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CONTENTS . PAGE LEADERSApproaching Festival of the Royal Mascnic Benevolent Institution ... 63 The Macnab Masonic MS . ... ... ... ... ¦••63 Supreme Grand Chapter of England ... ... ... ••¦ 6 4 White Rose of York Lodge , No . 2491 , Reception and Dance ... ... G 4 Stcond Annual Ball of the Fellowship Lodge , No . 2535 ... ... ... 65

ladies'Night of the Lion and Lamb Lodge , No . 192 ... ... ... 65 Jubilee Festival of the Cleveland Lodge , No 543 , at Stokesley ... ... 66 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... •¦•66 MASONIC NOTESQuarterly Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter of England ... ... 6 g Indian Famine Relief Fund and Grand Lodge _ ... ... ... 69 West Lancashiie Masonic Educational Institution ... ... ... 69

Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of All Scottish Freemasonry in India ... 6 9 Correspondence •.,. ... ... ... ... ... 70 Craft Masonry .,. ... .,. ... ... ... 71 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 7 > Lodge of Instruction ... ... ... ... ¦¦¦ ... 71 Knights Templar ... . „ .,. ... ... ... 7 ' Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ,,. 72

Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

APPROACHING FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

The day set apart for celebrating the Anniversary Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution is now so close at hand that it behoves us once again to traverse the ground we have covered in our former articles , and renew our appeal to

the general body of the English Craft for that generous measure of support which it is always so ready to give when the necessity for them to exercise that precious privilege of giving is made clear . The day fixed is Wednesday , the 24 th instant ,

and the circumstances connected with this particular Festival are of such a character as to justify—if , indeed , any justification is necessary in the case of any one of our Masonic Charitiesa somewhat more urgent appeal than usual . In the first place ,

it will be held during the year of the QUEEN ' S Diamond Jubilee , and in the next , it is one of the QUEEN ' S sons—H . R . H . the Duke of CONNAUGHT and STR . VTHKARN , K . G ., Past G . Master of England , Prov . G . Master of Sussex , and Dist . G . Master of

Bombay—who has honoured the Institution by consenting to preside as Chairman . Now , as regards the first reason , the whole country is at this moment bethinking itself how best it shall commemorate an event which is not only in itself so

auspicious , but winch at the same time is unique in the annals of England . Moreover , all British subjects of her Majesty , as well the humblest in . the social scale as the highest , know full well that no Sovereign ever reigned over these Islands , who

by her every act both in her public career as a constitutional Sovereign , and in her private life as a woman , so truly merits thc love and affection ol the whole nation . Not only has she reigned longer than any of her predecessors , but the progress

thc country has made under her gracious auspices in everything that can tend to strengthen and augment the happiness of her people has been simply marvellous . Why , then , should not we Masons , who look up to her as the Patroness of all our

Institutions , do something in our own quiet way that shall be specially commemorative alike of her glorious reign and of the long and intimate connection of the Royal Family with thc Craft ? In ¦ 88 7 , when her Jubilee was celebrated , R . W . Bro . W . W . B .

BEACH , M . P ., Prov . Grand Master of Hampshire and the Isle ol Wight , presided at the Festival of this Institution , and to such good purpose that what was then the record total of £ 19 , 229 was

raised by a Board of 3 88 Stewards , the result being that the Committee of Management felt themselves justified on this and other grounds in augmenting the number of Male Annuitants by five and that of the Widow Annuitants by 25 . Why should not

Approaching Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

the Craft in the year of her Majesty ' s Diamond Jubilee repeat , or even exceed , the handsome contribution it made to this Institution in the year of her Jubilee , especially as the number of Old People on the lists for the May Election is almost as great

as it was in that year ? By thus doing , we shall best commemorate the great event of the year and at the same time most suitably acknowledge the great services which the Duke of CONNAUGHT is doing this Charit y in presiding as Chairman at

this particular Anniversary . These then are the two special reasons which may be taken to justify thc greater urgency of our present appeal . Yet , the beneficent work which the Institution is doing , is in itself an

ample justification . Year by year it is disbursing upwards of £ 16 , 000 in providing annuities for 200 aged Masons at £ 40 per annum , for 242 aged widows of Masons at the rate of £ 32 per annum , and for some 30 other widows at £ 20 per annum . Here

we have an array of 472 aged people , who having fallen from affluence into a state of poverty are supported in comparative comfort during their declining years . This is unquestionabl y a

reason for aiding an Institution which , with an income of no more than £ 5500 , contrives to do this vast amount of good , and at the same time to maintain the Asylum at Croydon and defray the expenses of its management .

As to the prospects to whicii we are looking forward , we are pleased to be able to say that during the last few weeks they have become a little more encouraging . Thanks to the untirinoenergies of Bro . TERRY and his small staff , there are now

more ladies and brethren enrolled as Stewards than there were in 18 95 . But the number is still a long way short of what it was in the QUEEN ' Jubilee year , and , of necessity , a still longer way short of what it was in 18 9 6 , when , with the

exception of its own Jubilee Festival in 1 S 92 , there was both a record Board of 400 Stewards , and a record total of subscriptions of £ 20 , 08 4 . There is , however , still time for additions to be made to the Board , and those who do so forthwith will doubtless be in a

position to render a good account of their canvass . We , therefore , most earnestly press upon all Provinces , lodges , and chapters whicii are as yet unrepresented , and are not committed to the support of thc other Charities , to commission one or more

brethren to act on their behalf and busy themselves during thc two or three weeks that still remain in obtaining the donations and subscriptions which arc so greatly needed , and without which , indeed , the work of the Institution will be sadly crippled .

Let them bear in mind that at the present time there are ng candidates who have been deemed worthy of being admitted to the benefits of the Male and Widows' Funds , but as yet the number of vacancies available for distribution amongst them is only rcj .

The Macnab Masonic Ms.*

THE MACNAB MASONIC MS . *

This MS . has come to light since the publication of Brc HUGHAN ' S second edition of " The Old Charges of British Free masons , " which was issued sometime during the autumn of 1895

It is named after Captain J . MACNAB , R . N . R ., of Liverpool ( to whom Bro . HUGHAN had an introduction from Bro . WlTHEY , of Leeds ) , who had had presented to him a copy of thc " Old Charges , " and was willing to part with it " on condition that

* An exact reproduction of the . " Macnib Masonic MS . " A . D . 1722 . Edited by William Watson ( of Leeds ) , P . M ., P . P . G . S . if Works , and Honorary Librarian of West Yorkshire . With an Introduction by William James Hughan ( of Torquay ) , P . S . G . D ., etc ., etc . London : George Kenning , 16 , Great Queen-street , Printed by McCorqucdale and Co ., Limited , Leeds , iSq 6 ,