Pic-Nic Of The Albert Victor Lodge.

choice of partners , and he waa glad to say that the ladies had now an opportunity of teeing something of what their husbands did in Lodge . The task of responding to this toast was placed in tbe hands of Mr . Gilbert L . Hardcastle , who acquitted himself very creditably . Bro S . Statham P . M . P . P . G . T . proposed the toast of the visitors , to which Mr . Councillor Hudson and Bro . Hadfield responded . The

former stited th-. t he had attended all the pic-nics in connection with this Lodge for the laft 15 years , and in this respect he was not behind the brethren , while the latter said that ho did not recollect ever having drnnk a toast in tea before , and perhaps he would have acqnitted himself better if he bad dono it in something else . He spoke of the enjoyment whioh he had derived from his presence at the pic-nic , and sincerely hoped the others had had a like

experience . The return to Chapel-en-le-Frith was varied by a long walk through a wild and rugged part called the Winyats , where carriages were in readiness to convey the party back to tbo station , tbe drive being rendered interesting by various songs , & o ., from Bro ? . James Clough Secretary , Richard Hilton , and a young lady ( Miss Chapman ) , the latter especially distinguishing herself in this particular

manner . Manchester was reached at 10 p . m ., a most pleasant day having been spent .

Memory

MEMORY

DR JOHNSON , Burke , Clarendon , Gibbon , Locke , and Tillotson were all distinguished for strength of memory . According to Sir William Hamilton , " for intellectual power of the highest order , none were distinguished above Grotius and Pascal ; and Grotius and Pascal forgot nothing they had ever read or thought . Leibnitz and Euler were not less celebrated for their intelligence than for

their memory , and both could repeat the whole of the 'iEneid . ' Donellus knew the ' Corpus Juris' by heart , and yet he was one of the prof oundest and most original speculators in jurisprudence . Ben Jonson tells us that he could repeat all that he had ever written , and whole books that he bad read . Themistooles oould call by their

names the twenty thousand citizens of Athens . Hortensius ( after Cicero , the greatest orator of Rome ) , after sitting a whole day at a pnblio sale correctly enunciated from memory all the things sold , their prices , and tbe names of their purchasers . In his youth , Niebuhr , the historian , was employed in one of the public offices of Denmark . Part of a book of accounts having been destroyed , he

restored it by an effort of memory . " Seneca says that he could , by the mere effort of his natural memory , repeat two thousand words npon onoe hearing them ; Cyrus , according to Pliny , knew every soldier in his army by name ; L . Soipio , all the citizens in Rome ; and Mithridatee , the king of twenty-two nations , held courts in as many languages , and conversed with each nation in its own tongue .

The Admirable Crichton . —In a notice of tho Admirable Crichton , published in 1580 , the following particulars occur : —" James Crichton , a native of Scotland , is a youth , who , on the 19 th August last , completed his twentieth year . He is master of ten languages . The Latin and Itilian in perfection ; the Greek

so as to compose epigrams in that tongue ; Hebrew , Chaldaj , Spanish , French , Flemish , English , Scotch , and understands also the German . He is most skilful in philosophy , theology , the mathematics , and astrology , and holds all the calculations hitherto made in this last to bo false . He has frequently maintained philosophical and theological disputes , with learned professors to the

admiration of all present . He is well acquainted with magio ; of a memory so retentive that he knows not what it is to want recollection ; and can recite word for word that whioh he has onco heard . " In fact , according to the notice of him , he was a perfect prodigy in oratory , soldiery , dancing , feats of activity , and horsemanship , and was eminently handsome .

Without a Rival . —Cardinal Mezzofanti as a polyglot stands without a rival , his knowledge of languages being so extensive that" he might have acted as interpreter-general at the tower of Babel . " Poet and Player . —The German poet Klopstook could repeat Homer from beginning to end ; William Lyon , a travelling player , could repeat the whole contents of a newspaper .

Magliabecchi Tested . —It is said of Magliabecchi , that a gentleman , having lent him a manuscript which he was going to print , came to him goon after it was returned , and pretending that he had lost it , desired him to repeat so much of it as he could , upon whioh Magliabecchi wrote down the whole without missing a word .

Voltaire Enraged . —An Englishman once went to Frederick tbe Great for the purpose of giving him some specimens of his extraordinary memory . Frederick sent for Voltaire , who read to his Majesty a poem which he had just finished . The Englishman was concealed in snch a manner as to be able to hear every word that was said . When Voltaire had concluded , Frederick observed that a foreign

gentleman conld immediately repeat tho same poem to him , and therefore it could not be original . Voltaire listened with astonishment at the stranger's declamation , and then becoming enraged , he tore the manuscript into pieces . When Frederick informed him of his mistake , the Englishman again dictated to Voltaire the whole of the poem with perfect correctness .

A Marvellous Calculator . —Jedediah Buxton , born in 1704 , was a prodigy with respect to mental calculations . Although his father held the position of village schoolmaster , yet the boy's education waa sadly neglected , and he was never taught to write . He could not tell how he first gained a knowledge of the relative proportion of numbers , but by his own method ( which he had used with amazing facility , without the aid of a pen , pencil , or chalk ) , he would work

Memory

problems of a very complex nature , and what is more to the point , produce correct answers . He . once mentally calculated how much a farthing doubled one hundred and forty times would come to , and the answer was set down from his lips in thirty-nine places of pounds , and an odd two-and-sixpooce ; and being once asked how many barley corns would reaoh eight miles , answered in one and a half minutes , one

million , five hundred and twenty thousand , six hundred and forty . He measured tho whole lordship of Elmton ( some thousand aores ) , belonging to Sir John Rhodes , by simply striding over it , bringing the contents , not only in aores , roods , and perches , but even in square inches . His oconpation was of a very rustic character , for in tho winter he used a flail , and in the summer spent his time in fishing .

In the year 1754 he was introduced to the Royal Society , wbo , after testing his abilities in arithmetic , dismissed him with a bandsome gratuity . During his stiy in London , he was taken to the theatre in Drury Lane to see Shakespeare ' s play of Richard tbe Third . But his mind , instead of being concentrated on the aoting itself , was directed to counting the number of steps in eaoh dance , and also the nnmber of words uttered by the famous actor David

Garriok . This man , who answered in a quarter of an hour that the quantity of cubical yards of earth to be removed in digging a canal fonr hundred and twenty-six feet long , two hundred and sixty-three wide , and two feet and a half deep would be ten thousand three hundred and seventy-three yards twenty-four feet , considered that a slice of bacon afforded a most delicious repast .

A Parson ' s memory . —The Rev . Thomas Threlkeld was born in 1739 at Halifax . In 1762 he became minister of a Presbyterian church at Risley , near Warrington , from whence he removed to Rochdale in 1778 , where he remained nntil his death in 1806 . He had suoh a powerful memory , that upon the recital of any passage of tbe Bible , he could , without hesitation , name the particular chapter

and verse from whioh it had been selected . It was sometimes sought to confound him by mixing up certain passages , bat he invariably detected the attempt . He was also a linguist , and is said to have possessed a critical knowledge of nine different tongues . Mr . Threlkeld was as familiar with the Greek Testament as he was with its English translation , and found no difficulty in quoting any chapter and verse . He waa

perfectly familiar with Hebrew , and his knowledge of Welsh enabled him to speak and write the language with great facility . Matters of biography and historioal dates were mere playthings to him , although in other respects he seems , according to Dr . Barnes , to have been a man of only fair average ability . He was simple , good * hearted , gentle , and ungainly , and BO short-sighted that he dare not ride on horseback .

Fuller . —The Rev . Thomas Fuller , author of the " Worthies , had a most retentive memory ; he could repeat five hundred strange , unconnected words , and a sermon verbatim after reading it onoe . He undertook one day , after passing from Temple Bar , to the farthest end of Cheapside , and back again , to mention all the signs over the shops on both sides of the streets , repeating them backwards and forwards , and performed the task with wonderful exactness .

Maoklin Puzzled . —In 1754 Charles Mncklin ( M'Laughlin ) , the actor , opened a large tavern and coffee-house nnder tho Piazzi , in Covent Garden , and thinking to render it moro profitable , established a school of oratory whioh he termed "The British Inquisition . " After dinner he daily debated with his customers , endeavouring to correct their defects , and at night appeared in what has beon termed

by Foote ' s biographer , " the full dress of that gaudy age . " A rivalry had sprung np between the two actors , and Foote frequently attended these lectures , when , by his questioning , and smart repartee he invariably turned into ridicule his remarks , and aviled the eloquence of Maoklin , thus keeping the audience in a perpetual roar of laughter .

On one of these occasions the veteran actor was lecturing upon literature and the stage , and in his remarks upon memory boasted that be could repeat any formnla of words after once hearing it . Foote was one of the audience , and at once wrote and sent to the lecturer that unconnected rigmarole that has since grown so famous : —So she went into the garden to cut a cabbage-leaf to make an apple-pie ; at the same time a great she-bear coining up

the etreet , pops its head into the shop . ' What ! no soap ? ' So he died , and she very imprudently married the barber ; and there were present the Piccininies , the Joblillies , and the Gaymlies , and the Grand Panjandrum himself , with the little round button at the top ; and they all fell to playing tbe game of catch-as-oatoh-oan till the gunpowder ran out of the heel of their boots . " Our readers will not be surpised to learn that Macklin failed to perform the task whioh his rival had provided for him . ( To be continued ) . " Book of Rarities , " by Bro . EDWAKD ROBERTS P . M . Prov . G . D . T .

New Music.

NEW MUSIC .

All Music intended for review should be addressed to tho Editor of the "Freemason ' s Chronicle , BelTidere Works Hermes Hill , Pentonville , London , N . ' — : o : — " Tho Royal Bridal . " Song . Words by Chas . F . Forshaw , musio by Bradley M . Hullay . Bradford : Fattorini & Sons .

THIS excellent song is well worth getting , as the words by Brother Forshaw aro most appropriate to the happy event which has just past . The author calls ou tho nation to be happy , and " The Royal

Bridal will go towards bringing thab about . The musio by Bradley M . Hullay is both bright and tuneful ; it is easy to learn and to play , and we feel surd will become popnlar . We congratulate both gentlemen on their work .