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They gained amongst them 241 passes in various subjects , and of this number 127 were passes with honours . Amongst the more important distinctions obtained at the Intermediate Examinations were an exhibition , middle grade , value £ 60 , gained by Cyril O . Shaw , and an exhibition , preparatory

grade , value £ 20 , gained by T . Owens ; while J . Boyd qualified in the senior grade to retain an exhibition gained by him in the junior grade in 1898 , also securing sixth place in all Ireland in senior grade mathematics . Several book prizes were gained—one in the senior , the others in the

preparatory grade . Two valuable commercial prizes were also secured—one in the middle grade by J . H . M'Ervel , who obtained the highest marks in all Ireland in commercial English ; the other in the junior grade by A . V .

Richardson . It is also noteworthy that in the preparatory grade five of the pupils of this School obtained full marks in euclid , an achievement not surpassed by any Protestant school in Ireland . The amount of results fees earned by the School i ! m connection with these examinations affords a further

proof of the excellence of the work done during the year . In 1898 the results fees were £ 169 , in the following year they rose to £ 268 ; but in 1900 they reached the large sum of £ 443 . The examinations held in connection with the General Synod of the Church of Ireland proved

conclusively that while the secular education has attained the high level above indicated , the religious instruction of the pupils has been carefully attended to . Of forty-nine boys who presented themselves at the examination , no less than forty-eight were adjudged to have passed ; and of these

eighteen qualified for first and seventeen for second class prizes . There were eighty-three pupils in the School at the commencement of the year , of whom seven left at

midsummer , three left at Christmas , while eight new boys were elected in May , and five in November , bringing up the total number to eighty-six at die close of the year . —Dublin " Daily Express . "

^ ^^^ ^^^^^ I ^^^^ . ^^ . ^ NEW HALL AT CALCUTTA . ON the occasion of the meeting of the District Grand Lodge of Bengal , held at Calcutta , on the 27 th December last , the District Grand Master , in addressing his Grand Lodge , said :

Now , Brethren , before I ask you to assist me in closing-District Grand Lodge I wish to make a few , remarks for your consideration and also for the consideration of other members of the District Grand Lodge who are unavoidably absent , as regards our present position in connection with

the building scheme . I know I am treading on what I may call very delicate ground , but after carefully and thoroughly considering the matter 1 have decided to take the course I am now adopting . We have a piece of land which is at present of no use to us . It is dead stock which yields nothing ,

and I quite agree with those Brethren who are anxious to utilise it , but I have always Deen against utilising it in such a manner as will embarrass the Craft for a long series of

years , and it was tor that reason that I strongly opposed the scheme which was in progress . It , therefore , behoves us to be active in collecting funds to put us in a position that we can safely embark on that undertaking .

Before any further scheme is proposed I want to tell you ( and you should bear this well in mind ) what were the sound principles which induced me to start the building fund and the object I had in view , which so few of you have ever realised . In what has taken place these principles have

never been realised or recognised , nor are they likely to be carried out . At a very early stage of my rule as District Grand Master I realised that the expenses of Freemasonry to individual Freemasons were much too high in this District Those of you who are Freemasons in England and have

an experience of Freemasonry in other countries know that the cost of Freemasonry to individual Brethren is much higher in India than in England and elsewhere . This high cost is due to our surroundings and not , as outsiders sometimes tnink , to our banquets , and therefore it was my object

in starting the building fund to enable you at some time to obtain a suitable building , not a flashy building like what some of you expect to have , but a sound useful building

with better accommodation than we enjoy at present . We are however fortunate to have such comfortable accommodation as our present Hall affords till the time comes when we shall get a place of our own . It was my first desire to

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reduce the cost of Freemasonry to individual Freemasons in this District . Now I ask how you can approve any scheme such as that now placed before us , which at the very outset recognises that we shall not , Jn the most favourable

circumstances , be able to pay off the debt for the next twenty-five or thirty years , and that even then we shall have only half of a building , leaving the Brethren at the end of that time to complete the Hall by building the other half . I ask you , do any of you expect to > see it accomplished in the

course of your lives ; do you expect that the expenses of Freemasonry will be reduced by reason of our having such a building of our own , and no large rent to pay ? If you

reflect upon this point you will see that in managing your affairs I had sound principles at heart and that I have been impelled to act as I have done solely in the interests of the Craft in this District .

Our position now is a veiy different one . We find ourselves in the unfortunate position which I have already referred to on many occasions . We are now in possession of a piece of land which we cannot utilise , and we must now make efforts to utilise this land which yields us nothing and

gives no returns such as we should be getting if the money spent on its purchase were invested in securities yielding interest . We are in this position that we have to bestir

ourselves to do the best we can to make the best out of a bad business . I therefore hope that you will all unite in your endeavours to increase the funds of District Grand Lodge for the purpose .

I expected to hear something on this subject ana I was fully prepared to meet any views that might be advanced , but I refer to it now not with a view to excite any contention or comment , but for the purpose of asking you to weigh seriously what has fallen from me in the interests of the Craft .

It has been represented to me that the Brethren will readily subscribe if they know the sum that is wanted , and it has been suggested that a sum should be fixed . Now if I am called upon to fix a sum I should certainly fix a sum much higher than any of you would think could be

realised , because I think that nothing good can be done unless we advance safely and prudently , and for this purpose we should all of us make a long pull and a strong pull , and puli all together . I do not think it is a safe thing to build , if to do so would result in burdening the Brethren

of this District with a debt which may or may not be paid off in a long or indeed within any term at all for certain . Therefore I say that we ought to do nothing until we have a substantial sum in our hands such as will

almost meet the cost of the building and I do not think we should call upon individual Brethren to render themselves liable , unless they choose to do so , on debentures I myself will accept no such responsibility .

I think the amount of debt we should incur should not be larger than we could actually get on mortgage on what is actually our property . If you work this out for yourselves you will see what this comes to . I find great difficulty in addressing you further on the subject without repeating what I have already said to you on more than one

. ^^/ * > . I . Uwu u 11 imv u v # I 1 t * ttt ** t WW wwwwww In respect to Bro . Dr . Forshaw ' s anthology on the Queen , the following letter has been received : "

Buckingham Palace , April 15 th , 1901 . The Private Secretary is commanded by the King to thank Dr . Charles F . Forshaw for his letter of the 9 th inst , and for the accompanying copy of his book ' Poetical Tributes , to Her Majesty Queen Victoria . ' "

gnl "A ATI X A A A XTVTV "Jc X XTl X A A A BOOKS RECEIVED . The Death Ship . Being an account of a cruise in the "Flying Dutchman , " collected from the papers of the late Geoffrey Fenton , of Poplar , master mariner . By W . Clark Russell . A new

edition ( 3 s 6 d ) . —Chatto and Windus . A Wild Proxy . By Mrs . W . K . Clifford ( 6 d ) . —George Newnes New Century Library ( 2 s net per vol . ) . —T . Nelson and Son § . The Works of WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY . Vol . xiii ., Essays , Reviews , & c , & c . Vol . xiv ., Contributions to Punch , & c , & c .

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