Reviews.

REVIEWS .

All Books intended for Review should be addressed to the Editor of The Freemason ' s Chronicle , 67 Barbican , E . C .

The Constitution of the Grand Lodge of the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Greece . Athens : Freemasons' Hall , MDCCCLXXH . WE shall be pleased to hear what progress this Grand Lodge is making . The English translation of the Constitution consists of twenty-two pages . From Part Fourth , page 19 , we learn , "The

Grand Lodge of Greece does not found Lodges in foreign States where a regular and independent Grand Lodge exists , and which is in correspondence with it . It does not recognise any Lodge under foreign jurisdiction existing in Greece . The Grand Lodge of Greece practises and recognises no degrees of Masonry but those of Apprentice , Fellow Craft and Master Mason — denominated St . John ' s

Masonry . " In this respect , therefore , it agrees with the English Grand Lodge , and more especially with the Grand Lodge of Scotland , which has so carefully preserved genuine Craft Masonry , whilst adopting the apocryphal notions of foreigners in their higher degrees so-called . The first General Assembly and the first Council of the Grand Lodge are elected for two years , after that for three years .

This Council of the Grand Lodge consists of twenty-one members , elected by the General Assembly out of its own members , including the Grand Master , the Depute and Substitute Grand Masters , and governs , when the Assembly does not meet , all the general affairs of the Masonic Order of Greece . Part Third informs us that " The central direction and government is exercised by the Grand Lodge ,

whose seat is the capital of the State . The Grand Lodge consists of representatives of all the Lodges of the Confederation , of the Council of the Grand Lodge , of the Grand Master , the Depute Grand Master and the Substitute Grand Master . " All tho officers and members of this Grand Lodge take an obligation " on honour and conscience " to respect its laws . Part First gives tho object and

purpose of Freemasonry , and the qualifications necessary for its mysteries , in this differing little from the opinions prevailing iu this country . We notice , however , that " Every balloting shall be visable , on whatever subject , either essential or personal . " Will our Greek brethren inform ns what they are doing ? The Order , we understand , has two Past Senior Wardens in England ,

Bros . C . F . Matier P . M . and John Yarker P . M ., a Past Junior Warden in Scotland , Bro . Hunter , P . G . M . of Aberdeenshire , and a Greek as representative with the Grand Lodge . Tho Constitutions are prefaced as follows : " We , Grand Master Mason of Greece : In conformity with the proceedings , under date 15 th July 1872 , whereby the Grand Lodgo of Greece assembled and

adopted , after mature deliberation , the fundamental Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Greece , as promulgated on the 1 st April 1867 , and printed iu obedience to a decree , dated 9 th February 1868 , signed by tho then Depute Gr . Master , Bro . N . Damaskinos , acting Gr . M . M . of Greece , and a copy of which is hereunto annexed : " We , the aforesaid Grand Master Mason of Greece , have decreed , and do hereby decree : —Art . I . —The aforesaid Constitution and

Statutes thereupon enacted , to bo in force and to bo confirmed by these presents . Art . II . —The Statutes and General Regulations , now actually in operation shall , unless contrary in any respect to our fundamental Constitution , continue in force , until formally and authoritively revised , repealed , or annulled . Given at the Grand Lodge of Greece , in the City of Athens , this second day of August , in the year of ' onr Lord 1872 and of Light 5872 .

" RHODOCANAKIS , Grand Master . "By Command of the M . W . Grand Master Mason of Greece , His Imperial Highness the Prince Rhodocanakis , Dep . Gr . Master . " Tho Now Shakspearian Dictionary of Quotations , by G . Somers Bellamy . London : Charing Cross Publishing Company . 1875 .

THE writer of a dictionary , as Dr . Johnson has remarked , is fortunate if ho escape tho contempt of his readers . The work of compilation is dreary drudgery , which is enlivened by no prospect of fame , and little chance of adequate reward . If a man does not take up this work con amorc , he is likely to meet with grave disappointment . The public do not readily buy works of reference , and our libraries

are already so well stocked with this class of literature that there is no opening for a new aspirant in that direction . The writer of the work before ns has very ably accomplished an exceedingly difficult task . His aim has not been to give a concordance of the works of Shakspeare , but tho key of reference to numerous striking and beautiful passages . There are over four thousand quotations iu

his pages , and the subjects are so arranged that a lover of the great bard will readily find his favourite " beauties . " A digest containing tho sub-heads of the classification adopted throughout the work refers us to the page upon which wo may find the key to the passage we are seeking . As an example , wo may suppose that the reader desires to find the sublime soliloquy on sleep , which occurs in

Henry 1 Y . Wo turn to tho snb-head of the work , and , under the word slor . p , we find a digest and references to pages 208-209 , where we immediately find the cue , " Sleep , gentle sleep , " and the acenrate reference to Henry IV " ., pt . 2 , Act III ., scone 1 . Again , we had a faint recollection of a speech on " Boasters , " which occurs iu one of the historical plays , but could not find tho passage . Tho sub-head of the work before us gives , under the word Boasters , a

reference to puge 17 , and there we find that the passage we are seeking is in Henry V ., Act III ., see no 6 . Tho addenda gives ns a selection of anxiom ? , proverbs , and other sayings , with their references , which will not be considerel the least valuable part of the work . Wo heartily recommend Mr . Bellamy ' s book to our readers , and wc venture to predict that it'lwill be well received by tho public ,

Money Market And City News.

MONEY MARKET AND CITY NEWS .

FRIDAY . At the meeting on Thursday of the proprietors of the London

Joint Stock Bank , the net profit for the half-year was stated to amount to £ 142 , 002 , out of which a dividend was declared at the rate of 15 per cent , per annnm , leaving a balance of £ 52 , 002 to be carried forward . The guarantee fund , with its accrued interest , amounts to £ 522 , 713 . With reference to the dishonoured bills held by the bank , amounting to £ 89 , 076 , the Chairman stated that it would be a matter

of great difficulty to make even an approximate calculation of the dividends which would be recovered from the 22 estates upon which the bank has claims , but there was no doubt that a considerable amount would be recovered , and a few of the estates might give 20 s in the £ . He added that these failures had had the effect of curtailing all speculation , bnt that the elements of prosperity in

sound trade were made apparent in an unusual degree . The report of tho Union Bank of London states that the net profit for the half-year , including £ 32 , 185 brought forward , amounted to £ 165 , 748 , from which a dividend at the rate of 15 per cent , per annum has been declared . The directors at the meeting stated that the £ 100 , 000 which was set aside as provision for bad and doubtful

debts would be amply sufficient . . .. The report of the London and South Western Bank Limited exhibits an available balance of £ 11 , 077 , and recommends the pay ; ment of a dividend at the rate of 8 per cent , per annum , free of in come tax for the half-year , leaving £ 4 , 430 ( including £ 1 , 346 rebate ) to be carried to profit and loss new account .

The half yearly report of the Consolidated Bank Limited , presented at the meeting on Wednesday , showed an available total of £ 52 , 196 , from which a dividend was proposed at the rate of 10 per cent , per annum , free of income tax , leaving , after appropriating £ 6 , 320 to the reserve fund , a balance of £ 5 , 876 to be carried forward . The directors of the Halifax Joint Stock Bank Limited have

declared an interim dividend of 7 i per cent , for the half-year ending June last , and the directors of the West of England and South Wales District Bank one at the rate of 8 per cent , per annum , free of income tax ; The half-yearly report of the Manchester and County Bank Limited shows , including £ 5 , 030 brought forward , a not profit of £ 59 , 956 , out

of which it is proposed to add £ D , 000 to the reserve fund , raising it to £ 350 , 000 ; to pay a dividend at the rate of 15 per cent , per annum j and to carry forward £ 4 , 885 . The directors state that , with the assistance of a surplus arising from the ample provision made in previous years for bad and doubtful debts , they are enabled , out of the surplus profits of the past six months , to fully provide for exceptional

losses through tho recent failures without touching the reserve or reducing the dividend . Tho report of the directors of the Manchester Joint Stock Bank Limited announces a dividend at tho rate of 10 per cent , per annum , leaving , after the addition of £ 5 , 012 to tho reserve fund , £ 3 , 013 to be carried forward .

The report of the Bank of Lgypt states that tho net profits for the half-year amounted to £ 17 , 242 , making , with £ 3 , 486 brought forward , an available total of £ 20 , 728 . The directors recommend the payment of a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent , per annum and a bonus of 10 s per share , leaving £ 3 , 228 to bo carried forward . At the meeting of tho Union Bank of Australia , hold on Monday ,

the directors' annual report , which was adopted , showed a net profit of £ 106 , 471 , out of which a dividend of 7 per cent ., and a bonus of 5 s per share were declared for the half-year , being at the rate of 16 per cent , per annum , and leaving £ 6 , 471 to be carried forward . Tho South Eastern Railway dividend has been fixed at the rate of 3 J per cent , per annum , leaving £ 10 , 000 to bo carried forward . At

the corresponding period of last year the dividend was at the rate of 3 i per eenfc . per annum , and £ 5 , 000 was carried forward . The Metropolitan Railway Company announce that the accounts , subject to final audit , show a balance on the half-year sufficient for a dividend on the ordinary stock at tho rate of 3 $ per cent , per annum , carrying forward a balance of about £ 2 , 000 . At tho corresponding

period of last year a dividend at the rate of 2 J- per cent , per annum was declared , and about £ 700 carried forward . A dividend on the ordinary stock of the London and Greenwich Railway Company at the rate of £ 1 7 s 6 d per cent , for the half-year has been declared . Tho available balance was £ 17 , 607 . The directors of the London and St . Katharine Docks Company

intend to recommend , at the general meeting of proprietors appointed to be hold on tho 29 th inst ., that a dividend at the rate of 3 J per cent , per annum , free of income tax , bo declared for the past half-year , carrying £ 15 , 617 19 s 2 d to tho reserve fund . Tho distribution at tho corresponding period of last year was at the rate of 4 per cent , per nuniim , and £ 16 , 156 was carried forward . Tho reduction in tho

dividend is doubtless duo to the contraction of trade . The report of the General Credit aud Discount Company Limited , to be submitted to the meeting on the 22 nd inst ., states that from a considerable number of tho recent failures the company escaped harmless , but was not so fortunate in others . The directors consider , however , that after paying the usnul interim dividend , at the rate of

o per cent , per annum for tho half-year , a sum of £ 50 , 000 brought into the account from the reserve fund will be sufficient provision for the exceptional and ordinary bad debts un to the present time . The liabilities on deposits , loans , & c , on the 30 th June were £ 3 , 993 , 147 , and the acceptances against securities £ 296 , 465 . At the general meeting , held on Tuesday , of the Eastern Telegraph Company Limited , a dividend was declared of 2 s ( id rjor share

making , with the three previous payments , a total distribution of 5 per cent , for the year Tho half-yearly report of Foster , Porter and Company Limited states that , including £ 11 , 053 brought from the last account , tho available sum is £ 26 , 750 , from which it is proposed to declare a dividend at tho usual rate of 12 i per cent , per annnm , free of income tax , leaving £ 13 , 625 to bo carried forward ,