Provincial Grand Chapter Of West Yorkshire.

nesses the Duke and Dnohess of Albany for London , and yonr march back to the Town Hall to close the Provincial , Grand Lodge . The Dnke of Albany , through his Secretary , has expressed to my Deputy that H . R . H . was greatly pleased with the reception the Masons gave him , and desired him to take an opportunity of telling them so , and that he would gladly sign his name in the books of the five

Huddersfield Lodges . On this fete day our Boys' Election was being conducted in the Freemasons' Hall , London , and our representatives were debarred from being present at Hnddersfield . Both our boys were elected , sixteenth and ninteenth on the list of successful candidates . After the reading and confirmation of the minutes of the previous Quarterly

Conrt , a letter was read from the widow of our late Bro . John Wordsworth , in which she expressed her thanks for the vote of sympathy which had been forwarded to her ; and was ordered to be recorded on the minntes of that Court . I mention this because it shews in what respect our late brother was held in London , and to which his munificent contributions to the Charities justly entitled

him . £ 11 . 000 has been funded in respect of the Preparatory Boys ' School Building Fund ; and a motion was carried that every donor of 200 guineas should be a Patron of the Institution , and have 80 votes at each election , with the addition that Her Gracious Majesty , the Qneen , shonld be styled " Grand Patron " instead of as now " Patron . " I trust our Charity Subscription List for 1884 may be as handsome

in amount as the one now closed , viz . £ 2 , 566 2 s . I appeal to yonr liberality to augment our voting power , sadly reduced by the deaths of generous brethren . At our meeting at Ripon on the 3 rd October , at which I was unable to be present , being in Germany at the time , Companion Tew called the attention of the Craft to a report of the Special Committe appointed to report to Grand Lodge on the subject

of the Masonio Temple , recently seriously injured by fire , the carrying out of which scheme would involve an expenditure of some £ 40 , 000 or £ 50 , 000 ; and the granting of an extension of Messrs . Spiers and Pond ' s ( Limited ) lease to 50 years . Our Prov . Grand Lodge passed certain resolutions thereon , differing from the proposals of the Special Committee . I have approved

that almost identical resolutions be entered on the Agenda paper of this Grand Chapter , which , if carried , might give weight to the discussions in Grand Lodge when this extravagant proposal will be debated . I have also approved that Prov . Grand Lodge resolutions be sent to each Prov . Grand Secretary of every province , and also to Grand Lodge and to the Board of General Purposes . I hope ,

Companions , you will be there present in goodly numbers on the 5 th December to support our Registrar and other provinces in the adoption of onr resolutions , our opinion being that the Temple at Freemasons' Hall should be permanently preserved and re-instated at a moderate cost , to be provided out of the funds received from the Insurance Offices .

A Petition will be presented for your charitable consideration . It is a most exceptionable application from the Companions of the Marquis of Ripon Chapter , No . 837 . Companions , we are commanded in Leviticus that " If our brother be waxen poor and fallen into decay with us , then we shall relieve him that he may again live with us . " In this spirit the appeal will be made .

Companions , again let me reiterate that this beautiful degree is worthy of support , and how anxious I am that every Master Mason should become a Companion of the Royal Arch Degree , and I ask the First Principals of all the Chapters to use their influence to make this degree popular in the province . I again thank yon for attending here in such goodly numbers , and for the support you have accorded me as successor in this office to

the late Dr . Fearnley , who was here installed qn 5 th May 1858 , and to the late Comp . Bentley Shaw , installed 10 th November 1875 , in this very Temple . The Roll of Chapters was called . The Roll of Present and Past Prov . G . Officers was called . The Minutes of Meeting held at Pontefract on Thursday , 10 th May 1883 , were confirmed .

The Prov . G . S . E . read the following letter from the Widow of the late Captain Wordsworth :

" 3 Blenheim Mount , Manningham , Bradford , " Gentlemen , 12 th June 1883 . . " Allow me to return my most sincere thanks to all the members of the Provincial Grand Chapter of West Yorkshire for their kind expressions of sympathy and condolence in the very heavy loss I have sustained . I cannot refrain from saying that the high esteem in

which the Freemasons have held my dear husband will ever be a source of comfort and satisfaction to me and my children . In conelusion , allow me to add that I shall always continue to take an interest in the prosperity of yonr Institutions , to which , my dear husband was so greatly attached . I am , Gentlemen , yours faithfully , C . E . WORDSWORTH . "

" To Henry Smith , Esq ., St . John ' s Wakefield . " It was resolved " That the above letter be entered on the minutes . " The Prov . G . S . E . read the Petition for relief of Dr . W . P ., P . Z . 837 . E . Comp . J . K . Ibberson moved , and E . Comp . J . Wordsworth seconded , and it was resolved :

" That the Prov . G . Superintendent be requested to suspend Byelaw 11 ; " he having complied , " E . Comp . H . C . Pickorsgill , J . 837 , moved , and M . E . Comp . the Prov . G . Superintendent seconded , and it was resolved : " That tho sum of £ 25 be granted for the relief of Dr . W . P . out of the funds of Prov . G . Chapter . "

P ROPOSED R EBUILDING OF G RAND L ODGE . E . Comp . Eobert I . Critchley , Prov . G . H ., pursuant to notice , u . uve-1 , anil tuO M . E . Prov . G . Superintendent seconded , and it was resolved : I . " That this Prov . G . Chapter of West Yorkshire , whilst fully appreciating the services of the Special Committee appointed to

Provincial Grand Chapter Of West Yorkshire.

report to Grand Lodge on the subject of the Masonio Temple recently seriously damaged by Fire , regards with surprise and alarm the Report of snch Committee , which contemplates the purchase of the nuexpired term of 5 £ years lease , with furniture , of Bacon ' s Hotel for £ 6 , 000 ( annual rent £ 360 ) , and the granting of an extension of Messrs . Spiers and Pond ' s lease to 50 years .

That this Provincial Grand Chapter is of opinion that the leasing of any property of Grand Lodge , except for a very limited period , is , under any circumstances , highly objectionable , and may prove , as in the cases of the three leases now existing , extremely inconvenient , and that the question of rent is quite a . secondary consideration compared with the retention of full control of the premises and the

tenants of Grand Lodge . " 2 . " And this Provincial Grand Chapter wonld strongly recommend that the Antient Temple in Great Queen-street be preserved , and that it be immediately restored , the cost to be paid out of the funds received from the Fire Insurance Offices , —and further that no extensive building operations be undertaken until the expiration of

the lease on Bacon s Hotel—whioh will afford a favourable opportunity for the consideration of a comprehensive scheme for an additional Hall , and the re-arrangement of the premises of Grand Lodge . " A most hearty vote of thanks was given to the M . E . Z . and Companions of Three Grand Principles , Chapter No . 208 , for their

excellent arrangements , and for their hospitality . " There was no application for entertaining Prov . G . Chapter in May 1884 . This being all the business , Prov . G . Chapter was closed in due form at 5 * 45 p . m . HENRY SMITH , Prov . G . S . E .

About 80 Companions afterwards partook of Th-fi d-la . fourehettt E . Comp . Tew , in the absence of the Prov . G . Superintendent , presiding .

The Imperial Hotel.

THE IMPERIAL HOTEL .

LONDON is much better off now in the matter of hotel accommodation than ifc was even twenty years ago , and ifc is possible for visitors from the country to obtain comfortable apartments and provender at moderate charges . Moreover , many of the new hostelries are conveniently situated either close to the most important railway termini or else in central places whence access to the theatres and other places of amusement , and indeed to all parts

of the metropolis , is both easy and frequent . The Imperial Hotel , which , though almost adjoining the Viaduct Railway Station , is entirely distinct from the Viaduct Hotel , is among the latest addi . tions to the hotel comfort and convenience of London . No pains have been spared to adapt ifc to the requirements of every class of guest . To speak in general terms , the furniture and fittings

throughout are greatly to be admired , evincing as they do , a marked degree of taste on the part of those who superintended and carried out the upholstery arrangements , while nothing can well exceed the comfort whioh is so noticeable in every room in the building . In this respect , perhaps , the bedrooms show' to fche greatest advantage . They are marvels of cosiness , and are furnished with

every possible convenience , even writing materials for those who prefer attending to their correspondence in private rather than in the rooms which are set apart for thafc and other purposes among the general body of visitors . The sitting rooms are also well furnished , and sufficiently large to allow of visitors receiving and entertaining their friends . For general use there are smoking and

lounge rooms well supplied with the enrrent literature of the day , a lofty coffee room , and a most elegantly appointed drawing-room , in which is an Erard ' s grand pianoforte , so that ladies staying here will be afc no loss to make their leisure time pass agreeably . As to the lavatory accommodation , it is ample and most conveniently arranged , every floor being sufficiently provided in this respect , and the same

may be said in respect of baths and bath rooms , which are-likewise numerous and easily accessible . But we have by no means exhausted our remarks in respect of this hotel , the proprietors of which might well have inscribed over their entrance hall the doggrel lines which , we believe , are or were to be seen on the walls of an inn in the Low Countries .

In questa casa troverete Toutes les choses que vous souhaitea—Vinum bonum , costas et carnes , Neat postchaise , horse , and harness . The commissariat department is well managed , and the tariff of prices most reasonable , as indeed are the charges under each head of

service . There is an experienced chef who presides over fche cuisine , and we are well aaanred that , whether it be a plain bnt substantial meal , or an elaborate one of several courses , the guests who partake of ifc will be equally well satisfied . Moreover , the wines and spirits are of the best quality , most of them being imported direct from the proprietors . There are , however , ono or two features in connection

with this department to which ifc is only right we shonld call special attention . In the first place there is a hot meat luncheon provided daily from 1 p . m . to 3 p . m ., at the moderate charge per head of half-a-crown , and there is also a table d'h & te in the grand dining room , consisting of six courses and dessert , between the honrs ^ of 5 p . m . and 8 p . m ., the charge being 4 s 6 d per head . This is

a most sensible arrangement , as it enables the guest to comfortably fit in his lunch and dinner hours so as to accord with his business or other engagements , and it ia far preferable to a lnnch or dinner at a fixed hour , which it may not be always possible or convenient to attend . It only remains for us to add that every possible precaution is taken against fire , there being hydrants in all convenient directions

throughout the building , while the entire establishment is under the able and experienced superintendence of Bro . Begbie , who has been connected with tho hotel for the last six years and is , therefore , in a position to meet , if not always to anticipate , the requirements of his customers . Ono other feature we may notice . The brethren of the Mystic Tie will find every requirement provided for Lodge meetings .