Another Fenian Outrage:

ANOTHER FENIAN OUTRAGE :

gt . EaU of % times . ( Reprinted from the South Durham -u Cleveland Mercury . ) BY EMRA HOLMES ,

Author of " Mabel" " Ernest Stake , " " Hopelessly , " "The Path of Life : an Allegory , " " Waiting for Uer , " & -c .

CHAPTER I . THE TWO FRIENDS AND SOCIETY . " Q URELY you aro wrong , Frank . I do think you ( O are . I don't see how Society can help itself in such a case . What rig ht as a fellow like Forester to make such an ass of himself ?" " Well but , Madge , you know you never were

immaculate yourself , and it ' s all very well , now you are married , to change your views of things—but you must not expect me to be quite so ready to back you in your opinions . " " Well take my advice , and drop him ; that all . AVhy should you choose to cultivate a fellow who makes such

an ass of himself ? Why it was only last week Robertson told me that out of kindness he asked Forester up to his rooms to spend the evening . He swears he left him at half-past ten quite sober , and the next morn he was found in the coal-hole up at tlie Bank , fast asleep with his hair in curl papers . " ' ¦ Nonsense !"

" Fact , I assure you . Some fellow told me that at the last place he was at , somewhere on the cast coast , he used to get out to sea in the middle ofthe night in one ofthe steamers , and would insist in taking a dive off the paddle-box at one o'clock in the morning , just to try his nerves , as he s . iid . "

• ' Well , but you must admit he s a good natured fellow . " "A good natured fool if you like . " The speakers are two friends , Frank Ashburn and Madge Raymond , and the subject discussed is the eonduct of one Munuuduku Forester , better known by the

youth of Mai-ton-on-the-Ilill as " Miss I'anny . " Frank was but two years the senior of Madge ; but , having been earlier thrown on his own resources , having spent two or three vacations abroad , he had acquired a manner far in advance of his years ; and people gave him ci-editfbrbeinglhirty-liveorthirtv-six at thedateof

my story , when , in truth , he was still on the pleasant side of thirty . It is a winter ' s evening in the early part of the year of grace , ISO'O , and Prank Ashburn is sitting in his friend ' s smoking-room , Airs . Uayiiiond having retired for the night . Madge lias hardly been married a year ,

yet he alrc : idy assumes the air of an old Benedick , and lays down the law to his bachelor friend with great unction , much to Frank ' s amusement . " Thu fact is , " Frank is saying , "That adage is true , no doubt , whitdi says , 'A rake makes the best husband , ' ( here an indilf rent hearer might imagined a slightly

satirical tone in his—the speaker ' s—voice ) but 1 am quite sure of this , that you fellows who have been a little fast your yourselves , directly you get married , become ridiculously suspicious and painfully moral . " " Now , Frank , you are talking bosh . " " I am not talking bosh , and vou know it . Forester

is a mull , every one knows that ; but instead of giving him a helping hand , and trying to keep him out of mischief hy inviting him to your houses occasionall y you and the other married people of your acq'taiutaincc cut him , because he made a fool of himself thc other dav and took the barmaid ofthe A ' ultureout for

a walk down the High-street in broad daylight . \ ou know thu Vulture is the best hotel in the town ; you know that Miss Robertson is a pretty and wellinformed girl , far above her station ; and you can ' t say you have heard a word against her character . " " 'Pon my word , Ashburn , I shall think you spooney

on the girl yourself , ii you go on in this way ; but seriously , tell me why you take up the cudgels for " Miss Fanny . " You can't care much about him . He is very much younger than you are ; you must admit he ' s about as soft a piece of goods as you could come across ; aud I know very well that you wouldn ' t care

to introduce any fellow to your sisters , il you had any , who was always loafing about billiard-rooms , and trying his fascinations on barmaids and milliners . " " 1 don ' t say I should , and I don ' t take Forester ' s part because 1 approve of his conduct—far from it ; but , because he ' s down , every one kicks him , and I

thinks its a con / bunded sli .-mie . I think men ought , to be satisfied with the society of those in their own class of life . But I know very well that in many cases they arc driven to seek that of those beneath them , because Society , forsooth , dosen ' t choose to admit them to its charmed circle . " " Well , what would you have . "

"Never mind what 1 would have But I will tell you what I think : if ever Forester goes to the bad , Society , will be as much to blame as he himself . " Thero is silence for a few minutes , while Frank pulls steadily from a curiously carved inecrschum pipe , and stares gloondy into the fire . Frank is great in pipes . ( To be Continued . )

Notes By A Novice.

NOTES BY A NOVICE .

THE EPHEMERAL AND THE ETERNAL . AVe have often wondered that no attempt has been made to collect information respecting those quaint and , in many cases , absurd parodies on Freemasonry , which flourished , like the insects of a day , towards the latter part of the ei ghteenth century .

Ihese societies rejoiced in various names ; some extvemo ' y high-sounding and awe-inspiring , and others of a more plebeian character ; but in all , the clement of buffoonery ran riot . We happen to possess several bound volumes of " E . Johnson ' s British Gazette and Sunday Monitor , " ranging from 1788 to 1799 , in

which several notices of meetings of these societies appear , and , stimulated by curiosity , wc have left no stone unturned to find out their secret modus operandi , but as few records or rituals of these free-and-easy fungi exist , our success has been only partial . Such as it is , however , it may interest our Masonic readers

as a striking illustration of the fact that Freemasonry , built upon the solid rock of eternal truth , has survived and will survive , all such ephemeral associations , erected upon the shifting sands of folly and deceit . We will first take the ' ¦ ' ¦ Holy Order of Nails , ' and our mode of procedure will be to allow the initiate ( if

we may so term him ) to describe the mushroom " mysteries " in propria personal . " Step forward , Air . Gabriel Greenhorn , and tell us all you know about the ' Nails . '" " In the beginning of thc year 1788 , I was an apprentice in the shop of Mr . Mead , the peruke-maker

in Newington Causeway . He had a large business among the gentry who lived at Newington , Walworth , and Camberwell , and was held in high repute by Sir Edward Walton , High Bailiff of Southwark , and many other great dignitaries , who always entrusted their headpieces to his care . 1 had a fellow-apprentice

named Richard Jaques , one of the wildest wigmakcrs 1 ever knew , for they are generally a quiet , harmless set of men , as grave as judges and quite as wise . However , Dick was nothing of the sort , and was never better pleased than when he was seated at the Pheasant Inn , in b ' tang-ite , with a rousing bowl of

punch before him , and a jolly set of companions to chink glasses and sing merry staves . One night , Dick came , home , as usual , late ( Mr . Mead , I must say , knew nothing of his little pranks ) , and , as usual , ascended to his room , which was also mine , hy means of a rope ladder suspended from the window . He was

generally quiet enough when he got in , but on this occasion nothing would do but he must shout"' I'm a Nail ! I ' m a Nail !' "' What do you iiic-in , ' 1 cried , ' you'll alarm the house , and Mr . Mead will soon put a stop to your

freedom of ingress and egress . " "' Oh , Greenhorn , ' he cried , ' you need not wonder I feel so merry . 1 have been made a Nail this evening !' '" A what ? ' I replied contemptuously .

"' A member of the Holy Order of Nails , ' he rejoined ; ' and il' you keep quiet for a month or two , perhaps I may get you initiated . ' '" Go to bed , Dick—do , ' I answered ; 'you have had too many rummers of malt this evening . ' ' So , with a little more persuasion , I induced him to

undress aud seek what I believe Shukspere calls ' sweet sleep . ' However , the next morning he explained to ine that lie had not spoken in jest , as he had really and truly been admitted into the / anions Order of Anils , which was destined to eclipse the Freemasons , thu Constitutional Sols , and every other secret society of

the day . Its objects , he said , were grand , and its ceremonies imposing , and , moreover , he had been initialed in tin ; ' Grand Lodge . ' All this sounded very line , and aroused my curiosity to such an extent , that iu the course of a few weeks 1 begged Dick to propose me , which he accordingly did , and 1 received the following summons to attend : —

" Grand Lodge of the Holy Order of Nails . "Held nt the l''ica « : int , St . inj-ate , I . anilietli . Tin ISrothcM of this Lodge » ro desired tn tuku notice tint their next meeting night will be on Tuisstl . vy , loth of July , 17 SS , at eight < 'cluck in tlio livening ; then to ba opened in the first ile . -ree , nnd tn combine so for the future , every Tuesday

evening alternately for c . u-h d' -gree . "liy Order of the Grand Master , Officer * , & c , ( Signed ) "J . IVKS U . IYTJIOIIM , Secretary . " "On the all important evening of July 15 th , I set out with Jaques tor the ¦ Pheasant , ' on arriving at which I was remitted to the parlour , as the 'Holy

Order' met in rooms upstairs ; and Dick said they would send for ine when all was prepared for my reception . Meanwhile I satin trembling expectation , half-inclined to run away , for I had heard that the ordeal was a very painful one , when one of the brothers entered the room and desireil me to follow him . Thia

I did cheerfully , as nothing can be more oppressive than suspense . lie led me to an upper chamber , which apparently was an ante-room to the place of meeting , and ordered me to strip and array myself in a dirty old sheepskin jerkin . Tin ' s 'looks promising , 'quoth I to myself—for my guido enjoined perfect silence' what next , I wonder ? ' However 1 obeyed , and he then fastened a black mask over my face , which

Notes By A Novice.

left merely a space for breathing through . Thus enveloped in darkness , he led me to tho door and gave a terribly loud knock thereon with a hammer which I had previously observed in his hand . The door was opened and a voice cried , ' AV retched Amalekite , wherefore comest thou ? ' And my guide answered in

solemn tones , ' O Issachar , 1 have brought thee a victim—yea , even one who will give thee of his goods and his chattels , and hesitate not to lay down his life for the cause . ' ' The deuce he will , ' I half ejaculated , but my guide sternly enjoined silence , and the strange voice replied ' It is well ; await the Grand Master ' s

orders , ' and so saying he slammed the door in our faces . In a minute or two he returned , and said , ' Enter , the Nails are sharpened , and a goodly reception awaits the Amalekite . ' I was then led forward into the room , when a sepulchral voice cried , ' Let the Amalekite drink , ' and before I could say 'Jack

Bobinson my- arms were seized from behind and my wrists encircled with manacles , while a copious stream of icy water came down on my head like a shower bath . I naturally roared at this chilling reception , when thc unearthly voice again uttered in deep tones , 'The Amalekite speaks—he has broken onr rules—upon him

ye Philistines ! " In another moment I was thrown down by a rush of men , some of whom seized my legs and others my shoulders , and in this manner I was carried round the room amidst the most discordant noises . At last they laid me upon a table ov bench ,

and for some minutes there was profound silence , during which I recovered my breath but hardly my composure , and began to wish I was well out out of it . " But my troubles were by no means at an end . " ( To be continued . )

Proceedings Of The Two Grand Lodges Of England In Ratification Of The Union , 1813.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE TWO GRAND LODGES OF ENGLAND IN RATIFICATION OF THE UNION , 1813 .

Grand Assembly of Freemasons , for the Union of the two Grand Lodges of England , on St . John ' s Day , 27 th December , 1813 .

( Continued . ) The Act of Union was then read by the Director ofthe Ceremonies . The Rev . Dr . Coghlan , Grand Chaplain to the Fraternity under the Duko of Sussex , proclaimed aloud , after the sound of trumpet : — " Hiar ya : This

is the Act of Union , engrossed , in confirmation of Articles solemnly concluded between the two Grand Lodges of Free aud Accepted Masons of England , signed , sealed , and ratified by the two Graud Lodges respectively ; by which they are to be hereafter and for ever known and acknowledged by the stvle and

title of TUB Urn-run GRAND LUDUK OP ANCIENT FRBI'MASOSS OF ENGLAND . HOW say you , Brothers , Representatives of tlie two Fraternities' ) Do you accept of , ratify , and confirm the same V To which the Assembly answered— " AVe do accept , ratify , and confirm the same . " Thc Grand Chaplain then

said : " And may the Great Architect of the Universe make the Union perpetual ? " To which all the Assembly roplied , " So mote it bo . " The two Grand Masters and six Commissioners signed tho Instrument ! -, and the two Grand Masters then affixed the Great Seals of their respective Grand

Lodges to the same . Dr . Barry , after sound of trumpet , then proclaimed : — " Be it known lo ail Men , that the Act of Union between the two Graud Lodges of Frne and Accepted Masons of England , is solemnly signed , sealed , ratified , and confirmed , and the two

Fraternities are one , to be from henceforth known and acknowledged by the style and titlo of ' The United Graud Lodge of Ancient Freemasons of England , ' and may the Great Architect ofthe Universe make their Union eternal ! " And the Assembly said , " Amen . "

The two Grand Masters , with their respective Deputies and Wardens , then advanced to the Ark of the Masonic Covenant , prepared , under the dirt ction ofthe W . Brother John Soane , Grand Surperintendent ofthe Works , for tho ediiico of the Union , and in all time to come to be placed buforo the Throne .

The Grand Masters standing in the East , with their Deputies on the right and left ; tho Grand Wardens in the AVest and South . The square , the plumb , thc level , and the mallet , wero successively delivered to the Deputy Grand Masters , and by them presented to the two Grand Masters , who severally applied tho

square to that part ofthe said Ark which is square , the p lumb to the sides of tho same , aud the level above it in three positions ; and lastly , they gave it three knocks with the mallet ; saying , "May the Great Architect of the Universe enable us to uphold the Grand Edifice of Union , of which this Ark of the Covenant is the symbol , which shall contain

within it the instrument of our brotherly love , and bear upon it the Holy Biblo , square , and compass , as the lig ht of our faith aud tho rule of our works . May he dispose our hearts to make it perpetual !" And the Brethren said , " So mote it be . " The two Grand Masters placed tho said Act of Union in the interior of the said Ark . ( Ta be Continued . )