Correspondence.

Correspondence .

Wc do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish , in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limitsfree discussion !

A BATCH OF INQUIRIES . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Past Provincial Grand Stewards , so long as they are subscribing members of some lodge , can wear their aprons and collars at all Masonic meetings ( see Rule 97 ) . The Degrees from 4 to 17 inclusive are not worked in extenso , and I am not aware of the existence of an authorised ritual . —Yours fraternally , HENRY LOVEGROVE , 31 ° . Heme Hill , S . E .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

Masonic Notes and Queries .

100 — I have pleasure in sending you a rough sketch of a curious Treasurer ' s seal in use at the beginning of her Majesty ' s reign , of course in the " sealing-wax ' days . The original seal , hexagonal in shape , was very small , if of an inch across , and was still in use November , 1 S 40 . I have done the sketch so that a very good z nco could be taken off it if you like it—in that case I shall be able to send the the only impression I have of the seal itself to the Grand Lodge Library . J . RAMSDEN RILEY .

t- 'Ur / oiiS Erects are / -j Se < %% Jf * S * n * C - 7 h » p- ~ W lV ¦ ¦ 830-3 7

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Durham.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF DURHAM .

Still in use Nov 1840

JUBILEE COMMEMORATION SERVICE AT DURHAM CATHEDRAL .

Not since January ol 1884 , when his Royal Highness the late Duke of Albany visited Durham , has there been witnessed there such a great assembly of members of the Craft as that which took place on Wednesday afternoon , the 30 th ultimo . Circulars had been sent out to all lodges in the province by Bro . Hudson inviting brethren to meet at the Castle , Durham , on the above date , and after hearing addresses , to go in procession to the Cathedral , where a special service of thanksgiving was to be held in commemoration of the completion of the fioth year of her Majesty ' s reign .

The response was remarkably good , and there were nearly 700 brethren gathered to lake part in the proceedings ; 125 Fast Prov . G . Officers and 450 brethren signed the attendance lists , whilst there were a great many more to be reckoned who did not register . Thc weather was delightfully fine , and this favourable circumstance no doubt contributed to the extensive dimensions of the gathering . The arrangements for the meeting and service had been made under the

direction of local members of the Marquis of Granby and Norman Lodges , assisted by Bro . Dr . Biggam , D . of C . There wer 3 14 Directors of Ceremonies , and their arrangements left no room for dissatisfaction . A better gatheringpUce than the Castle Hall could not have been secured . The long and lofty room , with its great expanse of wall space , is plentifully beautified by the numerous oil paintings and other hangings , which seemed in thecrful harmony wilh the display of Masonic regalia , and the scene which presented itself was bright and pleasing .

The Provincial Grand Oliicers assembled in the Norman Gallery , and many of them wiled away thc preliminary wait by inspecting and warmly admiiing this richly tapestried corridor , which is one of the " sights " of the Castle . The general assembly was already seated when the Provincial G . Officers , crcssing the quadrangle from the entrance to the Black Staircase , entered the Castle Hall by the main door , and proceeded to the dais at the upper end of the hall , with the P . G . M ., Bro . Sir Hedworth Williamson , Bart ., at the head .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Durham.

Bro . Canon Tristram , D . D ., P . G . C . England , D . P . G . M ., who , with the aid of two sticks , ascended the dais to a seat near Sir Hedworth shortly after the opening of the proceedings , was accorded hearty applause , which the Provincial Grand Master , stopping in the course of his speech , supplemented by a warm handshake .

Members of the Craft were present in large numbers from the cities of Durham and Newcastle , Darlington , Stockton , Middlesbro ' , Sunderland , other places , and amongst them may be mentioned : Bros . Sir Hedworth Williamson , Bart ., P . G . M . ; Rev . Canon Tristram , D . D ., D . P . G . M ., & c . ; Very Rev . Dean Purey-Cust , Dean of York , P . G . C . England ; Sir Thos . Richardson , M . P ., P . S . G . W . ; F . H . Bennett , P . J . G . W . ; James

Sedcole , P . G . Treas . ; Samuel Fielden , P . G . Reg . ; Robert Hudson , P . G . S B . England , P . G . Sec . ; John Abbey , P . S . G . D . ; J . K . Wilkes , P . J . G . D . ; William Stafford , P . G . S . of W . ; W . Biggam , P . G . D . C . ; R . Farmer , P . G . S . B . ; Geo . Emmerson , P . G . Std . Br . ; Wm . J . Makay , P . G . Std . Br . ; Wm . Thorman , P . G . Org . ; J . Joel , P . A . G . Sec . ; John Deans , P . G . P . ; David B . Tod , P . G . P . ; T . Grieve , P . G . Tyler ; and W . H . Humphreys , L . S . Henry , Joseph Burns , Thomas Linton , Jonathan Howe , and Richard Walker , P . G . Stewards ;

Past Prov . Grand Wardens—Bros . Dr . Lionel Booth , J . P . Pattison , Hugh Lee Pattison , Bablington Boulton , T . G . Mabane , Dr . C . D . Hill Drury , P . A . G . D . C . Eng ., H . J . Turnbull , Richard Luck , P . G . D . Eng ., W . T . Tate , C . S . Lane , Col . Rowlandson , John Hunter , J . G . Wifson , W . R . Staveley . George Hasphurr , Derbyshire , G . A . Allan , Northumberland , and Thos . J . Armstrong , Northumberland ; Past Prov . Grand Chaplains—Bros . Rev . J . Lawson , Rev . F . L . Cope , Rev .

M . Greene , Northumberland , Rev . W . C . Harris , Rev . Richard Coulton , Rev . P . H . Moore , Northumberland , Rev . C . Jackson , Rev . J . Haworth , Rev . W . M . O'Brsdy-Jones , Northumberland , and Rev . Hartley Jennings ; Past Prov . Grand Registrars—Bros . R . M . Wilkes , John Graham , M . B . Dodds , and George W . Bain ; Past Prov . Grand Treasurers—Bros . J . R . Cutter , Isaac Thompson , C . F . Sutcliffe , and John Stonehouse ; Prov . Grand Secretary—Bro . Fred H . Corder ,

B . A ., Northumberland ; Past Prov . Grand Deacons—Bros . J . H . Jackson , Edward Jepson , John Halt , Charles W . Anderson , T . J . Johnson , John Smith , H . Palmer , David Cameron , H . J . Johnson , John G . Marshall , and Wm . Hodgson ; Prov . Grand Superintendents of Works—Bros . Geo . Carter , F . S . Cowper , R . Todd , C . Spencer , C . M . Wake , George W . Hudson , N . and E . Yorks , and R . Brand , Northumberland ; Past Prov . A . and D . G . D . of Cs — Wm . Barlow , John H . Johnson , Thos . Banks ,

George S . Shaw , W . J . Sanderson , and J . Mitchinson ; Past Prov . G . S . Bs . —A . T . Munroe , Thos . Henderson , J . Wilson , A . E . Davis , Robert Hawxwell , Wm . Metford , W . C . Barron , and John Smith ; Past Prov . G . Std . Brs . —William R . Legg , John Robinson , John Barnet , William Gray , Samuel Fenny , B . S . Beckwith , and George Rutherford . Past Prov . G . Organists . —W . Thorman , W . Swales

John F . Hiller , George Porteous , Joseph Walker , Thos . Hutchinson , M . D ., and L . Winstone ; P . P . G . Ps . —John E . Nelson , T . G . Garrick , M . A . Lax , F . Toogood , John Todd , C . H . Dowdeswell , Thos . Hardy , John Munro , and W . J . Brown ; and P . P . G . Stewards—Isaac Burrell , W . Watson , George Davies , Wm . Sanderson , Thos . Westrope , R . H . McLean , A . Dodds , J . J . Runciman , J . H . Leech , and S . Rackley .

In opening the meeting , Bro . Sir HEDWORTH WILLIAMSON said that was hardly the lime or the place for him to detain them with any lengthy observations . He had not the slightest doubt that one and all of them , if they had not seen a great deal of what had been going on during the last week or 10 days , at all events , no doubt , had read and heard about it , and therefore it was not

necessary for him to describe at any length what they had seen and heard . Before he said any more he must express his satisfaction and astonishment at that extraordinary gathering of the Masons of the province . He never expected anything of the sort ; he did not even expect half the numbers there that day . It was very gratifying to him to find that the Masons of the county of Durham had responded in such great numbers to the circular

that had been sent out . They had met there that day to add their humble meed of praise and thanksgiving for the successful end of the Coth year of her Majesty ' s reign . ( Cheers . ) He did not know how many of them were present—he knew some of them were—at that great assembly that took place last week or the week before in Albert Hall , when their Royal Grand Master and brother and most of the distinguished Freemasons of England

and Scotland and from all over the world were gathered together . He should like , if he possibly could , to emulate the proceedings of that day , but his oratorical powers were nothing to be compared with those of his Royal Highness the Grand Master and his Royal brother , the Duke of Connaught . He was perfectly certain that everybody who assisted at that ceremony must have been struck , astonished , and delighted at the words ,

the few but well-chosen words , which fell from their Royal Grand Master , and at the way that every point seemed to be taken by the vast audience in the hall . He was almost certain , so beautiful in diction were the words of those Royal Princes , that every word they said was heard in the uppermost parts of the building . He had heard his Royal Highness was most struck with the universal display of loyalty , not only over all En 'land , but

in all parts of the world . The Freemasons of England had shown no lukewarmness or want of feeling , and his Royal Highness alluded to the Freemasons of England as being as loyal as any portion of her Majesty ' s subjects . He ( Sir Hedworth ) ventured to say that the Freemasons of Durham were equal in loyalty to any of the Freemasons in England . ( Cheers . ) They met that day to go in procession to their noble Cathedral ,

there to return thanks-for 60 years of blessed rule under their Sovereign . If any woman in the world deserved thanks and gratitude from the Freemasons of England it was their gracious Sovereign . No one had more zealously , judiciously , humbly , and kindly exercised the two great virtu : s that distinguished their Order—those of Charity and Symp ithy with the afflicted ; no one in ihe length and breadth of this kingdom had ever been more

ready in showing her sympathy with the distress : d . He thanked the authorities of the University and cathedral for their great courtesy in puling that noble room at their disposal , and also their worthy friend who h d just come in ( Bro . Canon Tristram ) for the great trouble he had taken to make that meeting a success . He thought he also ought to thank their

Bro . Canon Kynaston , for he believed it was in him that the idea of that meeting arose . Having thanked these gentlemen , he now asked them to accompany him to their noble cathedral , and there return thanks for thc 60 years of her Majesty ' s reign , hoping that she might long continue to reign over them , and also to offer a humble prayer to the Almighty th it he would continue to bless their Royal Sovereign .

1 here was no o ' . her ceremony in connection with the assembly at the Castle , and the brethren dispersing from the hall , formed up in double file in the quadrangle , the Past Grand Officers bringing up the rear of the procession . The brethren were attired in bhek coats and tall hats , according to the instruction issued by the Prov . Grand Secretary . Ttiey mirched in order to the cathedral , and at the entrance a halt was made , the brethren forming a line each side of the pathway . The symbjls of the Order were