The Royal Oriental Order Of Sikha And The Sal B'Hai.

THE ROYAL ORIENTAL ORDER OF SIKHA AND THE SAL B'HAI .

rriHIS ancient Indian Order , being now fully established in the - * - West , is daily gnining strength amongst influential brethren , and the return of H . R . H . the M . W . G . M . the Prince of Wales from India is about to be celebrated by a Grand Asyana or assembly of the Order in the metropolis . Before His Royal Highness quitted his native land , on his perilous journey , he was graciously pleased to

accept a Sasana or Mandate at the hands of the authorities of the Order , and proposed to satisfy himself of the legitimacy of the claims of the Order to Masonio support in this country . We have every reason to believe that nothing has taken place to shake the confidence of the M . W . G . M . in the statements made to him by the chiefs , and ,

in consequence , preparations are being made to fittingly commemorate this signal and important visit of conciliation to that vast and splendid empire . It may be added that during several years past minor Asayani have been held in various parts of England . The object of the Order is to maintain the principles of pure Craft Masonry intact ,

as well as to strengthen every tie between the truly educated Brahmans , whose system of Masonry is very ancient , and the Masons of England and other parts of the British dominions . This announcement will no doubt be received with gratification by our brethren throughout the world .

Provincal Grand Lodge Of Lanarkshire, Middle Ward. Consecration Of Two New Lodges.

PROVINCAL GRAND LODGE OF LANARKSHIRE , MIDDLE WARD . CONSECRATION OF TWO NEW LODGES .

IT is not often that a Provincial Grand Master can boast of having two fresh Lodges started in his Province in one week . But Bro . Merry's Deputy had the honour of consecrating two lately . On tho 9 th inst . the brethren assembled at Latters Hall , Uddingstone , to consecrate No . 579 , to be called St . Brydes , Uddingstone . Tho P . G . L . was opened by Bro . J . C . Forrest Deputy P . G M ., C . Spalding

P . G . S . W ., A . Ramsay P . G . J . W ., A . King P . G . T ., J . Nesbit P . G . Sec , Kev . W . D . Brown Chaplain , W . Forrest B . B ., Wm . McMurdo P . G . D . C ., W . Dunlop P . G . S . D ., C . Nelson and D . Wright P . G . Tylers . The ceremony of consecration , in accordance with the Constitutions , was fully performed by Bro . Forrest . Tho P . G . Chaplain , who is only a young Mason , on this occasion delivered his first oration , in a manner

that convinced all present that the Order had obtained a valuable acquisition in obtaining his services . In the course of his discourse he alluded to its alleged Secrecy ; the only secrecy was the tie by which we were bound , and recognised each other . All our doings as a society were patent to the world as those of any society or body of men in existance . In secrecy were produced the germs from which

arose our glorious constitution , under which we enjoy more liberty than any other nation on earth . Every family , every firm has its secrets , cabinets have their admirals sail with secret orders . Why then should Masonry be discredited because it also has its secrets , only to be revealed at the proper time to proper parties ? It has a mission to perform , were it not so I would be the first to give it decent

and honourable burial . But the fact that we are here , consecrating a new Lodge , proves that we have much work yet to do . I will now speak of our objects , these are 1 st Charity—in proof of this the Rev . gentleman quoted what the three great English institutions were doing . 2 nd . Its universality , binding all men together in ono common brotherhood for the futherauce of charity . 3 rd . It is an handmaid to

religion , taking the rough material of the mind and breaking off its protuberances , smooths tho surface and raises it to a higher level more easily reached by religion and rendering them more susceptible of its benign influence ; these were somo of the reasons why , as a Minister of the Gospel , he was glad to be present and lend his aid in this consecration of a new temple for Masonry . At the conclusion of

the consecration a Board of Installed Masters was formed , and Bro . Wm . McMurdo duly installed Bro . W . J . Easton as the first R . W . M . of 579 , as well as M . Flowers of 38 , M . Malcolm of 88 , and R . Mclnnes of 203 , all R . W . M . ' s of their respective Lodges . He afterwards invested the following brethren as the Officers : Bros . Walker S . M ., Halkel S . W ., Baird J . W ., Short Treas .,

Crawford Secretary , Walker S . D ., Robertson J . D ., Brydon S . S ., Watson J . S ., Ruddock I . G ., and Rae Tyler . Deputations from the following Lodges were present : No . 0 , 3 J , 7 , 31 ; 73 , 88 , 102 , 203 , 215 , 235 , 305 , 406 and 351 . Refreshment having been served to the brethren , after the usual loyal and Masonic toasts Bro . Forrest D . P . G . M ., in a neat speech proposed prosperity to St . Brydes . The

new Master appropriately acknowledged the same . He then gave the Visitors , most of whom then left to return by train . On Friday , the 10 th March , the Provincial Lodge was again opened at Motherwell , with the same office bearers , except the Chaplain , for the purpose of consecrating Lodge No . 573 , Livingstone , St . Andrews , Bro . J . C . Forrest , Deputy P . G . M ., again officiating as Consecrating Officer . Bro . Wm . McMurdo I . P . M . 305 , P . G . D . C ., delivered an

excellent oration , in the course of which he considered the helpless state of man by nature alone , solitary , unaided , powerless even to the very idea of good by himself , he wants not only the vigour aud strength to do great deeds , but fails in the very desire to do them unless assisted in his labour by his fellow men . Instinctively , therefore , he flies to the protection of society , which is erroneously created , not by the wisdom , but by the necessity for association , for

assistance and protection . It is thus we find in the world ' s history —of empires and dynasties , of religions and politics springing np , and showing ns men engaging ia associations for particular objects , not necessarily connected with the great career of natural progress . It is to this great instinct that wo owe the birth of Freemasonry , which is one of the grandest exponents of the great principle of

social and moral association . It is a development noble in intention , bnt still nobler in its results . An association of good men , united for the accomplishment of one common object , or rather of many noble objects ; but time will only permit me to name one , Charity , not only almsgiving , bnt tho Charity that thinketh no evil . We have here to-night another illustration of this instinctive principle of

association . Tho brethren who now foi-m the Lodge of Livingstone , St . Andrews , found that alone , isolated , every ono going withersoever he would without a centre to rally round and radiate from , they were little more than nonentities in the Masonio world . But from this day forth a new impetus will be given to their Masonic life . They have become united , and their adversaries will find how hard it is to

break the threefold cord that binds tho brotherhood together . Let them take care to further within themselves this union , to cement it with pood feeling and brotherly love , and then not only the Lodge , but the town of Motherwell will have reason to be proud of this day ' s work . ( Cheers . ) A profuse as well as really good banquet had been provided by Bro . McNaughten , in whose hall they were assembled

but the P . G . Officers were unable to remain , and after the P . G . M . had wished them all prosperity , and the Master had acknowledged the same , they left ; the remainder of the guests , as well as the members , did ample justice to the fare , after which the assembly commenced , and dancing was kept up with great spirit till four o'clock in the morning , all saying that St . Andrew had started with the best augury of success .

EGTPTIAN CHKONOIOGT . —We cannot doubt that the contemporaneity asserted , more or less , by all the Egyptologers except M . Mariette , ia an established fact ; but the extent to which it pervades Manetho ' s lists is , we admit , a matter of much uncertainty . Hitherto we have seen no disproof of the views taken by Mr . Stnart Poolo and Sir G . Wilkinson , according to which—Manetho ' a dynastic numbers being accepted—the date of Menes is brought down to about B . C . 2700 . But

we do not regard this date as in any sense established . There may have been more contemporaneity than even Mr . Poole and Sir G . Wilkinson suspect ; and Manetho ' s dynastic numbers we regard as wholly uncertain . They are frequently wrong where we can test them , and they are evidently arrived at ( as a general rule ) by a mere addition of the numbers of tho regnal years assigned to the several

kings . But as association was largely practised in Egypt , such a mode of reckoning the years of a dynasty would be certain to produce a result greatly in excess of the truth . And further , we very much doubt whether Manetho , with the best intentions , had any materials for reconstructing the chronology of the Old or Middle Empires . The Shepherd conquest of Egypt threw every .

thing into confusion , produced a complete shipwreck of Egyptian literature and civilisation . Tho length of the Shepherd domination was unknown when Egypt , under the eighteenth dynasty , recovered itself , and was variously estimated at 260 , 350 , 811 , and 953 years . In reality , Egyptian chronology only begins with the accession of the eighteenth dynasty , and even then is far from exact ,

the best critics varying in their dates for this event by nearly 200 years . We should be inclined to place it about B . C . 1500 , or a little earlier . If the Shepherd period lasted about two centuries and a half , which is the view of Canon Cook , the Old Empire would have come to an end about B . C . 1750 . That there was such an empire is , we think , clearly established ; and we have no doubt that tho

pyramids and various tombs now existing belonged to it . But its duration can only be guessed . We should be inclined , on the whole , to allow it from 500 to 700 years . The establishment of a settled monarchy in Egypt , and with it of civilisation , would then fall between B . C . 24-50 and B . C . 2250 . This view appe .-irs to us to be more in

accordance than any other with the general facts of Oriental history and chronology . Its compatibility with tho chronology of tho Bible will be evident , if it be borne in mind that , according to the Septuagint version the date of the deluge was certainly anterior to B . C . 3000 . —Canon Rawlinson in the " Leisure Hour . "

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