Masonic And General Tidings.

MASONIC AND GENERAL TIDINGS .

We are glad to report that Bro . Frank Richardson has so far recovered from the serious operation he undersvent that he svas able to start on Thursday with Bro . J . H . Matthews in the steam yacht Victoria for a three weeks ' trip to the Baltic .

Bro . Herbert John Allcroft , of Stokesay Court , Onibury , has been appointed Sheriff of Shropshire , in the room of Bro . John Derby Allcroft , deceased . The Princess of Wales and her daughters left Bergen on Monday on board the Royal yacht Osborne for Copenhagen . The Royal party have expressed themselves svell pleased svith their tour .

The Queen has expressed her approval of the members chosen to serve on the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the opium question . The Chairman of the Commission is Bro . Lord Brassey , K . C . B . Bro . Lord Egerton of Tatton presided at the half-yearly meeting of the Ship Canal shareholders , svhich svas held in

Manchester on Monday . The report svhich svas submitted proved very satisfactory , and svas unanimously adopted . A special meeting of the Waterford Corporation svas held on Monday , svhen it svas unanimously decided to present the freedom of the city to Bro . General Lord Roberts on the occasion of his visit to his native tosvn .

. The Right Hon . W . E . Gladstone returned to tosvn on Monday from his visit to Lord Rothschild at Tring , and in the evening he and Mrs . Gladstone entertainer ! at dinner Mr . D . Ainssvorth , M . P ., Sir Charles Russell , M . P ., Mr . H . Gladstone , Mr . Herbert Gladstone , M . P ., and other guests .

To celebrate their silver svedding , Bro . the Rev . J . H . Rose , M . A ., vicar of Clerkensvell , and Mrs . Rose have been presented b y the parishioners svith a beautiful silver salver , a silver fish-slice and fork , and a purse of money . The presentation svas formally made by the churchwardens .

A handsome badge , designed and manufactured by Bro . George Kenning , of Little Britain and Aldersgate-street , is about to be presented to each of the Past Masters of the Shipsvrights' Company . A similar badge will be offered to each Master on vacating the chair at the close of his year of office . —Citv Press .

Of the three matches svhich have , been played betsveen England and the Australians , the first svas interrupted by the rain and ended in a drasv in favour of England . In the second England svon easily , but in the third , svhich svas concluded on Saturday , there svas again a drasv , England having six wickets in hand and svanting So runs to svin .

The installation ceremony in ' cqnnection svith the Dorothy Vernon Lodge , No . 2129 , svill take place , by special permission of the Duke of Rutland , in Haddon Hall , near Bakesvell , on 'Tuesday , the 5 th inst ., at 2 . 45 . Bro . Victor Cavendish , M . P ., svill act as J . W ., and Bro . the Marquis of Granby is also expected to be present . Banquet in the Town Hall at 5 o ' clock .

A Senior Deacon ' s jesvel was presented to Bro . A . Goodhind at a complimentary supper given to him at St . Nicholas ' Lodge , Thorne , bythemembersofthatlodge . Thesuppersvas attended by many , not only from Thorne , but from Doncaster , Hull , Sheffield , Crosvle , and Scunthorpe , to shosv their appreciation of so svorthy a brother , svho , as an I . R . officer , had been removed from Thorne to Dudley .

The Clyde Steamship Seminole , on its voyage from Nesv York to Florida , with 94 passengers , was struck by a hurricane off Cape Delasvare , the svind at the time being from the south-east and blosving at the rate of So miles an hour . The vessel svas struck by . a heavy sea and sustained tremendous damage , but it ultimately reached its destination .

The Duke of Cambridge , svho has returned from his visit to the Continent , presided at a meeting , held at the Horse Guards , on Saturday last , of the Royal Commission on the Patriotic Fund , among the members present being Prince Edsvard of Saxe-Weimar , Earl Nelson , Bros . Lord Wantage and Lord Herschell , and the Hon . E . F . Leveson-Gower , and others .

Partridge shooting commences to-day ( Friday ) and the prospects , in almost all parts of the country , promise an abundance of excellent sport . In recent years shooting has been hampered by the harvest , but nosv , svith fesv exceptions , the fields are cleared . Favoured svith fine sveather the young birds have made rapid progress tosvards development . The coveys are numerous , though generally speaking not large . Rabbits and hares are ' also plentiful .

Some experimental firing took place this week svith the Si-ton guns at Dover , a target being placed several miles out at sea . Only small charges svere used , but the concussion svas felt all over the town , svhile the' windosvs in the quarters near the fort svere all blosvn out . The practice svas directed from the castle by means of a range-lineler , but the target svas not hit , though the shots , svhich sveigh nearly a ton , could be seen ( l ying through the air .

The last of the county matches for the year have been played , Nottinghamshire defeating Lancashire by nine svickets , svhile thc contest betsveen Kent and Sussex ended in a drasv in favour of the former . Thus Yorkshire holds the first position svith nine points , Lancashire being second with four , Middlesex third svith three , and Kent next svith tsvo points . Then follow in the order as given Surrey , Notts , Sussex , and Somersetshire , Gloucestershire being , unfortunately for herself , last of all .

" ALI . is Mir G 01 . 11 THAT GLITTKHS" may lie said about many brilliant prospectuse ;* that arc frcc'iit'titly issued to Inlanders ; they often herald the formation of companies s \ -hich tfo up like * the proverbial rocket anil eome down like a stick . Holloss'ay's I'ills anil Ointment , unlike such slinky ventures ,,-ire the soundest investments in which people seilVerint ; from discuses can entrust

their money . They li . is-e the reputation ol * over half a century , and es'ery uay tliey return substantial dividends in the form of i ; ood health . No disease has yet disputed their Inlluence svhen a Sail liial lias been stiven . They cure dysentery , diarrhira , weakness , and liver antl kidney diseases , svhilst for skin diseases they have no tonal . Sold hy all chemist * , \ . c .

Masonic And General Tidings.

The Training Squadron , consisting nf her Majesty ' s ships Active , Volage , Calypso , and Ruby sailed from Gibraltar on Thursday afternoon for Portsmouth . The Duchess of Albany embarked at Portsmouth on Thursday on the Royal yacht , Victoria and Albert , which has been placed at her disposal bv her Majesty , for a three sveeks' cruise off the coast of Scotland .

Guisachen Strathglass , Inverness-shire , the residence of Bro . Lord Tsveedmouth , has been the scene of a daring robbery , jewels to the value of about i 4 oo having been stolen by some person or persons at present unknosvn . The Tosvn Council of Edinburgh , at its meeting on Tuesday , resolved , by an oversvhelming majority , to confer the freedom of the city upon Bro . Lord Roberts of Candahar , in recognition of his great military services in India .

The Duchess of Rutland , svho , svith her husband , is staying at Lonirshasve Lodge in North Derbyshire , visited Duffield on Monday for the purpose of opening a bazaar in aid of a svorking men ' s institute it is proposed to erect in that tosvn . The Queen held a Council at Osborne on Saturday last , previous to her departure for Scotland , those present being the Earl of Kimberlev , Lord President of the Council , Bros .

Lord Carrington and Lord Kensington , and Sir C . Lennox Peal , Clerk . Saturday last svas "Commemoration Day " at the Royal Albert Orphan Asylum , Bagshot , which was opened in 1 1 S 64 . and , as usual , a large company assembled to take part in the festivities . The chair at the orincipal meeting was occupied by Mr . Charles Barber , while the prizes were distributed by the Hon . Mrs . Eliot , svho is svife of the Chairman of the Committee .

The Duke of Cambridge , svho svas accompanied by Bro . Lord Roberts , visited Woolsvich on Wednesday for the purpose of making his annual inspection of the troops , hospitals , barracks , & c The Field and Royal Artillery and the Borderers svent through a number of manoeuvres on the common , and after luncheon with the Royal Artillery Mess , his Royal Highness returned to town .

One more svas added to the long list of bathing fatalities , svhich occur along our coasts at this season , on Tuesday , svhen a daughter of General Burton svas bathing off Happisbury . Norfolk , and got into difficulties . Her brother took off his coat and swam to her assistance , but , failing to reach her , was drosvned . The young lady svas rescued by some coastguardsmen , who had some difficulty in restoring animation .

The third of the Queen ' s cups offered this year was sailed for at the Royal Western Yacht Club of England Regatta on Tuesday . The yachts entered svere the Britannia , the Salanita , and the Calluna , the Navahoe not being allowed to compete on the ground that she svas a foreign yacht . The Britannia svon . The other two cups svere taken by the German Emperor ' s yachts , the Meteor and the Salanita .

The annual meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society , svhich has previously been held at the Westminster Drill Hall , svas opened in the Royal Agricultural Hall , Islington , on Tuesday . The exhibits are of a high character , and the appearance of the hall extremely brilliant . The band of the Honourable Artillery svas engaged by the Committee for the occasion , and its performances greatly enhanced the pleasure of the visitors . The shosv closes to-day ( Friday ) .

The funeral of the Duke _ of Saxe-Coburg Gotha , the elder brother of the late Prince Consort , and therefore brother-in-lasv of the Queen , took place at Coburg on Monday , amongjthe principal mourners being the Duke of Edinburgh , nosv Duke Alfred of Saxe-Coburg Gotha , svho svas supported by the Emperor of Germany and the King

of Saxony , the hereditary Prince Alfred ( son of the Duke of Edinburgh ) , svith the Prince of VVales and the Duke of Connaught , Prince William of Baden , Prince Philip of Coburg , the Grand Duke of Baden , and many other Princes . The Emperor left Coburg the same evening , svhile Duke Alfred has issued a proclamation on his accession to the ducal throne .

We e-uite agree svith our friends of Masonic Home Journal in the svarning against the " hit back " principle respecting Roman Catholic attacks : " That the Catholic Church is the foe of Masonry is true , but it does not follosv that Masonry is the foe of the Catholic Church . " The Mallet says : " Masterly inactivity is Masonry ' s best

policy in this connection . Rome s senseless fulminations never make anybody one penny the worse , and life is toe short to svar in return . " Amen ! If the Pope enjoys his anathemas against Masonry let him enjoy them all alone . He does not hurt Masonry , and why deprive him of his imagined luxury . —New York Dispatch . '

The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire received at Keighley on Thursday afternoon an address of svelcome and congratulation on their marriage . In acknosvledgment the Duke referred to the long connection of the Cavendish family svith Keighley , and especially to the association of the lamented Lord Frederick Cavendish svith the constituency of svhich that town formed part . The Duchess

aftersvards distributed prizes to the students of the Keighley Institute , and the Duke complimented the borough upon possessing a technical institution , created by the joint efforts of employers and employed , that had solved to a great extent a perplexing educational problem . The future of the country , he said , depended upon our ability to supply the products of hirrhly skilled labour .

The Three Choirs Festival svill be held this year at Worcester , on the 12 th , 13 th , 14 th , and 15 th instant . The programme for the sveek svill be as follosvs : Tuesday morning , " Elijah " ; Tuesday evening , Handel ' s " Israel in Egypt " and Beethoven ' s " Symphony No . 7 " ; Wednesday morning , Bach ' s " Mass in B minor " ; VVednesday evening ( in the public hall ) , an orchestral svork composed for the occasion by Dr . Hubert Parry , and a miscellaneous selection ; Thursday morning , Parry ' s " Job " and Spohr ' s

" Last Judgment "; Ihursday evening . Brahms ' s " German Requiem " ; Friday morning , ' •The Messiah . " The principal vocalists svill be Madame Albani , Mrs . Hutchinson , Miss Anne Williams , Miss Hilda Wilson , Madame Belle Cole , Miss Jesse King , Mr . Edsvard Lloyd , Mr . Edsvin Houghton , Mr . Watkin Mills , Mr . Plunket Greene , and Mr . Brereton . The conductor svill be Mr . Hugh Blair . Thc band and chorus svill number nearly 400 performers .

Masonic And General Tidings.

The "harvest bell" is rung at the Parish Churc h Driffield , at five a . m . and eight p . m . every day during harvest . The custom is a very old one . The next session of the East Surrey Lodge of Concord Lodge of Instruction , No . 463 , will commence on Tuesday next , at the Greyhound Hotel , Croydon , at 8 p . m ., and every Tuesday until the first Tuesday in May .

The Princess of Wales and the Princesses Victoria and Maud , with their suite , visited the Royal Castle at Christiania on Thursday . They aftersvards svalked through the tosvn and returned on board the Osborne at half-past one . In the afternoon their Royal Highnesses proceeded to Oscarshall and visited the church , after svhich they drove to Solmenkollen , returning to theiryacht at half-past

. To-day ( Friday ) the follosving hospitals will be re-opened for the reception of patients , after having been closeetfor ^ several sveeks for cleaning and repairs , viz . : Charingcross , King's College , Westminster , Westminster Opthalmic Hospital , Royal Hospital for Diseases of the Chest . City-road , the Hospital for Women , Soho-square , and the Victoria Hospital for Children , Chelsea .

The ordinary half-yearly meeting of the Crystal Palace District Gas Company will be held at the Albion Tavern , Aldersgate-street , on the Sth inst ., svhen the Directors svill recommend a dividend for the half-year ended 30 th June last at the follosving rates per annum , viz .: 6 per cent , on the Preference Stock ; 7 per cent , on the Ordinary 7 per cent . Stock ; and 10 per cent , on the Ordinary 10 per cent . Stock ; amounting to , fc 14 , 875 , less Income Tax of £ ¦ 402 17 s . 3 d .

Five full-masted British ships , svhich are in port at San Francisco , have decided upon a friendly trial of speed on the homeward voyage . The vessels are the Elmhurst ( Captain M'Kenzie ) , from Antwerp ; the City of Madras ( Captain Griffiths ) , from Liverpool ; the Falls of Afton ( Captain Fish ) , from Nesvcastle , the Ulrica ( Captain Littlejohn ) , from Liverpool ; and the Glenlui ( Captain

Cummings ) , froiu Queenstosvn ., The vessels range in tonnage from 1700 to 2000 . The Duchess of Albany and her children arried at Portsmouth from Claremortt , and were received in the dockyard by Admiral the Earl of Clansvilliam and ' Rear-Admiral

Fullerton . Their Royal Highnesses at once embarked on the Royal yacht Victoria and Albert , which left for Milford Haven , svhere a few days svill be spent . The next place to be visited is Oban , svhere the yacht svill remain for a time before proceeding on a cruise along the svestern coast of Scotland , returning to Holyhead three sveeks hence . '

A meeting of St . John's Royal Arch Chapter , No . 70 , was held on the 24 th ult ., at whicii Comp . J . R . Lord , P . /" .. , P . P . G . T ., P . G . D . C , presided . The officers elected for the ensuing year svere Compi . VV . King , M . E . Z . ; J . B . Gover , H . ; J . Hicks , J . ; J . R . Lord , S . E . ; J . Goad , S . N . ; C . G . Withell , Treas . ; the Hon . H . V . Duncombe , P . S . ; J . Burton , ist A . S . ; A . G . Collings , 2 nd

A . S . ; J . Brook , D . C ; E . H . Seymour , Org . ; S . G . Edsvards and J oseph J acobs , Stsvds . ; and VV . H . Phillips , Tyler . The Most VVorshipfuI the Grand Master has granted a svarrant for a lodge to be attached to the 2 nd Middlesex Artillery Volunteers . The lodge is to bear the name of the corps and svill be numbered 24 S 4 on the roll of Grand

Lodge . It is to meet at Freemasons' Hall , London , on the second Monday in the months of October , November , December , January , February , and March . The first Master is to be Bro . Captain Robert Gresley Hall , D . L ., C . C , Past Grand Stess-ard ; the first Senior Warden , Bro . Captain Albert Stephen Hatchett-Jones ; and the first Junior Warden , Bro . Lieut . Edsvard W . Postans .

AUSTRALIA AND THE IRRIGATION COLONIES . —AS a means of disseminating information respecting the recentlyformed settlements in Australia , nosv rapidly becoming knosvn for the superior quality and plentiful supply of fruit grosvn on the farms at Mildurn and Renmark , in the provinces of Victoria and South Australia respectively ; a

series of sveekly free lectures is in course of delivery at the Gardening and Forestry Exhibition at Earl's Court . These lectures are attracting considerable attention from visitors , and a very pleasant and instructive hour can be spent or . each Thursday evening in listening to the lecturer , liro . James Stevens , and svitnessing the numerous excellent dissolving viesvs svhich illustrate the subject matter of his discourse .

Bro . the Rev . Sir John Warren , Hayes , of Bearsvoou , Berkshire , is supposed to be the oldest Freemason in England . The reverend baronet svas initiated in 1 S 19 , the year thc Queen and the Duke of Cambridge svere born , and consequently he has been 74 years a member of the Order . He svas made a Grand Chaplain by the late - Earl of Zetland in 1 S 44 . It has been stated in the daily

press that there are only two brethren living of senior standing as Grand Officers , namely , the Moolvie Mahomed Ismael Khan , svho svas Senior Grand Warden in 1 S 3 C , and the Chevalier Bernard Hebeler , svho filled the same office in 1839 . But sve are informed that thc Chevalier Bernard Hebeler died some time ago , so that Bro . the Rev . Sir John Hayes , Berkshire , has but one senior Grand Officer in English Freemasonry—Moolvie Mahomed Ismael Khan .

Betsveen 20 and 30 members of the Walton Lodge , No-10 S 6 ( Bro . T . Garrett , W . M . ) , and their friends , took part in the annual p icnic of the lodge on the 24 th ult . The p lace chosen for this year ' s outing svas Grasmere , whither the party travelled by special train from Lime-street Station at 7 . 45 . On arriving at Windermere , the party drove in svaggonettes to Grasmere , and lunched at the Rothey noii

Hotel . Some time svas spent in the grounds ot the - » and excursions svere subsequently made into the surrounding country , and mountain climbing indulged in . y " returning to Rothey Hotel , tea svas partaken of , thc catering of Mr . Copperthsvaite , the host , giving entire satisfaction . The return journey was completed hy about 10 0 < "' •" *' Amonc those present , in addition to Bro . Garrett , wer

Bros . J . Lasvson , S . VV . ; George Young , J . W . ; J ° f . " Wilde , Sec . ; M'Laren , Taylor , Bridgesvater , and U i " Cooper , P . M . Twelfth Annual Edition of Explanatory Book , ««' gratis and post free , gives reliable information how tol "™ money qsnckly by Stocks and Shares . Highest and J ?™ . ^ . prices for past years . —Address , G . Evans and Co ., *" ' »'•• brokers , 11 , Poultry , London , E . C .