Mark Masonry.

The usual loyal , Grand Mark , and Prov . Grand Mark Lodges were then put and responded to Jj " ° glo ^ uently proposed the toast of " The W . M ., " saying it was his -i ae and his pleasure to propose the next toast , that of their esteemed and excellent P i ; vi he used the words esteemed and excellent in connection with the toast because L "• \ V M was esteemed both as a man and a Mason , and his excellent working in the * . _ Vn , » frnft lodrres he has passed through was acknowledged by every Mxsan in

uVrrfrict That day they had installed a Mister of the Excelsior Mark Lodge , who M do honour both to the office and to the lodge , and maintain its high prestige wouiau ^^^ lodges of the province . That he felt sure of . He cordially wished 3 i . ? nrn Fowler would have many and good candidates , whereby the strength and \; lv of the lodge would be maintained , and the excellence of their W . M . be prosperity ., . / A „„ i , „ r „\

P Rro Fowler was heartily cheered as he rose to respond . He thanked them for their 1 and hearty reception of his name , and very much regretted that the pleasure he Mt at the prospect of occupying the proud position he now held was a very short f "" llo creatly jeopardised . He thought that he should have had to go away to some £ « Nation , and therefore he did not much enjoy himself at their last meeting , but now [! « haopy to say things were so arranged that he trusted he might be with them for v vears to come . In taking over the responsibilities of Mister , he could tell them with lirm intention oiu

. iTi he took those responsibilities a or crying ro Dring- rmsjfoua T . to its ancient position , and make it , as it was , one of the best and most i rUhintr lodges in the Province of Kent . He trusted to have thesuoport and heirty miration of all the Past Masters , officers , and numbers of the lodge , and felt conrl nt that with that support he should be able to hin I it do . vn to his successor as well , ¦ f not in better condition , than he found it . He asked them not only to have the mme " Excelsior , " but to keep on till the higher pinnacle of it ? destiny was attiincd . ( Cheers ) ^ ] nstiKng officer " was coupled with the mme of Bro . Jollyrwho brie ( ly r ' « The ' Past Masters" was heartily responded to by Bros . Spinks , Kennedy , IIobson ,

and ° ^ h r ^ orficers » « Visitors " concluded the list of toist ? . Bro Kipps , jun ., presided at the pianoforte , and accompanied Miss Emily Taylor , who < an ' g " Angus Maceliger " and several other ballads splendidly . She is young yet , hut evidently has a future in the musical world .

Sonnet For The Month Of July.

SONNET FOR THE MONTH OF JULY .

Crowned o ' er with clinging roses , Lo ! July ! Who wreathes for all her blossoms full and free ; Note well her landscape , earth , and sea , and sky , Woods , rivers , meadows , hill , and dale , and lea . Sweet odours fill the clear and balmy air , For field and forest teem with fragrant Ibwers Whose gems so boundless , beautiful and fair ,

Perfume the breezes of the sun-girt hours . On purple moor and leafy lane sho smiles ; On singing stream sho sheds her latest glow , And still benignant , brightens and beguiles And soft caresses all the world below . Filling with perfect love the thankful henrt , When , all too loth , sees their gay guest depart ! Bradford . CHAS . F . FORSIIAW , LI .. D

Science, Art, And The Drama.

Science , Art , and the Drama .

SIGNAL FLASH LIGHTS . The German Admiralty have adopted a Hashing light for signalling purposes—the invention of Prof . Schevin—the principle of which is a stream of powdered magnesium , which is caused to fall into a benzine llame . The flashes are so bright that they are said to be visible by daylight at a distance of six miles , which statement is probably an exaggeration .

We may mention that a lamp very similar to this , in which a powder consisting largely of magnesium is propelled into a spirit llame , was devised many years ago in our own country by Capt . Colomb , and was , we believe , approved by our Admiralty and adopted by them . The recent use of the flash light for photographic purposes has , doubtless , renewed attention lo this method of signalling .

EXTRACTS FROM THE ARTIST STONE ' POCKET BOOK . " ifiin . I was sent for to the offices of his Majesty ' s worlces to undertake the charge of the place of master mason for the new banqucttinghouse at Whitehall , wherein I was employed two years , and I had payed me four shillings and ten pence the day . And in that year I made the diall ol St . James ' s , the King finding stone and workmanship only , and I had for it £ () 13 $ , . jrj . And I took down the fountain at Theobalds , and sett it » P again , and the fountain at Nonsuch , and I was paid for both £ 4 ^ . "

' 1020 . In SulTtllte , I made a tomb for Sir Edmund Bacon ' s lady , and in ihe same church of Redgrave I made another for his sister Lady Gawdy , and was very well payed for them , And in the same place I made two pictors of white marbell of Sir N . Bacon and his lady , and they were layed upon the tomb that Bernard Janson had made there , for the which two pictors I was payed by Sir Edmund Bacon . £ 200 . "

" I also made a monument for Mr . Spencer , the poet , and set it up at Westminster , for the which the Countess of Dorsett payed me . £ 40 . " "And another there for Mr . Francis Holies , the youngest son of the Earl of Clare , fcr the which the sayd Earl payed for it £ 50 . " ( As this I'gure is of most antique simplicity and beauty , the design was certainly given b y the Earl to Stone , who , when left to himself , had no idea of grace , as appears b y the tomb of the Lyttletons at Oxford . )

"My Lord of Clare also agreed with me for a monument for his brother 5 > ir George Holies , the which I made and sett up in the chapel at Westmin-^ J > where Sir Francis Vere lycth buried , for the which 1 was payed from ine fiandsof the said Earl of Clare £ 100 . " ' About this time ( 1625 ) I made for the Old Exchange in London four statues , the one Edward 5 , Richard 3 rd , and Henry 7 th , for these I had 425 a piece , and one for Oueen Elizabeth , which was taken down and sett P a Rain where now it siandeth , at Guildhall gale , for the which I had I 30 . " *

1 n V" ' f 3 ' l made n tomb for Dr - Ronne antJ sett xt U P in St - Paul ' s , -ondon , for the which I was payed by Dr . Mountford the sum of . £ 1 20 . took J Co in plate , in part of payment . " nrint t- mon ,, IT , ent of Dr . Donne is remarkable for its singularity j a H lr > t ol it is prefixed to the first edition of his Sermons ) .

Science, Art, And The Drama.

Besides many other works Stone , in 1629 , undertook to build for the Earl ol Holland , at Kensington , two piers of good Portland stone , to hang a pair of great wooden gates ; the estimate of the piers ( which were designed by Inigo Jones , and are still standing at Holland House , though removed to greater distance from each other ) was £ 100 .

THE OPAH . Last week a small crowd was gathered round a fish shop at Brighton . On investigating ( he cause , it was found that there was exhibited , on a slab , a grand specimen of that very rare British fish the "Opah . " The colours on it were most gorgeous , the fins being of a much brighter hue than are generally represented in books of Natural History . The measurements were : Length 3 ft , 3 m ., and breadth 17 m . The fins were all very large ,

and of a superb crimson colour . The lish was said to have been caught off the coast of Scotland , and no doubt this was the case , as it is an inhabitant of the deep Scandinavian seas , and is not uncommonly caught on the coasts of Norway and Greenland . The Opah belongs to the mackerel family of fishes , most of the members of which are more or less brightly coloured . Its shape , however , is quite

unlike that of the common mackerel , being of a compressed rounded or oval form . It is also very much larger , and specimens have been found measuring as much as 5 ft . in length and over 20 in . in depth of body . In the variety and brilliancy of its hues it surpasses all the members of the family to which it belongs . The fins are all of a bright crimson scarlet , the

upper part of the back blackish , margined on the sides with bright red , which is followed by green and gold towards the lower parts . The whole of the body is spotted with white round dots , about the size of a small pea This fish has only on a few occasions been captured on our coasts ; it is not unlikely , however , that it is present with us in fairly large numbers , but being a deep-water loving species , it is able to escape the fisherman ' s net .

THE GAIETY THEATRE . The afternoon of 23 rd July is a date which should be kept in mind by all playgoers , and especially by all good patrons of the Gaiety . Then and there will be given a big and attractive entertainment for the benefit of tint aforetime favourite , Mr . E . J . Lonncn . In the old diys Mr . Lonnen was a power at the Gaiety , where his Irish songs and his invincible energy were much appreciated . His fun was usually a little obvious , and hardly above t he level of fooling , but he seemed to enjoy his work , and much can be forg iven to the possessor of high spirits .

GENERAL NOTES . Provincial lovers of music will have an early opportunity of hearing Dr . Villiers Stanford ' s new opera , " Much Ado about Nothing , " which was recently produced at Covent Garden . The Moody-Manners Opera Company have secured the rights , and intend performing it during their next provincial season , commencing in September .

It is reported that the success so justly won by Miss Annie Hughes by her impersonation of Becky Sharp in the dramatic version of " Vanity Fair" at Croydon , will result in the piece being introduced to Metropolitan audiences at the Globe Theatre in the autumn . » •* * » Mr . Fergus Hume ' s blank verse play , written for Bro . Sir Henry Irving , will be produced next season .

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . COL . CHARLES LYNE . Ry the death of R . W . Hro . Col . Charles Lyne , Freemasonry in Monmouthshire loses its head and Newport loses one of its most valued and respected citizens . The venerable Prov . G . M . had reached his 82 nd year , having been born in Cornwall on November 21 st , 1 S 20 , but so active was ho till almost the last week of his life , that it wis difficult to believe that he had passed the allotted span . He was ill for less than a week , and succumbed to pneumonia on the

evening of the 3 rd inst . His Masonic career wis a remarkable one . He was initiated in the Pythagoras Lodge , Corfu , No . 654 , 011 May gth , 1845 , and was admitted to the Third Degree on the 26 th November , 1846 , in the Lolge of St . John and St . Paul , No . 437 , Malta . He was exalted in tlie Royal Arch Chapter of Melita , Malta , on the 2 ( jih January , 1847 , and was installed W . M . of the Lodge Friendship , Malta Union , No . 588 , March 2 nd , 1848 , and was acting Master of the St . John and St . Paul Lodge , Malta , 1848 , and exalted a Knight Templar on

13 th February , 1849 , in the Melita Kncampment , Malta . He was W . M . of the Silurian Lodge , Newport , in 1 S 5 S ; E . P . Cvent , 1870 ; Past Sub-Grand Prior of England , 1870 ; one of the founders and first Master of the Keystone Lodge , and D . P . G . M . M . in 1870 . He was installed Prov . G . M . of Monmouthshire ( Craft ) , at Newport , April 20 th , 1 S 70 ; 30 " , Supreme Council , 21 st November , 1871 ; 31 ° 12 th March , 1872 ; and G . Constable , 18 74 . He was installed in Ivor Had Rose Croix Chapter , and was M . W . S . in 1875 . The R . W . brother enjoyed the respect

and affection of all his brethren . Of late years he had not been seen so often in the Craft lodges ,- but he attended the Newport Lodge once or twice last winter , and was present at the installation banquet , and presided over the Prov . G . Lodgp . Apart from Masonry , Col . Lyne has had a remarkable career . He served in the Royal Navy from 18 3 ( 1 till 1850 , served in the Syrian Campaign , and was piesent at the taking of Sidon and St . Jean d'Acre , for which he received the Syrian medal and clasp and Turkish decorations . He was appointed paymaster of the

Tiger in 1854 , but before he could join her she was captured by the Russians , and his active service , which had ceased in iS ^ o , when he came to Newport as agent for the Llanarch Estates , was never continued , and in 1 K 5 G he was placed on the retired list as a Paymaster of the Fleet . From the time he came to Newport till the day of his death he had a large part in the commercial , industrial , and public life of Newport and Monmouthshire . For more than 50 years ho was a member of the Newport Harbour Committee ; for 32 years he has been a member of the Pilotage Board ; he has been a director of the Dock Company for 51 years ; he

was first elected to tne Newport I own Council in 1854 . He was elected a guardian in 1 H 68 , and he was chairman from 1 SS 0 . lill the time of his death . In lhat capacity he showed the greatest consideration for the poor , and conducted tha business of the Board with a capacity which was above praise . He was Mayor of Newport in 1 . 85 ( 1 , and again in 1 SS | ; at the time of his death he was Chairman of the Pilotage Committee and of the Usk and Ebbw Board of Conservators ; a member of the Royal Commission on ^ . dmon Fisheries ; and a J . P . and D . L . His death is deeply regretted ; his place will be hard to fill , and no one now can fill it .