Installation Of Sir George Elliot, Bart., M.P., As Provincial Grand Master Of South -Wales (E.D.)

ositions in the Craft , and in our day , under his Royal Hig hness the Prince of Wales , there has been no diminution in the social prestige of the Provincial Grand Masters of England . A mere glance at the present lists of Provincial Grand Masters sufficiently proves it . Lord Suffield , K . C . B ., who is the last appointed , was installed Provincial Grand Master for Norfolk in April , 1876 , His

Royal Highness the Prince of Wales himself performing the ceremony . The next junior Provincial Grand Master is His Royal Highness [ Prince Leopold , who was installed Provincial Grand Master of Oxfordshire in December , 1875 . So that it will be easily understood that the youngest Provincial Grand Master to-day , Sir George Elliot , his good reason to be satisfied with the position

which has two immediate predecessors fill , and running rapidly over the names of the Provincial Grand Masters of England , and selecting almost at random , we find Sir Watkin Wynn , Batt ., M . P ., for North Wales , the Lord Leigh for Warwickshire , the Lord Methuen for Wiltshire , the Lord Sherborne for Gloucestershire , the Marquess of Hartingdon for Derbyshire , the Viscount Holmesdale for

Kent , the Lord Waveney for Suffolk , the Duke of St . Albans for Lincolnshire , the Duke of Manchester for Northamptonshire , the Earl of Limerick for Bristol , the Earl of Bective , M . P ., for Cumberland and Westmoreland , the Lord Pelham , M . P ., for Sussex , the Earl of Carnarvon for Somersetshire , the Earl Percy , M . P ., for Northumberland , the Earl of Shrewsbury for Staffordshire , the Earl of

Hardwickefor Cambridgeshire , the Lord Skelmersdale for Lancashire ( W . Division ) , the Earl of Mount Edgecumbe for Cornwall , the Earl Ferrers for Leicestershire and Rutland , the Earl of Zetland for Yorkshire ( N . and E . Riding ) . Sir George Elliot's name is now added to this illustrious list , and it will be readily understood that the somewhat

unusual delay in filling up this appointment on the death of the late Provincial Grand Master , Bro . Theodore Mansel Talbot , heir to one of the oldest families in Great Britain , has been due to a natural anxiety on the part of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to select the fittest man for the responsibility .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Warwickshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF WARWICKSHIRE .

By command of Lord Leigh , the Provincial Grand Master , a Provincial Grand Lodge was held at Leamington on the 3 rd inst . The officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge present were the Right Hon . and Right Worshipful Bro . Lord Leigh , P . G . M . ; W . Bro . Lieut-Colonel

Machen , D . P . G . M . ; Bros . J . T . Collins , P . G . T , ; Geo . Beech , P . G . Sec ; John Vaughan and E . Worrall , P . G . W . ' s ; Rev . T . N . Rigby ' , P . G . Chap . ; S . C . Cowan , P . G . R . ; C . B . James , P . G . S . D . ; J . Gilbert , P . G . J . D . ; W . Hammond , P . G . S . of Works ; R . Dawson , P . G . D . C . ; W . Manton , P . G . S . B . ; A . J . Sutton , P . G . Org . ; W . H . Haseler , P . G . P . ; J . Mavius , P . G . A . P . ; J . F . Kekwick

P . G . S . ; J . Loverock , P . G . S . ; G . V . Htfford , P . G . S . ; J . Pursall , P . P . G . W . ; C . Lee , P . P . G . W . ; Captain Salt , P . P . G . W . ; T . Howkins , P . P . G . C . D ., There was a large attendance of P . G . officers and of visitors not members of the P . G . Lodge . The Guy ' s Lodge , No . 395 , was first opened , and the Right Worshipful the Prov . G . M . and his officers were then received .

After the calling of roll , the minutes of the P . G . Lodge , held at the Elkington Lodge , No . 1016 , Birmingham , etc ., were confirmed . The report of the Benevolent and Annuity Fund Committee was next received , and the committee ' s recommendations of applicants for relief were considered . A collection was then made in aid of the building fund of the new church , and the sum of £ 52 was collected .

The lodge was then adjourned , and the brethren , headed by the Militia band , marched in procession to the site of St . John ' s Church , the foundation-stone of which was laid , with Masonic rites , by the Prov . G . Master .

Although the rain was pouring in torrents , a large number of persons witnessed the procession and ceremony . When completed , the church will accommodate about 1000 persons on the ground floor , the internal dimensions being 152 feet in length and 57 feet in breadth , with a height of 55 feet to the apex . It is being built with the

ted bricks of the neighbourhood , having windows and other dressings ot Bath stone . The style is of very plain early English character , with lancet windows , having nave and chancel , with noith and south aisles , and vestries for the clergy and choir . Grants have been made by the Incorporated and Diocesan Societies , but at the present time about £ 800 is required in order to complete the nave and

aisles , which it is hoped will be forthcoming , that this part of the church may be at once completed for use , as the temporary church is altogether insufficient . The architect ts Bro . John Cundall , P . M ., on whom the plans reflect great credit , and the builder Mr . John Fell , of Leamington . After the Chaplain and brethren had alternately recited

a psalm , the P . G . Master announced the purpose for which 'hey had assembled . The P . G . Secretary ( Bro . Geo . Beech ) read a copy of the inscription placed in a phial and deposited with the c wns of the realm in a cavity of the stone . , The inscription was as follows : — " Provincial Grand

Lod ge of Ancient , Free , and Accepted Masons of Warwickshire . At a special meeting of the Provincial Grand Lod ge , held at the Guy ' s Lodge , Leamington , on Tuesday , * 3 rd April , in the 41 st year of the reign of Her "laeious Majesty Queen Victoria , this , the foundation s 'onc of St . John ' s Church , Leamington , was laid in 5 ° lenin form and according to ancient usage by the Right

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Warwickshire.

Honourable William Henry Lord Leigh , Lord-Lieutenant , and Rig ht Worshipful Provincial Grand Master of Warwickshire ; assisted by the Worshipful Brother Colonel Machen , Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Warwickshire ; the Worshipful Brother John Vaughan , Prov . Senior Grand Warden ; the Worshipful Brother Edmund Worrall , Prov . Junior Grand Warden ; Brother the Rev . F . M .

Beaumont , Brother the Rev . T . N . Rigby , P . Grand Chaplains * , J . T . Collins , P . G . Treasurer * , George Beech , Provincial Grand Secretary ; and in the presence of a numerous body of P . Grand Officers , Past P . Grand Officers , and Brethren of the Province of Warwickshire . " The stone having been lowered , the architect presented to the P . G . Master a splendid trowel , for which his

lordship tendered his warmest thanks to Mr . Cundall . The P . G . Master then addressed the spectators as follows : —Men , women , and children here assembled to-day to behold this ceremony , know all of you that we be lawful Masons , true and faithful to the laws of our country , and established of old with peace and honour in most countries to do good to our brethren , to erect

magnificent structures , and to fear God , the Great Architect of the Universe . We have amongst us , concealed from the eyes of all men , secrets which cannot be divulged , but these secrets are lawful and honourable , and not repugnant to the laws of God or man . They were entrusted in peace and honour to Masons of ancient times , and have been faithfully transmitted to us , and it is our duty to

convey them unimpaired to the latest posterity . Unless our Craft were good , and our calling honourable , we should not have lasted for so many centuries , nor should we have been honoured with the patronage of so many illustrious men in all ages , who have ever shown themselves ready to promote our interests and to defend us against all adversaries . We = ire assembled here to-dav

in the presence of you all to assist 111 laying in ancient form the foundation-stone of this church , which we pray Him to prosper for the promotion of godliness , harmony , and brotherly love , till time shall be no more . After other formalities had been observed , the P . G . Master gave the stone three knocks with a mallet , and declared it properly laid in accordance with the ancient

rules of architecture . The P . G . Master then placed grains of wheat upon the stone as emblems of plenty ; poured wine and oil as emblems respectively of cheerfulness and joy , and prosperity and happiness ; and sprinkled salt on the stone as the emblem of wisdom , fidelity , and perpetuity . The Prov . G . Chaplain offered a short prayer .

Lord Leigh , having laid the stone , then addressed the assembly . He said he had now had the great pleasure and the privilege of laying the foundation-stone , in that important town , of a church , which he prayed the Great Architect of the Universe might prove of inestimable benefit to the district . When he had the honour of being asked to lay that foundation-stone he felt great

hesitation in doing so , as he felt that a lady who lived in the district , and who was sitting on his right , Mrs . M . Wise , should do so . It was not until he was assured that neither that excellent lady nor any member of her family would undertake the duty , that he consented to lay the stone , with the assistance of the brethren of their ancient Craft in that province . It was well known and universally

allowed , that the old travelling Freemasons in ancient times had erected many of the most beautiful temples of the world . Although Masons of this day could not claim to be , like their biethren of old , practical Masons , still they were as ready as their predecessors to promote any good work that might be for the benefit of their fellowcreatures . If it was necessary to prove that statement he

might mention that that was the eighth memorable occasion on which the old and well-worn mallet which he held in his hand had been used . It was the property of the Guy ' s Cliff Lodge of Freemasons in that town , and , as the inscription would show , it was used in 1832 by the lamented Lord Charles Percy in Maying the foundationstone of the Warneford Hospital . In 1837 the late Bishop

of Worcester laid with it the foundation-stone of Bishop Ryder ' s Church , Birmingham . In 1840 it was used by a predecessor of his own in the office which he had the honour to hold—Lord Howe— in laying the foundation stone of the Queen ' s Hospital , Birmingham . He ( Lord Leigh ) , as P . G . M . of the province since 185 G , had five times used that mallet in connection with occasions similar to the

present . He congratulated the district of South Leamington on the commencement of the present work . In reference to the many friends who had so nobly assisted the movement , he must especially mention Mrs . Matthew Wise , who had given £ 1000 towards it . Her son , the Rev . W . G . Wise , had promised £ 500 . Mrs . W . Hitchman , widow of the lamented Dr . Hitchman , had given

the site of the church and £ 100 . Mr . F . Manning , of Leamington , had also given ^ 500 ; and Mr . and Mrs . Watson £ 300 . He hoped that the rich and important town of Leamington would speedily raise the required sum of £ 1000 , so that in the autumn the Bishop might consecrate the church . The Rev . T . E . Franklyn , the minister of the district ,

tendered to Lord Leigh , in the name of the committee , their thanks for his kindness in laying the stone , and their thanks to the brethren of the province for their handsome donation of fifty guineas . The Rev . T . N . Rigby , P . G . Chaplain , then delivered the following address : — Right Hon . and Right Worshipful Sir , Brother

Wardens , and Brethren , —Although I am fully conscious of my inability to do justice to the object for which we are met together , yet 1 must express the gratification I experience in giving an address on this occasion , and I am sure I speak the sentiments of the brethren present when I say that it is with peculiar pleasure that we are here assembled in answer to your summons , Right Worshipful Sir , to assist you in laying the foundation stone of a build-

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Warwickshire.

ing—a building hereafter to be dedicated to the service of our God . At all times we as Masons are ready—yea , esteem it a privilege , to aid in any good work , but more especially in the erection of a temple for the worship of Him in the advancement of whose glory every man , but more so every Mason , should take a deep concern ; for we know that He who inhabiteth eternity and dwelleth not in

temples made with hands is yet pleased with the devotions of His people . Constituted as man is , his duties to his Creator must be expressed by sensible acts , and if we travel back to earlier times we shall find Noah and the patriarchs building altars and offering sacrifices to Him . Coming down the stream of time , we find David purposingto erect a temple for the worship of Jehovah , and although

he was not permitted to carry out his heart ' s desire , yet the same was approved of by God . " Thou didst well that it was within thine heart to build . " That high honour was left to Solomon , his son , as a legacy , and he , our Proto Grand Master , carried out the work with a magnificenceand a grandeur that exceeded , perhaps , even what his father David had he lived to see it could have pictured . 'Tis

true the records of the laying the foundation-stone of that temple have not been handed down to us . We read of its master-workman and of craftsmen ; we read of the dedication thereof , with its splendid ceremonial and costly offerings ; we read of its marvellous erection , during which No hammer fell , no ponderous axes rung—Like some tall palm , the mystic fabric

spring—Majestic silence . And now , Right Worshipful Sir , you have just declared the foundation-stone of this church to have been properly laid according to the plumb , the level , and the square , in the erection of which the hammer will fall and the ponderous axe will ring , and we would hope , though not amid majestic silence , the sacred fabric will also be

successfully completed . It will not , of course , approach many , if one , of those grand and wonderful piles reared in former days by the skill and aid of those members of our ancient and honourable Craft . It will stand , by way of example , at a very , very remote distance indeed in architectural beauty and structural grandeur from that majestic edifice—one of the glories of our land—St . Paul ' s Cathedral , the fruit of the brain and the masterpiece of the

creative genius of one of our Craft , Sir C . Wren—a largehearted and unselfish brother , in whose epitaph is said , " Qui vi . vil bono publico , " and who has no other monument to his memory than a small tablet on the side of the window of the crypt , on which is inscribed , " Simonumenlum aitaris , circumspice . " But still the house will not be without its beauty and its glory , consecrated as it will be to the hallowed services of our common Father . I will

not now , Right Worshipful Sir , enter into any laudation of Masonry . In this county of Warwickshire , where it has borne such fruit , surely that were unnecessary . No words of mine—no words of any man—could add to its lustre , nor could the calumniation of any man detract therefrom . It is based on principles which are immortalimmortal because Divine . But 1 trust I am not in error

in making a practical use of those Masonic emblems which have already been referred to in this ceremo : y . As the building is being raised each stone mi ' : t obey the plumb-line , the level , and the square , so that all contribute , the one with the other , to the stability of the common structure . So may we hope that the living stones hereafter to be built

up within these walls as a spiritual temple to God , by dedication to His service , may answer in all respects to the teaching which these our Masonic emblems so forcibl y suggest . May the emblem of corn remind them of the plenteous blessing . that comes from Him who is the author and giver of all good things ; may the emblem of wine , that maketh glad the heart of man , remind them

how much there is of refreshing cheerfulness and joy in squaring their lives according to God ' s established rule ; may the emblem of oil remind them that prosperity and happiness can only be secured by a cultivation of peace and brotherly love , so beautifully imaged in the figure of the oil which flowed down from Aaron ' s beard , even to the edge of his clothing ; May the emblem of salt remind them

of that higher wisdom such as that with which our Proto Grand-Master was endued , and which comes only from God , of fidelity to their promises of obedience made , and of perpetuity , in holding fast that which they have that no man take their crown . But what , Right Worshipful Sir , is the foundation upon which this spiritual building is to rest ? I unhesitatingly say it is our Great Light — the Book of

the Law of God . That alone is the plu mb-line by which men are to adjust their actions so that they walk uprightly . That alone is the level that will enable men to regard themselves as equal in the sight of God , and rich and poor to worship together as his common off . spring . That alone is the square by which the teaching in that temple should be tried and adjusted ,

bringing it at all times to the standard of the law and the testimony . And sure I am , Right Worshipful Sir , that if this spiritual work which I have cursorily touched upon , so far as the services ot this earthly temple are concerned , be thus carried out , then those who have partaken thereof will see the topstone crowning their faith , and love , and hope , shining under the bright beams of a never-setting

sun in another—that upper temple , not made with hands , but glorious in the heavens ; and with harps tuned to the most perfect melody will sing—Grace , grace , unto it . Other formalities having been observed , the procession was re-formed , and the P . G . Lodge was resumed and closed in due course . In the evening the brethren dined at the Crown Hotel .

It is stated that the Emperor of Russia will not goto Ems this year to take the water as usual . This decision is said to be " unconnected with pending political questions , and adopted solely on , medical advice . " His Majesty is in excellent health .