Gd. ; in this yearto £40 12s. 6rf. Iu 1855 your balance was a nominal one, as the n-hole ofthe Provincial Grand Lodge regalia was not paid for till ISoG, when Iperceive there w-as £3 15s. 11<?. in hand. You have IIOAV a balance inthe ProA'. G. Treasurer's hands of £85 19s. 5d., and at the end of ournext year I feel j ustified iu stating that it will amount to £100. In1856 you were enabled to vote fifteen guineas to the JIasoniccharities—in 1857 ten guineas—in 1858 tiventy pounds, and there isnotice of motion for a similar sum to be voted this day, amounting-altogeth er to £66 5s. in the four years. By a strict regard to economy,the total expenses of management (exclusive of insurance and Tyler)has averaged £4 16s. Gd. per annum. This statement ivill, 1 am sure,convince the brethren hoAV much is due to the Finance Committeefor their very able management, but more especially to fche valuableand earnest services of our esteemed Prov. G. Sec. and Prov. G.Treas., to the latter for his care of our exchequer, and to the formerfor devoting so much valuable time to our interests, conducting ourcorrespondence so ably, and bestowing such care ou the regalia, &c.(IIOAV the paid property of the Prov. Grand Lodge, AA'hich may be esti-mated at a value above one hundred guineas); and it is with the highestgratification I am enabled in Prov. Grand Lodge to tell Bro. Gavin E.Pocock how much satisfaction we all feel that his usefulness has beenrecognized and reii-arcled by the JLAA7. Grand JIaster of England, andthat by his presence Ave are honoured by the attendance of an officer ofthe Grand Lodge of England. I am indeed proud of the position I holdin this province, for in my visits to the several Lodges and my inter-course with the brethren , I have seen nothing but excellent working,harmony, and good feeling prevailing amongst all, an earnest wish tocarry out the principles of our Order in accordance with the Book ofConstitutions and iu strict allegiance to our most respected andJI.AV.G.JI. Lord Zetland , a nobleman who presides over JIasonry withthe hearty good wishes of all Sussex Freemasons, and who I feel con-vinced may count on the cordial support of this province should factionever assail him. (JIuch applause). I will now remark on one or tivopoints which I trust the JIasters of Lodges and the brethren generallywill bear in mind, especially as they are subjects clearly enjoined in theBook of Constitutions, and the infringement of them has on more thanone occasion been brought before the Board of General Purposes.Lodges of Emergency should rarely be called—nothing but a sheer ne-cessity can warrant them. I ivould beg to refer AV.Jls. to pages SO and83 of the last edition of the Book of Constitutions relating to the exami-nation of candidates prior to passing and raising. They must rep lycorrectly and audibly, so that every brother may hear; the AVorshipfulJIaster should not be satisfied with the Deacon putting the words intotheir mouths, but the candidates should themselves bo perfect in Un-required replies; the same remarks apply to thoir answers to the AVardens ,which should be given distinctly aud audibly. The clothing of the breth-ren must be strictly in accordance with the Book of Constitutions, andthe AVorship ful JIaster of each Lodge is responsible for the observancethereof. This rule has been ever adhered to in Sussex, but some Lodge;in England having lately been called to account for a deviation therefrom ,is my reason for mentioning it. I would also caution JIasters of Lodgeswith reference to mendicants ; I am grieved to say that many uiiAvortliyJlasons from all parts make ifc their business to travel the countrymerely to impose upon the charity of the univary, and as soon as eachneiv JIaster is appointed , to make him their prey. A little caution onthis head ivill prevent much imposition and preserve the charitable fundsfor the deserving and real ly need y brothers. In Starch last I was neces-sitated to report to Grand Lodge the Howard Lodge, No. 64, and theMariners' Lodge, No. S7S, for non-payment of arrears ; I am happy b>say No. 64 has since adjusted all claims; through the exertions of kindbrethren over zealous in our cause, that Lodge starts afresh under veryfavourable circumstances—may it flourish aud prosper long in the conn try.I regret to say No. 878 has made no arrangement for the settlement ofarrears, aud the case will ccme before the Grand Lodge on AVednesd aynext. A petition for a fourth Lodge to bo held in Brighton , at therequest of certain brethren , AVUS forivarded by me to the Grand JIasterduring the present year : Avithout a decided opposition to the prayer ofthe petition I did not feel justified in according to it that warm andcordial support I otherwise should have done, from a feeling that thetime was premature for such an application. I can assure the brethrenwhoso names were appended to it, thafc as I find our numbers increaseand our influence extend, I shall feel it a duty as Avell as a pleasure toco-operate with them , and Avill give my support and recommendationfor the formation of additional Lodges either in Brighton or any othertoAvn of the province, if I see it to be the wish of the brethren and amconvinced ifc is for the good of the Craft in the locality from whence thepetition emanates. I understand that petitions from several of our in-creasing populated coast towns will very probabl y, ere long, be sent tome, to all of which I shall give my very best attention. In conclusionI will allude to a painful occurrence , but one which must be continuallybefalling us—our respected Bro. Benjamin Arallance has passed from ns.Our beloved brother was amongst the first of the Prov. Grand Officers atour re-organization in 185-1, and a P.M. of No. 338, He ivas appoint™

Senior Grand Warden, and although then in declining health, he exertedhimself greatly to our benefit, and I am sure every one here will uniteAvith me in bearing testimony to his worth as a man and a Freemason ,and confirm my statement of IIOAV much we esteemed him while living,and how' much we IIOAV mourn his loss. To each and all of you, mybrethren , my best thanks are due, and I entreat you to believe me trulygrateful for your co-operation and assistance in bring ing the ProvincialGrand Lodge of Sussex to the state of prosperity which ifc noiv possesses,and Avhich I sincerely trust it may long enjoy.

The following brethren were then appointed and invested ProvincialGrand Officers for the year ensuing :—Bros. Powell , (No. 45), Prov..S.G.AV.; Bannister, (No. 47), Prov. J.G.AV. ; Tayler, (No. 338), Prov.(!. Chaplain; Henry Verrall , re-anpointed Prov. G. Ecg. ; Gavin Pocock,G.S.B., re-appointed Prov. G. Sec; I. Scott, (No. 338), Prov. S.G.D.;Alolesivorth , (No. 45), Prov. J.G.D.; Freeman, (Nos. 394, 1034), Prov.G. Supt. of AVorks ; AVellerd , (No. 47), Prov. G. Dir. of Cars.; Jtoppett ,(No. 39-1), Prov. Assist. G. Dir. of Cers.; Tasker, (No. 394), Prov.G.S.B. ; Kuh o, (No. 338), re-appointed Prov. G, Org. : Smith, (No. 45),l'rov. G. Purs. ; Ambrosoni , (No. 1034), Howell , (No. 47), Cottell ,(No. 45), and Chittenden , (Nos. 338 and 390), Prov. G. Stewards ;Ancoek , Prov. G. Tylcr.

The report on provincial organization , to promote the interests of theJIasonic Schools, AA-as taken as read.

Bro. John H. Scott, Prov. S.G .D., said—R.AV.D. Prov. Grand JIaster,with your permission I have a resolution to propose with regard to thereport for the JIasonic Schools. Those who have read that report willJind that; a circumstance is brought to the know-ledge of country bre threnwith ivhich I believe thoy have hitherto been unacquainted. It is thatthe application for admission into these schools from the provinces farexceeds the support which the provinces give to the schools. NOAV Iam quite sure that ifc is only necessary to bring this fact to thenotice and consideration of provincial brethren to induce them to exertthemselves to the utmost to alter a state of things AA-hich if alloived tocontinue , will be a blot upon their generosity as men aud their profes-sion as Jlasons. I do not know that Ave of this province have much toreproach ourselves with on this score. During tho short time this Pro-vincial Lodge has been resuscitated it has contributed largely to theuliaritics—several private Lodges also subscribe liberally; but still wemight do more. Wo have done well collectively—let us individual lystrive to do what AVC can to support so good a cause. I think it wouldhe very desirable if each Lod ge ivould annually appoint a charitysteward and member for the charities , whose business it should be tosolicit donations and subscriptions from the brethren of his Lodge.Wo all know- that there arc many brethren AVIIO would willingly sub-scribe if solicited , but w-ho, for want of solicitation , never bestow athought upon the matter, and the charities consequently lose theirassistance. There are many brethren who, thoug h thoy cannot affordto give a guinea to each of the JIasonic charities, would gladly give fiveshillings to one, if not to all. This is a trilling sum iu itself , lint it soonswells to a largo amount w-hen multi plied. I Avill not now- detain thismeeting ivith a detailed plan how this charity steward should carry onhis operations—that had far better be left to the decision of each Lodgolor itsolf—but will simply move that the following resolution bo sent toeach Lodgo in the province as a recommendation from this ProviucialGrand Lod ge :—

" That hi order to promote tho interests of the four JIasonic charities,the members of each Lodge iu this province be recommended to electannuall y, ou the night of installation of the AVorshipful JIaster, its' member for the charities,' ivho shall solicit donations and annual sub-scriptions from the members of his Lodge, distribute amongst themcopies of the rules and regulations , afford or obtain information , and"resent to his Lodge a report of his labours at the expiration of his veari'f office. "

. Uro. AVood , P. Prov. S.G.D., stated that he had the greatest pleasure'" seconding so admirable a proposition. He entirely concurred in what™l fallen fro m Bro. Scott with regard, to how much good might bo"fleeted by individual exertion , and adduced the large sums subscribed to'ne Boys School and the Royal Institution when he served as Stewardtu SIIOAV that the brethren need onl y be asked to ensure their sub-scribing liberally to the charities.. Bro. Symoiid having briefl y explained the objects of the CommitteeHi bringing the matter under the notice of the Prov. Grand Lodges, the¦'solution AA-as unanimously carried.

^ The R.AV.D. Prov. G.JI. proposed, and Bro. Cordy, P. Prov. S.G.AV.,

ponded, « That this Provincial Grand Lodge shall meet annuall y inhe month of August or September, instead of September or October. "C arried unanimously.S'O. Gavin Pocock proposed , and Bro. Tayler, Prov. G. Chaplain ,seconded , '• That tivo governorships for fifteen years in the Royal JIasonic

fiievolent Institution for aged Freemasons and their widows be pur-lin « ll0m tlle fum's oi tllis 1>1"ovinciil l Grand Lodge at a cost of £20,j -mt that the privileges of one lie given to the AV. JIaster (for the timeW \ r °! th° Koyal CI''m'1K;c Ll»il^e- N"o. 338, and of the other to fche

• JIaster for the time being of the South Saxon Lodge, No. 390."Ul"'ied unanimousl y,br fh° SUm oi £1(> was unanimously voted to the family of a deceasedother, who was initiated iu the vear 1801, and who had recently died ,•a the age 0f 8S_ J >

Ihe D. Prov. Grand Master announced that the next annual meeting

of the Prov. Grand Lodge would be held at Brighton. The Prov. GrandLodge AA-as closed in antient aud solemn form.

THE BANQUET .

The brethren afterwards re-assembled afc the SiA'an Hotel, where avery elegant dinner was served, under the presidency of the R.AV.D.ProA'. Grand JIaster, supported hy about seventy of the brethren.

On the removal of the cloth the health of Her JIajesty was drunk andcordially responded fco.

The R.AV.D. Prov. Grand Master said that the next toast to ivhich hehad to call their attention was, " The health of the Earl of Zetland ,JLAV. Grand JIaster of England ," a nobleman ivho had proved himselfevery Ai-ay worthy to fill the high position to which he had been called ;and who, when unwarrantably assailed in his office had, by his dignifiedand candid behaviour, not only vindicated his position but SIIOAA'II him-self worthy of the respect aud esteem of the brethren . (Applause).

The R.AV.D. Prov. Grand JIaster next said, that if the JLAV. GrandJIaster had proved himsel f worth y of their esteem and regard, so alsohad the Deputy Grand JIaster, Lord Panmure. That n oble lord , thoughhe had only for a short time taken an active part iu Grand Lodge, hadproved himself a worthy follower in the footsteps of the Earl of Zetland ,and AA-as universally respected. In proposing the health of that noblelord , ho should couple with the toast " The Past and Presen t GrandOfficers ," and ho was sure the toast would lose none of its value fromthe fact that it included their worthy Prov. G. Sec, Bro. Pocock. (Cheers).All who had any knowledge of Bro. Pocock would rejoice afc his havingbecome an officer of the Grand Lodge of England , feeling assured thathe ivould always do justice to any position to which he might be called.(Cheers). ~\s

Bro. Pocock, G.S.B., assured the) R.AV.D. Prov. Grand JIaster and thobrethren that he deeplyfelt the compliment paid him in having hisname associated ivith so distinguished a toast. He felt assured that theDeputy Grand JIaster, the Board of General Purposes, and tho GrandOfficers AA-erc actuated by but one desire, th at of rendering the greatestpossible benefit to the Craft ; and ifc was their wish that the JIasters,Past JIasters, and Wardens of the various Lodges throughout the country,should atten d to their duties in Grand Lodge aud judge for themselveson the questions brought forward for the government of the Craft. Formany years the country brethren had not taken that active part in thomanagement of the Craft that they should do, but he felt assured thatno parties would feel more delighted at their doing so than the GrandOfficers. He thanked them for the kind manner in which they hadreceived the toast, and he could assure them that when he received theunexpected honour of being appointed to Grand Office he regarded itnot as a compliment paid to himsel f, but to the province of Suffolk , ofwhich it was his greatest pride to be an officer. (Applause). Ho had toexpress his obligations to the Lodges in tho province, all of whom hadcongratulated him on his appointment to office in Grand Lodge, andwh ich he believed was generally approved by his brethren. He thoughtit a high compliment to tho province that after the Prov." Grand Lodgehad laid dormant for tiventy-seveu years ifc should so rapidly have growninto importance that one of the humblest of its officers should have hadthe honour of Grand Office conferred upon him. So long as it shouldplease the right Avorshi pful brother who presided over the province, tohonour him with his confidence, he would do his best to promote theinterests of the Craft in the province , but if at any time the D. Prov.Grand JIaster could find a brother Avhom he thought would better servethe province as Prov. Grand Secretary, he would most cheerfully retire.He begged them to accept his best thanks not only for the receptionthey had given him thafc evening, but upon every occasion when he hadhad the honour to meet them. (Applause).

The R.AV.D. Prov. Grand JIaster had HOAV to propose to them the healthof his grace the Duke of Richmond, Prov. G.JI. for Sussex. Althoughhis grace did not IIOAV take an active part in JIasonry, he AA-as assuredthat there was no assembly in tho oounty of Sussex, whether he ivas re-garded as a soldier , as an agriculturist , as a landlord , or a JIason , inAvhich his health ivould not be responded to with the greatest enthu-siasm. (Cheers.) He felt assured, indeed , that if his grace were to per-ceive that the officers to whom he had intrusted the charge of Freemasonryiu the province did not do their duty he would soon bestir himself andevince to the brethren that he still took great interest in the prosperityof the Craft. (Applause.)

Bro. Verrall , Prov. G. Treas., said, that as senior officer of theprovince , a most pleasing duty had devolved upon him, that of pro-posing a toast, ivhich he knew ivould be acceptable to every brotherpresen t, the health of their R.AV.D. Prov. G. JIaster. (Loud cheers,)His indefatigable exertions on behalf of the Craft could not be properlyappreciated by those who only saAv their R.AA''. brother in public, as itAvas not then thafc they could see the anxiety which ho evinced for thewelfare of every Lodge in the province , and IIOAV careful he was as anindividual in the performance of the duties which devolved upon him.Those who had attended the quarterly communications in GrandLodge were aware I IOAV closely their Ji. AV. broth er attended to his dutiesin that assembly: and it gave him the greatest pleasure to propose thehealth of the D" Prov. Grand JIaster , assuring him IIOAV del ighted theywere all times to meet him iu the various Lodges of. the province.(Cheers.)

The R.AV.D. Prov. Grand Master assured the brethren that he nevermore deeply felt the want of the gift of eloquence than upon thy

present occasion , being wholly unable efficientl y to express his deepobligations for the maimer in which his health had been proposed andreceived. Ho could assure the brethren, hoivever, thafc no personcould take a deeper interest in the prosperity of the Craft than himself ;and if he kiioiv of any brother whom he thought could better serve theprovince than himself, he ivould at once resign his office , honourable ashe felt it to be, into his hands. (No, no). He thanked Bro. Verrall forso kindly proposing the toast, and the breth ren for so cheerfully re-sponding to it. He would noiv ask them to fill a glass to the health ofthe visitors who had honoured them with their presence that day, andwith that toast he Avould couple the names of Bro. Symonds, a member ofthe Board of General Purposes, and Bro.AVarrcn. He had not enjoyed thepleasure of Bro. Symonds's acquaintance until that day, but his exertionsin the cause of JIasonry and in furtherance of the excellent charitieswere not unknown to the brethren, and he was sure would ever securehim a cordial Avelcome amongst them. (Cheers.) Bro. AVarren was,he believed , well knoAvn to them all by his connection with the Free-masons' Magazine. (Cheers.) He could assure that brother that thearticles in the Magazine were read with the greatest interest, and dulyappreciated in the jirovinee of Susses, where the brethren fully acknoAv-ledged the utility and importance of the publication. (Cheers.) Hehoped that the Magazin e ivould continue to receive increased andincreasing support, so as to fully remunerate the brethren connectedwith it for their exertions. He further assured Bros. Symonds andAVarren they should be happy to again welcome them in Sussex withany friends ivho might accompany them. (Applause.)

Bro. Symonds thanked the R.AAT.D. Prov. Grand JIaster and thebrethren for the great kindness which had been extended to him, andespecially for the reception given to the report of tho committee on thecharities, ivhich bore the names of himself and Bro. Lyall. JIasonry hadbeen defined as consisting of chari ty, but he thought it might be morestrictly defined as sympathy, for whilst they met together upon occasionslike this and sympathized in each others' enjoyment, so also did thoy notforget the wants of their poorer brethren . This ii'as only the secondvisit that he had paid to a JIasonic Lodge in Sussex, his former visitbeing to tho DerAVcut Lodge, Avhen though a perfect stranger amongstthem, he received a most fraternal and hospitable reception , for ivhichhe had to tender them his most grateful thanks. He had entered uponthe investigation with regard to the charities, under the conviction thattheir action was not properly understood by the brethren , and ho hada remarkable proof that he was right in his opinion—the D. Prov. GrandJIaster of AVest Yorkshire writing to inform him that prior to the pub-lication of the report he was under the conviction thafc the children ofLondon brethren had the largest share of tho benefits arising from theschools ; he was now however convinced to the contrary, aud forwarded£20 ns a donation to thoir funds. (Cheers) . Ho thanked fche brethrenof Sussex for appointing a committee to aid the charities, and observedthat he should have wished to have included the Benevolent Institutionfor Aged Masons and their AVidows in the report, but had no auth orityto do so; though he felt that that institution AA-as deserving of thewidest support. He again thanked the .R.AV.D. Prov. Grand JIaster andthe brethren for the compliments paid him , and assured them that hehad been extremely gratified at observing the harmony and good feelingprevailing in the province. (Applause) .

Bro. 11. G. AVarren thanked the it.AAr .D. Prov. Grand JIaster for thecompliment paid through him to the Freemasons ' Magazine. He AA'assure the managers ivould fully appreciate that compliment ; aud whenthe D. Prov. Grand Mister stated that the utility of the Magazine waswell understood and appreciated in Sussex , he (Bro. AVarren) felt it to bono idle compliment, as he was bound to state that ivere every provinceto send thorn an equal number of subscribers in proportion to theirLodges, the Frecmattms' Magazine would be indeed a thriving andvaluable property. (Cheers) . Ho could assure them that no effortsivould lie spared to ensure a continuance of tho good opinion of thebrethren—and that there was no part of their labours in ivhich themanagers took greater delight than in bringing tho claims of the cha-rities to support prominently before the brethren. In the name ofhimself and other visitors standing around him, he thanked them forthe maimer in which the toast had been proposed and received , assuringthem that they had felt the greatest pleasure from their visit, AA'hichthey would be happy to have the opportunity of rcneiving. (Applause).

Bro. Symonds had obtained permission to propose a toast Avhich hehad great gratification in offering to their notice—"Prosperity to theProvincial Grand Lodge of Sussex." It w-as almost supererogatory topropose that toast after tho gratif ying statement of the I). Prov. GrandJIaster that day, and wliich he had listened to Avith the greatest atten-tion ; aud which would do much to stimulate other provinces to exertionwhen brought under their notice, as he had no doub t it would be inthe pages of the Magazine conducted by Bro. AVarren. (Hear). Hefel t that much of their success was dependent upon having an excellentand efficient D. Prov. Grand JIaster—an excellent Grand Treasurer, andmost indefatigable Grand Secretary. These combined ivould be sure tocommand success—and therefore it was that he had peculiar pleasure inproposing "Prosperity to the province of Sussex." (Hear ,hear).

The R.AV.D. Prov. Grand JIaster next rose to propose "The health ofthe Prov. Grand AVardens, Bros. Powell and Banister," who might besaid to represent the eastern and western divisions of the province.Bro. Powell had so well filled the duties of Prov. J. Grand Warden ,that there could be no doubt as to his fitness for the duties of the higher

office, which he ivas sure ho Avould most efficiently carry out. Bro,Banister was an old JIason, to whom he paid no compliment in sayiuohe was well knoivn throughout the province. The fact that he hadfilled the office of JIaster of his Lodge four times in a period of ten oieleven years, and on the last occasion afc great inconvenience when be.was suffering from ill health, was a sufficient proof of the interest h0took in the Craft. He was glad to see him in improved health to-day,and hoping he might long continue so, was sure the brethren wouldcordially join him in the toast. (Cheers) .

Bro. PoAA-ell, Prov. S.G.W., had great pleasure and gratification hiacknoAvledging the highly complimentary manner in which the toast hadbeen proposed and responded to. Both himself and brother Warden full yappreciated the high honour conferred upon them, and if the love otJIasonry were not sufficient to induce them to endeavour efficientl y u>discharge their duties, the l-ei-y handsome maimer iu which the D. Proi-.Grand JIaster had conferred their offices upon them would be more thansufficient to do so. (Applause).

The R.AV.D. Prov. Grand JIaster said tho next toast on his list was,"The health of the Prov. Grand Officers, Past and Present." He Wasdeeply indebted to the Past Grand Officers for the manner in whichthey had performed their duties, and he felt the utmost confidence thatthose appointed that day would discharge their duties so as equally tomerit the approval of himself and the brethren. He ivould, with thetoast, couple the health of Bro. John Scott, AV.M. of No. 338. (Cheers).

Bro. John Scott had been so taken hy surprise in having his namecoupled ivith the last toast, that ho felt altogether unable to address theR.AAr.D. Prov. Grand JIaster and the brethren in the manner he shouldhave wished to do had he known that he should have the honour otbeing called upon to respond to a toast. As time pressed, however , heneed not occupy them at any leng th in assuring them that the Prov.Grand Ofiicers duly appreciated the honour w-hieh had been conferredupon them, and that the officers of this year were fully determined toperform their duty so as to emulate thoso who had preceded them, andmerit the approbation of their excellent I). Prov. Grand JIaster whenthey retired from office. (Cheers).

The R.AV.D. Prov. Grand JIaster next gave "The health of the Master-and AVardens of the various Lodges present."

Bro. Banister, Prov. J.G.AV. and AV.JI., No. 47 (Denvent, Hastings),acknowled ged the toast, and said that although he had been a JIasonfor twenty-three years, he had never attended Grand Lod ge until thelast occasion, when he heard a discussion which he deeply deplored ,but whenever he ivas required to support order and decorum he shouldbe happy to go again. AVith regard to the charities, he felt they AVCI - Hall highly deserving of support , and was glad that a movement had beenmade, which he trusted would have the effect of increasing their use-fulness and adding to their prosperity. (Hear , hear).

Bro. AVilson , AA'.JI., No. 04 (Hoivard , Arundel), felt he ought to besatisfied with the eloquent response of the brother ivho had justaddressed them , Avere it not that No. 64 had been but recently resusci-tated, aud ho felt most deeply tho kind reception be had that day metwith after having been almost dead to JIasonry for a period of tivenfyor thirty years. He was deeply indebted to the Prov. Grand Secretaryand other brethren for the kind assistance they had given in resuscitat-ing that Lodge, and thereby restoring him to the Craft. He AA'as anold man , liaving been nearl y fifty years a JIason , and though from cir-cumstances, and his Lodge being dormant , he had been for sonic timeseparated from the Craft , he had always taken the greatest interest inits prosperity, as shown by tho fact that he had attended the Prov-Grand Lodge on its resuscitation at .Brighton six or seven years since ,and had been present afc each subsequent meeting. He was proud tesec the Craft in the province so worthily presided over , and ho trustedthat thoir D. Prov. Grand JIaster might long bo spared to bind tbebrethren together in the bonds of friendship and brotherl y IOAT .(Cheers) .

Bro. Hovrell , J.AV. of No. 47 , said he had heard a great deal sniilabout the necessity of tho country brethren attending Grand Lodge,He had done so upon the last occasion , and heard language used which ,were he to come back and report in tiie province of Sussex, ivould notgive them any very exalted idea of the manner in AA-hich the businessAA'IIS conducted. To speak plainly, they must not go to Grand Lodge tolearn manners (laughter), and he for one should not care to visit itagain. (Laughter.)

Bro. Verrall, Prov. G. Treas., could not let the observation of thebrother who had just spoken pass lA'ithout explanation. He stated thatthey "must not go to Grand Lodge to learn manners." That might betrue; but he (Bro. Verrall) would go to assist in restoring order andputting down such scenes as those to which Bro. Hoivell had alluded',(Cheers) . That he looked upon as the duty of all good Jlasons, and , i>their brethren were in the wrong, they should remonstrate with themon their errors, and endeavour to restore unity and brotherly lovoamong them. (Cheers).

The health of the Stewards, with thanks to them for their ant ing; 'ments for the comfort of the brethren , was then drunk ; and, the Tyler '-4toast having been duly honoured , the company separated at an cai'b'hour, fche evening's amusement having been enlivened by some cxcelh'i1'singing from various brethren ,

linicmos.—Soyal York Lodge (No. 39-1).—The regular mouth')'meeting of this Lodge was held at the Old Ship Hotel, Brighton, <-"'

Tuesday evening last, Bro. Jloppett, the AV.JI., presiding, supported bythe whole of his officers and numerous visiting brethren. A successfulballot was taken for Jlr. Miller, Kingston ; Bros. AVhite and Hudson werepassed to the second degree ; and Bro. Bull raised to the sublime degreeof JI.J1. Six gentlemen were proposed for initiation. A very numerousgathering is expected at tho next Lodge (Oct. 4th) and banquet.

AVORCESTERSHIIIE.DU DLEY.—Lodge of Perseverance (No. 838).—The annual meeting of

this Lodge, and the festival of St. John tho Evangel ist, took place atthe Swan Hotel , Dudley, on AVednesday, the 30th of August. LodgeAA-as opened by Bro. Horfcon , ihe AV.JI. (Prov. G. Assist. D.C), assistedby his officers. The AV.JI. elect , Bro. G. B. Bradley, ivas then installedinto tho chair in antient form , by Bro. AV. BristoAA-, P.JL, No. 313, audProv. G. Reg. The following brethren were afterwards invested asofficers :— G. H. Horton , P.M. ; J. Marsden , S.W.; Bradley, J.W. ; J.AVilliscroft , Treas,; C. Russell, Sec. ; H. Foley, S.D.; G. Pitt, J.D. ; J.Kendrick, Steward ; AA7". Harper, I.G. ; and J. Foster, Tyler. Lodgehaving been closed in due form and ivith solemn prayer, the brethrenadjourned to celebrate the festival. The following visitors werepresent :—Bro. the Rev. A. G. Davies, P.JL, Nos. 730 and 819, Prov.S.G.AV. ; Bro. JI. Dennisoii , P.JL , Nos. 313 and 730, P. Prov. G. Reg. :Bro. AV. Bristow, P.JL, No. 813, and Prov. G. Reg. ; Bro. AAr. AVig-ginton, J.AV, No. 819, and Prov. G.S.B. ; and Bros. AV. Sheppard,AV.M., No. 313. Tho usual loyal and JIasonic toasts were duly givenand honoured, and there was some good singing by Bros. Bristoii-,Kainsden, &c. Bro. the Rev. A. G. Davies, proposed tho health of theW.M. and of the Prov. G.M., the R.AV. Bro. H. C. Vernon. He alludedto the pleasing fact of the Prov. Grand Lodge having made the Prov.G.JI. a life governor of the Girls School, by a donation of £50 last year,and hoped thafc the Prov. Grand Lodge would vote £50 at fche nextmeeting (iu September), for a similar purpose. He said tho lifo of theProv. G.JL was insured by the Prov. Grand Lodge for £100. Bro,Deuuison aftenvards proposed the health of Bro. Royd, the D. Prov.G.JI., and the rest of tho officers of the Prov. G. Lodge, stating- thatthere was a very fair sprinkling present, viz. : Bro. Davies. the Prov.S.G.W. ; Bristol!', Prov. G. Reg. ; AViggington , Prov. G. Sword Bearer;and Pitt, Prov. G. Steward. Bro. AV. Sheppard , AV.JI. , of No. 313,returned thanks on behalf of the visiting brethren. The dinner pro-vided by Bro. Joseph Beddard , was excellent .

PROVINCIAL CHAPTER,SOUTUAM I'TON.—LloyalGlouecsler Chapter Qso.loi).—A convocation ivas

holden at the Freemasons' Hall, Southampton, on Thursday, SeptemberIst , under the presidency of Comp. G. Martin , JI.E.Z., assisted byComps. 3. B. Stebbing, H.; and Bemistcr, as J. The following Com-panions were nominated for office during the ensuing year:—Comps. G.ilartin , 1st Princi pal ; Euright, 2nd Principal ; G. Dunlop, 3rd Prin-cipal ; G. AV. Clarke, Scribe E.; AV. Gordon , Scribe N.; George Lungley,Principal Sojourner; George Lockyer , Janitor. Ou this occasion theChapter was visited by Comp. Bayes, of Peterborough ; and Comp.Mtebbin g proposed a vote of congratulation upon the occasion; Comp.Bayes having been formerly an energetic member of this Chapter.Com}). Sharpe concurred , and a suitable resolution was passed. ThoJI.E.Z. had great pleasure in convoying this unanimous expression ofIraternal regard , and hoped for future visits from the distinguishedCompanion. Comp. G. AV. Clarke proposed that three guineas bo sub-scribed to the fund raising to commemorate the services of tho latoComp. Ferraud ; the propositio n was seconded and carried unani-mously.

EOYAL ARCH,

THE DUNCAN BAN JIACINTYRE MONUMENT.ON Friday, September 2nd , the foundation stone of a monumen t to

the bard of Glenorch y, was laid at Dalmally iu presence of an immense-'lasoiiic and Highland gathering, many of the members of ivhich wentfrom Glasgow. A procession , Avhich received additions at almost cveryturii of the road, set out from Inverary iu the morning, and reached¦Dalmally at one in the afternoon. From thence it proceeded to Beacou-bill , where, after all present had occupied their appropriate places, the¦Rev . Jlr. JIacIntyi-c offered up prayer.

Bro. Colin Campbell , R.AV. Prov. Grand JIaster , proceeded with theceremonial of laying tho foundation stono of the monument, with fullJIasonic honours.

Iu a glass bottle , ivhich was deposited iu a receptacle underneath thestone , the following articles were enclosed :—A volume of Duncan BanMaclntyre's poems, the Masonic Calendar and, Packet-hook for 1859,copies of the Morning Journal , Herald , Bulletin, .Daily Mail , PerthAdvert iser, the coins of the realm, and a sketch of the life of the poet,h-om which we take the following :—

Duncan Ban JIacIntyre, commonly known throughout the Highlandsas DomiachaBan Nan Oran,was born in Drinman-licert, Glenorch y, in theyear 172-1. His early life was spent as forester to the Duke of Argyll,and aftenvards to the Earl of Breadaldaiw, He entered the royal army,

and was present at the battle of Falkirk, against the attempted restorationof the .ancient Stuart dynasty. Leaving the army, Duncan Ban JIac-Intyre Avent to reside in Edinburgh, where, in an humble sphere of life,he exhibited rare poetic powers. His writings reflect the feeling of theHighlanders of his OAA'II time, and have consequently become popular ashousehold words among the Gaelic-speaking population of the presen tday, and they promise to be enduring as the Gaelic language itself. tHisgenius developed itself iu many sweet and tender songs, as well as bynumerous poetical compositions remarkable for their fire and patriotism,as Avell as for their humour and satiric wit. His writings have clonemuch to perpetuate Celtic nationality, and to keep in memory the habitsand customs of the ancient Highland clans, now fast disappearing in thealtered circumstances of society in Great Britain. He died at Edinburgh,in 1812, where a monument has since been erected in Greyfriar 's church-yard to his memory."

The stone, a fine block of granite , having been duly placed hi itsposition, which, ifc is to be hoped, ifc will occupy for many ages.

Bro. Colin Campbell congratulated the committee upon the successivhich had attended their undertaking to perpetuate tho memory of anative bard whose simple, touching lyrics were so much appreciated bythe Gaelic speaking population of the Highlands, and Avhose untaughtgenius did such honour to the country of his birth.

Captain D. Campbell , chairman of the committee, as lord of the works,said—I congratulate my country on a demonstration , in the land of thesensitive and conservative Gael, so auspicious to the future, for it is notuntil the various races of an empire like ours learn to respect oneanother's feelings and nationality that they may truly be called a unitedpeople. Duncan Ban JIacIntyre, the object of our gathering, can bearto be compared ivith the -mosfc distinguished among the Celtic or Scottishpoets of his native land: but the history of Celtic poetry, like thafc ofthe royal dynasty of Scotland, may he- said to have been consummatedat the battle of Culloden ;—for the revolution , Avhich proved fatal toboth, though consummated iu the Lowlands and England long before ,had not until after the battle exercised any influence on the conditionof the patriarchal clans. Duncan Ban JIacIntyre fought in favour ofthe Hanoverian succession , but all his sympathies as a poet and a High-lander reverted to the fallen dynasty after tho battle of Culloden , inconsequence of the excesses committed by the army of the Duke ofCumberland. The oppression of his native race deeply affected theheart, of Duncan Ban ; and when he found that the rebellion , ivhich wasconfined to a small minority of the clans, was assumed to have embracedthe Avhole, and that the parliament passed penal enactments, strippingthe very clans who fought against the rebellion of tho national costuiuoand arms, he sung of the injustice and humiliation to which his countrywas subjected iu strains exciting and affecting. He had thus endearedhimself to thousands whose sympath y with the Stuart kings survivedtheir fall—nay, even to thousands who, like himsel f, were opposed totheir bigotry and despotism, but whose feelings led them to ascribe theirerrors and misfortunes to the enslaving theology iu ivhich they wei eeducated , and under the fatal influence of which they were impelled.

The multitude assembled on the hill, then dispersed, after having givencheer after cheer, that made tho rugged old hills seud back such echoesthrough the gleu as had not disturbed its silence since the days efancient Highland chivalry. The picturesque procession then descendedthe hill , and returned to Dalmally, where they dined in the inn. Thochair was occupied by Capt. D. Campbell , and the duties of croupierwore discharged by the Rev. John JIacIntyre of Kilmonivai g. On theconclusion of tho repast, the chairman said—Gentlemen , fill your glasses,and let us dedicate a bumper to her JIajesty the Queen. She is UO AVin her Highlan d home, and well deserves a Highland welcome. Let usdrink her health wifch Celtic honours.

The chairman again rose and called for another bumper to the healthof " The Prince of AVales, tho Duke of Rothesay and Lord ot the Isles.The toast ivas drunk amid great cheering.

The chairman then rose to claim a flowing bumper to the toast of theevening. He said :—Gentlemen ,—Although it would have been to mea labour of love to preface the next toast with some remarks, 1 feel thatby not autici j Kiting the Croupier, to whom tho committee have assigned,a toast involving the matter on ivhich I would have to speak, that I amensuring the company a high treat , Tho Croupier is the gentleman AV IIOis best entitled to speak of Duncan Ban JIacIntyre, as he is the survivorof those AVIIO originated the movement in honour of the bard . (Cheers) .He is also of all men living the best qualified and most able to do josfcic oboth to the poet's genius and his AA'orth. I will, therefore, simp ly con-tent myself ivith begging you to join with mc in dedicating a full bumperto " The immortal memory of Duncan Ban JIacIntyre, the GlenorchyBard—the immortal Celt is entitled to be drunk AA'ith Celtic honours."(Immense and enthusiastic cheering, aud the toast was given with threetimes three). Collector Campbell here sang, in the Gaelic, one of DuncanBan's siveetest songs, the great majority of the company taking up thechorus.

The Chairman next gave "The health, of the Prov. Grand JIaster ofArgyle," which was drunk in a bumper, and with hear ty Highlandcordiality.

Collector Campbell, who by special permission , acted as Prov. GrandJIaster for the day, returned thanks.

The Croupier proposed the "Monument Committee, co upled with thehealth of James Dewar, Esq.," through Avhose united endeavours solarge a measure of success had been attended in carrying out the great

SCOTLAND,

object for Avhich so many Highlanders from so many different anddistant parts of the country had assembled. He AVUS happy to say thatthe feeling which had impelled them to meet to do honour to DuncanBan was not confined to the Highlands of Scotland alone, but extendedto every place where the Highland tongue was understood—a tonguewhich was the only language of the bard. They all owed a debt ofgratitude to the Committee for their zealous exertions to accomplish theobject which they had in view—to do honour to a man who was anhonour to the race to which he belonged, in doing honour to whom theywere doing honour to themselves. If they regarded the bard in hisindividual capacity, they ivould find him very unfavourabl y situated forthe attainment of that varied knowledge which belonged to those whowore differently circumstanced in life. He had no access to schools;he was totally illiterate; he knew no language but his own—but, illknowing that, he kneiv one of the most ancien t of the languages spokenat the present day, intimately connected with the Eastern or Orientaltongues. The bard himself, indeed, ventured on the assertion (whichtho Rev. Croupier, however, said he ivould not presume to second) that" Gaelic was very sweet from the mouth of Eve" (great laughter) ; butif ho could not go so far as .Duncan Ban in regard to tho antiquity ofthe Gaelic, he would, hoivever, say that it was closely interwoven iviththat most ancient tongue the Sanscrit, the principal language of India,and Avhich Avas connected with that of Persia, of Greece, and Rome, andof all Europe. Of great advantage, therefore, ivas it to the bard thathe knoAV the Gaelic ; bufc he laboured under the disadvantage of knowingno other. Nevertheless, his numerous poems were descriptive—someo: them of character, some were jiatriotie, some martial , some social,and some of them AA'ere expressive of the tenderest passions of thehuman heart (hear, hear) ; and in ivhatever of these departments heengaged ho -n>on the admiration and love of his countrymen. (Cheers.)fie generally began his poems with a statement, which might be calledhis text, and this he treated with masterly skill. Although illiterate, hewas observant in a very great degree, as every page of his poems proved.His martial songs were calculated to rouse the patriotism and courageof his countrym en, and in his own day must have had the happiesteffect ; and he lived in a stirring time of war, when thoso countrymenbad to maintain a hard combat with a poiverful enemy. (Hear, hear.)Such was the extent of his observation that his descri ptions , not onl y ofthe scenery of mountains , of the beauty of the valleys, of the fields,the streams, the woods, were most minute and accurate, but he evendwelt on the smallest insect with the most happy effect. Ho describesthat noble animal the deer in all its varieties—in action , afc rest, iu itsown social position—in such a way that if there were a Gaelic Landseer,he would make a fortune in a short time by committing to canvas theword-pictures of the bard. (Loud cheers.) The Rev. Croupier thengave a most interesting revieAV of Duncan Ban's poems.

The toast was drunk with enthusiasm.Jlr. James Deii-ar replied.Collector Camp bell proposed tho toast of "The JIasonic deputation ,''

coupled ivith the health of Duncan Campbell , Esq., of Glasgow', who wasmost onihusiatic in tbe Highland cause. Although JIasonry was as old,if not, indeed , older than the time of Solomon , he would venture to saythat there was no instance on record of the foundation stono of anystructure having been laid with JIasonic honours, where almost all theJlasons ivere dressed in kilts. (Laughter.)

Jlr. D. Campbell replied.Several other toasts followed , and the company, after liaving drunk

" Doech-an-doruis ," separated.

AYRSHIRE,A number of the Glasgow Lodges proceeded , on Thursday, the 25th

August, by the Glasgow and South-AVestern Railway, on a pleasureexcursion to the land of Burns. Among the Lodges represented were—the Glasgow Kihvinning, No. 4 ; Thistle and Rose, No. 73 ; Thistle,ATo. 87; Union and Crown , No. 103 ; St. Mary's, Patrick, No. 117; St.Patrick, No. 178 ; Star , No. 219 ; Shamrock and Thistl e, No. 275 ;Duiitoeher and Faifley Union , No. 332; St. George, No. 333 ; and St.Clair, No. 362. The party left Glasgow at a quarter-past eight, andarrived afc Ayr shortly after ten o'clock. They were there welcomed bythe brethren of St. Paul's, Ifcryal Arch , and Kilwinning Lodges of Ayr, andthe procession , ivhich would then number about six hundred , marchedthrough the town of Ayr, headed by the Glasgow Thistl e Band. Thebrethren ivere gaily dressed , and the aprons, jewels, insignia , and flags,gave the whole a most imposing appearance , while wo have not seen amore respectable turn oufc for many a day. The weather was exceedinglyfine, ivhich contributed much to the enjoj -nionfc of the excursionists.They proceeded to the monument , and first visited the "Auld Brigo' Doon ," and there, accompanied by the baud , the brethren joined insinging, " A'e Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon ." Afterwards they wentto the neAV brig, and thence to the monument , whei-e a number ofappropriate speeches were delivered . They then proceeded to thecottage where Burns AA-as born , and after inspecting it, broke up intopic-nic groups , and partook of refreshments in the adjacent fields , ivhorothe usual loyal, patriotic, and JIasonic toasts Avere given and enthusias-tically responded to. Bro. Neil B. Dalveen , assisted by some ofth eAyr brethren , then marshalled the Lodges into the order of procession ,and th oy returned to Ayr, and , after viewing some of the places ofinterest, by train to Glasgow.

EAST JAMAICA.The inauguration of this Provincial Grand Lodge took place at the

rooms of the Friendly Lodge, No. 291, Hanover-street , on AVednesdayevening last, the fith inst., on which occasion there ivas a large assemblyof the members of the Craft—the Provincial Grand Lod ge of Scotlandbeing present.

The V.AV. Bro. Robert McClelland, JIaster of tho Royal Lodge,No. 250, installed the Right AArorshipful Robert Hamilton, M.A., audM.D., of Clifton Jlount, St. Andrew, as Prov. Grand JIaster.

The Right AVorshipful Prov. Grand JIaster then appointed andinstalled, as Prov. Gran d Officers , for the current year, the followingbrethren :—Alexander Fiddes, D. Prov. G.JI. ; John Burger, Prov.G.S. ; Solomon Jlelhado, Prov. J.G.W.; Abraham It. Do Lavantc, Prov.G. Chaplain ,- James AV. AVhifcbourne , Prov. G. Reg. ; John AVarc,Prov. G. Sec; JlcClelland, Prov. S.G.D.; Joseph Francis, Prov. J.G.D. ;James Derbyshire, Prov. G. Sup. of AA'orks ; Henry Garsia, Prov. G.Dir. of Cers. ; John J. Duval, Prov. G.S.B. ; Jiiehael Laivton , Prov. G.Pursuivant ; and Jules Desnoucs, as Prov. G. Tyler ; Simon E. Picterzfi ,of Lodge No. 751, ivas unanimously elected Prov. Grand Treasurer.The Prov. Grand JIaster delivered an address suitable to the occasion.

C O L O N I A L .

T H E WEEK.Tire COURT .—The Queen and her family are enjoying themselves in

perfect good health in the Highlands. Her JIajesty visits her neighbours ,and among the names of those so honoured we find particularly mentionedJlr. and Mrs. Farquharson of Invcrcauld. The Prince has been deer-stalking, accompanied by Sir George Grey, who is on a visit at Balmora l ,and with Sir James Clark and Lady Churchill constitute almost the entireCourt Ai'hich is in attendance on tbe royal family. Strange fco say, AA-C donot soe tho names of any branch of the great house of Phipps mentionedin the Court Circular of this AA-cek.

FOREIGN N KW .S.—The Emperor and Empress are enjoying their relieffrom the fatigue and gcAv-gaivs of tho Tuileries, and the bizarre adulationof the provincial magnates of the south may be (and no doubt is) auagreeable change from the more ornate periods ofthe polished worshippersof imperialism in Paris. It is confidentl y asserted that a fresh interviewbetAveen the Emperor of the French and the Emperor of Austria Avillprobably take place at some Swiss town. A letter which appeared inthe 1iidejiendanee Beige, the Avriter of which pretends to expound thepolicy of the Emperor Napoleon with respect to Europe, and particularl yEngland , tells us plainly that AVC must have war Avith France, but thafcthere is no danger of such a Avar as long as Lord Pahnerston and theLiberal party remain in power. According to a telegram from Paris,the French government has ordered twenty new iron-plated frigates tobe constructed. The French Ambassador at Florence has been re-called. The Consliuaionnel contradicts certain assertions made by a,Paris correspondent of the Lndependanee of Brussels in a letter to thatjournal , in ivhich the policy of the Emperor Napoleon towards England istreated of as it relates to the peace of Villafranca. The ansivei- of thoKing of Sardinia to the Tuscan deputation still affords material for thecomments of the French press. The Debuts says that a Congress is IIOAVnecessary ; the Constitut ion-net applauds A'ictor Emmanuel ; the Union,thinks his answer was wanting in energy and sincerity ; while the.lndependanee regards it as vacillating. From other sources as well asthe Paris press we gather that the answer of the King is proof of acaution AA'hich doubtless is partl y caused by a subserviency to France.Rear-Admiral Du Pony, who had been summoned bv the Emperor toSt. Sauveur, has just quitted the Imperial residence and proceeded toCherbourg. There is no truth iu the statement of the CurrespondaneeJLaras that the French soldiers of the class of 1853 are to be discharged.A sad accident has happened in Paris. An Eng lish lad}' was accidentall yburnt to death through a li ghted match being thrown upon her dress.

'The official Wiener Xeituny, in its evening edition , contradicts thealarming rumours which have been current regarding the continuance ofthe Zurich conferences. It hopes for a satisfactory conclusion , and con-siders the presence of the French troops of occupation which have beenleft in Italy to be of service to the interest of order. A Berlin letter ofthe 1st says that the Russian government has recentl y transmitted, byBaron Budberg, a note to the effect that the affairs of Italy cannot besettled in a durable manner except by a congress. This note hasstrengthened Baron Schleinitz in his idea of pointing out to the Euro-pean powers, in a di plomatic despatch, the attitude of Prussia on theItalian question. A telegram from Zurich, dated yesterday, statesthat Austria desires to obtain a guarantee from Sardinia against futureintrigues in Italy, previous to Austria, making ,-my concessions afc theconferences. A Vienna letter says that the Austrian government isurging the Southern of Austria Bail way Company to use the greatestactivity in tho construct ion of the linn from Nabrosina to Cata rsa. Thisbreak , which separates the Trieste lino from that of I tal y, by preventingthe direct transport of troops from Vienna to Voroiia", materiall yretarded the arrival of reinforce.acnts on the field of battle. CountDegcnfeld , Austrian governor of Verona, has published a proclamati on,declaring that, in consequence of the frequency of acts of brigandageand attempts at murder in the provinces of Yicwusa and Bclluna ,' such

crimes shall be punished by martial law. According to the Presse ofAlenua, the difficult question of the share of the Austrian debt to bopaid by Lombard}' has been settled. The Ost Deutsche Post, in con-tradiction of a statement made that there are no Protestants in theAustrian empire, gives an account of their numbers in the varioussections of the empire, and concludes by saying that Protestantismis represented there by 3,000,000 of inhabitants. Victor Emmanuelreceived the Tuscan deputation on Saturday. Signor Gherardina,a member of the commission , addressed to the King the followingfollowing words :—" If the w-ish of Tuscany for annexation with Pied-mont only served for the aggrandisement of your majesty's state woshould entertain doubts as to the acceptance of our wish by yourmajesty ; but our ivish being inspired by the love of Italian nationality,we'hope that the thought of Italy will decide your majesty to accept it.The king replied.—"Gentlemen ,—l am deeply sensible of the wish ofthe Tuscan Assembly. I thank you in my name and in the name ofmy people. AA'e have received yonr ivish as a solemn manifestation ofthe will of the Tuscan people, who, after having made the last vestigeof the foreign domination in Tuscany to cease, desires to contribute tothe constitution of a strong kingdom ivhich shall defend the indepen-dence of Italy. But the Tuscan Assembly will have comprehended thattiie accomplishment of its wish can only take place by negotiationswhich are about to begin on the affairs of Italy. I will second yourdesire, becoming myself strong by the rights which are given me byyour wishes. I ivill support the cause of Tuscany before the powers inAA'hich the Assembly places its hopes, and especially before the magnani-mous Emperor of the French, who has done so much for the Italiannation. I hope that Europe will not refuse to practise towards Tuscanythat work of redressing grievances ivhich it has, under less favourablecircumstances, practised towards Greece, Belgium, and the Danubianprincipalities. Your noble country gives an admirable example ofmoderation and concord. You will add those virtues to that one Avhichensures the triumph of all honest undertakings, and which overcomesnil obstacles, namely, perseverance." The vote respecting the an-nexation of the Duchy of Parma to Piedmont has been made known.There are 03,403 votes in favour of the annexation and 506 against it.

The statement that the Papal troops had been despatched to theLegations has not been officiall y confirmed. AVe learn from Bolognathat several members have moved the following resolution :— " Theinhabitants of the Eomagna ivill no longer submit to tlie temporal govern-ment of the Pope." The assembly has decided upon taking this motioninto consideration. - The Bavarian minister, JI. von Abel, died onSaturday. The subscription to the military loan is closed; a great num-ber of applications for shares had to ho refused or reduced. The lastaccounts respecting the King of Prussia , state that his majesty 's healthbad slightly improved. The Belgian Senate adopted the first articleof the bill concerning tbe fortifications of Antwerp by a vote of thirty-four against fifteen; four members abstained from voting. The Diarioof Barcelona of the 2nd instant, states on high authority that the basis(f the Concordat, which was signed at Rome on the 25th of August, was—the absolute sale of the landed property taken from the clergy. Thevalue realized by such property to be paid to tho clergy in bonds nottransferable. The same journal congratulates the Pope and Signer RiosHcisus on the spirit of conciliation manifested in this affair. TheI' ttcdrela ndel of this day, states that Prussia and Austria hai-e informeddie Danish government that the affairs of Holstein are being treated bythe Federal Diet. Prussia and Austria stated that this communicationneeded no further reply from Denmark. 'Ihe steam ship NorthAmerica, arrived afc Liverpool last ni ght from Quebec, ivhich she left onthe 27th ult. On the 28th she passed the .steamer .Indian , from Liver-pool , ivhich was on its w.-iy to Quebec. Tho jiolitical news by this arrival's unimportant. Tho anti-Catholic j ournals were denouncing certainknown Roman Catholic bishops for interfering in the educational question.Vc have Now York advices by this arrival to the 27th. The only thing'•f importance AVUS the arrival at New York of the Utoses Tat/ lor fromAxpinwal l ivith 2,120,000 dollars in California!! gold. The news fromCalifornia was anticipated. The Now York stock market had improved.' On Tuesday the resolution for the overthrow of the Pope's govern-ment was voted unanimously by the national assembly of Bologna. I twas further unanimously decided that the abuses of the Pontifical rule•'¦'j iould not bo debated upon. The following arc the terms of the rcsoh -tion :—" We, tho representatives of tho people of the Romagua, calling(¦od to witness tho righteousness of our intentions, declare that thepeople of the Romagua , strong in their right, Avill no longer submit to'be temporal government of the Pope." A proposal for tho annexation"' the legation to Piedmont was submitted to the assembly, ifc ivas signed'}' fifteen members. Amongst the names are those of JIarquis Bonari ,

• niiquis Costabili , and Count Gozzadini. AVhile the French papers arc'"'Pressing their admiration of King Victor Emmanuel's vague rep ly to

10 l uscan deputation , tho Italian journals consider his answer as an'^qualified acceptance of the offer of Tuscany, and tho people of that-'Hintry are abandoning themselves to joy in the same belief, and aro'Jerywhere illuminating their houses, and shouting with enthusiasm

U'tt it ll e d 'ltalia ! A letter from Vienna says that grea t dissat'tsfac-.cw» prevails there with respect to the affairs of Central Ital y, but there*-> it is sai d, no probability tA'tmy attempt to restore the dethroned dukes

lib TV'- Advices have been received from Constantinople to the 31st,,f -"j^m-banees have taken place in Candia , caused by the collection* certain taxes from the Greek inhabitants. Two of the tax-gatherciy

had been murdered , and tivo battalions of soldiers have been sent toarrest the chief leaders of this affray. A Circassian deputation hadarrived afc Constantinople and presented to the ambassadors of the severa lpoAvers a declaration protesting against the invasion of their country byRussia, and stating that the whole of their provinces would bo forced tosubmission , if abandoned by the Porte.

INDIA AND COLONIES .—There is little to interest the general readerin the intelligence received by the last Bombay mail. Preparations werebeing made for the conveyance of the discharged European troops totheir native country, hut there appears to have been some difficulty ininducing officers to volunteer taking charge of them during the home-ward voyage. There seems to be no doubt that Lord Clyde has earnestlyurged the men to reconsider their late decision , and it is thought thatsome feiv Avill yet change their minds at the last hour. There is littleto tell of the movements of the rebels, unless it bo that the Rajah ofBoondeo has returned to life. The total number of vagabonds on thefrontiers of Oude is estimated at 8,000, but fever is busy with them, andthey are suffering likewise from want of food and the simplest necessa-ries of life. The news from Calcutta, however, is disastrous; but at pre-sent our knowledge of the facts is confined to the following telegramfrom Sir AVilliam O'Shaughnessy —On the night of the 26th a cyclonepassed over Calcutta, and the following morning every Hue was inter-rupted . Our strongest constructed lines have been swept away mileson the Barrack pore road. Seven large trees fel l in different places, de«stroying posts and wire. TAVO steamers have been Avrecked in thell'ooghly, besides many sailing vessels ; lives lost, and immense destruc-tion done. The Candia mail steamer ivas seen off Saugor just as thegale commenced. She is supposed to have run out to sea again, and notidings have since been received of her. Every available hand I have isat Avork 'Yopairiiig damages done to'tho lino.

GENERAL HOME NEwk-^Alf-thc Jlinisters have IIOAV left town, andwe presume the business of the country is being judioiousl v tra n sactedat Broadlands by the Premier and his private secretaries, "it is barclvpossible that the public service may not bo vitally injured by the dis-missal of the various heads of departments to their grouse shooting andruralizing. The great topics of the day which have most interest afcpresent arc the Smothiirst conviction and the builders' operatives' strike.The interest in the .former has suddenly gone down to zero, in conse-quence of the reprieve 'which our gracious Sovereign has accorded to theconvicted prisoner. AVhat his future fate is to be docs not excite muchinterest. There is but slender prospect , as it is said , of his receiving a,free pardon, though this ivould appear to bo fche course demanded byjustice. If he be a murderer, hang him ; if not, set him at liberty.As for the builders' strike, that appears to have degenerated , as far as tliegeneral public arc concerned, into the dryness of an absolute bore ; but,as far as the poor fellows ¦'¦' out on strike" are concerned , we fear that thepinch is becoming soiiiew-h at severely felt, and that the monotony ofivhich they will h ave to complain will shortly bo the dreary one of hungrychildren and empty larder. Jfeanwhile, their former employers kokruefully at engines ivith no steam up, afc circular saws and mechanicalcontrivances without end, in which a vast capital is sunk , and which are"eating their heads off" and devouring the interest of capital , for want,of the journeyman's motive poAver to make them productive. It iseasy to predict that this state of things cannot last. We sincerely trustthe dispute may be speedily adjusted , and that a friendly spirit may berestored betAveen masters and men. To avoid a lingering bitterness offeeling, great jud gment must be exercised and mutual concessions made.

-According to the reportof the Registrar General forthe past week, thehealth of London is improving, and fche mortality is boloAV tho average ofthe season ; the registered number of deaths amounted to 1017 , being7Ii less than the ordinary average number (1123) corrected for the iii^crease of population. The births of 878 boys and 833 girls Avereregistered during the week. There has been a meeting of factorydelegates iu Jlanchestor to protest against " ono self-acting minderattending to two pairs of mules," an arrangement from which very inju-rious results are antici pated. A somewhat extensive seizure of coun-terfeit coin has been made at tho AVhite Horse public-house, Baldwin 's-gardons. The landlad y of tho house, Jlrs. Jane .Hatton, Avas chargedivith the possession of the spurious money, before Jlr. Tyrwhitt, afcClerkenwcll Police-court, yesterday, and after somo evidence being takenwas remanded till AVednesday next. Bail was accepted to the amounto f + '400. Jlr. Nicol , of Lombard-street, has been re-examined at thoJl'ansion House on a charge of having converted to his OAVU use a bill oflading ivhich had been entrusted to him. The defendant indi gnantl yrepudiated the charge of fraudulent design, and stated that he had actedunder the advice of his solicitor in retaining the document. It ivasdetermined, however, that the case should be sent for trial , and de-fendant's OAVU recognizance in £1,000 was accepted. The manRoyal, Avho stands committed on tho coroner 's verdict , for themurder of Jus wife by poison, has been examined at the ThamesPolice-court, before Mr. Selfe, and remanded. The O'th of Octoberis the day appointed by the Court of Quarter Sessions of Mid-dlesex , for the hearing of applications for tho i-eneival , transfer, orgrant of licences for music, or for music and dancing.- At the Mid-dlesex Sessions, Henry Jones, Thomas Gallagher, and Samuel Harmerwere con victed of stealing in the dwelling-house of Charles AValker, acash box, containing £20 , his property. The prisoners^'were] each sen-tenced to three years' penal servitude. After the sentence' ivas pro -nounced , Jones declared his innocence of the crime laid to his charire,

and said he was in Birmingham at the time of its commission. AVhenthe trial was over an officer said Jones was wanted on two charges atBirmingham, and he would have been taken on those charges had hebeen noiv acquitted. A man of the name of Normington has beenapprehended on susp icion of being the perpetrator of the murder atLeeds. At the Court of Bankruptcy, Chapman and Littlepage, ofHarp-lane, City, and Bermondsey-streot, Southwark, coopers and bask etmakers, passed their last examination ; and Robert Smith, of Swaffham,iron and brass founder, engraver and agricultural implement maker, wasylso allowed to pass. In the case of J. Salmon, a boot and shoe manu-facturer, of 33A , Brick-lane, Spitalfields , and No. 2, Baker's-terrace,Limehouse, and No. 3, Theatre-street, Norwich , who applied to pass hisexamination, upon accounts showing debts and liabilities about £15,700,and assets about £5,800, an adjournment ivas ordered for investiga tion.

On AVednesday, a number of prisoners were tried at tho MiddlesexSessions, and found guilty of various offences. The most remarkablecase was that of Elizabeth Newman, who pleaded guilty to stealing afoAAl , the property of Thomas Guuston. AVhen asked what she had tosay in her defence she replied, " that as long as she had a hand to useshe did not mean to want in a country where there was plenty." Shehad often been convicted of robberies of poultry before. The assistantjudge told her ifc was evident she had a predilection for poultry, whichshe would not be able to indul ge in for some time, as he must sentenceher to twelve months' hard labour. At the Court of Bankruptcy thechoice of assignees was arranged under the failure of Eliza Jledland ,ivho kept the Jfetropolitan Dining-rooms, Cheapside, and AArilliam Foot,builder, of Victoria terrace, St. Donatt's road, Neiv cross, Deptford,passed his last examination. The arrangement of the account in theConsols market on tho Vth inst. occupied the chief attention , and quo-tations exhibited heaviness towards the close of business ; the value formoney then being 95§ to i, and for the account, llth October, [ ) 5h to £.Indian loan scrip was deal t in as high as 100 to i, and left off at 100, or3 per cent. prem. on the official minimum of 97. There was not muchactivity iu foreign stocks or railway shares, but the deman d for moneywas less urgent, while £60,000 Australian gold was sent into the Bank.

COJIMERCTA I,; AND PUBLIC COMPANIES. —The port of London duringthe pasfc week has been moderately active. The number of vesselsannounced inwards at the Custom House as liaving arrived from foreignports amounted to 252. There were S from Ireland , and 72 colliers.The entries outwards amounted to 109, and the clearances to 105, besides1(1 in ballast. The departures for the Australian colonies have been 8vessels—viz., 3 to Port Philli p of 3214 tons, 3 to Sydney of 2000 tons,and 2 to New Zealand of 1798 tons, making a total of 7078 tons. Theweekly reports from the manufacturing districts indicate the existenceof a quiet state of trade, but generally agree in describing future pro-spects as more satisfactory. At Birmingham and Manchester a. genera limprovement is asserted to have taken place, business operations havingincreased in consequence of the advices from India and Australia beingof a more favourable character. The carpet trade at Halifax is statedto be animated , and in other branches a moderately good trade hasarisen. The symptoms at Huddersfield are more favou rable ; but therehas not been much activity, though the tone of trade is good. FromNottingham it appears that trade iu most branches is somewhat better ;but the winter season is looked forward to as the one in AA-hich thegreatest buoyancy Avill be manifested. The shoe trade at Norwichhas been in a satisfactory condition , and it is expected thatifc AA'ill continue so. In connection ivith business at Sheffield ,the announcement is made that the rolling mills have beenbusil y engaged with tho manufacture of crinoline steel. Thoreport adopted at the meeting of tbe Railway Passengers' AssuranceCompany was satisfactory, and tho dividend declared was at the rate offour per cent, per annum , reserving the balance for the usual chargesand risks on current policies. The increase of business is vorv encou-raging, the amount received and due for premiums of insurance in thesix months ending the 30th of .June being £15.177, viz., £2,075 for rail-way, and £12,502 for general accidents insurance. The income for fchecorresponding period of 1858 was E£10,771, thus establishing for the pasthalf-year an increase of 41 per cent. The available balance to be dealtwith ivas £9,557. The satisfactory progress of the company is attributedto the absence of litigation, and to the promptitude with AA-hich bondf ide claims are adjusted. Careful as the directors are to protectthe institution against unfounded claims , they view" it as a most unwisepolicy to raise unnecessary difficulties , on purely technical grounds, andthe rapid augmentation in tbe number of annual policies affords proofthat the course pursued has secured confidence. -Among the numerousassurance companies which have presented their various claims to publicsupport of late years, there is one ivhich AVO would especially recommendto the attention of our readers. The importance of life assurance haslongbeen acknowledged,but there has ahvays been onegreat obstacle toitsdevelopment among the industrial classes—th e want of a given value tothe poli cy at any moment should the assurer be unable to keep up thepayments of the premium, or should the object to secure wliich thepolicy was originall y effected have ceased. This objection is met bythe Consols Insurance Association, the purpose of which is to give a de-fined value in consols to every policy from the moment it is issued—avalue stated at the back of the policy, and so invested in the publicfunds as to prevent its being afc any time alienated. It would be uselessto trace the principles of life assurance fro m the day when a uniformjpi.emium was chareed for all ages, to the m-ewnil system of .-; varying

premium, according to the age and health of the assured—the one factalways staring us in the face, thafc, after a payment of 25 or 30 years, ifthe assurer became unable to keep up his premiums, his assurancealtogether ceased—all he had paid was forfeited , the policy becominglapsed , or the assurer being obliged to take whatever might bo offeredhim by the office in which he was assured for his policy, howeverarbitrary the amount. Under the arrangements of the Consols InsiiraiiepAssociation no such alternative can ensue—a given amount of every pro-miuin being invested to insure the carrying out of arrangements made.By the system of the Consols Insurance Company every assurer may with,draiv from the company at any moment, and ivith the full security thatwhat he has subscribed will never be altogether lost. Supposing, foi-instance, a man of twenty-five determines to set aside £3 a year for life-insurance, ho Ai'ill find that 20 per cent., or one fifth , is devoted to meetexpenses, ivhilst a further sum must be provided for tho contingencies oflife, and for which the company have to provide, if not by life premiums,through the shareholders' capital. Under ordinary circumstances the£3 per annum is altogether gone if afc any given time tho assurer cannotkeep up his payments, and some offices even boast that their lapsedpolicies pay all their expenses ; but in the case we have epioted, undertho Consols system, a man of twenty-five so assuring at £3 per annumwould not only have his life assured throughout the first year for tlmbenefit of his family, but would at tbe end of that period have .-61 7s.Gd.standing in his name in consols, which he could appropriate as he thoughtfit. And should the party remain insured for ten years , his policy ivouldbe worth £14 15s. for £30 paid; at the end of fifteen years, £22 13s. for£45 paid ; and at the end of tAA-enty years, £31 His. for £00 paid , theperson having all tho time been assured to the extent of £134 2s.,receivabl e at any moment on the death of the assurer. The ad-vantage of such a system cannot be overrated; and the funds standin the names of tho trustees, whose position is such as to commandpublic confidence, their names including Lord Keane, the Right Hon .AV. F. Cowper, JI.P., Lord Claude Hamilton, JI.P., Dr. SouthwoodSmith, and Jlr. JIann , of the General Registrars-office , Somerset-house.The. plan upon which the company is founded peculiar!!' recommend-;itself to notice, having been originall y submitted to the Government byDr. Fan-, of the Registra r's-Gcneral's-ofiicc , as the groundwork of anational insurance office—a responsibility AA'hich the Government, asmight bo expected , declined , as foreign to its poivers, having alwaysdelegated commercial transactions to private individuals, as instanced intho cases of tho Bank of England and savings banks. Dr. Fan- hassince consented that his plans should be carried out by a private asso-ciation on certain conditions, as will be seen by the following from hisOAVU pen:—" Tho chief features ivhich I contemplated were the renderinglife insurance safe, equitabl e, and well accommodated to the wants andto the means of the public, by divesting the policyholder of the riskof losing a largo portion of his payments or of forfeiting his policythrough inability on his own part to pay the annual premium , a ;well as of fche risk arising under an imperfect audit, and by giving himthe option at any time of employing tho accumulating deposit to hisaccount as a security, or of withdrawing it for use in other ways. Thiswould bring insurance within the reach especiall y of young men enteringlife, and of classes who cannot prudently lock up irretrievabl y a largoportion of their prospective income under the old system of insurance,however abl y it might bo carried out by somo existing companies, hithe absence of the direct Government security and audit , it is indis-pensable that the investments under those plans should bo made in thestablest and the most easil y convertible securities—I mean the Threeper Cent. Consolidated Annuities, commonly called Consols ; that thecurrent value of each policy, determined from the valuation table by theactuary, and vouched by some competent authority, should every yi-aibo circulated among the policy-holders ; and , moreover, that the additionto the net premium should bo sufficient , with the paid-up capital of thesociety, to discharge all necessary expenses, and to cover fche risks. .Anextensive association founded upon these principles, and carry ing themout ivith skill , prudence, integrity, and energy, will do a great publicgood." These are the principles which the Consols Insurance Assn-ciation is established to carry out, and , as a security for which, Dr. Fair .the original projector of the scheme, though not of the Company, h:> -consented to become the auditor.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

':TIIE PiiiLADEl.i'HEs."—AAre have received a communication upi',nthis subject from Bro. Rule, P.G.Purst., who speaks favourably of Hiemembers of this irregular Lodge. A\Tith regard to our assertion as I 'the canvassing for members, we can, if Bro. Rule wishes it, iiifci -odii " 1

him to a gentleman who AA-as offered initiation in this bod y for a verysmall sum indeed ; and ivho also received from the touter a co-p i/ of ''< ¦'lectures, in exteitso.'¦ GEOKUICUS."—The MS. is doubtless extremely curious, but to .=ay

nothing of its great length, has no JIasonic bearing that we can dis-cover.

" H."—A pply to the head librarian of the British Jluseum. or tc

Antonio Paiiizzi , Esq., ot the «a.ni e place