Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADHBS— PAGB . Grand Lodge of Tasmania ... ... ... ... ... 229 Ars QuatuorCoronatorum ... ... ... " * ... ... 22 9 " Bell's Weekly Messenger" ... ... ... ... ... 230 Masonry in Whitby ... ... ... ... ... ... 230

Provincial Grand Chapter of Buckinghamshire ... ... 231 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of West Yorkshire ... ... ... 231 Grand Lodge of Scotland ( Otiarterly Communication ) ... ... ... 233 Annual Supper of the Star Chapter of Improvement , No . 127- ; ... ... 232 " Academy of Armory" ... ... ... ... ... 233 Royal Arch ,.. ... ... ... ... ... ... 233 Mark Masonry ... ... ... ••¦ ... 233

MASONIC NOTHS—1 loth Anniversary Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ... 235 Annual General Meeting of th ; Royal Masonic Henevolent Institution ... 235 Hro . Sadler's New Work ... ... ... ... ... 235 Death of the Duke of St . Albans ... ... ... ... > Vs

Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 236 Reviews ... ... ,,. ... ,,, ... ... 236 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... .,. ... 236 Lodges and Chapterof Instruction ... ... ... ... ... 237 Obituary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 237 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 23 S

Grand Lodge Of Tasmania.

GRAND LODGE OF TASMANIA .

ft will be in thc recollection of our renders tint on the occasion of Grand Festival our Grand Lodge had the honour of receiving a . s a visitor Bro . the Hon . CIIARLKS K . DAVIE . S , M . L . C ., M . W . G . Master of Tasmania , and that in acknowledging

the ( oast ol " "Die Sister Grand Lodges , " with which his name was associated , that distinguished brother spoke in the warmest terms , not only of the cordial reception extended to him in Grand Lodge , hut likewise of the kindly recognition and

encouragement which the Freemasons of Australasia had received from the Grand Lodge of the old world and thc patronage bestowed upon their Grand Lodge bv our Grand Master , his Roval Hiirhness the Prince of WALKS . He also stated that

hreemasonry in Australasia was established on a healthy basis , and was in a most flourishing condition , a statement which is fully borne out by the report of the Proceedings at the seventh annual Communication in January last of his own Grand Lodge ,

for which we are indebted to the courtesy of Bro . DAVIES himself . The reports that wen ; submitted for the approval of ( he brethren were one and all of a most encouraging character .

A Board of Benevolence has been organised during the year , and in addition to sundry donations from lodges and individual brethren , which will form the nucleus of the Fund , the Committee of the Tasmanian Masonic Benevolent Fund have

translerred the control ol that 1- una to the Grand Master , Grand Treasurer , Grand Secretary , and President of the Board of Benevolence for tin : time being as Trustees , who will from time to time pay over to the Board

of Benevolence the interest derived from the investment of the capita ! of the Fund amounting to ^ 1250 . Certain of the private lodges have . also , it is understood , decided to pay over to the Board the interest derivable from certain portions of

the invested capital of their respective Benevolent Funds , SO that the Board of Benevolence in addition to the income derived from quarterages , or the Tasmanian equivalent ¦ or quarterages , will have a fair amount of income on

which it can rely to help it forward in the discharge of its duties . I his would appear to have formed the staple of the address which Bro . DA VIES delivered at the meeting , but there , were

many other matters of local interest , which were referred to by him and in nearl y every case in terms that appear to have been ^ 'servedl y complimentary .

Grand Lodge Of Tasmania.

Tt must be remembered that the Grand Lodge of Tasmania is the smallest of the Grand Lodges established of recent years in our Australasian Colonies . It has but 23 lodges on its roll , while its statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the year

i > 97 is composed of figures of very moderate amount such as we are accustomed to meet with in the annual statements of account of some of our medium-sized Provincial and District Grand Lodges . But as far as it is possible

for us In form an opinion , everything connected with the administration of the Grand Lodge of Tasmania would seem lo be conducted in a thoroughly businesslike fashion , and so long as the Grand Master and his officers

continue to exhibit such praiseworthy care and energy in the discharge of their duties , and the private lodges and brethren exhibit the same loyalty towards their Constitution , so long , we hold , will the Grand Lodge of Tasmania continue on its present

satislactory basis . We arc pleased to have had this opportunity of reviewing the proceedings of what is very nearly , if not quite , the youngest of our British Colonial Grand Lodges , and

we trust that , like the rest of those bodies , it may , with each successive year , become , stronger and still more prosperous than ever .

Ars Quatuor Coronatorum.*

ARS QUATUOR CORONATORUM . *

The Transactions recorded in the first Partof the current volume of " Ars Quatuor Coronatorum" are those of the January and March meetings of thc lodge and include , as we mentioned lastweek , two papers which are certain to attract a large share of

attention , not merely from students of our early history , but also from the Masonic public generally . The first is by Bro . Dr . CRAWLEY , and gives a far more elaborate description than we have hitherto met with of " The Masonic MSS . in the

Bodleian Library . " The character of this paper will be best judged from the concluding paragraph—which we quote in full —of the introductory portion in which the author clearl y defines the object he had in view in compiling it . Says Bro . CRAWLEY :

" An attempt has been made to render the raw material more digestible b y supplying such collateral information as may serve to pourtray the personality of the writers and thus bring home the import of the MSS . Unless we can penetrate through the

dust of ages to the mental temperament , the literary method , and the habitual environments of a writer , we are apt to lose sight of the true bearing of facts narrated without their circumstances , dates enumerated without their sequence ,

and excerpts presented without their context . " There are few who read the essay who will not , we imagine , unite with us in the opinion that Bro . ( RAWLEY has ful / illed his purpose . The MSS . lie describes are grouped under I luce

heads ( 1 ) " Fl . iAS ASHMOI . E and his Diary ; " ( 2 ) " J AlVHREV and the Memoiresof Natural Remarques in the County of Wilts ; " ( 3 ) " Dr . RlCIIAKU RAWLINSON and his MSS . " As

regards ASHMOLE and his Diary , or rather those passages in it in which he describes , firstly , how he was made a Mason at Warrington in 16411 , and , secondly , how , 35 years later , he was

summoned to attend a lodge held at Masons' Hall , in London , and witnessed the admission of six gentlemen into " the fellowship of h ' ree Masons , " most of our readers must be tolerabl y familiar with the circumstances . The passages in question are