Royal Arch.

ROYAL ARCH .

CENTENARY OF THE DOMATIC CHAPTER No . 177 .

THIS event was celebrated ou Thursday , the 23 rd ult ., at Anderton ' s Hotel , Fleet Street , E . G ., whoa a large number ol Companions were present to do honour to tho occasion . A considi 'abb amount of work was got through by Companion Harry Nelson I' ice , tho outgoing M . E . Z ., who was supported by Companion John Hattersley H ., and William Bailey J . The M . E . Z . exalted Bro . hers

Henry Silliok Woodd , Thomas Nixon Morris , W . i ' . urrell , and William Ward to the degree of Royal Arch Masons , after which Companion Price installed Brothers John Hattersley Z ., William Bailey H ., and Nathan Salmon J . All the work was done in a puiiseworthy and careful style , and the Officers are thereforo to be congratulated . The other Officers invested for the year were : —

Companions C . A . Cottebrane Scribe E ., Richard Moody Scribe N ., J . T . Briggs Treasurer , E . A . G . Smith P . S ., Thomas Hobbs 1 st A . S ., Alfred Piper 2 nd A . S ., and James Vorry Janitor . Companion W . W . B . Beaob , M . P ., Grand J ., ia presenting the centenary warraut taid : I have very great pleasure in performing tho duty assigned to mo , to present the centenary warrant of the Chapter . It marks an

interesting epoch m the annals of the Chapter when it ha 3 attaiued 100 years' existence . During that period no doubt ranch useful and valuable work has been performed . Though the agency of this Chapter many brethren have boen exalted into Royal Arch Masonry , and obtained greater eminence in the Craft , and I trust that the distinction already attained will be increased . It augurs well for the

Chapter that there ia snch a large attendance here this evonitig , because it shows the interest taken in the Chapter . The warrant 1 now present , which records the centenary of the Chapter , I hope will bean incitement to the Companions to persevere in that liue ol conduot which has acquired for this Chapter such great distinction . The M . E . Z . briefly responded on behalf of the Chapter .

The M . E . Z . next presented a centenary iowel to Cornp . II . N . Prict > , which he said was the first centenary jewel of the Chapter . Tho Companions onght to feol a great honour had beon conferred upon them , and they felt it would not have come about had it net been for Comp . Price ' s exertions . Comp . Price had brought his endeavours to a successful issue , and he was to be congratulated

upon it . Comp . Price said he thanked the M . E . Z . very cordiall y for his kind words . Anything he had done to conduce to obtaining tho contenary warrant had been to him a labour of love . If tho Companions were satisfied he was amply rewarded . He should like now to have the pleasuro of presenting to the M . E . Z . a centenary jewel . There was no member of tbo Chapter who wonld render it more honour . Comp . Price then decorated tho M . E . Z . with a eei . hennrv

jewel . Tbo M . E . Z . called up Comps . Cottobrnne and J . T . Briggs , and presented each with a centenary jewel . He said that they liatl been many years in the Chapter , and he hoped they won ' . d be in it for many years to come . Comp . Kohry ( British Btirmah ) , on behalf of that district , congratulated the Chapter on tho excellent work ho had seen that night , and also on the Chapter obtaining a centenary warrant . When one came thousands of milos and saw the ceremonial

ot Masonry properly porformed , it was extremely gratifying . Ic was very difficult to acquire the work . He had seen tbo working of a good many Chapters , but he had nover appreciated it as he had that evening . That Chapter had flourished for 100 years , and he hoped it might go on for many more . The Chapter was afterwards closed , and the Companions adjourned to a repast , at which

Comp . Price prosided , tho honour having been conferred upon him in recognition of his services in obtaining the charter . Comp . Price briefly proposed the Queen and Royal Arch Masonry , and also the health of the Grand Z . of tho Order , H . R . H . the Prince of Wales . Comp . Price said the next toast he had the honour to propose was that of the health of the Pro Grand Z ., the Earl of

Lathom , the Grand H ., the Earl of Mount Edgcnmbe , and the Grand J ., Comp . W . W . B . Beach , and the rest of the Grand Officers Present and Past . There was little necessary for him to say to recommond that toast to the consideration of the Companions , for it always received a hearty acceptance . In the Earl of Lathom they had a very old and worthy Mason , who was always ready and willing to

take command of their ceremonial , ^ hey had also tho Earl of Mount Edgcnmbe , who was equally enthusiastic in Masonry , and they next came to Comp . Beach the Grand J ., who had honoured them with bis presence that evening . It afforded him personally a great amount of pleasure to welcome Comp . Beach in the Domatio Chapter , seeing that he ( Comp . Price ) was initiated in the Province of Hampshire in

the first year of Comp . Beach s rnle over that Province as Grand Master . Therefore he felt peculiarly honoured by Comp . Beach coming to see one of his Masonic children . Whenover the . Companions saw any of these Grand Officers occupying the position of President in Grand Lodge , they knew they occupied it with dignity While they had such Officers at the head of Masonry , they were

certain that Royal Arch Masonry would never waver , but would remain the same grand noble institution it ever was . Ihey had , also , to hold out the right hand of fellowship iu the name of the Domatic Chapter to Comp . Fenn Past President of the Committee of General Pnrposos . There were very fovv Masons who conld carry out the coremonies more efficiently than he , not only in their own language , but in other languages . Comp . Fenn

was one of the most energetic Grand Officers . Then there was Comp . Letchworth , who was most enthusiastic in his work , and to him he returned thanks for his assistance in obtaining the centenary warrant . Comp . Letchworth had given up an important engagement to be present at the Domatic Chapter that evening . Then they came to Comp . Pendlebnry , and there was another Grand Officer whom they claimed as a membor of the Chapter ( Comp . George Everett ) , and whom they were always ready to welcome . Iu all the

than it ever had on any one evening of its existence . He called upon C . mips . Beach aud Fenn to respond . Comp . W . W . B . Boach replied , anil thanked the Companions for tho cordial reception they had given I to that toast . Ic was a great privilege to him , and he was proud I to be associated with such distinguished Masons as Lord Lathom and Lord Mount Elgcumb-, both of wham had done very

I Chapters to which ho belouged , there were none move thorougly satisfied to seo Comp . Everett than hi ? old Chapter , the Domatic Comp . James Lewis Thomas came next : ho was Past Grand Standard Barer , and Comp . Henry Sadler Grand Janitor , lie thanked them nil for their attendance , and tho Domatic Chapter mast congratulate if self on being honoured with tho presence of more Grand Officers

much for Masonry in all its brauchos , and contribnted very much to the success of Royal Aroh Masonry . Companion Thomas Fenn also replied ; he : aid the toast had been responded to so ably by their excellent and belovod Companion Beach , that a very few words would suffice from him . He was rather surprised that the M . E . Z . should ask him to respond , because their

excellent G . S . E . took precedence of him . He had no doubt the M . E . Z . would have some toast slyly in tho corner of his pocket in favour of tho other Companions . That night ho was permitted to tell them that Comp . Robert Grey , who waa the real President of the Committee of General Purposes , had folt himself—very unwillingly—obliged to absent himself , as he was Chairman for the

mouth of the Honse Committee of the Girls' School , and , nnlbrtunately , ho was compelled to be present at the School , Although ho ( Comp . Fenn ) was nno of the Committee , Comp . Grey had commissioned him to represent him as tho only Past President of tho Committee of General Purposes at present existing . He wished sincerely to convoy to the Companions of the Domatio

Chapter the regret of Comp . Grey at being unavoidably absent , more especially as one of tho Vice-Presidents of the Board of Benevolence , who was an active member of that Chapter—Comp . Cottebrnneand Comp . Everett , formerly a member , was one of its Vice-Presidents . He should not forget himself , and ho would say how gratified he felt at tho first time of being in that Chapter , in which

so many of his old and original friends who were Masons were members . Not the least of these was Comp . S . Barton Wilson , who was his instructor in Masonry , and with whom he was associated in the Emulation Lodge of Improvement many years ; thoir Brother John Snelling , one of the mo 3 t dintinguished lights of that Lodge , and one of thoir highly esteemed Companions , Comp . James Brett . He

thanked the Companions very much for tho pleasure he had had , and he expressed his satisfaction at the way in which the work in Chapter was conducted . When he had been invited to Chapters it was usually for the purpose of doing tho work , aud it was an agreeablo surprise to him as a guest to see tho wo-k ; -o well porformed by all tho Officers . Comp . \ Y . W . B . Beach next said a most pleasing

duty Lad been assigned to him . They had met that evening on a moat interesting occasiou , and therefore the toast which he had to propose to tho Companions was success to tho Domatio Chapter . He felt that that toast onght to have beon proposed by some one more intimately connected with it , who could have dono more justice to it , who could havo entered more intimately into the past history of the

Chapter . But he had bsen only informed of ' one or two facts iu regard to it . He understood it existed first of all in 1789 , but not under authentic records , and it was not until 1793 that it begau to exist under a warrant from tho Athol Lodge . At that time Chapters under tho Athol Lodge did not exist by themselves , but they existed by warrant of the Lodges under which they took origin , and

therefore that was a very different mode of proceeding to that of the present time . Of course , after the amalgamation of the different Lodges and tho United Grand Lodge was brought into boing , all these things were changed . Ho doubt during that time the Domatic Chapter had done great and useful work . Many distinguished Royal Arch Masons had been members of this Chapter ; they had douo very

active and solid work in tho interest of Royal Arch Masonry . During this long series of years tho Companions had handed down to their successors the traditions of the Chapter and had shown unbroken work whioii formed a record in the present day . He was sorry to Bay he was not able to be prosent at the time when the candidates were exalted that afternoon , but ho had the pleasure of witnessing

two of the installations , and he was delighted with the way the work was conducted . Comp . Fonn , who was present sooner , did justice to the way in which Comp . Price and the other Officers did their work . Therefore ho thought tbey had to cjngntulate the Domatic Chapter on the way the work was carried out ia it , and they had every reason to believe that iu future years tho Chapter

would continue to flourish and bo an ornament to tho Craft and to the degree to which it belonged . It had received a centenary warrant . He understood thero were only three other Chapters in London which had that distinction , aud only 18 altogether . Of course it wai a great distinction to be one of such a small number as that . Ho congratulated tho members of tho Committee heartilv on the

success which had attended their past efforts , and hoped it would bo their object in the future to sustain it , and that they would have tho same success as in the past . With tho toast ho coupled tho name of Companion 0 . A . Cottobrune . Companion Cottebrnne , in acknowledging the tcast , said that to a certain exteut he felt he was quite unable to answer the very high eulogium passed on him b y

their very distinguished Companion . However , he wished that one of thoir Companions would havo been able to be amongst them , but , unfortunately , ho was not able , through infirmity—it was their old friend Comp . Buss . Comp . Buss was a member of that Chapter some years before him ( Comp Cottobrune ) , aud they worked together up to the time when he waa called upon to take Comp . Bns . s ' . i place aa

senior member and also as Scribe L . of tho Chapter . Ho felt that a very high responsibility waa fulling ou his shoulders , and he was not going to toll them a eenret , becanso , no doubt , they wer ; all awaro ot it already , that , being a foreigner , especially , he thought it was a great undertaking on his part to take tho position of Scribe of such a distinguished Chapter ; bat knowing it was his mother Chapter , and