At A Masonic Festival.

Gracious Majesty . " No need to dilate upon her many virtues—Victoria is a name around which circle the prayers and blessings of half the nations , and with loyal demonstrations of enthusiasm the Oueen

is honoured ; and the National Anthem , with a solo by Bro . George Perren , succeeds in eliciting renewed cheering . The Right Worshipful Chairman , having paid a fitting compliment to the Grand

Master , afterwards proposed " The Past Grand Masters of England , the Earl of Zetland , K . T , and H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , K . G ., " making graceful allusion to

the services of the peer and the recent recovery of the prince . The applause was tremendous , and sounded to our fancy somewhat like the sustained roll of

musketry in a well-contested battle—gradually it died out , but was caught up in spirit by the fine voice of Perren , who sang with taste and vigour " God bless the Prince of Wales . " It would ill become us to attempt—and we

are satisfied , Brother Editor , that you would not permit—any elaborate account of the speeches which followed . To one , however , we must refer , inasmuch as it comprehended the raison d ' etre of the entire

proceedings . After a lucid and welldelivered appeal on behalf of the cause of charity , Lord Percy proposed " Success to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution "

—a toast which was received with general enthusiasm . A very venerable-looking gentleman , who , I was informed , was Bro . Farnfield , Secretary to the Institution , then read the Stewards' lists of donations

received , announcing at the close the very gratifying aggregate of nearly ^ 3 , 600 . Our stay in the Hall was not prolonged

after this practical episode , and we retired fully impressed with the conviction that the periodical Masonic Festivals—unnecessary as some of our friends consider them to be

—are really important adjuncts to the success of those benevolent Institutions in which every English Freemason ought to take a deero and lasting interest .

THE subscribers to the fund for the erection of a memorial in Wisbeach to the late Bro . Richard Young , at the time of his death Sheriff of London and Middlesex , and formerly M . P . for Cambridgeshire , include the names of several Masons , amongst whom we may mention Bro . Alderman and Sheriff Truscott and Bro .

ExSheriff Jones . "M ORTGAGE BROKING . —Messrs . Henry- Salter and Co ., the Morgage Brokers , of , Paiicras-hme , E . C ., announce that , in consequence of the extension of their Irish business , they have established a Branch Officeat . 1 . 1 , Lower SackviUe-street , Dublin ,

specially for the convenience of their Irish patrons . Mr . H . Salter , jun ., has the management of the Dublin branch . The business of Mortgage Broking may almost be said to have been originated by Messrs . Salter , whose name is now well known in connection with it , and as acting for public bodies ,

legal firms , and owners of property in till parts of England . Ship , Bill , and Stock Broking are longestablished branches of business , but it seems to have remained for this firm to make the needful organisation on a sufficient scale to enable mortgagors and mortgagees to carry out with greater facility

those exchanges of title-deeds for surplus capital , or vice versa , which keep so large a part of the capital of the country in safe and remunerative occupation . It has been recently stated that the annual rental value of property in England and Wales aione , as appears from Parliamentary returns ( of which it is

assumed that two-thirds arc under mortgage ) , is . £ 143 , 622 , 256 , which represents a capital of £ 2 , 872 , 445 , 120 ; and at the present tim-j there are 4 , 744 , 979 houses , representing a marketable value of , £ 1 , 067 , 620 , 275 . From deaths , change of residence , division , sale , and other causes for reinvestment of

capital , these properties are constantly being transferred , and it is estimated that property exceeding in value , £ 957 , 481 . 700 ( exclusive of live interests , reversions , and personalty ) is constantly available in the market as mortgage securities . "—Money Market Review .

Grand Chapter.

GRAND CHAPTER .

The Quarterly Convocation of the Grand Chapter of England was held on Wednesday evening , at Freemasons' Hall , Comps . S . Rawson , as Z . ; F . Pattison , H . ; Benjamin Head , J . ; John Hervey , G . S . E . H .

Browse , N . ; the Rev . J . S . Brownrigg , P . S . ; the Rev . T . F . Ravenshaw , 1 st A . S . ; E . Snell , 2 nd A . S . ; T . Fenn , G . S . B . ; James Brett , D . C . ; and C . B . Payne , J . There were also present : Comps . Joshua Nunn ,

P . G . D . C . ; Joseph Smith , P . G . B . ; N . Bradford , P . G . D . C . ; VV . E . Walmisley , P . G . S . B . ; A . B . Bennett , J . 204 ; George Kenning , Z , 192 ; George Pymm , H . 749 ; William Smith , C . E ., P . Z . 33 ; W . Ough , 657 and

749 ; H . Massey , Z .-elect 619 ; G . Davage , Z . 185 ; James Terry , P . Z . 975 ; F . Binckes ; John Boyd , P . Z . 145 ; VV . West Smith , Z . 79 ; / E . J . Mclntyre , Q . C . ; T . Y . Strachan , P . Z . 706 ; II . G . Buss ; F . Walters , P . Z . 73 ; Edward Cox . the Rev . Dr . Bradshaw . and

many others . The G . S . E ., after Grand Chapter had been formally opened , read the minutes of last Grand Chapter and notices of motion . Comp . T . Y . Strachan then rose and said

that he apprehended this woifcld be the right time for him to bring on the first motion , of which he had given notice—the non-confirmation of that part of the

minutes of last convocation in November relating to the appeal of Comp . Laws , and the decision of the Provincial Grand Superintendent for Northumberland .

Comp . Mclntyre , G . Reg ., said that he would place the position of Grand Chapter before the companions , in order that they might act upon it with regard to Comp .

Strachan ' s motion . Grand Chapter , as well as Grand Lodge , met in two capacities—in one as a legislative assembly , where laws were made for the Craft and the Arch .

But the laws which were brought forward for the guidance of the Craft or Royal Arch had no effect whatever until the resolutions passed at one meeting were confirmed by the next . But Grand Chapter

had another function—it sat as a Supreme Court of Appeal ; and as a Supreme Court of Appeal , it exercised a jurisdiction similar

to that exercised by the House of Lords in its judicial capacity . In the House of Lords as a legislative assembly , a bill had to be read three times before it became the

law of the land and was binding on the subjects of the realm . In the Royal Arch , a matter was submitted to the companions in Grand Chapter , and their decision at one meeting had to be confirmed at a

subsequent one . But sitting as a court to hear and determine matters , its decision at one meeting must be acted upon , and its decision must be final . He did not say there were no means of inducing Grand Chapter ,

if it was wrong , to review its decision ; but it could not be done by a motion to nonconfirm the minutes . Such a procedure , if it meant anything , meant this , that a decision was no decision at all , because it

only became a decision when the minutes were confirmed . Power was given to District Grand Lodges and Chapters to hear and determine complaints , and there was an appeal from those decisions to Grand

Lodge or Chapter . Suppose a District Grand Lodge or Chapter suspended a man , did it require confirmation before that suspension took effect ? Or , if he appealed

to Grand Lodge or Chapter , was he 1111-suspended till the appellate tribunal had decided the case , and the minutes of the Grand Body were confirmed ? No ; certainly not . So , here ; there had been an

Grand Chapter.

appeal to Grand Chapter from the District Superintendent , and the Grand Chapter had determined it sitting in its judicial capacity , and the decision was final . It was but fair to the M . E . Z . that he should

know that , in 1852 , when there was a decision of the Grand Lodge , when the minutes of the previous meeting had to be confirmed , upon motion made , so much of the minutes as related to an appeal were not confirmed ; hut on that occasion the matter was not

brought to the notice of the Grand Registrar , and it was allowed to pass sub silcntio Had the matter been called to the attention of the Grand Registrar , and had he been asked to give his decision upon it and the

different capacities in which Grand Lodge sat , as a legislative assembly and as a Court of Appeal , he would have said that a decision given by it in one capacity could not be upset by it in another capacity . It

seemed to him , therefore , that , if this motion was allowed to be put , the former decision of Grand Chapter was not final , and did not take effect , which was contrary to all principle . They might just as well in their

lodges say that , although they put it in form that the minutes be confirmed , the confirmation referred only to those things thot required confirmation . Then , this state of things might arise . A gentleman

might be proposed for initiation , be balloted for successfully , and initiated ; and , at the next meeting , the lodge might non-confirm the minutes , and declare that the initiate

was no longer a member of the Order . This seemed so contrary to all the rules by which assemblies were guided , that he would advise the Grand Principal that this motion for the non-confirmation of the last

minutes , of what was done by it in its judicial capacity , could not be made . Comp . Strachan having again risen to speak , The M . E . Z . said he was in hopes that

Comp . Strachan would have been convinced , by the arguments of the Grand Registrar , that he could not proceed with his motion . He was convinced himself , and . he ruled , that Comp . Strachan was out of order .

Comp . Strachan , whilst submitting to the decision , trusted that an opportunity would be given him to open the subject at a later

period . The Grand Registrar said it could not be done in the form in which it appeared on the notice paper .

Comp . Strachan said he had looked at the Constitutions , and thought he had conformed to the rules by giving certain

notices . He had attended at great personal inconvenience in order to have the question discussed , and had come up with two other companions a distance of 300 miles .

The M . E . Z . said he had not the power to allow the motion to be put . Comp . F . Binckes asked whether it was not admissible to reply to the arguments of the Grand Registrar ?

The M . E . Z . thought not , when the Grand Registrar , who was their legal adviser , gave it as his opinion that Comp . Strachan ' s

motion was illegal . Comp . F . Binckes thought an important principle was involved , though he himself had no personal interest in the question .

The M . E . Z . said they were not on that point at present . They were on the point whether Comp . Strachan was in order on

the judicial question . Comp . F . Binckes believed there was something to be said in opposition to the arguments of the Grand Registrar . The report of the Committee of General Purposes was then agreed to be taken as