Our Weekly Budget.

Lodge . A Supreme Council decided questions that arose . Just before the war it Avas resolved to make a Swiss Grand Lodge , and thp members of the Council cheerfully resigned their office . When the great war broke out , this new body , speaking for the Masons of Switzerland , protested against

it . By this act , they gave umbrage to their Prussian brothers , who declared the protest an insult . Seeing that the war had been forced upon their country , an apology was demanded , and the Grand Lodge granted it . There were , however , many dissentients , headed by the members

of the defunct Supreme Council . The breach has grown wider , and at this moment there is a talk of a secession . Peace makers have applied to all the first authorities of the Universe , and out of this dissension has sprung the idea of a Conference . The last was held in 1819 . French

Masons have taken the leading part in arranging this great ceremony . I hear no particular mention of English or American delegates , who , indeed , if all tales be true , would find themselves in an atmosphere quite strange amongst the Orients and the professors of the Scotch rite so-called .

Bro . Sir John Bennett has been commissioned to manufacture the Gold Chain and Badge for Mr . Deputy Breffit , Sheriff elect , who has appointed Bro . H . H . Crawford ( of the firm of Chorley and Crawford , 48 Moorgate-street ) to be his Under-Sheriff ; and his Chaplain , Rev . R . H .

Atherton , Chaplain to the Coopers' Company's Schools , St . James Vicarage . Ratcliffe . Bro . Alderman Knight ( No . 1 Grand Master ' s Lodge ) has appointed , as his Under-Sheriff , E . A . Baylis , Esq . ( of the firm of Baylis , Baylis and

Pearce ) , and his Chaplain , the Rev . C . C . Collins , Vicar of St . Mary-the-Virgin , Aldermanbury . The Badge and Chain will be supplied by Messrs . Alderman Carter & Son , of Cornhill .

Money Market And City News.

MONEY MARKET AND CITY NEWS .

The Bank ' s financial half-year expired on the 31 st ult ., aud the " Eest" in the return jnsb published amounts to £ 3 , 680 , 640 . It is understood , therefore , that a dividend of 4- ^ per cent , for the six months -will be declared at the forthcoming meeting of the proprietors , leaving the " Eesfc " standing at about £ 3 , 025 , 000 . The last dividend was also 4 J per cent ., but that at the corresponding peziod oi last year was 5 .

At the meeting , on Wednesday , of the proprietors of the Anglo . Californian Bank Limited , the directors' report , which annonnced a dividend of 9 per cent , for the year , was agreed to . The Chairman , the Hon . Hugh M'Cnlloch , stated that the panic iu San Francisco had now ceased , and there were no indications of any further un . settlement . A considerable number of the bills of the Bank of

California were on their way to London , but the bank was not interested in these bills . The manasrors in America were the holders of some acceptances of tho Bank of California , the drawers of which were said to be firms of great respectability , and who were considered entirely responsible for the amounts for which they were respectively liable . Mr . M'Cnlloch added that he attributed the panic in Call , fornia to undue speculations in mining .

The directors of the Credit Foncier of England Limited , have made a call of £ 2 10 s per share on the 100 , 000 now shares of £ 5 each , payable by two instalments , viz ., £ 1 per share on the 14 th inst ., and £ 1 10 s on the 14 th October . The directors mention that in the present state of public credit they feel themselves compelled to make this call in order to carry on tho business of the company without

being so dependent on outside assistance as they have-hitherto been . They would have been glad to avoid this course , but a due regard for the interests of the holders of both old and new shares has , under existing circumstances , left them no alternative . Upon the payment of tin ' s call the paid-up capital of the undertaking will amount to

£ 1 , 500 , 000 , but a large portion of this sum is invested in unmarketable securities . At the half-yearly meeting of tho company on the 11 th nit . it was resolved to carry forward the balance £ 52 , 901 ah the credit of profit and loss , chiefly on tho ground that somo of the securities held had considerablv declined in value .

Tho report of the Sambre and Mouse Railway Company , to bo presented at tho half-yearly meeting , states that the account for the year 1874 received from the Grand Central Company shows that the Sambre and Mouse Company is entitled to a surplus over the fixed rental . This account , however , has not yetbeon settler ! , as the

directors consider that this company is entitled to a further proportion of the excess receipts . They therefore now propose to declare the usual dividend of 4 s only on the ordinary shares , subject to the resolntions being approved of at tho meeting to bo held in Brussels ou the 14 th of September nest .

The directors of the San Paulo ( Brazilian ) Bail way Company Limited have resolved to pay a dividend on the share capital of the undertaking for tho half-year ended 30 th Jnnc last at the rate of 12 pei cent , per annum , which , with that paid in April , makes 9 J- per cent , for the year , carrying forward £ 18 , 383 to the reserve fund . At a meeting , ou Tuesday , of the General Steam Navigation Com-

Money Market And City News.

pany , a dividend of 15 a per share was declared for the sis months , being at the rate of 10 per cent , per annum ; and at a meeting of the South Essex Waterworks Company an interim dividend at the rate of 5 per cent , per annum . At the meeting , on Tuesday , of the India Rubber , Gutta Percha , and Telegraph Works Company Limited , the directors' report , which stated that the net profit for tho half year was about £ 21 , 500 , subject to the audit of the accounts for the whole year , was agreed to .

The report of Price ' s Patent Candle Company Limited , to bo presented to tho meeting on the 7 th of October , shows a balance in hand of £ 21 , 925 , against £ 10 , 702 at the corresponding period of last year . This sum is rather more than sufficient for payment of a dividend of 10 s a share on the ordinary shares , in addition to the preference

dividend ; but as the company has not been in a position to pay an October dividend since 1863 , and tho subsequent discontinuance of such a dividend if now resumed would be injurious to the interests of tho shareholders , the directors unanimousl y consider it best to carry forward to next half-year tho £ 20 , 870 Is 4 d which will remain in hand after paying the dividend on the preference shares .

At the general meeting of Hay ' s Patent Waterproof Glue Company Limited , a dividend of 20 per cent , on the company ' s capital was declared for the half-year ending June last . At a , meeting of the directors of the Surrey Commercial Dock Company , held on Thursday , it was decided to recommend to the proprietors , at the general meeting to be held on the 9 th inst ., to declare a dividend of 2 } per cent , for the half-year , free of income tax .

Tho Great North of Scotland Railway dividend has been fixed at the rate of 3 per cent , per annum , leaving £ 797 to be carried forward . Tho distribution at the corresponding period of last year was 1-J-.

Railway Traffic Returns.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS .

The following statement shows the receipts for traffic on the idermentioned railways for the past week , as compared with the rresponding week in 1874 : — Miles open . Receipts . Railway . 1875 1875 1874 p . A

Caledonian 739 60 , 856 59 , 836 Glasgow and South Western . . 315 | 19 , 557 18 , 751 Great Eastern .... 763 48 , 924 50 , 651 Great Northern .... 523 55 , 224 56 , 607 Great Western .... 1 , 525 117 , 060 115 , 626 Lancashire and Yorkshire . . 430 75 , 751 73 , 580

London and Brighton . . . 376 i 39 , 204 38 , 194 London , Chatham and Dover . . 153 £ 25 , 277 24 , 847 London and North Western . . 1 , 587 185 , 144 190 , 074 London and South Western . . 626 £ 42 , 220 41 , 584 London , Tilbury aud Southend . 45 2 , 719

—Manchester and Sheffield . . 259 . V 32 . 221 Si ? 9 . 18 Manchester and Sheffield . . 259 £ 32 , 221 32 , 218 Midland 975 ? 121 , 463 115 , 885 Metropolitan 8 — — „ „ District ... 8 4 , 180 3 , 473 „ St . John ' s Wood . . If — —

North British 844 a 47 , 039 45 , 898 N ' orth Eastern .... l / lOOJ 140 , 114 138 , 787 North London .... 12 7 , 114 6 , 769 North Staffordshire Eaihvay . . 191 10 , 324 10 , 374 „ Canal . . 118 1 , 548 1 , 581 South Eastern .... 350 42 , 555 40 , 084

Our Lodges.

OUR LODGES .

The Masonic Lodge is in its intention snniur to a well-ordered home . It teaches that truth , honour , industry and harmony are four corner stones on which a temple can be raised . To preserve these corner stones from being marked , marred , scarred or bedanbed is the duty of every Mason , as it is the duty of all the children of a family to work in harmony together to make the family name an honourable

one and the home always a pleasant one . The brother who lies , steals , demoralizes the workmen or debauches society , is not a good Mason . Ho is gniity of unmasonic conduct . It is tho duty of the brother who notices these spots that may grow into blemishes , to quietly call tho attention of tho thoughtless Mason to obligations he took before the Great Light in the East . It is not his Masonic duty

or privilege to call tho thoughtless brother a liar , in public , or to harden his heart , but to speak kindly and frankly to him as he would be spoken to . It is no privilege of Masonry to correct a Mason before profane listeners—in the presence of men who might say— " Behold these brothers 1 See how they quarrel 1 " The brother who is humiliated in public has a Masonic right to call his tormentor before

the Lodge to make answer why he thus corrected a brother publicly . There ho can plead his case and justify himself if ho can . Tho defendant can , in tho Lodge , correct his brother , but not with lashe ? . The brother who without canso or provocation assaults a brother with fist , foot , weapon or tongue , is guilty of unmasonic conduct , and it is

the dntv of the Master of the Lodge to order the trespasser into Court , to give hearing and teach discipline , exactly as a parent would correct his children when they do wrong . Tho true Mason will not wron" a brother . The Masou who ia not true to his obligations comes under tho ban of correction . The duty of tho Master is to dress to the line . —Pommy ' s Democrat ,