United Grand Lodge.

UNITED GRAND LODGE .

Thc following is the agenda for Wednesday , 5 th June . 1878 : — 1 . Theminutesof the Quarterly Communication of the 6 th March for confirmation . 2 . The minutes of Grand Festival of the 24 th April for confirmation .

3 . Thc M . W . Grand Master will move " That this Grand Lodge agree in a vote of congratulation to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Germany , Grand Protector of Prussian Freemasons , on his happy and providential escape from the recent attempt on his life . " 4 . The M . W . Grand Master will move "That this Grand Lodge do grant the sum of one hundred pounds , to

be paid out of the Fund of General Purposes , for the assistance of the members of thc Igualdad Lodge , No . 6 53 , in the Island of Curacon , West Indies , who have suffered from the hurricane , which occurred there on the 23 rd September , 1877 . "

5 . The M . W . Grand Master will present the report of the Committee appointed at thc last Grand Lodge , on the 6 th March , 1878 , to enquire into and report upon the whole of the financial and banking arrangements of Grand Lodge—and will move thereon . 6 . Election of members of the Board of General

Purposes . 7 . Election of members of thc Colonial Board . 8 . Election of members for the Committee of Manageof the " Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons . " 9 . Report of the Lodge of Benevolence for the last quarter , in which are recommendations for the following

grants , viz .: — The widow of a brother of the South Saxon Lodge , No . 311 , Lewes £ 75 o o A brother of thc St . Paul ' s Lodge , No . 194 , London ... ... ... ... ... 125 00 The widow of a brother of the South Norwood Lodge , No . 11 ™ , South

Norwood ... ... ... ... ... 50 o o The widow of a brother of the Royal Athelstan Lodge , No . 19 , London ... ... 75 o o A brother of thc Lodge of Three Grand Principles , No . 208 , Dewsbury ... ... 75 o o 10 . Report of the Board of General Purposes . To the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted

Masons of England . The Board of General Purposes beg to report as follows : — 1 . Several matters of Masonic complaint have been brought before the Board since the last Quarterly Communication . These have , however , either been withdrawn or so disposed of as not to necessitate a specific report to Grand Lodge . 2 . An application frcm Mr . Thomas Bacon , the lessee

of Bacon's Hotel , for a new lease on the expiration of the existing one , at the end of the present year , was referred to the Premises Committee for consideration and report ; and the Board of General Purposes unanimously agreeing with the recommendation of that Committee now advise Grand Lodge that a new lease for seven years from thc expiration of the lease be granted to Mr . Thomas Bacon at the present rental , subject to the proviso that such lease be not alienable on death or otherwise .

( Signed ) Jons- B . MONCKTON , Freemasons' Hall , London , President . 21 st May , 1 S 78 . At the meeting of the Board , held on Tuesday , thc 21 st ult ., after the ordinary business had been disposed of . it was unanimously resolved : — " That the thanks of the Board are due , and are hereby

tendered , to the V . W . Bro . John B . Monckton , the President , for his attention to all matters of business that have been brought forwaid during the past year , for thc ability with which he has conducted the proceedings , and for his courteous bearing to all the members of the Board . " ( Signed ) HENRV C . LEVANDER , Vice-President .

To the rcpoit is subjoined a statement of thc Grand Lodge accounts at the last meeting of the Finance Committee , held on Friday , the 17 th day ot May instant , shewing a balance in the hands of the late Grand Treasurer of £ 3543 13 s . « jd . ; in the London and Westminster Bank , £ 214575 . ; and in the hands of the Grand Secretary , for petty cash , £ 75 ; and for servants' wages , £ g 6 15 s .

11 . Thc annual report of thc Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons , dated the 17 th o May , 1878 , wil' . be laid before Grand Lodge . 12 . Proposed motion by W . Bro . Benjamin Head

, P . G . D .: " That the sum of £ 70 be given from the Fund of General Purposes ; that the money he placed in the jiands of the Secretary ot the " Royal Masonic Benevolent institution of Aged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons , " to supply the residents of thc Institution at Croy-< lon with coals during the winter season . "

NEW LODGES The following is a list of the lodges for which warrants nave been granted by the M . W . Grand Master since the ' 1 st Quarterl y Communication of Grand Lodge : — : 74 o , Southern Cross Lodge , Cordova , Argentine Repul lie ' 74 ' , Montgomerie Lodge , Diss , Norfolk ' 74 ' t Lodge of Concord , Roseau , Island of Dominica l

7 + 3 , Lodge of Perseverance , Holborn Viaduct ' 744 . Royal Savoy Lodge ; Henrietta-st ., Covent Garden * 74 S . Farringdon ( Without ) Lodge , Holborn Viaduct Ho , Fraternity and Perseverance , Benares , Bengal 747 . Transvaal Lodge , Pretoria , Transvaal , South Africa ' 748 , Castlemartin Lodge , Pembroke , South Wales 749 . Palmerston Lodge , Palmerston , Otago , New Zealand

United Grand Lodge.

1750 , Coleridge Lodge , Clevedon , Somerset 1751 , Palm Lodge , 15-i . sseln , British Burmah 1752 , Ogmore Lodge , Bridgend , JGlamorcanshirc 1753 , Lodge of Obedience , Okeh-impton , Devon 1754 , Windsor Lodge , Penarth , Glamorganshire

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .

CONSTITUTIONS OF GRAND LODGE , 1784 . The editor has asked me to reply to " A . S . " as to an old Masonic work , and whether it is ' ¦ well-known . " The book he refers to was edited by Bro . Noorthouck , arid was the regular Book of Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of England from the year 178 4 to the " Union . " Its ancestry was as follows : —17 S 4 was preceded by that of

176 7 ( and appendix 177 6 ) , which was thc offspring of 175 6 , an improved and much extended edition of 1738 ( re-issued also in 1 746 , but new title page only ) , which in turn wis thc lineal descendant of the premier Book of Constitutions of 1723 . An illegitimate offspring appeared in 1769 , but without issue , according to the Masonic Cyclopaedia , edited by Bro .

the Rev . A . F . A . Woodford , M . \ ., but little is known of Bro . Noorthouck , who edited the 1784 Constitutions . Certainly the 178 4 edition is well-known to all Masonic students , but beyond that small circle it is not likely to have been much studied or appreciated , for it will take some time yet before the Craft generally , as members , incline to a perusal of their own history . I have , however ,

great confidence in the spread of Masonic intelligence through the medium cf our literature , and especially in the formation of Masonic libraries like those at Sheffield , Leicester , Hull , and especially after the style of the Grand Library of the Supreme CounciVof the Ancient and Accepted Rite , " London , one of the finest of the kind in the world . WILLIAM JAMES HUGHAN .

COLE'S LIST OF 1770 . I hasten to correct one or two typographical errors in the last Freemason . No . 55 at Valenciennes was founded in 1733 . Le Loge de la Sagesse , Havre , 1766 , and was No . 310 . The Lodge of Grenoble was 322 ; and No . 394 , Perfect Harmony , at Havre , was founded in 1770 .

It may be well to remind my readers , that No . 27 was a'Spanish lodge , founded at Madrid 1727 , and that a French lodge , originally No . 90 , was said to have been founded in 1732 . Besuchet tells us that a Lodge " Au Louis d'Argcnt , " was constituted in 1729 , and some think these were two lodges , ( some say they were one and the same ) .

In ijoa two lodges were struck oft the roll of the Grand Lodge of England , according to Noorthouck . I will endeavour to verify this fact by a search in the old records , and write again to the Freemason . If , as I said last week , the original chartering of lodges is to give a right of perpetual jurisdiction despite differing nationalities , it seems difficult to say where the right of the English Grand Lodge ends , or how it can be limited . MASONIC STUDENT .

Mark Masonry In Plumstead.

MARK MASONRY IN PLUMSTEAD .

An influcntal meeting of Mark Masters and Craft Masons was held at the New Masonic Hall , Plumstead , on the 3 rd ult ., to take into consideration the advisability of establishing a Mark Lodge under the Province of Kent in this distiict . Bro . James Ritchie , Royal Artillery , Grosvenor Lodge , No . 144 , P . G . J . M . W . Middlesex and

Surrey , was unanimously elected to the chair , and was supported by the undermentioned distinguished Masons of the district , viz .: Brt s . C . Couptand , W . Weston , Geo . Spinks , Jas . Smyth , Abel Penfold , Henry Shaw , E . Palmer , Henry Pryce , and others . Bro . Ritchie explained to the brethren that a very general desire had been expressed by the brethren in Woolwich and Plumstead that a Mark

Lodge under thc Province of Kent should be established in Plumstead , and for this purpose he proposed that circulars be issued to the Masters , Past Masters , Sec , ot the lodges in Woolwich and Plumstead , inviting them to attend a meeting for the purpose of discussing the matter . This meeting was ' accordingly held at the Masonic Hall Plumstead , on the Sth ult ., at which it was

unanimously resolved that it was desirable to form a Mark Lodge for this influential district , and the undermentioned brethren were duly nominated , and elected as the ofiicers for the ensuing year : Bros . J . Ritchie , R . A ,, Grosvenor Lodge , 144 , P . G . J . M . W . Middlesex and Surrey , W . M . ; Wm . A . Weston , S . W . ( who however declined the office in favour of Bro . Coupland ) ; James Smyth , J . W . ; W . A . Weston , First

Master Overseer ; Abel Penfold and H . Shaw , Overseers ; Henry Pryce , Treasurer . The lodge is to be designated the " Excelsior , " and the meetings will be held at the Masonic Hall , Plumstead , on thc second Tuesday in the months of March , June , Noiember , and December . A

committee was appointed to draw up thc bye-laws , and take the necessary steps for obtaining the wairant , furniture , regalia , Sec , and the names of upwards of 30 candidates were recorded for advancement on the first ni ght of meeting . The consecration will take place on the second Tuesday in June .

The election of Secretary to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls has been fixed for Thursday , the nth of July . The Berlin correspondent of the Standard states that the German Emperor has consented to the wedding between the Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise being celebrated in England .

Notes On Art, &C.

NOTES ON ART , & c .

Princess Elizabeth of Roumania may be a d ded to the list of Royal poets , as she has translated some national heroic poetry into excellent German verse . The Athenceuvi states that the Earl of Dufferin

has accepted the presidency of the Royal Geographical Society . Mr . Mackenzie Wallace ' s " Russia" has been awarded the Prix Langlois by the French Academic , the work , which has been translated into French , having attracted great attention in Paris .

Madame Trebelli , assisted by other eminent artistes , will give a morning concert in aid of the Hospital for Diseases of the Throat and Chest , Golden-square , on Thursday , June 27 th , at St . James ' s Hall . Since the latest discoveries at Olympia , the whole northern half of the Altis has been excavated and is

now open to view . The last important building found is the Motron , or the Temple of the Mother of Gods . A large serpent from Java—Pytluin molurus —has arrived at the Paris Jardin des Plantes . The reptile has a girth of some twenty inches , and weighs 66 pounds , while it is considered a most rare event for so large a specimen to reach Europe alive .

An anthropological society lias just been founded at Gratz by a large number of Austrian antiquaries , for the purpose of studying the pre-historical condition of Styria , as well as that which arose beneath the Roman influence . The catalogue of Blue and White Nankin Porcelain which is now being exhibited at the

establishment of Mr . Emanuel Marks , 395 , Oxford-street , and which is published at two guineas , is a remarkable work . The fac-simile reproductions of the drawings by Sir Henry Thompson and Mr . Whistler give the character and texture of the ornamentation and the shapes of the objects in the most artistic manner . Messrs . Ransomes and Rapier have received

an order for the full equipment of a railway for the Sandwich Islands , as a beginning of railway work there . The phylloxera vastatrix has made its appearance in an area of about 2000 acres of vineyards in Portugal . The Paris Salon opened on Saturday last . The collection of military paintings relating to the

Franco-Prussian War which has bren excluded from the Salon and the Exhibition , for political reasons , is now being exhibited , and includes some twenty pictures , in addition to a few water-colours and etchings , MM . Detaille , Neuville , Protais , Dupray , and Berne-Bellecour being the principal exhibitors . The report of the Copyright Commission ,

which has been adopted and is in type , is now ready for presentation to the Home Secretary . Minority Reports have been written by Sir Louis Mallet , Sir John Rose , Mr . E . Jenkins , Mr . A . Trollope , and other members of the Commission . Sir L . Mallet , we learn , almost calls in question the principle of a copyright law . —Athenaeum .

Bro . Captain Boyton has started on a trip down the Garonne from Toulouse to Bor , " i : iux .

THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS . — The fiftieth anniversary of this society will be celebrated on Monday , next , when Mr . J . F . Bateman , the President , will give a soiree at the Indian Mufcum , South Kensington , between the hours of 9 p . m . and midnight . Post-Office Savings Banks have been introduced into Japan , and in two years the number of depositors

has more than quadrupled . The Royal Agricultural Society of England have received the consent of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to the occupation by the society for the purposes of the agricultural exhibition next year of the piece of land—100 acres in extent—at Brondesbury or Kilburn , belonging to the Commissioners , and the necessary agreement is now

being prepared . The Tablet ' s own correspondent at Rome says rumours have been industriously circulated to the effect that the health of Leo XIII . is seriously impaired , and that before long a termination of his Pontificate may be expected . For these rumours , he says , there is not the slightest foundation in fact : — " Leo XIII . is not of a robust constitution .

nor does he enjoy what may be termed rude health , but he is not suffering from any particular disorder , nor has he any infirmities other that such as arc incident to his age . He rises early and transacts his business regularly , and without betraying much fatigue . He eats and drinks very sparingly , and his table is supplied only with the simplest viands . He goes to bed somewhat late . He takes exercise

from 5 p . m . to 7 p . m . every evening in the Vatican gardens , and sometimes says his Mass as early as 6 a . m . in a small chapel in the gardens . " The funeral of William Campbell , the Scotch giant , who died in Newcastle on Sunday , took place on

Tuesday afternoon . The coffin was 7 ft . long , 3 ft . S in . wi

A popular clergyman recentl y delivered a lecture to his parishioners assembled upon the interesting subject of " Fools . " There was naturally a very large audience , and the rush for seats was much augmented by the form in which the admission tickets were printed . The inscription ran thus ; " Lecture on Fools . Admit one . "—Wednesday ' s City Pi ess .

LONDON HOSPITAL . —The Goldsmiths' Company have voted £ 500 to the Maintenance Fund now beine raised for the support of this charity .