Grand Lodge Of Scotland.

elected him to that Office . Their election had been indeed admirably justified by him . He had also to thank them for having supplied him with such an excellent Chancellor of the Exchequer as he had in Grand Treasurer . Bro . Chisholm had fulfilled his duties most admirably , and he was glad to

assure them that he would have a record statement to make that evening in regard to the finances of Grand Lodge . He expressed his obligations to Bro . John Graham of Broadstone for having acted as Grand Master-Depute of Scotland for two' years . His assistance and co-operation had helped

him on many occasions . He had a great experience of Masonry , and had been most useful to the Grand Master . Brother Graham and himself concurred in thinking that the honours should go round , and it was with his entire

concunence that he had nominated as the Grand Master-Depute the Hon . Charles Maule Ramsay . Fie was sure they would be grateful to him for having nominated to the high Office of Substitute Grand Master of Scotland a Mason who

was so esteemed throughout the whole country as Bro . James D . G . Dalrymple . Pie also conveyed his heartfelt thanks to Lord Saltoun for having at great personal inconvenience come from England to take part in the important function of that

day , and to the Earl of Haddington , who had on this occasion come to the front as he always did . In conclusion , he thanked the Brethren one and all for their unfailing kindness and forbearance towards him .

The Brethren afterwards celebrated the festival of St . Andrew in the Freemasons' Hall , George Street , and there was a larger attendance than usual , about 350 being present .

The chair was occupied by the Grand Master the Hon . James Hozier , M . P ., and he was supported right and left by the Earl of Haddington , Lord Saltoun , the Hon . Charles Maule Ramsay , Bro . J . Parker Smith , M . P ., and others .

After dinner the Grand Master proposed the toast of the King and the Craft . In doing so he referred to the death of the late Queen Victoria , and remarked that for the first time for sixty-five years it had fallen to the lot of a Grand Master Mason of Scotland to propose the toast in its old

form . The Freemasons of Scotland were unchanging in their loyalty to their sovereign . Close was the connection between the sovereign and the Graft . King Edward had been for over thirty years the Patron of Scottish Freemasonry , and might he long continue to be the revered Patron of the Scottish Craft .

The Rev . Dr . John Glasse , Edinburgh , in proposing the Naval and Military Forces of the Empire , said he was a man of peace , but war was sometimes necessary ; and , if it were necessary , it must also be beneficial . He hoped the day was

not far distant when the battle flag would be furled , but meanwhile they must play their part in fighting , or otherwise , to promote the freedom and fraternity of the world . Colonel Rutherford , Commanding the 26 th and 71 st Regimental

Districts ; the Earl of Fladdington , A . D . C . : and Colonel

Ivison Macadam , V . D ., acknowledged the toast . Bro . J . Parker Smith , M . P ., proposed the toast of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , and the Grand Master , in reply , said that at the opening of a new century , and at the opening of a new reign , he rose , for the third and last time —( cries of

No " )—as the Grand Master Mason of their choice , to thank them , with all his heart , for the very high honour which they had thus thrice unanimously conferred upon him . Pie had received a telegram from Captain Towse , V . C ., from Goring Redding , as follows : — " Fraternal greetings ; many

regrets for unavoidable absence . They all knew the heroic manner in which Captain Towse won his Victoria Cross , and he trusted they would empower him to send a suitable reply to their dear Brother . The Masonic year just ended had been indeed a record year in the annals of Scottish Freemasonry .

The grand total of Scottish Freemasons had been increased during the past year by the unprecedented number of 9 , 320 new members , as compared with 7 , 608 in the year 1900 , and with 7 , 513 in 1899 , then the highest point ever reached . The income of Grand Lodge during the past year had been

£ 8 , 438 , as against £ 7 , 364 " in the previous year—an increase of £ 1 , 074 . During 1901 the grants from the Benevolent Fund had amounted to £ 839 , and the annuities to £ 1 , 420 . Since the formation of the Annuity Fund , in 1889 , the sum of £ 12 , 700 had been paid in annuities .

The General Fund amounted to £ 21 , 191 , the Benevolent Fund to £ 8 , 199 , and the Annuity Fund to £ 31 , 316—making a grand total for the three Funds of £ 60 , 706 , exclusive of the heritable and movable property , which was valued at £ 25 , 400 .

Grand Lodge Of Scotland.

Altogether the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Scottish Craft were in a position of unprecedented prosperity . The Hon . C . M . Ramsay , in proposing the " City of Edinburgh , " referred to various municipal improvements in the capital . Meeting to celebrate the Festival of Grand

Lodge of Scotland , he might properly congratulate Edinburgh upon the good choice it had made in its municipal representatives , by apparently , in recent years at any rate , considering it a necessity on the part of its chief magistrate that

he should be a member of their Fraternity . As a Mason , he looked upon that as a healthful sign , and showing good sense on the part of the citizens of Edinburgh . Sir Mitchell Thomson , Bart ., replied , and other toasts followed .

a- ***************** Especial honour has been paid to a member of the Craft by the appointment by-the Board of Admiralty of Bro . Philip Watts as Director of Naval Construction , in succession to Sir William H . White , who has retired in consequence of

ill-health after having filled the office with great distinction since 1885 . Bro . Philip Watts has held during the same time the post of director of the war shipbuilding department of Sir William Armstrong , Whitworth , and Co ., Limited , and naval architect to the Company . Among the ships

designed by Bro . Watts may be mentioned the Hatsuse and Yashima , battleships , for Japan ; the New Orleans and Albany , cruisers , purchased by the United States on the outbreak of war with Spain ; the Esmeralda and O'Higgins , cruisers '! for Chili . The two Japanese battleships are

acknowledged to be remarkably fine warships , and compare favourably with similar vessels of their class and displacement . Bro . Watts married a Belgian lady , and has two daughters but no sons . He is about fifty-two years of age ,

and is a keen Volunteer . He is commanding officer of the 1 st Northumberland Artillery Volunteers , from which the famous Els wick Battery was sent out to the war in South Africa .

********** On Wednesday evening of last week the Fifteen Sections were worked by the Israel Lodge of Instruction , No . 205 , at the Vestry Room of' the' New West End Synagogue , St . Petersburgh Place . This novel occasion , though probably

not the first , was one of the few instances at which an exclusively Masonic meeting was held within the precincts of a synagogue . The gathering ^ . was arranged at the instance of Bro . PL J . Phillips P . M . of the Israel Lodge and Secretary of the New West End Synagogue . The Officers of the

Lodge of Instruction were : Bros . S . B . Lothiem W . M ., D Moss P . M . I . P . M ., B . DaCosta P . M . Preceptor S . W ., I Richmond J . W ., S . Emden S . D ., J . Goulston J . D , B . J Friend I . G . The first lecture was given by Bros . B . J . Friend

I . Davis , S . Emden , I . Richmond , D . Moss , I . Goulston , and B . DaCosta ; the second lecture by Bros . N . Goldman , M . DaCosta , J . Goulston , I . Simmons , and J . Danziger ; and the third lecture by Bros . A . E . Crabb , I . A . DaCosta , and H . Harris .

********** On Saturday evening the members of the newly formed Liverpool Masonic Literary and Philosophical Society held their second meeting in the Committee Room of the Masonic Hall , Hope Street , Liverpool , when Bro . John Armstrong

P . P . G . W . Cheshire read a paper entitled " The Landmarks of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons . " The Chairman ( Bro . E . R . Latham P . P . G . Treas . ) , in his opening remarks , expressed the hope that the Society would have a long and prosperous career , as it undoubtedly deserved . The lecturer

then gave an exhaustive and interesting account of what , after some thirty years close research , he felt constituted the old landmarks of Freemasonry . A lively and prolonged discussion followed , after which the proceedings terminated with the usual vote of thanks .

* ********* The cry from Hull to Hamburg is indeed a long cry . From the press of F . W . Rademacher comes to hand a learned work from the painstaking pen of Mr . George L . Shackles , solicitor , of Hull , and a prominent Freemason . It

contains a wealth of information on the medals , commemorative or historical , of British Masonry , and is enriched with many beautifully executed illustrations . In every respect the

work is well done , and is the result of much research . The designs of not a ie" \ of the medals are very chaste . W . J . Ohetwoode Crawley , LL . D ., D . C . L ., writes a short introduction to the volume , and the Grand Lodge of Hamburg ,