Ireland.

Bro . R- J- HILTON , D . G . M . Antrim , said in the name and on behalf 0 { the Province of Antrim he could assure the Earl that his nomination was received with universal satisfaction . They remembered that in the past his noble grandfather presided over the province for the long period of 27 years , and everyone would join in the hope that his grandson would long be spared to rule over the Province of Antrim . The arrangements for the ceremony were admirably made by Bro . Wm .

Rankin , Prov . G . Sec , and Bro . Henry J . Hill is to be congratulated upon the sp lendid manner in which , as Prov . G . D . C , the processions were marshalled . Bro . Samuel Leighton acted as Organist with conspicuous ability , and the ceremony was in every way carried out in a manner worthy of the historic importance of the occasion . ¦ At two o ' clock the Grand Lodge Officars and the members of the Prov . Grand Lodge of Antrim drove to Belfast Castle , where they were entertained to luncheon by Lord Shaftesbury . The Grand Lodge Officers afterwards left for Dublin by the limited mail .

Obituary.

Obituary .

COMP . -WALTER RICHARDSON . The sudden death of Comp . Walter Richardson , of the Henley Lodge and Chapter , Nos . 1472 , is deeply regretted by all who knew the great kindliness of his heart , and his constant endeavour for the welfare of both the above institutions . He was the owner of the Three Crowns Hotel , North Woolwich , where the Henley Lodge holds its meetings , and also of another house at Deptford . On Sunday morning , the 28 th ult ., he was taken suddenly

ill at-the latter place , and was driven home to the house at North Woolwich , where Mrs . Richardson was staying . There he became rapidly worse , and died ati p . m . Bro . Richardson was well-known and respected , and great sympathy is felt for bis widow and young family . Mrs . Richardson is a daughter of the late Bro . E . West , P . M . of the Capper Lodge , No . 1076 ; King Harold Lodge , No . 1527 ; Liberty of Havering Lodge , No . 1437 ; and Henley Lodge , No . 1472 , and a P . P . G . D . of Herts .

FUNERAL OF BRO . G . W . SPETH . The funeral of Bro . Speth took place on Wednesday , the 24 th ult ., at Bromley Cemetery , the cortege leaving " La Tuya" at two o ' clock , and arriving at the cemetery a quarter of an hour later . The coffin was enclosed in an outer casket of polished oak , mounted at the head with a massive brass Masonic emblem of the compasses and square , and at the foot the plumb-rule , level , and

square . The inscription on the coffin was " George William Speth , born 30 th April , 1847 ; died 19 th . April , 1901 . " The chief mourners were Mrs . Speth and her two daughters , Mrs . Goss and Mrs . A . G . Jones ( sisters of the deceased ) , the Rev . A . G . Jones , Mr . Arthur Sampson , and Mr . Wagler ( brothers-in-law ) , Mr . John Goss and Mr . E . Jones ( nephews ) . The service was impressively conducted by the Rev . A . G . Jones , assisted by Bro . the Rev . J . W . Horsley , J . D . of

the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , No . 2076 , who wore his Masonic collar . Amongst the numerous friends gathered at the cemetery were M . Jules Dam , of Brussels , Mr . Norman Leigh , Mr . W . Groombridge , and Mr . Compton Price . The Lodge of Unity , No . 183 , was represented by the W . M ., Bro . J . Lloyd Bennett , and Bros , G . J . Symonds , I . P . M . ; G . W . Pinnock , P . M . ; R . Corsham , P . M . ; T . E . Curtis , J . W . ; R . Petherbridge , J . A . Sweatman , and Harman Keble ( Margate ) . The

Quatuor Coronati Lodge , No . 2076 , was represented by Bros . Hamon Le Strange , Prov . G . Master of Norfolk ; R . F . Gould , P . M ., P . G . D . ; W . H . Rylands . P . M ., P . A . G . D . C . ; C . Purdon Clarke , P . M . ; Gotthelf Greiner , S . W . j Ed . J . Castle , K . C , Stwd . ; Ed . Armitage ,, C . E . Ferry , and Harold Griffiths . Bro . Thomas Cohu was unavoidably prevented by indisposition from being present . The Hervey Lodge , No . 1602 , Bromley , which Bro . Speth visited on several

occasions , paid a last tribute to the deceased by the attendance of their W . M ., Bro . John Maynard , and Bros . John Kinj , P . P . A . G . D . C ; F . Medhurst , and F . H . Norman . Comp . the Rev . S . T . H . Saunders , P . Z ., attended on behalf of the Sir Francis Burdett Chapter , of which the deceased was I . P . Z . Letters of regret at inability to be present were received from the W . M . of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , Bro . Edward Conder , jun . ; . Bros . Sir Walter Besant , W . J . Hughan , Dr .

W . J . Chetwode Crawley , Edward Macbean , Lieut .-Col . S . C . Pratt , J . Paul Rylands , and many others . Lady Warren wrote expressing her great regret that , owing to the absence of Bro . Sir Charles Warren from England , he would be unable to . be present . Among the beautiful flowers laid upon the grave were those from Mrs " . G . W . Speth ; the Brethren of the Lodge of Unity , No . 183 ; the Master , Officers , ai , d Members , No . 2076 ; " Neices and Nephews at Yarkhill ; "

Bro . and Mrs . W . H . R ylands ; Bro . G . Greiner ; Sister , Nephew , and Niece ( Lucy , John , and Cecie ); Mr . and Mrs . J . Lloyd Bennett ; Mrs . Alexander ( J . Jones ; Philip S . Parks ; Mr . and Mrs . T . Taylor ; Mr . and Mrs . Harman Keble ; Henry Foljambe Hall ; Members of the Lodge of Research , Leicester ; Mother and Alice ; Arthur and Flo ; Harold Griffiths ; Bro . and Mrs . Wm . Lake and Miss Lake ; Bro . and Mrs . Thos . Cohu and family ; Mr . and Mrs . J . T . Thorp ; and Mr . and Mrs . Mimpriss and family .

In Memoriam.

IN MEMORIAM .

GEORGE WILLIAM SPETH . BY ROIIKRT FRKKK GOULD . ( Bromley and District Times . 26 th April , 1901 ) . The passing away of such a notable Freemason as the late Secretary to the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , it has been thought , should not be exclusively recorded in the journals of the Craft ; and that , in justice to his memory , some kind of

notice , however brief and imperfect , of his really wonderful services to the Society he loved so well , ought to appear in the columns of the paper circulating in the neighbourhood of his abode . M" \ Speth was best known as the Secretary of Quatuor Coronati Lodge , No . ° 70 , and editor of its Transactions ( Ars Quatuor Coronatorum ) : but there exists

another Masonie lodge with which he had even a longer connection , the Unity , , ' 3 . his mother lodge , and the Secreta ' r ship of which he held at the time 01 his decease . The Master of this lodge , Mr . [ . Lloyd Bennett ( who is a Bromy resident ) , has asked me to write a short memoir of our departed friend ; and 's with a heavy heart and faltering pen that I apply myself to the task . A rpollir n J i- 1 * . 1 r . t 1 it « i ~ t . ¦ MI r 1 . •/1 trust

da •- "' aucquar . e literary memorial or tne late rar . apetn win , , one th / '' S ^ i but at lne present time of writing I can only claim to figure as e most unpretending of biographers , and to ask the indulgence of all those who nec e , nt'matel y acquainted with the deceased , for the manner in which I am essanly compelled to pass over in comparative silence many striking features of his remarkable career .

In Memoriam.

Mr . Speth , the son of German parents , was born in England in 1847 . He early engaged in mercantile pursuits , and was a resident for some time in Cuba . After this he retired into private life , and in the year 1872 was initiated in the Unity Lodge , No . 18 3 , London , of which he became the Worshipful Master in 1876 . He was made a Royal Arch Mason in the Sir Francis Burdett Chapter , No . 1503 , Twickenham , in 1883 , and has since filled the three chairs of J ., H ., and M . E . Z .

His first contribution to Masonic literature was a history of his mother lodge , which appeared in 1881 ; but the period was now approaching when he would enter upon the congenial career of a Craft litterateur , which he pursued with such undeviating success , until his sudden and lamented death on the 19 th instant . The story of the formation of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge has been often told , but I must narrate it once more . Nearly 20 years ago the possibility of

establishing a "Students' Lodge" was seriously discussed by Messrs . W . J . Hughan , G . W . Speth , W . H . Rylands , the Rev . A . F . A . Woodford , and myself . Shortly afterwards the same idea occurred to Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Warren , C . B ., and Mr . ( now Sir ) Walter Besant , and in the result the seven persons above named , with the additions of Lieutenant-Colonel S . C . Pratt and Mr . Paul Rylands , applied for a warrant of constitution , which was granted by H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , Grand Master , on November 20 th , 1884 .

The consecration of the lodge , owing to the departure of the Master designate , Sir Charles Warren , for active service in South Africa , was unavoidably postponed until January 12 th , 1886 , when Sir C . Warren was duly placed in the chair , and Bros . Sir Walter Besant and G . W . Speth invested as Treasurer and Secretary respectively . Sir Charles Warren was elected for a second term , after which , as the laws of Masonry in this country do not allow the chair of a lodge

to be held for longer than two years in succession by the same brother , the office of Master passed to another member , who happened to be myself . But with regard to the Treasurer and Secretary , the duties they so happily undertook in 1886 were performed by them without intermission from that year , by Sir Walter Besant down to the present date , and by Mr . G . W . Speth until Friday last .

I must here pause to state that in the interval during which the Quatuor Coronati Lodge was in a state of " suspended animation , " namely , between 1884 and 1 S 86 , Mr . Speth , besides being a constant contributor to the journals of the Craft , wrote a booklet of enduring value , called " Royal Freemasons , " and rendered to myself great and never-to-be-forgotten services in successive volumes of my History of Freemasonry , an assistance that only came to an end with the publication of the final volume in 1887 .

Let me now return to the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , which , as previously narrated , started on its mission—the association in Masonic fellowship of Craft students and the promotion of Masonic research—in Januaty , 1886 . About a year afterwards , it occurred to Mr . Speth that the Transactions of the lodge would be comparatively useless unless they were printed and more widely read . This idea culminated in the formation of a Correspondence Circle , consisting of lodges or brethren who might care to each pay half-a-guinea yearly for the

privilege of receiving the Proceedings of No . 2076 in printed form . The experiment was a bold one , but it has been crowned with the most signal success . The project was launched in February , 1887 , and at the present time close upon 3000 paying members are actually enrolled in the Correspondence Circle . Nor does the number of new subscribers show any sign of diminution . The cry still is " They come , " and after making due allowance for deaths and withdrawals , the net increase of members per annum may be estimated at a good round figure .

Thirteen volumes in all have been printed of the Proceedings or Transactions , and a fourteenth is progressing , which will be published at the close of the year , There are also nine volumes of Archceologia , consisting either of rare manuscripts printed for the first time , or of reprints of previously published books and pamphlets , of which few or any copies , besides those used ( in each case ) by the lodge , are known to be in existence . The work , therefore , performed by Mr .

Speth , as Secretary of the lodge , and editor of its Transactions , has been throughout of a very onerous character . Upwards of two thousand nine hundred correspondents , in the Outer Circle alone , not to speak of the extensive •' bookkeeping" involved by the applications for the various commodities of the lodge , nor of his multifarious duties in other directions , must have left the " managing director " of the Quatuor Coronati with vtry little spare time on

his hands . Mr . Speth was also a very diligent contributor to the columns under his control . A bibliography of his writings , even in the restricted area of Ars Quatuor Coronatorum , would indeed cany me too far , but it may be stated that no subject was ever discussed in the Transactions of the lodge , without its evoking an intelligent and graceful criticism from the editorial pen . The

Degrees of Masonry ; the derivation of " Free " in relation to Freemasonry ; the Manuscript Constitutions ; and Cathedral ( as distinguished from the other ) Builders ; were perhaps the topics dearest to his heart , and on all of them he wrote both learnedly and well , pouring out the treasures of his knowledge in a series of remarkable papers , the publication of which , in a collected form , is very greatly to be desired .

His latest pamphlet , a revised edition of A Masonic Curriculum , for the use of Craft students , is characterised by a rare elegance of diction , and it affords me satisfaction to think that the very last letter I received from him was in acknowledgment of the compliment I had tendered in respect of the ability and power displayed in his most recent brochure , and of the beautiful language in which his remarks were expressed .

Mr . Speth was a Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies , in the hierarchy of the Grand Lodge , and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society . In other and minor ways , the honours of the Craft , as indicating the esteem in which he was held by the brethren at large , fell thickly upon him . He was an honorary member of many lodges at home and abroad , and of many Veteran Societies of Freemasons . On November 17 th , 1894 , he was presented by his

friends in the inner and outer circles of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge with a magnificent English chronometer , to which were appended a chain and jewel . The presentation was made by Sir Charles Warren , P . M ., who after remarking that the work carried on by the lodge was known far and near , went on to say , amid the approving cheers of the brethren who were present , that the great structure of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge had been built up in a measure by the admirable administrative skill and ability of Mr . Speth .

The subject of this memoir was not in robust health during a portion of 1900 , but with the present year his friends were congratulating him on having been restored to his old form . Everything pointed to a protracted period of usefulness . in the field of Masonic labour , which he had so thoroughly made his own . But it was not to be . On Friday last , with startling suddenness , the end came , and on Wednesday afternoon , the 24 th instant , in the Bromley Cemetery , the remains of one of the best known and most widely-esteemed of English Freemasons were laid at rest .

Madame Adelina Patti is staying in Paris for the purpose of giving her services in aid of a charity . The famous " diva " repeats her often expressed opinion , that she owes the present power and freshness of her voice to , the . fact that she has never overtaxed her vocal powers ,