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the ' •' Ode to the Grand Khaibar , " of 1726 , is likewise to be reprinted . This singular pamphlet , Bro . H UOHAN tells us , is of great rarity , and scarcely known to the Fraternity of Masonic Students even , so it will be a boon to be made thus accessible . It is an octavo pamphlet of 12 pp ., a poem in

three parts , and intended to prove that the wonderful Society of the Khaibar is more ancient and honourable than that of the Freemasons . The Saxons . Normans , Danes are nam'tJ , And Athelstan '' s and Edwin ' s Charter ; And Jamy for his KING CRAFT fam'd ,

And Charles the Mason and the Martyr . The aim of the author is to "Immortalise the Khaibarite , " but had it not been for the prosperity of its assumed rival its pretensions would long ago have passed into (?) deserved oblivion . The re-issue of "The Defence of Freemasonry , " appended to the Book of Constitutions , " 1738 , but printed

it is declared in 1730 originally , will form a feature of this Volume to be published under the wing of the " Quatuor Coronati" Lodge . The text selected is that of the " Pocket Companion " of 1738 , which was issued before the second edition of the Constitutions . Bro . SPETH says the edition of this " Pocket Companion " is now so rare that only onejcopy is known

viz ., that in the Grand Lodge Library ( England ); but Bro . HUGHAN tells us of another in the famous Library of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts , and another is in the most valuable Library of the Grand Lodge of Iowa . Still , it is so rare as to be practically unobtainable , and its re-issue will be heartily welcomed by the Craft universal . No time should be lost in sending

to Bro . G . W . SPETH , of Margate , the names of intending subscribers . We reserve any expression of our views on the general value of the reprints until the volume is published , but trust that our present notice will induce many in England to subscribe before the edition—limited as usualis exhausted .

*«* IT is well known that the Island of Malta has for some time Bigotry Dast f , een fhg scene of a terrible outbreak of Cholera , that the gone mad . ' , ... . deaths from this scourge , especially among the poorer section of the population , have been very numerous , and that the suffering entailed

by this calamitous state of things has been heartrending in the extreme . It is equally well known that every effort has been made to alleviate the distress thus caused among our Maltese fellow subjects , and that to this end money has been freely subscribed both in Malta and England . Among the donors are some Freemasons of Malta who have contributed £ 25 , and it mi ght

have been expected , under the circumstances we have described , that such a gift would have been allowed to pass unquestioned . But though the authorities have accepted the money in the spirit in which it was offered , there has not been wanting the usual amount of cavilling on the part of those ill-conditioned critics , who consider it is not unbecoming in them as professors

of Christianity to deny to the Freemasons the exercise of a virtue which is common to all relig ious faiths . Yet the Malta , the Voce di Malta , and other local journals have had the effrontery to protest against accepting the contribution of the Masons , because the Society has been denounced by the Romish priesthood , and one newspaper has gone so far as to suggest that ,

if accepted , it should be applied to the purposes of certain Romish societies . We are glad to see the Malta Times and United Service Gazette has administered a severe but well-merited castigation to these offensive bigots , who in their wrath against our Fraternity appear to have lost all sense of decency . True Charity knows no distinction of creed either religious or political , and it is only bigotry gone mad that would deny this axiom .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Durham.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF DURHAM .

The annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham was held on Tuesday , the 27 th ult ., at West Hartlepool , in the Athenaeum . The R . W . P . G . M ., Bro . Sir Hedworth Williamson , P . G . W . England , and other Prov . Grand Officers were accommodated in the ante room , and the other members of the Prov . Grand Lodge mustered in the library ; whilst

the lodge itself was conducted in the large assembly hall . The latter was tastefully prepared for the brethren . Bro . Sir Hedworth Williamson occupied the chair , supported by Bro . B . Levy , 97 , P . P . J . G . W ., as acting D . P . G . M ., in the absence of Bro . Canon Tristram ; the subordinate chairs being filled respectively by Bros . Thomas Bradley , 940 , P . S . G . W ., and Chas . H , Backhouse , in , P . J . G . W .

The Prov . Grand Lodge having been duly opened , the Committee ' s reports were received . Bro . BOULTON , in presenting the Treasurer ' s statement , mentioned that the capital account amounted to £ 2393 6 s . 3 d .

Bro . BRADLEY , in presenting the t'und Committee's report , stated that the province had again voted 50 guineas to each of the Masonic Charities , and £ 25 to the Educational Fund , as last year . The lodge reports were then made by the W . M . ' s in turn .

Bro . Walter Beattie , 97 and 1389 , was unanimously elected Prov . G . Treasurer , and Bros . G . E . Pybus , 1418 , and Robert Singleton , 97 , were appointed Auditors , The Right Worshipful Prov . Grand Master proceeded to invest his officers for the ensuing year as follows : —

Bro . Rev . Canon Tristram ... ... ... Dep . Prov . G . M ,, Lionel Booth , 1334 ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . „ H . J . Turnbull , 80 ... ... ... Prov . J . G . W .

„ Rev . W . P . Clarke , 1643 ... ... ... ) D r „ , ;; Rev . C . G . Davis , 1379 } Prov . G . Chaps . „ Walter Beattie , 1389 ... ... ... Prov . G , Treas . „ Joh n Moult , 48 .,, .,, ,,. Prov . G . Reg ,

Bro . Robert Hudson , 2039 ... .,, ... Prov . G . Sec . „ Thomas Renton , 1119 ... ... ... Prov . S . G . D . „ A . G . Rudd , 509 ... ... ... Prov . S . G . D . „ H . Baumann , 764 ... ... ... Prov . J . G . D . „ R . W . Simpson , 1863 ... ... ... Prov . J . G . D . .. T . H . Morton . 2 zL 0 ... ... ... Prov . G . S . nf VU ¦¦ ¦¦•¦¦ ¦

JJ j —• — * -r " ••¦ - - * - •- — •— w » V y , » | . J . Clay , 97 ( re-appointed ) ... ... Prov . G . D . C . „ N . K . Brown , 1119 ... ... ... Prov . G . D . D . of C , „ J Blenkinsop , 1230 ... ... ... Prov . A . G . D . C . „ W . Ross , 1970 ... ... ... Prov . G . Swd . Br „ J . Metcalfe , 531 ... ... ... Prov . G . Std . Br . „ R . Dickinson , 1274 ... ... ... Prov . G . Std . Br ,

„ J . Barker , 1334 ... ... ... Prov . G . Org . „ J . R . Pattison , 97 ( re-elected ) ... ... Prov . A . G . Sec . „ J . Richardson , 661 ... ... ... Prov . G . Purst . „ J . Heslop , 1932 ... ... ... Prov . G . Purst . „ W . M . Pybus , 48 ... ... ... ') „ Tavlorson Sharp , 07 ... ... ... I

,, lames Graham , in ... ... ... n / - o , , „ J . W . Gatt , 1418 r Prov . G . Stwds . „ W . Rutter , 193 2 „ J . Calvert , 2135 „ J . W . Brown , 94 ... ... ... Prov . G . Tyler .

In addition to the above-named , there were about 200 P . P . G . Officers , Past Masters , and brethren present . The PROV . GRAND MASTER , in addressing the brethren , said it was his duty to call their attention in a very few words to the events of the out-going year and the prospects of the present year . He had been very much pleased with accounts given on the roll of lodges ; the province

seemed to him to be in a very fairly prosperous condition . The abstracts he received from the Secretary , however , differed , in some cases very materially , from the accounts given by the Masters of the lodges , so that he thought it his duty to call attention to them . The past year had been one of considerable importance in Freemasonry , especially in the north country . Before he alluded to the satisfactory part of the past year he thought he

should be doing wrong if he did not allude to the great loss , which not only that province , but Northumberland , had sustained in the demise of their worthy Bro . E . D . Davis . He was well known to all ; he was a brother who could not fail to win the esteem of any Mason he was brought in contact with . He was a Mason of old standing , full of Masonic lore , well skilled in the science and mysteries of the Cralt , and was always willing to

undertake any office that he might be asked to fulfil . Having done this in former years , when he found that Freemasonry was progressing in the county , he never thrust himself forward unduly , but still contented himself with serving in any office , no matter how humble . He was kind and courteous to them all , and the estimation in which he was held was manifested by the presence of over 500 brethren of Northumberland and Durham

attending at his funeral on the 22 nd February . They , with himself , would regret the loss of so estimable a man and Mason . In that town they had lost a worthy brother in the Master of St . Helen ' s Lodge , Old Hartlepool , A considerable number of Masons followed his remains to the grave , in estimation of his worth . Shortly alter last Provincial Grand Lodge they remembered that Lord Percy resigned the chair of Northumberland . He

and his Grand Officers and a considerable number of brethren attended at the installation of his old friend , Bro . Sir Matthew White Ridley . And he again congratulated the Province of Northumberland in having so excellent and worthy a Mason to fill the gap of so good a Mason as Lord Percy . The next great event was the grand meeting they had called by their Royal ' Grand Master at the Albert Hall , to present an address of

congratulation to their Gracious Sovereign on her Jubilee . The only Masonic gathering that was ever like it was when his Royal Highness was installed Grand Master . There were 6000 Masons present , and , from the entrance fees which were charged , they would be glad to hear that their noble Charities received £ 2000 each . Besides that great gathering , he and his Grand Officers went to York also for a Jubilee there . He was glad

to do so , not only to show honour to his kinsman , Lord Zetland , the P . G . Master of the North Riding of Yorkshire , but also to their brethren of Yorkshire . He attached considerable importance to those meetings . He thought it was a good thing for Masons to meet on great occasions like that , and he was sure he was correct in saying their attendance was hi ghly appreciated by Lord Zetland and the members of the Province of Yorkshire .

After Grand Lodge they went to the Minster , where an impressive service was held ; but while everything was done there so well , and grand as the Minster of York was , he could not allow for one instant that they , when they had a Masonic function in Durham , with the Cathedral—he said they could do as well as they could in York , if not better . As regarded the future , he thought the prospects for Freemasonry very hopeful . He was glad to find that the Williamson Lodge , No . 949 , was going to take up a

habitation for itself ; it would be a great satisfaction 10 him to see that done . Now he had two very pleasant duties to perform . In consequence of this being her Majesty ' s Jubilee year , he had had placed at his disposal eight brevet collars , to be conferred upon brethren of that province in commemoration of the event . It afforded him great pleasure , therefore , to invest the following brethren with the collars of their respective rank , as a reward for their service in the past to the Craft ;—

Bro . W . D . Coxon , 7 64 .., ... ,,, P . P . J . G . D . „ W . Hobson , in ... .,, ... P . P . J . G . D . „ A . Gray , 949 ... ... ,.. ... P . P . G . S . of W „ R . Whitfield , 4 8 ... ... ... P . P . G . D . of C „ A . Currie , 97 ... ... ... ... P . P . G . D . of C . „ W . Brandt , 1 389 ... ... ... P . P . G . D . of C . „ J . Mitchinson , 80 ... .,, ,., P . P . G . D . of C . „ J . D . Todd , 04 ... .,. ... P . P . G . Swd . Br

He had been asked by several brethren to present the Grand Lodge clothing to Bro . Robert Hudson , P . G . Sec , which afforded him the greatest pleasure . It showed that the brethren of that province had as high an opinion of the zeal and courtesy of Bro . Hudson as he had himself . The P . G . M ., addressing Bro . Hudson , said : ' * The brethren have asked me to present to you in their names this full suit of Grand clothing , which I now invest you with . I wish you , my worthy brother , many years of life , happ 1 ' ness , and prosperity in which to wear this clothing . "

Bro . HUDSON , replying , assured the R . W . P . G . M . and brethren it was with deep feelings of gratitude that he assumed that clothing of a Grand Officer . It was an honour he had never contemplated , and he was