Old Lodges.

tinued to preside over the district for eighteen years , during which period he consecrated several Lodges . On the cover of the Washington Bible in possession of tho Lodge is the inscription : " St . John's Lodge Constituted 5757 ; burnt down March 8 , 5770 ; rebuilt and opened Nov . 28 , 5770 ; officers then present , Jonathan Hampton Master , William Butler Spnior Warden , Isaac Heron Junior

Warden . " At the close of the war in 1783 , that part of the Lodge which had left in 1776 returned . In that year the Worship , ful Master announced that a Lodge calling itself St . John ' s ( No . 4 ) had becomo possessed , during the war , of the properties of the Lodge , and refused to restore them . An attempt was made to bring about a coalition between the two , and succeeded , in

spite of the opposition of Senior Warden Frean , who had got hold of the warrant and tetained it . Meanwhile a Graud Lodge had been constituted under the authority of our Grand Lodge Ancients ( by warrant of Grand Master the Duke of Athol , dated 5 th September 1781 ) , and in 1784 the St . John ' s Lodge surrendered its warrant and was placed on the roll of Lodges . In 1789 , when a committeo ,

consisting of one member from each of the Lodges in New York City , was appointed for the purpose of determining the order and pre . cedence of the different Lodges , St . John ' s Lodge ( No . 2 Provincial ) was assigned the premier place on the roll , and this rank it still holds . Yours fraternally , "Q . "

Royal Ark Mariners.

ROYAL ARK MARINERS .

A Warrant of Confirmation having been granted by Lord Skelmersdale R . W . G . M . to the Mount Horeb Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners attached to the St . Johns Lodge of Mark Masters ( Time Immemorial ) Bolton , this Lodge was consecrated by Bro . C . F . Matier ( who had been specially appointed for the purpose ) , on Saturday , the 9 th November . The brethren assembled at the Commercial Hotel ,

Bolton , at 4 o ' clock , when Bro . Matier , assisted by Bros . Brockbank , Entwisle , Harwood , Morris , Boggett , Preston , Uine , Horrocks and others , proceeded with the nsnal ceremonial to cousecrate the Lodge in form , and afterwards admitted the followiug brethren iuto the Order : —Bros . J . H . Greenhalgh , N . Nicholson , J . Heywood , J . W . Roiley , Arthur Middleton , VV . H . Alcock , H . Greenwood , John Barrett . The brethren named in the Warrant , viz . —Bros . G . P .

Brockbank , Entwisle , and Thomas Morns , having been duly mvested , and Bro . Newton appointed Secretary , the further appointment of Officers was postponed , with a view to an entire change on the occasion of next meeting . A vote of thanks was accorded to Bros . Matier , Boggett , and Preston , for their attendance and support , and they were elected honorary members . The Lodge closed in peace and harmony at 5 p . m .

Royal Order of Scotland . —Tho Provincial Grand Lodgo and Chapter of the Counties Palatine of Lancashire and Cheshire was held at Freemasons' Hall , Manchester , on Friday , the 8 th November , R . W . Bro . Rob . H . Hutchinson Prov . Grand Master presiding . Bros . C . F . Matier Deputy Prov . G . M ., G . P . Brockbank P . Prov . S . G . W . as S . G . W ., and John Gibb Smith Prov J . G . W ., John

Chadwick Prov . G . Sec , John Duffield Prov . G . Treasurer , J . F . Hoffgaard Organist , S . Spratley , J . Hall , Thos . Chorlton , S . B . Ellis , W . H . Prince Taylor , being also present . Several brethren were balloted for and approved . Bro . Geo . Lamb Campbell , of Wigan , having presented himself , was inducted into the Order with the usual ceremonial . The office of T . was filled by Bro . Matier , the Wardens

being Bros . Brockbank and Gibb Smith ; Conductor Bro . Hall ; and Warder of the T . Bro . Spratley . The full ceremonial was recited , and the lectures worked in ample form . It was resolved that ten guineas be voted to the Royal Benevolent Institution , the same to be placed on the list of Bro . Matier , in name of the Prov . G . Master . The biethren subsequently dined at the Hall , and several complimentary toasts were given and responded to .

Cryptic Rite . —The St . John ' s Council of Royal and Select Masters , No . 8 , was consecrated by authority of the W . P . G . M . Rev . G . R . Portal , on Saturday , 9 th November , at the Commercial Hotel , Bolton , by R W . Bro . C . F . Matier P . G . W ., assisted by R . W . Bro . G . P . Brockbank , P . G . W . and R . W . Br . Thomas Entwisle , P . Prov . G . M . M . Lancashire , and Bro . Rob . Harwood P . Prov . G . D . The

onstomary solemnities having been observed , the Council was declared duly constituted , and Bro . G . P . Brockbank installed Thrice Illustrious Master , Bro . Thomas Entwisle Deputy Master , Brother Rob . Harwood Conductor of Works . Bro . James Newton was appointed Recorder to the Council . The beautiful ceremonials of the Order wero carefully and correctly . endored by Bro . Matier , with his accustomed ability , and the following brethren were admitted members of the

Council , in addition to the brethren previously named : Bros . Thomas Morris , George Fergusoa , Richard Boggett ( Hull ) , Arthur Middleton , J . W . Roiley , H . Preston ( Hull ) . Bro . Matier was elected au honorary member , and the thanks of the Council duly accorded to him for hiB services ou the occasion . At the conclusion of business the brethren partoik of refreshment , and the proceedings closed at an early hour , several of the members having to travel a considerable distance . .

IIOIXOWAY ' Ots'TJiES'T XSD PILLS . —Limb nnd Life . —Not manr years agr Somo ulcerations and disea-es in the jomts placed in peril tho affected linio w osc loss wns recommended to spare t ; . e rWk o' lifo—now the discovery o these noiile remedies lias made tho cure if tho worst maladies no longer s matter of doubt ,. Hollow . ty's tretitmcnt preserves the condemned limb , and

frits course of cure improves the general health and vigor of the frame . Hollowav ' s Ointment nnd Pills heal all sores and ulcerations , ani extirpate scrofuloiu Sores . Ulcers , had legs , scrofulous discharges , swol en or gathered glands , contracted sinews , enlarged joints , rheumatic nnd gouty concretions . ire readily remediableby' ' proper and persevering application of thoso cooling , healing , ( WO , PUlifrtag i-, -narfttiQRS , whic h , ar ajj pgworju ] Bs . they fire . luU'Sd . 983 ,

The Gaiety Restaurant.

THE GAIETY RESTAURANT .

THOSE who can call to mind the few facilities which existed in London some five-and-twenty years ago for obtaining refreshment at reasonable cost and in anything like comfort , will appreciate tho enterprising conduct of Messrs . Spiers and Pond in adding one more , and on the most magnificent scale , to their already formidable array of establishments , where men and women may lunch or dine like civilised beings . Once a restaurant was a dingy lane of boxes , whioh

would have evoked the maledictions of a bullock had he been placed in one of them to have his feed , and had it been in his power to utter maledictions after the manner of an infuriated human being . These boxes were narrow , far too narrow indeed for tho number they wore intended to accommodate . Then the sitting accommodation was the very reverse of satisfactory—a hard and narrow bench , while a

longlegged individual must have experienced no small difficulty in disposing of his nether limbs . The intermediate table being , like the benches aforesaid , a fixture , could neither bo pushed further away if it seemed too close , nor brought nearer if it were too far removed . The room was dimly lighted , the floor sanded , the pervading odonr by no means satisfactory and deprivative—if there be such

a word—rather than promotive of appetite . The waiters generally were a seedy-looking lot , with an oiliness of facial surface suggestive of rare ablationary exercise , and a look which , when not conveying a certaiu insolence of tone and manner , was invariably expressive of a hankering after the customary fee . The table-linen and cutlery well matched the general appearance of the place , the

former being of a dull yellowish white , freelydotted with patchesof spilt gravy and sauces , & c , & c . The plates were ordinarily of the commonest ware , . and the tankards of dirty looking pewter , which all the waters in all the rivers in the world could never have made to look clean and pleasant . The viands were , with the exception of a few well-known houses , remarkable rather for their quantity than quality .

Chops and steaks were the principal items on the bill of fare , but if a joint of roast or boiled beef or mutton were served , it was presented to the hungry visitor in uninviting slabs instead of slices , with a mass of vegetables crowded on the plato , tho whole lying in a tepid liquid which the guest was expected to look upon as gravy , but which , if it were not the washings of the dripping pan , was mostly

coloured water . The cheese that followed was hard , stale , and generally unprofitable as a digester of what had been swallowed before , and if the cost was not outrageous , it was unquestionably excessive , considering the roughness and crudeness of the enterta , nmont generally . Such , reader , is a description , by no means highly colonred , of a chop house five-and-twenty years since , and such were the only houses

then existent where the London men of business , professional men , and clerks , were able to obtain the necessary refreshment during the day . But " other times , other manners ; " and now we rejoice to say we have changed all this , most decided ly for the better . Then a man was served as we have described , now he may lunch or dine comfortably , and even daintily and delicately , if he is so minded . Then

a lady , who felt faint during her shopping expeditions , had but one resort which she could visit—the pastrycook ' s — where , always excepting such well-known restaurateurs us Verry in the West , and Birch in the Bast , her choice of viands was limited to meat pattiesmostly crust , lined thinl y with a suspicion of veal or beef —puffs , buns , and similar dyspeptic delicacies , while the liquids comprised

the inevitable lemonade or ginger beer , inf ragrant tea aud muddy- looking coffee , or cherry brandy . Now she may , indeed , frequent the pastrycook's as of old , and have her chop and a glass of sherry or bitter ale ; and besides , she may , without the slightest fear of being thonght singular , adjourn to one of tho many elegantly appointed buffets or restaurants with which the metropolis is uow furnished . What these

aro like , our readers know fnll well already , lor are not Me-ssrs . Spiers and Pood an institntion of the ag ^ ? Are not their establishments all over the metropolis ? and is it not a well-known fact that a well-served lunch or ordiuarycan be had in anyone of them at moderate charges . The surroundings are comfortable , and often elegaut . The tables are neatly furnished with clean linen , and with plate and glass of

excellent quality . The attendance is good , the waiters civil without being servile , and not regulating their attentions by the extent of the fee you are likely to " tip " them . To these inestimable benefits we are indebted to the energy and enterprise of Messrs . Spiers and Pond , and among the chief monuments heretofore erected to their fame are unquestionably the Holborn Viadnct Hotel and the Criterion ,

Piccadilly . But recently they have snrpassed themselves , and the latest addition to our London restaurants is also tho most magnificent . Be Dot frightened , reader , at the use of this word magnificent , for we naturally associate it with what is costly . This is not tho case , however , with tho Gaiety Restaurant , which was opened on Monday to the London public . Costly tho building has beou , it is

true , and costly must have been the appurtenances thereof . Richly , and , at the same time , artistically decorated walls can only be built and fitted after a large outlay of money ; but thus far the cost falls ou the proprietors . The thousands and thousands they must have expended in making the Gaiety Restarauut what it is are solely their venture . At tho same time , it

will be the duty of the London public to show they are not unworthy of the conspicuous public service which Messrs . Spiers and Pond have jnst rendered . Men may say what they will abont this kind of speculation , but it is a public service which any firm renders when it opens a grand establishment where ladies and gentlemen may lunch or dioo in comfort from a well-served table at moderate ¦ harges . We claim to speak with some authority on this subject , as

vo wero present at the private view on Thursday last of this new -estaurant , and it is beyond question that a finer establishment doos lot exist in London . Tho grand entrance is from the Strand by a Rstibule , in which is the grand staircase , tho walls of which ate plendidlydecorated . To the right are the Grand Luncheon Buffets , in i noble apartment one hundred feet long and thirty-three feet wide , ind proportionately high . The walls and ceiling are beautifully fauUed , tb . f * flesjgng b . eiog mo 8 fj artiste ) tfhilo all thq sppoiafc