Eastertide Sports And Pastimes.

EASTERTIDE SPORTS AND PASTIMES .

THE Easter holidays afford tho British public amplo opportunities for indulging in somo of their favourite outdoor sports and pastimes , and it is needless to say the opportunities are turnod to very excellent account . For thoso who aro content with making ono or moro excursions to thoir favourite inland or seaside resorts , tho railway and other companies offer overy facility . Those , again , who

prefer witnessing or taking part in some special sports or pastimes have no diffionlty in so doing . In London and thronghont tho Provinces there are athletio and similar grounds almost without number , and afc one and all of them some kind of arrangement is mado with a view to meeting tho wishes and needs of the public in this respect . Hero foot races are organised . There a series of wrestling contests is

provided . In a third locality cricket or rowiug finds the chief favour , whilo as regards indoor entertainments , the theatres and music halls , museums and arts galleries—all these are crowded with eager and interested visitors . We need not enter very minutely into details . Our daily contemporaries have furnished these already in abundance . A short outline , however , will doubtless prove interesting .

On Good Friday was held afc Lillie Bridge Grounds , West Brompton , the annual meeting of the Cumberland and Westmoreland Wrestling Society . The attendance was very large , while tho sport was of the usual excellent character . Thero were three matches for ( 1 ) tho London Twelve Stone Prize , for which thero were thirtyeig ht entries ; ( 2 ) the Champion All Weights Prize , for which

sixtyseven entered ; and ( 3 ) tho Country Eleven and a n « lf Stone Prize , for which thero mustered a field of fifty-six . J . W . Wunnop of Carlisle , won the first of these contests ; G . Steadman who scaled 17 st . 61 b . threw Lowden , of Frizington , 16 st . 101 b ., and took the Champion Prize ; and J . Frear , of Frizingtou , after a series of sharp tnsales with J . Moffatt , of Brampton , won tho Country Prize . In

addition to those , tho programme contained an Open Qunrtpr-Mile Handicap , and a Pole-Leaping contest . In tho former , W . E . Pearl , 52 yards , G . Chillirgworth 28 yards , and W . Broughton 48 yards , were placed first , second , and third respectively , and wero awarded the corresponding prizes of £ 15 , £ 4 , and £ 2 . In the Pole-leaping ,

John Thwaites , of Keswick , took the First Prize , clearing 10 ft . lin . while the Second was divided between J . F . Simpson , Ulverstone , and J . Pearem , of Keswick , each of whom cleared 9 ft . lOin . On Satnr . day , a second similar meeting was held , the Prize being tho Championship of tho World Belt , presented by Sir John D . Astley . The wrestling on thn occasion wns of what is known as " the catch-hold "

description , and G . Steadman , of Drybeck , repealed his victory of last year aud secured the trophy . Should he prove victorious iu 1882 the Belt will become his absolnte property . With Enster Monday there havo of late years been associated two interesting events—tho Volunteer Review , which though it lapsed for a few years , has now been revived , and the Easter Hunt in

Eppiug Forest . The interest in the latter event is limited ; ifc is not ; every citizen of London who is desirous of emulating the performance of the immortal John Gilpin . But tho Volunteer Review is popular throughout tho country , and we aro glad to seo tho War Office authorities are willing to recognise that a volunteer field day on a large scale , if it has no other effect than to keep our citizen

soldiers in excellent humour , is productive of some good . If it results in no other benefit , it proves the carrying powers of ono of our leading railway companies are equal to almost any emorgeney . The punctual conveyance to and from Brighton of somo 15 , 000 troops , to say nothing of the heavy holiday traffic , which was dealt with easily , is a feat of which the directors of the London , Brighton , and

South Coast Railway Co . has every reason to be prond . As regards the Review itself , tho manoeuvres appear to have been well conceived and well executed—so far as the contracted space and time would allow ; while tbe mnrcb-past gave every satisfaction . Tho Duke of Connaught was in command of a division , and among the distinguished officers present were H . R . H . the Dnke of Cambridge , F . M .

commandiug-in-chiof , Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar , and General Higginson , in charge of the arrangements of the day . The race for the Hundred Miles Bicycle Championship of the World was run at Leicester on Saturday . Eight of the competitors who had entered appeared at the post and after a gallant struggle , G . W . Waller of Newcastlc-on-Tyno , the long distance champion , won by five

yards from H . Higham of Nottingham , A . E . Derkinderin of Coventry taking the third prize . Wood , Evans , Lamb , Edlin , and Patrick soverally covered the eighty miles necessary to entitle them to the award of £ 2 to all who accomplished that distance . Though the cricket season is not supposed to begin till May , it is not unusual for some county teams to test tho strength of thoir rising

players afc Easter . Three of these tesc matches took place on Monday and Tuesday of this week . One of them came off on tho Leicestershire Cricket Ground , when a County and Town team met under the captaincy of G . Parker aud J . Garner respectively . Tho struggle was a close one , the Town team winning by one wicket . The same

nay the Derbyshire Colts Match was played at Derby between the bounty Eleven aud Tweufcy-two Colts and resulted in a draw , which was slightly in favour of the Eleven . The Notts Colts Match was P ^ yed at the Trent Bridge Ground , the Twenty-two making 85 and -J / 1 ( with one wicket to fall ) , while the Eleven scored 103 in their '" "St and onl y innings .

» hn ° m ^ O INTMENT AND P ILLS — Ever Useful . Tho afflicted by illness tW , It tnoir diseases fully in the face , and at once seek a remedy for men ? ' if ort search will convince the most sceptical that these noble meclicamn ? i . ? afforded ease , comfort , and oftentimes complete recovery , to the torturea

Wimr sufferers . The Ointment will care all descriptions of soro . * , affect' * ' P rains - eruptions , erysipelas , rheumatism , gout , and skin and i ° ' t The Pills never fail in correcting and strengthening tho stomach , kidnp r , ? £ a deranged liver to a wholesome condition , in rousing torpid activi ? ( . £ reil 80 'heir secretion , and in re-establishing the natural healthy classes f •bowels . Holloway ' s aro the remedies for complaints of all

Walter Rodwell Wright.

WALTER RODWELL WRIGHT .

FROM BRO . A . M . BROAPLEY ' HISTORY OF FRKEMASONRY IX TiiK DISTRICT OF MALTA . WITH a considerable reputation both as a jurist and homme de lettrcs , Walter Rodwell Wright , who had devoted many years of an activo lifo to Masonic researches , was appointed early in the present century to tho post of British Consul in tho Ionian Islands , which subsequently becamo tho theme of his admirable descriptive

poem Uorvo Ionica ) . " * In the year 1801 ( December 18 th ) Bro . Wright joined the Princo of Wales Lodge ( then No . 412 ) , and threo years later was elected Grand Master of the Order of tho Red Cross in England , this degree being then at the zenith of its prosperity . He was at that time described as " a most distinguished Mason and a personal friend of the Dukes of Kent and Sussex . " In 1807 , Edward ,

Dnke of Kent , having executed a charter or warrant for the revival of '•The Knights of the exalted religious and military Orders of the Temple and Holy Sepulchre of St . John of Jernsalem , " & c , Bro . Wright was elected Grand Master on the 12 th April of that year . f He continued to hold tho office till the 6 th August 1812 , when the Duke of Sussex succeeded him . In the record of tho meeting of the Grand

Connoil of the Red Gross held on the 15 th December 1810 , Sir Knight Wright is described as Grand Commander . ;}* On the 27 th January 1813 , § he attended at tho ceremony accompanying the presentation of a magnificent jewel to the D . G . M . the Earl of Moira , who was about to leave England as Governor-General of India . Shortly before this he had been appointed P . G . M . of the Ionian Islands , and composed the

ode snug afc this farewell dinner in the presonco of six royal dukes , all members of the Craft . Although on the 18 fch May 1813 , ho informed the Grand Council of the Red Cross of " his approaching departure for a foroign land , " he was destined to take a very prominent part in tho most important Masonic transaction that England has ever seen , viz ., tho Union of

the Two Grand Lodges of the Ancients and Moderns . In the Articles of Union , dated the 1 st December 1813 , bis name immediately follows that of the Duke of Sussex as one of the five signatories on behalf of tho Grand Lodge under the Constitution of England , and he was present afc the magnificent ceremonials of the Lodge of Reconciliation and first meeting of the Uuited Grand Lodge of England , which took

place on the 27 th December of the same year . Meanwhile he had resigned the Grand Mastership of the Red Cross , and proposed the Dnke of Sussex as his successor . It was resolved to present him with a testimonial of not less than ono hundred pounds in value . On the 19 th July 1813 , G . M . Wri ght informed the governing body that he had conferred on tho Dnke of Sussex the noviciate , whereupon the

latter was unanimously elected a Grand Cross . His Royal Highness was then introduced , and admitted to the Graud Cross , " making his offering according to ancient custom . " He was on the same day elected G . M . for his natural lifo , and duly installed by his predecessor . On the llth September tho Council resolved to inform P . G . M . Wright that't sum had been paid to hin bankers , which he was requested " to

dispose of either by the purchase of a sword or other ornament as a mark of remembrance of that affection and regard his zeal and Masonic labours had established in the hearts of his brethren and companions . " Returning once more to the memorable 27 th December 1813 , we find that the recitation of an ode written by Bro . Wright formed an important portion of the day's proceedings . It is printed in extenso in

Preston s "Illustrations" ( p 429 ) , and extends over five pages . Amongst the papers of Bro . Wright in Malta wo have found a similar effusion , of which he is said to bo the joint author , and which certainly adds to his claim to rank as one of the most able and industrious of Masonic minstrels .

During the following year Bro . Walter Rodwell Wright proceeded to Malta to fill the important posts of President of His Majesty ' s Court of Appeal and Senior Member of tho Supreme Council of Justice i % that island . With the advent of Bro . Wright tho reliable history of modern Masonry in Malta may be said to begin .

[ In onr Review of Bro . Broadley s book , we have referred to the above Sketch of the late distinguished Freemason , Bro . W . R . Wright , but we are certain the full particulars will be none the less acceptable to our readers , because , in a former article , we have given a resume .

The Fifteen Sections

THE FIFTEEN SECTIONS

WILL BE WORKED At the Belgrave Lodge of Instruction , No . 749 , at the Harp Tavern , 19 Jermyn-street , W ., on Friday , 29 th inst ., at seven o ' clock p . m . Bros . J . II . Watts P . M . 1201 W . M ., C . A . Woods S . W . 145 S . W ., J . E . Scott P . M . 749 J . W ., E . Farwig P . M . 180 Preceptor , J . B .

Docker W . M . 1687 Hon . Sec . First Lecture : —Bros . Levi , H . Cohen , J . E . Shand , W . Mole , C . Smith , J . W . Collens : and E . Farwig . Second Lecture -. —Bros . J . E . Scott , J . Paul , J . Hemming , C . A . Woods , and J . B . Docker . Third Lecture :- Bros . W . J . Burgess , G . P . Festa , and W . H . Richardson .