Australia.

While the procession was filing into the hall , a march was ilayed on the organ by Bro . Geo . Peake , who also had charge of the musical arrangements . When the whole of the ' rtthren were se- ' t d , the hall presented a most brilliant appearan : e . Ro nd the v ills were erected the banners ol tne oiftcrent lodges , the members of which , principally in Ii « ht blue regalia , bounded the right and left , whilst in the

centre , where the ceremonies were to be peiformed , was the purple and go'd of the English District Officers , the light blue and gold of the Irish province , and the thistle gceen and gold of the Scottish dignitaries . A flourish of trumpets having been sounded , the D . G . Directar of Ceremonies ( E . C . ) proclaimed Sir William Clarke by his usual titles , civil and Masonic , and the

three Deputies were also proclaimed . After some other preliminaries , a consecration hymn was sung by the full choir . Bro . T . H . LEMPRIERE , D . G . Secretary ( E . C . ) then addressed the R . W . District Grand Master , asking his

assistance in dedicating and consecrating the newly-erected buildings to the purposes of Freemasonry , when the Rev . H . E . 1 ' AYLOR , D . G . C . ( S . C . ) read a part of i Kings , ch . viii . After an anthem , the R . W . DISTRICT GRAND MASTER addressed the assemblage as follows : —

Brethren , —We have assembled on the present occasion for the purpose of dedicating this hall to the purposes of Freemasonry . I have very great pleasure in bearing testimony to the active state of Mas mry in Victoria under the three constitutions over which I have the honour to preside . Under the English Constitution we have a roil of 92 lodges , embracing about 5000 members , together with 12 Royal Arch Chapters . Under the Irish and Scoich Constitutions

there are 14 and 10 lodges with a roll of 1500 members , and I have the satisfaction of knowing that during my Presidency Masonry has not fallen from its high estate in this district . I have ever felt it my duty to support and encourage its principles and practice ; because it powerfully developes all social and benevolent affections ; because it mitigates without , and annihilates within , the virulence of

poliucal and theological controversy ; because it affords the only neutral ground on which all ranks and classes can meet in per ect equality , and associate without degradation or mortification , whether for the purposes of moral instruction or social intercourse . Such being my conviction of the inestimable benefits which society derives from Masonry , it cannot be a matter of surprise that I have availed

myself of the advantages which my situation affords in order to prom ite the interests of our excellent institution . In the pursuit of this object I have been enlightened by your example , encouraged by your kindness and affection , and supported by your active and steady co-operation . If to those claims on my gratitude is added the event of this day , the whole obligation is such that 1 fear no action of

mine will enable me to repay it . Of this you may rest assured , that the connection which subsists between 113 is as gratifying to my pride as it is dear to my heart . At the conclusion of the address , another hymn was sung , when Bro . the Rev . E . GRAY , P . G . Chaplain ( I .- . ) , delivered the first portion of the benediction prayer , which was followed by the District Grand Master sprinkling

perfume on the floor of the hall . The anthem , " Behold how good and how pleasant , " having been sung , Bro . the Rev . H . E . TAYLOR read the second part of the benediction prayer , and the architect , Bro . J . H . GRANGER , addressed the presiding officer . Then followed another anthem , whereupon Bro . Dr . H . ST . J CLARKE , Dep . Dist . Grand Master ( E . C ) , announced that the Hall would now

be dedrcated _ according to the ancient rites of Masonry . The dedication having been completed , a suitable oration was delivered by Bro . the Rev . W . W . MAN- TELL , D . G . Chaplain ( E . C . ) 'Ihe consecration part of the ceremony commenced with a procession of the principal officers four times round the hall . On completing the first circuitthe D . G . Secretary

, ( E . C ) , handed salt to the R . W . District Grand Master , who sprinkled it on the floor as the emblem of hospitality . After the second circuit , corn was handed by Bro . J . M'Kinery , P . J . G . W . ( I . C ) , to the R . W . District Grand Master , who strewed it on the floor as the emblem of plenty . The third circuit was completed with wine , handed to the presiding officer by Bro . Dr . Willmott , D . S . G . W .

( E . C , ) , and it was poured on the floor as emblematic of truth and gladness . At the end of the final circuit , Bro . St . John Clarke , Dep . District Grand Master , handed oil to the officiating officer , who sprinkled it on the floor as we emblem of peace and harmony . This part of the ceremony was interspersed with the usual invocations by me three deputies , choruses by the choir , and an anthem , lollowed bthe concluding address and benediction by the

y Chaplain of the English Constitution ; and with a running we of" Hearty goud wishes" to Bro . Sir William Clarke Torn the Masters and Representatives of the many lodges Present , the interesting ceremonies of the day were brought ' 0 a close . this was the first consecration of a Masonic hall ever Performed in Melbourne , and considering the difficulties and

magnitude of the affair , those responsible for its management must be congratulated on the excellence of w '^ f arcan gements , every detail having been carried out . th out the slightest hitch , and with the utmost order and ecorum . 'I he executive Committee appointed to make the necessary arrangements were Bros . Dr . H . St . John Clarke , "• U . G . M . ( E . C ); Geo . Baker , D . P . G . M . ( f . C . ) j C . R . 'Vartin D . D . G . M ., ( S . C ); Dr . W . Balls-Headley , P . D . p WW . ( E . C ); A . Ellis , P . G . Sec . ( I . C ); S . Franklin , ^ - Treas . ( I . C ) : W . T . C . Kellev . D . G .. President

VV oa . . ° f General Purposes ( E . C ); W . F . Lamonby , J ? - ™ .. Gordon Lodge ; W . Lang , D . J G . W . ( S . C ); So , , n 5 P riere > D-G . Sec . ( E . C . ); H . W . Lowry , D . G . ! VW -9 ); G - F - Martin , P . D . G . D . ( E . C ); P . v i ?™ , D . S . G . W . ( I . C ); P . M'Arthur , D . J . G . W . Pi > Sp 1 ; l l ' Kiner y' P-S-G . W . ( I . C ); J . Robertson , D U . S . G . W . ( S . C ); Thos . Smith , D . J . G . D . ( E . C . ); WiWr " J , r , - Wilmott , D . S . G . W . ( E . C . J ; and J . 7 »\ P . D . S . G . W . ( S , C , ) J a 'tend Hi ? ' ^ " ° k P ' ace m tne evening , which was sp | en J ?? . y about 1000 ladies and gentlemen . It was a beintrl f ^ t , and gave great satisfaction . Dancing c , n K kept up till four in the morning .

T ' , ' How to ° n ' MME . \ CINO . —An Illustrated Guide of no page , Myers s " r P ectably fr ° m JT ?*> to ^ 2000 ; " three stamps ""[ ADVT 1 ' '' Euston-rd ., London . Telephone No , 7541

The Theatres.

THE THEATRES .

We would remind our readers that the opportunilies to see Bro . Irving and Miss Ellen Terry uniil April , iSSS , are fast coming to a close . During the recent heat the Lyceum has not suffered like many other theatres . The house is not oppressive , and the performance is so interesting , that one does not think of the temperature . On

Tuesday and Wednesday " Olivia " will be played , after that s . me extra performances of the ever-popular " Faust , " the theatre finally closing on iSth July , to be re-opened with the French plays , and later on Miss Mary Anderson appears before her friends . We are sure Bro . Irving and his talented company will be missed more than ever , for each year they become more and more popular .

Mrs . Brown Potter is not happy in her selection of plays . " Man and Wife , " in which she made her debut at the Haymarket , was a play whose " raison d ' etre " was past . " Civil War , " which was produced at the Gaiety , is not calculated to be more productive of success ; hut Mrs . Brown Potter shows a decided advance in her

profession , although she has much to learn ; particularly is her pronunciation and regularity of gestures against her . Mr . Herman Merivala ' s adaptation of M . Delpit ' s " Mdlle . de Bressier , " which , by the way , only ran for six nights in Paris , is a very feeble drama . The first two acts are devoid of interest , that centring in the last two acts . Mdlle . Faustine de Bressier is the daughter of a general in

the French Army . The officer has been killed by the Communists ,, for "Civil War" deals with the history of the Paris Commune of 1 S 71 . Faustine is in the garden when a fugitive Communist , Pierre Rosny , comes to the gate and begs for shelter . It is accorded , Faustine shuts the gates , and tells the man to hide . The troops arrive , and the captain demands an entrance to search for the insurgent .

Faustine is then apprised of the death of her brother at the hands of the Communists . In a moment of rage she points to Rosny's hiding-place ; he is taken and led out and shot . It may be mentioned that just before this Rosny ' s wife had entered the garden and been provided with food by Faustine . Seven years pass , and Jacques Rosny , the son , becomes a great artist ; he is

engaged in making a bust of Faustine . The couple are not aware that their parents were so closely connected with each other in the incidents of 1871 . They fall in love with each other . Faustine , when she declares her passion for Jacques , also tells him she can never be his , for she is

engaged to her cousin because it was her father's wish . English people do not understand that men and women cannot marry of their own accord , and that fathers and mothers have so much authority in France . 'I his makes the play uninteresting . To go on . Faustine marries the cousin she dislikes—Henri de Guessuint . He is murdered

after a short married life , and she goes to Jacques . I hey then determine to marry , but by the French law the death of a husband must be certified before a widow can re-marry , and this authority is not forthcoming . However , some one turns up who witnessed the death . Another obstacle now intervenes . Faustine is introduced to Jacques' mother , who recognises in her the lady who gave her tood when she was

faint seven years ago ; she then tells her son that his lover caused her father to be shot by delivering him to the guards . Faustine then knows that it was Jacques' father who killed her brother , and it was at the hands of the Communists that her father met his death . The mother leaves them , and , of course , love triumphs over sentiment , and the young people marry . Mrs . Brown Potter is

supported by a singularly able company , who have little to do except Mr . Kyrle Bellew , who has not been seen in London for several years . As Jacques , Mr . Bellew is earnest and well suited to the part . Miss Amy Roselle , as the mother , is dignified and affectionate . A brilliant audience were present at the first night , including the

Prince and Princess of Wales , the King of Greece and his son the Duke of Sparta , the Hereditary Prince and Princess of Saxe Meiningen , Mr . Leopold Rothschild , Mr . Alfred Rothschild , Bro . Squire Bancroft , Bro . Lionel Brough , General Sir Fred . Haines , Mr . George Lewis , Miss Edhh Blande , Buffalo Bill , and an Indian Chief and many other consistent supporters of the drama . # #

* Miss Agnes Hewitt deserves success , and ought to win it if she gets hold of a good play , for " The Golden band " can hardly be said to be a very attractive piece . Mr . H . Herman , part author of "The bilver King , " and the Rev . Freeman Wills , vicar of St . Agatha's , Finsbury , and brother of Mr . VV . J . Wills , are the joint authors of

Miss Hewitt s opening piece . Mr . Wills has not lost much time in utilising thehistoiy of a so-called Rev . Dr . Keatinge , who last year was tiied and sentenced to a severe punishment for passing himself off as an ordained clergyman , and getting many appointments . In the play a burglar passes himself off as a clergyman , and in that capacity marries a woman he professes to love to an officer who is a rich man ,

knowing that he will in due time expose them as not lawfully married persons . He then commits a murder , and goes from bad to worse , and , for want of money , gives information that he was a sham parson , and therelore the marriage was illegal . At law , we believe , the authors are wrong here . Such marriages where the parties believe themselves to have been properly married are legal ; but

we think Lord Selborne , a few years ago , when on the woolsack , did get a special Actjpassed to meet some such cases as this , but that was only to satisfy the people who had been married by a fraudulent clerk , so that in real life the plot of "The Golden Band" would not hold water . Miss Agnes Hewitt p ays a very repulsive part . Miss Maud Milton is the heroine . Bro . George Barrett is fitted with a

prototype of old Jacques in " 1 he Silver King , but has not half as much to do . Mr . J . G . Grahame , as the injured husband , is very fine . Mr . brandon Thomas , as the socalled clergyman , shows a very marked advance as an actor . But it is on accuunt ot the structural alterations that Miss Hewitt deserves suppoit . Ihe dirty , old Olympic

is no more ; instead we iiave a beautifully decorated theatre ; no bad smells nor drafts , and not the least fear of being burned to death . Every part of the house has two exits , and special doors open from the inside . Mr . Brown , the acting-manager , we found only too glad to show any one round and explain the new system .

Masonic And General Tidings

MASONIC AND GENERAL TIDINGS

The General Committee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys will hold their regular monthly meeting at Freemasons' Hall , to-morrow ( Saturday ) afternoon . Bro . the Rev . J . S . Brownrigg , P . G . C , has accepted the Chaplaincy of the Anglo-American Lodge , No . 2191 . We are pleased to note that amongst the

Mayors raised to knighthood by her Majesty in commemoration of her Jubilee is Bro . Alderman Sir Wm . David King , of Portsmouth . Bro . C . N . Mclntyre North is a candidate for the office of architect and surveyor to the City of London . He is the author of the well-known Celtic work "Leabhar Comunn nam Fior Ghael , " and " Archaeology and Architecture of Southwark . "

The Prince and Princess of Wales were to visit the Crystal Palace on Thursday , the 30 th ult ., in order to be present at the grand concert to take place in their honour and that of the distinguished visitors from abroad . We hear that the wife of the Worshipful Master

of the Royal . Somerset Lodge , 973 . Frome , Somerset , was safely delivered of a son on the morning of the 21 st ult . Being Jubilee day , this must have been one of the earliest "Jubilee" babies , as it was not more than two minutes past 12 when it came into the world .

The Queen of Hawaii has conferred the companionship of the Royal Order of Kapiolani upon Lady Bullard , wife of Bro . Sir Harry Bullard , Mayor of Norwich , in recognition of the hospitality shown to her Majesty and her daughter during their recent visit to Norwich .

We regret we should have omitted from the list of the brethren who took part in the procession at the Jubilee Masonic Commemoration Meeting at the Albert Hall , South Kensington , on Monday , the 13 th ult ., the names of R . W . Bros . E . Tyrrell Lenh , District G . M . of Bombay ; Dr . Egan , D . G . M . South Africa ( tiast Division ); and Sir George Elliot , Bait ., P . G . M . South Wales ( East Division ) .

The Queen will lay the first stone of the proposed Imperial Institute for the Colonies and India at South Kensington , on Monday next , the 4 th inst . Her Majesty will be accompanied by the Prince and Princess of Wales and other members of the Royal Family , and attended by the Great Officers of the Household and others .

The Order of the Red Cross of Rome and Constantine is shortly to be introduced in Brisbane , the capital of Queensland . During a recent visit to Melbourne , Bro . John Fenwick , District Grand Secretary Queensland , E . C , was installed in the Melbourne Conclave , No . 143 , with the object of breaking new ground in the far North of Australia .

The Grand Jubilee Dinner to the Old People of Hammersmith is to be given at the Flora Gardens Board School , on the 2 nd inst ., and alterward an entertainment at Studland Hall , under the direction ot Bro . A . J . Barclay , including a dramatic performance , and Bro . Harry Tipper ' s " Bells ; " there is also a whisper that Bro . Edward Terry may give some generous help on the occasion .

Among the Jubilee Festivities of the current week may be mentioned those at Dublin in the presence of the Princes Albert Victor and George of Wales , who appeared to have met with a most hearty reception j the Garden Party given by her Majesty at Buckingham Palaceon Wednesday ; and the Volunteer Review to-morrow ( Saturday ) , when close on 30 , 000 of our citizen soldiery

will march past the Queen at Buckingham Palace . To commemorate the Jubilee week , Bro . J . W . Boughton , W . M . of the Portsmouth Lodge , and lessee and manager of the Theatre Royal , Portsmouth , had a grand fashionable night on Friday , the 24 th ult ., under most distinguished and influential patronage , when the whole of the

proceeds ( without any deductions ) are to be handed to Masonic Charities . A special dispensation was provided , and all brethren in the private boxes , dress and upper circles , appeared in full Masonic costume . Bro . Boughton deserves every success for his charitable views not only on this occasion , but in numerous others .

It is hardly to be expected that our record of the services rendered oy the different London and Provincial brethren on whom H . R . H . the M . W . Grand Master was pleased to confer the rank and privileges of Past Grand Officers should be altogether faultless . We are glad , however , to find that the number of mistakes to which , so far , our attention has been called is comparatively small .

Ihus , we were wiong in stating that Bro . Lieut .-Col . Haldane , P . G . Swd . Br ., is a P . M . W . S . of the Ivor Hael Chapter ol Rose Croix . This is a distinction belonging to his brother , Capt . E . O . V . Haldane , who has also taken the 30 ° in the A . and A . Rite . Bro . Viscount Valencia , P . J . G . W ., is not " an Apollo University Oxford brother , " buta member , and at the present moment VV . M . for the second time , of the Churchill Lodge , No . 47 S , Oxford ,

which his lordship lately joined from the Eureka Lodge , No . 47 , Ireland , his mother lodge . His lordship is also Prov . J . G . W ., and Prov . G . J . of Oxfordshire , and is just now one of the ablest and most active Oxford brethren . We also omitted to mention that Bro . T . J . Railing , P . A . G . D . of C , was one of the G . Deacons of the Mark Grand Lodge when H . R . H . the Prince of Wales was advanced to the Degiee of Mark Master Mason .

HOLLOWAY ' S PILLS . —Nervous Debility . —No part of the human machine requires more watching than the nervous system—up m it hangs hcalih and life itself . ihese Pills are the Desi regulators and strengthened of the nerves , and the safest general purifiers . Nausea , headache , giddiness , numbness , and mental apaih , yield tothcrn . They dispatch in a sum nary manner tnuse distressing d siomachic

yspeptic symptoms , pains , fulness at the pit of the stumacn , abdominal distension , and overcome both capricious appetite and connned bowels—ihe commonly accompanying signs ot detective or deranged nervous power . Holloway ' s Pills are particularly recommended to persons of studious and sedentary habits , who gradually sink into a nervous and debilitated state , unless some such restorative be occasionally taken , —[ ADVT . 1