Table Of Contents.

TABLE OF CONTENTS .

REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS : — Craft Masonry , 691 Red Cross ot Constantine 691 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Lincoln 692 Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution 6 95 Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 6 95 Masonic Tidings 6 95

Our Royal Grand Master i 6 9 6 The Progress of English Freemasonry 6 97 CORRESPONDENCE : — Orders of the Temple and Malta 6 98 Royal Visit to Plymouth 698 Is the Pope a Freemason ? 6 9 8 The John Thomas Memorial 698

The High Degrees 6 99 Lodge Meetings next week 699 Advertisements 6 S 9 690 6 9 6 700 701 702 703 704 SUPPLEMENT ( EIGHT PAGES ) . Prov . Grand Mark Lodge of Sussex 7 ° ;! Prov . G . Lodge of Yorkshire , North and East 707 Masonic Pilgrimage to Shakespeare ' s Tomb 7 ° 7

SCOTLAND : — New Masonic Hall at Alloa 7 ° 8 Reports of Meetings 7 ° 8 IRELAND : — Prov . Grand Lodge of Antrim 7 ° 7 Irish Freemasonry 7 Reviews ¦ I Obituary « 7 IZ

Reports Of Masonic Meetings.

REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS .

o — fetft IStorcrk BRITISH UNION LODGE ( NO . 114 ) . —This old lodge met after the summer recess on Thursday , 22 nd ult ., at the Masonic Hall , Ipswich , when there were present Bros , the Rev . R . N . Sanderson , P . P . G . C , acting W . M ., in the unavoidable absence of Bro . Peter de Lande

Long , Vice President of the Board of General Purposes , the Worshipful Master ; C . Schulen , P . P . G . D . C . ; Emra Holmes , P . P . G . Reg ., M . C . ; A . J . Barber , P . G . O . ; S . Wright , acting S . W . ; J . Burton , J . W . ; the Rev . A . W . G . Moore , P . G . Chap ., S . D . ; H . Miller , J . D . ; the

Rev . J . B . Tweed , I . G .,- Viscount Mahon , M . P ., Junior Lord of the Treasury : P . Mavor , W . Spalding , P . M ., Sec . ; Visiting Bro . N . Tracy , P . P . G . S . W . The lodge having been opened in solemn form , and the minutes of last meeting confirmed , Bro . Percy Mavor was duly examined

obligated , and passed to the Second Degree , or that of F . C ., the lodge being previously opened in that degree , the ceremony being performed with all Bro . Sanderson ' s well known ability and 1 exactitude . Bro . Emra Holmes brought forward his motion , postponed from last meeting , relative

to the appointment of a salaried Organist and the proposed augmentation of the initiation fee ; but as the Secretary had omitted to make mention of the notice of motion in the circulars calling the meeting , Bro . Holmes , at

the suggestion of the acting W . M ., deferred putting the questions to the vote until next meeting , the Secretary undertaking to give due notice . The routine business having been disposed of , the lodge was finally closed and the brethren retired for refreshment , where , under

the baton of Bro . Barber , an agreeable evening was spent . The usual toasts having been duly honoured , the acting W . M . said , as a rule they excluded personal toasts , but he felt sure that , on this occasion , he mig ht be pardoned if he proposed one . They had amongst them a

brother , a member of the lodge , wlioni they did not so often see as they could wish , but whose many and important duties elsewhere prevented his frequent attendance at lodge . He gave them the health of Lord Mahon . The toast having been very cordially responded to , Lord Mahon

rose to reply . His lordship , in a few well-chosen words , expressed the great pleasure it gave him to come amongst the brethren of his lodge , and regretted that his public avocations and the distance of Ipswich from his residence , prevented his coming oftener . He said , one often saw in

London huge placards , stating that if you wanted to spend a happy day you should go to Rosherville . For his part he could only say if he wanted to spend a happy evening he would come to the British Union LoJge . His lordships graceful and p leasant little speech was much appreciated , and the speaker sat down amidst

Reports Of Masonic Meetings.

the hearty plaudits of his Masonic brethren . The poor having been remembered and the last toast given , the brethren retired at twelve . BURGOYNE LODGE ( No . 902 ) . —The first regular meeting of this lodge after the annual

autumnal recess was held at Anderton s on Monday evening last , under the able presidency of its popular W . M ., Bro . Field , who opened the proceedings with commendable punctuality at the hour at which the brethren were summoned

—viz ., $ p . m . The business of the evening consisted of passing Bro . Abbott to the second degree , and initiating Messrs . Bartlett , Kelhvay , and Aveling into the mystic science , ceremonies performed by the W . M ., not only with a degree of accuracy almost marvellous , but with a

dignity and impressiveness calculated to enhance to the utmost the effect of the beautiful ritual . After labour the brethren sat down to a very elegant banquet , where , after the cloth was cleared , the W . M . proposed the usual toasts which loyalty alike to the Crown and Craft

have incorporated with our landmarks . The health of H . R . H ., the M . W . G . M . designate , was introduced by the W . M . with a few remarks appropriate to the occasion of the accession to the greatest dignity in the Craft of our beloved Prince . Referring to the progress of Freemasonry and its flourishing condition under

ecclesiastical anathema , the W . M . observed that the impotence of denunciation recently displayed reminded him of the contemptuous reception of a similar curse from the Pope . Dr . Westland Marston in his tragedy of Philip of France and Marie de Meranie had attributed to the king of the threatened

realm" Let him ban the fields , The grass will grow in spite of him . " The toast was followed by an exquisite rendering by Bro . Rogers , I . P . M ., accompanied on the pianoforte by Bro . Earnshaw , Organist to the lodge , of the popular " God Bless the Prince

of Wales , " introducing the new verses composed by Bro . Hook , of the Great City Lodge , and which was received with much delight . Bro . Rogers , I . P . M ., then proposed the health of the W . M ., and highly eulogised the working they had beheld that evening . The W . M . briefly

responded and proposed the health of the I . P . M ., Bro . Rogers , which , having been duly honoured and responded to , the W . M . gave the health of the initiates , and when the honours had been duly rendered , and the very vociferous applause with which that toast is always received in a

Mason ' s lodge had subsided , Bro . Poynter , P . M . and Treasurer , favoured the brethren with " The Entered Apprentice ' s" Song , as usually rendered by him , and which equally as usual was most warmly received . The three initiates individually responded , and the W . M ., in terms

of most cordial hospitality proposed the health cf the visitors ( who were as usual in this lodge very numerous ) , in acknowledging which , on his own part , Bro . Mallam , P . M . Chigwell ( 453 ) , Burdett ( 129 . 3 ) , and Treasurer of the Athenrcum ( 1491 ) , gracefully alluded to the

courtesy and fraternal kindness displayed by the Burgoyne Lodge , not only as experienced by him ( Bro . Mallam ) and those of his brother visitors who were members , with himself , of the infant lodge , in their reception that evening , but in the great goodness of the W . M . and brethren

in aiding the recent rising of that northern light , the Athenneum , by the loan of much of the furniture indispensably essential to the working a new lodge . But ( the speaker went on to say ) great as these favours were they sunk into insignificance by the side of a greater—the loan

of something much more valuable . In the person of their esteemed Treasurer they had lent the north a light indeed which had shed lustre upon the infant lodge over which he had been called to preside . The working of Bro . Poynter which for distinctness and impressiveness had probably never been surpassed , had not only

deeply impressed those whom he had been privileged to admit into the Craft—had not only delig hted the founders and joining members of the Athenaeum , but had called forth , for its accuracy and beauty the wannest eulogies from distinguished but discriminating Grand Officers , who had visited the lodge , which , he was sure the Burgoyne would be glad to hear , was now

Reports Of Masonic Meetings.

1 ' ' ¦ - ¦ ¦¦¦¦ 1 . . — ¦¦ ¦ . i ¦¦¦ ' ¦ —> _ 4 eminently flourishing . Bro . Headon , W . M ., and Bro . Moody , P . M ., Sec . of the Great City Lodge , also responded in eloquent terms to this toast . The W . M ., in proposing the health of the P . M . ' s of the Burgoyne Lodge , with which he coupled the name of their popular

Treasurer , expressed his sense of the obligation he felt under to the P . M . ' s , who were ready on every occasion with advice and assistance . He also alluded to the panegyric passed upon Bro . Poynter by Bro . Mallam , and expressed his gratification that their

Treasurer s endeavour to maintain the reputation of the Burgoyne Lodge for good working had , by its appreciative reception in the north , been so entirely successful . Bro . Poynter in responding for the P . M . ' s , begged to be allowed , although a P . M . himself , to confirm what the W . M . had

been good enough to affirm of the P . M . ' s of the Burgoyne j that they might always be relied upon when the . interests of the lodge required their aid . Of this he in his capacity of Treasurer had had ample proof . So far as he was concerned in that character , it was nothing new to

him to have to return thanks for the kindness and cordiality with which the mention of his name was invariably received in the lodge . He attributed it however rather to the kind appreciation of thebrethren of the delicate nature of the duties of a Masonic Treasurer ' s office ,

than to any personal merit . Any ordinary body might be content to find a Treasurer in a jointstock bank , or any body corpoiate or individual who would limit the duty to taking care of the money entrusted , and disbursing it according to order . The cheers of the brethren evinced

however that they estimated the duty of Treasurer of a lodge as requiring the display of more tactand judgment than could be looked for in an ordinary parochial or municipal functionary . A Masonic Treasurer was , if he might be allowed the expression , a sort of grouting to cement the whole

body of the brethren in the lodge together . Any success however he ( Bro . Poynter ) had attained in fulfilling this function , he attributed entirely to the cordial co-operation he had ever received from the P . M . ' s and members of the lodge . Hefelt that like the noble Talbot in Shakespeare ' s

Henry VI ., alone he " was but the shadow of himself" they—the brethren—were " his substance , sinews , arms and strength . " he however begged to return them his very sincere thanks for the kindness and acclamation with which the toast of his health had been received . The Treasurer

having sat down amidst vehement applause , the other Masonic toasts followed , and a very pleasant evening , which had been enlivened by songs and recitations admirably rendered by some of the brethren , was brought to a most harmonious conclusion . The P . M . ' s of the

lodge present , besides those above mentioned , were Bros . Harvey , Iron , Vevers , H . Smith and Simmons . In addition to the visitors whose names appear in our report , we observed Bros . Coker , P . M . ; Larlham , P . M . ; Albert C . Lewis , St . Andrews , 231 , and Athenaeum , 1491 ; Heaton , 1491 ; and several other more or less distinguished brethren .

Red Cross Of Constantine.

Red Cross of Constantine .

In the columns of this journal for November , 1873 , we recorded the very sticcesful gathering of this Order at Leicester on the occasion of holding the first moveable Grand Conclave . The impetus thus given to the movement has resulted in a most cordial invitation from the

three conclaves at Liverpool , Nos . 55 , 77 , and 97 , to hold the next Grand Meeting at their town , and the Grand Imperial Council accepted it . We understand the arrangements are now complete , and that the Grand Conclave will be held at the new Masonic Temple , Liverpool , on Friday , 13 th November . We believe the officers

of the Grand Imperial Council and Grand Senate will muster in large numbers on this occasion , and we are sure that the Liverpool Knights will g ive them a cordial ami hearty reception . The Order is progressing most favourably throughout the West Lancashire Division , which is in charge of Illus . Sir Knig ht Turner , Int . General , and his Deputy , Sir Knight J . Kellett Smith , M . D .,