Royal Arch Masonry In Malta.

services as First Principal during the past year . He was sure that any one who listened to the lecture delivered by him during the core , mony , would be convinced how well he deserved that mark of their approbation . This motion was seconded and carried by acclamation . The Chapter was then closed in ancient form , ancl the Comps . adjourned to a banquet under the Presidency of Ex . Comp . Rotherham , at which all thoso toasts peculiar to R . A . Masonry were duly honoured .

Eose of Sharon Roso Croix Chapter . — The regular meeting of this flourishing Chapter was held afc the Masonic Hall , Valetta , on Saturday the 12 th inst ., and was very numerously attended . Present—M . W . S . tho Chevalier Edward Rosenbnsch , P . M . W . S . Kingston ( D . G . M . ) as 1 st General , Rotherham 2 nd General ; Broadley H . P . M ., W . S . Segond Treas ., Lonis Scbaefer Recorder ,

Coffey G . M ., Jones Capt . of tho G ., Richards as Raphael , Riechelmann Organist , and many other Princes . The first business of the evening was tho election and installation of a M . W . S . for the ensuing year . The choice of the Princes fell unanimously on tho H . P . Prince Broadley [ D . D . G . M . of Malta , W . M . and Z . 1717 E . C . W . M . M . 222 , E . C . and E . P . " Melita " Grand Preceptory and Priory ] . The M . W . S .

elect was then duly installed by P . M . W . S . Rosenbnsch , assisted by P . M . W . S . Kingston and Segond . The M . W . S . returned thanks to the Princes for the honour they had done him , and informed them he should do his best to be present afc all tho meetings of the Chapter , although on each occasion a sea-voyage of five hundred miles was entailed upon him . He then appointed the following

Officers—Eev . G . N . Godwin , R . N ., H . P ., Riechelmann 1 st General , Watson 2 nd General , Schaofer G . M ., Lieut . Coffey , R . A ., Raphael , Jones C . of G ., Grebell Recorder , Richards Herald , and Professor Stiion D . of C . P . M . W . S . Segond was unanimously re-elected Treasurer , and Prince Beck Equerry . 111 . Bro . Captain Beechy 30 ° was elected a joining

member , and thanked the Princes present for the honour done him . The following candidates for perfection were then unanimously elected , viz ., Bros . Professor S . Souillor ( 1717 E . G . ) , Starkey ( D . G . Sec ) , Zamit , Bennetfc , and Mortimer . The candidates being present were then perfected by the M . W . S . The labours of the evening being ended , the Princes adjourned to a banquet .

Answers To Correspondents.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS .

A P . M ., Nelson , Now Zealand . —Thero is no general law on the subject . The Constitutions lay it down that " every Lodge shall annually elect its Master and Treasurer by ballot . " Ifc is fchns left open for each to determine for itself whether a mere majority of the voters shall carry tho olectiou , or whether the Master elect must possess an absolute majority among the members of the

Lodge . We shall make onr meaning more apparent by employing the following illustration . Given a Lodge of forty members , all present . Thero are , say , threo candidates for the chair , namely , Bros . A , B , and C . The ballot is taken with the following result : — A polls 15 votes , B 14 votes , C 11 votes . If there is nothing to the contrary in the Bye-laws , Bro . A , if fche minute of the election

is confirmed at the next meeting , will be installed W . M ., though the absolute choice of only fifteen out of the forty members composing the Lodge . If the Bye-laws require an absolute majority , then the lowest number a candidate must poll wonld be 21 votes , thafc being oue in excess of the half of the Lodge . Thafc being so , C , we presume , being the lowest would retire , and the choice would

then lie between A and B , one or other of whom must poll 21 votes at least ont of the 40 , and it might easily happen that B succeeded , being able to command seven of tho eleven votes recorded in the first ballot for C , while the other four were cast for A . Our correspondent is aware that different systems of election prevail in different countries , and , indeed , in the same country m elections for

different offices . In one case a mere majority is all thafc is needed . < Thns , afc the Parliamentary election for the borough of , there are , say , three candidates , A ( Conservative ) , B ( Liberal ) , and C ( Liberal ) . The constituency numbers 4 , 000 , of whom considerably more than one-half are known to be Liberals . Yet the latter party is beaten , because both Liberals aro determined to go to tho poll , and on

the day of election A ( Conservative ) polls 1500 , B ( Liberal ) 1400 , and C ( Liberal ) 1100 . Clearly A is not the choice of the majority of the electors , yefc he is returned to Parliament because he polled the hig hest number of votes . In similar elections elsewhere the law prescribes thafc a member shall be the elect of an absolute majority , thafc is , of 2001 of the electors in the case we have prefigured . Elsewhere

again a two-thirds majority may be requisite . Sometimes , as in the case of a vacant secretaryship , to compete for which a general invitation is issued to all persons possessing certain qualifications , it is laid down that the ballot shall be repeated till one has obtained a certain majority . Thero are say fifty candidates , of whom we will imagine six arc picked out for the electors to choose from , and A

obtains 100 votes , B 350 , C 200 , and so on to F , who polls some 50 only . Then a second ballot is taken , in which A obtains 750 votes ancl B 720 ; but the law in this case requires that the successful man must be the choice of two-thirds or threefourths , and consequently the ballot is taken again and again until at length A or B gets the requisite number , and is declared At the election last year for fche Secretaryship of the Masonic Girls '

School nine candidates went to the poll , and Bro . Hedges , for whom 373 votes were cast , was declared successful ; No . 2 polling only 268 votes , or less than Bro . Hedges by 105 ; No . 3 153 , aud so on . Iu all 907 votes were recorded , and , therefore , Bro . Hedges cannot be described as the choice of a majority of tho electors , there being as many as G 2 l votes distributed among his rivals , while only 373 were given to him ; yefc the Bye-Laws were complied with , and Bro . Hedges was declared and is Secretary . Similarly , if a Lodge lays it

Answers To Correspondents.

down that a mere majority is sufficient , tho man who secures the first place in the ballot will , in due course , be installed master . Of course , ifc would be open to any brother to challenge the wisdom of the choice made by moving the non-confirmation of tho minutes , and if he carried his point , there would have to be a fresh election . AVe have referred to Dr . Oliver , whose authority is admitted in all matters of

this kind , and he says there are different methods followed by different Lodges . Some , he points ont , adopt the principle of seniority , which may be determined by the " respective dates of initiation , raising , or tho appointment into tho chair of a Warden . " This , however , docs not find favour with the learned writer who expresses his objection to it , and considers it should bo respected only " when other quali .

fixations are on a par . Other Lodges , he goes on to point out , name one candidate , and ballot ; for him , but ho is opposed to this , as he says no one would care to incur tho odium of voting against the candidate so proposed . In other cases he mentions that the Master proposes one , and the Senior Warden another , ancl tho brethren choose between them . But ho considers there is a probability of

securing the beat candidate for the year if all who are eligible to fill tho chair are nominated , and the individual who gets tho mosfc votes is elected . However , we have beenafc some pains to consider the mosfc usual among tho different methods which obtain in different directions ; and therefore we must refer a " P . M . " to his Lodge bye-laws , and if fchey are silent , then unquestionably the brother who afc fche ballofc gets the most votes is elected , though his majoriby may nob be a

majority of the Lodge . Nor is any great harm done if ifc is so , for the numbers in tho imaginary case we have described are a fair criterion to go by of the feeling of the Lodge . A and B with 15 and 14 votes respectively are decidedly better thought of than C with only eleven supporters , while as between the former there is a mero nominal , or perhaps accidental , superior / fcy of A over B , and through this slight difference in their claim , A having tho advantage , should certainly get the benefit of it .

The first part of Shakspeare ' s " King Hemy IV ., " compressed into four acts , will be performed at the Olympic Theatre this ( Saturday ) afternoon . Sir John Falstaff is to be personated by Bro . Henry Murray P . D . G . M . of China ,

whilst Mr . George Leicester takes the part of the King , and Mr . Rosier that of Hotspur . The cast includes the names of other equally well-known artistes , and wo anticipate they will be met by a full audience .

Those who live in glass houses should nofc throw stones . The editor of the Keijdone , after criticising a trivial expression in a late issue of our paper , speaks iu his

next paragraph of the loss sustained by a Dover Lodge " by a late battle in India . ' Quartermaster Bloomfield fell at Isandula , which Ave have yet to learn is anywhere in India . Our brother ' s geography is evidently at fault .

The Theatres, &C.

THE THEATRES , & c .

BOYAL ITALIAN" OPEBA , COVENT GABDEBr .-Tnis Evening , TANNHAUSER . On Monday , LES HUGUENOTS . On Tuesday , LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR . On Thursday , LOHENGRIN . At 8 . 30

each evening . HEB MAJESTY'S THE ATBE .-This Evening , IL DON GIOVANNI : On Monday , IL TROVATORB . On Tuesday , CARMEN . On Thursday " LA SONNAMBULA . At 8 . 30 each evening . GLOBE . —At 7 . 15 , DON QUIXOTE JUNIOR . At 8 . 5 , LES CLOCHES DE CORNEVILLE .

HAYMABKET .-At 7 . 45 , THE RIVALS . At 10 . 15 , TOODLES . STBAND . —At 7 . 15 , RUTH'S ROMANOK . At 8 . 0 , MADAMK FAVART . GAIETY .-At 6 . 15 , EVASIVE REPLY . Afc 7 . 30 , BOULOGNE . At 9 . 30 , PRETTY ESMERALDA . VAUDEVILLE . —At 7 . 30 , ONCE AGAIN . At 8 . 0 , THE GIRLS , and A HIGHLAND FLING .

PBINCE OP WALES'S .-At 8 . 0 , CASTE . ADELPBX-At 7 . 0 , A KISS IN THE DARK . At 7 . 30 , WHO SPEAKS FIRST . Ad 8 . 0 , THE HUNCHBACK . PBINCESS'S—At 7 . 0 , FAMILY JARS . At 7 . 15 , IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND .

OLYMPIC .-At 7 . 15 , THE WOMAN OF THE PEOPLE , and BETTY MARTIN . LYCEUM . —At 7 . 30 , BOOK III . CHAP . I . At 8 . 15 , LADY OF LYONS . COUBT .-At 7 . 15 , COUSIN DICK . At 8 . 15 , THE LADIES' BATTLE , & c . OPEBA COMIQUE—At 7 . 45 , CUPS AND SAUCERS . At 8 . 30 H . M . S . PINAFORE , & a .

CBITEBION . —At 7 . 30 , MEG'S DIVERSION . At 9 . 0 , TRUTH . ALHAMBEA—At 7 . 30 , FARCE . At 8 . 0 , LA POULE AUX U 5 UFS D'OR . CBYSTAL PALACE .-This day , CONCERT , & c . On Wednesday , DON GIOVANNI , Open daily . Aquarium , Dr . Carver , & c . ALEXANDBA PALACE .-This day , LA TRAVIATA , & c . Open daily . 3 GYPTIAN ( LABGE HALL ) . —MASK . ELYNK AND COOKE . Every Evening afc S . Tuesdays , Thursdays , and Saturdays , afc 3 and 8 .

SOYAL POLYTECHNIC—METEMPSYCHOSIS . THE FAIRY DELL . THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ; GAS , what it , docs and can do . THK STEAM ENGINE . THK ZULU WAR . VOYAGKS IN THK AIR , und THE WONDERS OF MODERN SOIKNCB . STOKES ON MEMORY . LEOTARD the Automaton . Diver , Diving Hell-, . V . -. Uliuission , Is ; Open at 12 aud 7 . Can-in go < n t 5 and 10 .