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SATURDAY , DECEMBER I , IQOO .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The regular Quarterly Communication of United Grand Lodge will be held at Freemasons' Hall , on Wednesday , the sth instant , and at the outset of the proceedings an acknowledgment will be read of the

resolution of condolence with his Royal Highness the M . W . Grand Master , on the death of his brother , H . R . H . the Duke of Saxc-Coburg and Gotha , K . G ., which was passed at the September meeting . The usual business will follow , including nominations for the offices of Grand Master and Grand Treasurer respectivel y , for the year i go 1-2 .

Masonic Notes.

Among the items contained in the Report of the Board of General Purposes is a recommendation to the effect that the offer by two members of the Premises Committee and the Grand Secretary to make over to Grand Lodge a freehold stable in New Yard ,

" situate between freehold premises the property of Grand Lodge , and let on a yearly tenancy of £ 32 per annum , " which they had purchased for £ 760 at a public auction , be accepted . We think the Board might have gone a step further , and included in its

recommendation an expression of thanks to the two members and the Grand Secretary . The property might [ have been snapped up by a speculative person , who , knowing or believing Grand Lodge to be a wealthy body , might have looked to make a

substantial profit by the transaction , and in order to secure possession of this freehold stable , situate in the midst of its own property , Grand Lodge might have had to pay & 1000 or - £ 1200 for what will now cost it only

£ 760 . Such an idea seems naturally to present itself on reading the paragraph in the Report , and the act of those who by their wise and loyal prevision have prevented such a possibility deserves some slight recognition .

* * * For the Grand Trtasurership for 1901 -2 two brethren have been for months past before the Craft as candidates—Bro . Captain John Barlow and Bro . Horace Brooks Marshall . Both are strong men , and there can be no doubt that whether the former or the latter

is chosen , the office will be well and worthily filled . But the prospect of a closely-contested election in March next is not a pleasant one . The turmoil and excitement which appear to be part and parcel of these contests should be averted if possible . Could not the

Chairmen of the rival Committees meet together privately and draw lots on the understanding that the loser should have the field all to himself the following year ? We readily admit that it would not be a

dignified arrangement , nor would it preclude other aspirants for tho office from allowing themselves to be nominated . But contests of this kind are still less dignified , and , as we have just said , every effort should be made to avoid one .

* » * It appears that since the September communication his Royal Highness the M . W . Grand Master has been pleased to grant warrants for the constitution of eight new lodges . Of these the Devonian Lodge , No . 28 34 ,

which was consecrated quite recently , is located in London , and the Sir Waller Raleigh Lodge , No . 2837 , in Liverpool , in the Province of West Lancashire . The other six are located Abroad , the North of Gogra Lodge , No . 2830 , Gonda , and the Koil Lodge , No . 2831 , Aligarh , in the District of Bengal ;

and the Excelsior Lodge , No . 2832 , at Dagshai , in that of the Punjab . The Alfred Milner Lodge , No . 2833 , will meet at Muizenberg in Cape Col ony , and the Basutoland Lodge , No . 2835 , at Maseru , while the Yoruba Lodge , No . 28 3 6 , will have its quarters at Lagos , in West Africa .

» * The regular Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons will be held at Mark Masons' Hall , on Tuesday , the 4 th instant , when amon < r other business will be presented for adoption

the Report of the General Board . From this we gather that Warrants for two new Mark and three new Royal Ark Mariner Lodges have been granted since the last report . The new Mark Lodges are the Bassein , No . 543 , located in the District of Burma ,

and the Unity Lodge , No . 544 , at Liverpool , in the Province of Lancashire . The R . A . M . Lodges are the United Service , attached to the Mark Lodge , No . 69 , of the same name , at New Brompton , in the Provin ce of Kent , which was consecrated by Viscount

Dungarvan , Prov . G . M . M ., on Wednesday , the 7 th November ; the Lodge of Antiquity , No . 82 , to meet at Bangalore , in the District of Madras ; and the Star Lodge , No . 499 , in London . We are also informed that the number of registered Mark Master Masons on the 30 th September last was 42 , 000 , and ot Royal Ark

Mariners 6337 , the number of certificates of the former Degree issued during the quarter being 225 , and of the latter , 34 . We are further told that the Warrants of No . 325 ( in Cornwall ) , No . 370 ( St . Helena ) , No . 407 ( Surrey ) , and No . 485 ( London ) , have been , retained .

The Board likewise recommends that the thanks of Grand Lodge be voted to Viscount Dungarvan for his valuable services as Deputy Grand Master during the past seven years , and that his lordship be invited to accept the clothing of his rank as a slight recognition

Masonic Notes.

of those services . It appears , also , that Bro . Imre Kiralfy , W . M . of the Empress Lodge , No . 533 , has presented some very fine specimens of ancient Japanese armour and a Zulu Kaross , and Grand Lodge is recommended to pass a vote of thanks to

Bro . Kiralfy in recognition of his generous gift . We are further given to understand that his Royal Highness the M . W . G . M . M . has been pleased to appoint Bro . Josiah F . Pepper to be Prov . G . Master of Staffordshire and Shropshire , in succession to Bro . Col , G . S . Tudor , deceased .

We have much pleasure in acknowledging receipt of Volume IX . of "Quatuor Coronatorum Antigraphy" being one of the Masonic Reprints of Quatuor Coronati Lodge , No . 2076 . The volume is edited by Bro . G . W . Speth , P . A . G . D . C , the Lodge Secretary , and consists of "The Book of

the-Fundamental Constitutions and Orders of the Philo Muiscae et Architectural Societas , London , 1725—1727 . " It is "illustrated with Plates and Facsimiles , " and is accompanied by an " Introduction and Notes by Bro . W , Henry Rylands , F . S . A ., " P . A . G . D . C . We regret

that , owing to the heavy demands upon our time just now , we are under the necessity of deferring for a week or two our remarks upon the work , which , in the matter of printing and embellishment , is in all respects worthy of the lodge .

« * » The report presented at the recent annual meeting of the Grand Council of the Allied Masonic Degrees is in every way a most satisfactory document . Not only , we are told , has there been during the past year a large accession of members , but new councils have

been warranted , with every prospect before them of a long and successful career . We are also pleased to hear that the relations between the Grand Council and the Order of the Secret Monitor have been , and are , of the most fraternal character , a circumstance that

must ^ have particularly gratifying to the late Bro . Dr . Zacharie , the founder of the Order in this country , whose recent death is referred to in terms of sympathy . We trust that the reports which may be laid before the Council in the future will prove at least as favourable .

» * # The Seymour Lodge , No . 2804 , so named after its first W . Master—Lord Ernest Seymour , P . Prov , G . W . Warwickshire—a full report of the consecration of which appeared in our last week's issue , starts under more favourable auspices than usual . Its

founders were 31 in number , and a commodious hall has been built for the accommodation of its members . Moreover , several propositions for initiation were handed in at the inaugural meeting , and there is every reason to hope that a lodge which has begun so well will be carried on prosperously . It has our heartiest good wishes for'its success .

* * * We have been favoured with copy of proceedings of the 25 th annual meeting of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba , which was held at the Masonic Hall , Winnipeg , on ihe 13 th of June last , under the presidency of Bro . John Leslie , M . W . Grand Master ,

In the course of the address which is usually delivered on these occasions and which contains . 1 full account of the doings of the past year , Bro . Leslie mentioned that he had only been called upon to give one decision , and that was ' whether a man who had lost his left leg above the knee could be initiated into Masonry . " This

point he appears to have settled in the affirmative . But though he gave this one , he said he had been called upon to give many cases in which there was no leal necessity for any appeal at all , and he added " a careful reading of the Constitution and a little common sense would save a great deal of time in this respect

to both the Grand Master and the Grand Secretary . " He also expressed his opinion that it was a great mistake to ask for a decision " unless the question is one upon which "pinions may materially differ , or one of grave importance upon which no decision his previously been given . "

The statistics show that in the 25 years this ^ Grand Lodge has been in existence veiy substantial progress has been made . There are in good working 66 ou t of the 74 lodges that have been placed on the roll , * -the aggregate membership of these 66 lodges on the 27 th December , 1809 , being 3091 . The Grand Treasurer ' s

annual statement of account for the year to the 31 st March last , showed a total of receipts , including bilance from previous account , amounting to 4234 dollars , anil an expenditure of 3281 dollars , leaving a balance in hand of 953 dollars , while on the Benevolent Fund there was available a sum of 1073 dollars , no application for

relief having been received during the year . T he Grand Master for the present year is Bro . W . G . Thornton , and the Grand Secretary Bro . fames A . Ovas , Bro . VV . G . Scott having resigned after holding the oilice since 1880 , with the exception of the years lSSi and

18 S 2 , when he served as Deputy Grand Master ; and the Grand Maiter was authorised to appoint a " Committee to arrange for the presentation of a testimonial in recognition of his " 20 years of faithful service to the Craft . "