Contents.

CONTENTS .

The Roval Visit , ancl Masonic Ceremony at Truro 215 The City of Truro = 15 Notes 011 Our English Ritual 215 Frcc'inasoim- in tlie Isle of Man 216 Communique 216 St . John ' s Lodge-, Bolton . * 21 G Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 216 Roval Masonic Benevolent Institution 217

Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire 217 National Great Prion- 21 S Visit of H . R . H . the ' Prince of Wales to Truro 21 S Death of the Grand Master of Italy 21 S Thc Irish Masonic Female Orphanage 21 S REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINOSCraft Masonry 218 Instruction 220 Roval Arch 221

Mark Masonry 221 Ancient and Accepted Rite 221 Red Cross of Constantine 221 LEAIIERS 222 Services of thc Grand OHicers .... 22 J CORRESPONDENCEBoys' School Special Address 223 Mrs . Rigby ' s Case 22 j Thc Provinces and the Charities 221

Reviews 223 Masonic Notes and Queries 224 Scotland 7 . 224 Royal Ark Mariners 225 Amusements 225 Literary and Antiquarian Notes 225 Masonic and General Tidings 225 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 226 Advertisements I . to VIII .

The Royal Visit, And Masonic Ceremony At Truro.

THE ROYAL VISIT , AND MASONIC CEREMONY AT TRURO .

The preparations for the approaching Royal visit to Truro are now approaching completion , and considering the limited opportunities for display , and the distance of the city from the great business centres , the result is most satisfactory . The Great Western Railway Company has very liberally

offered facilities for brethren visiting Truro from all parts of their railway system , and we anticipate thc largest gathering of the Craft ever witnessed in the West of England . Much pleasure is manifested in Truro by the announcement now made that Prince Albert Victor , and Prince George will probably accompany the Prince and Princess of Wales on their visit . It is understood that the

suggestion of having a promenade concert will he carried out . The space and Grand Stand at thc north cast end of the cathedral site , where the Masonic stone is be laid , will be utilised for the occasion , a small charge being made . Arrangements have also been concluded witliI : | Mr . James Pain , pyrotechnist to the Alexandra place for a grand display of fireworks , which will

lie of a special character , in keeping with the other engagements of the clay . Among thc set pieces will be the portraits of the Prince anel Princess of Wales , and probably a view of the cathedral . Thc emblematic Masonic arch is being erected at Lemon Bridge , and will he an effective feature in the decorations . Wc gave the full Masonic programme as issued by the Grand Secretary in our

last , and , as far as can be ascertained , the programme of the general proceedings of the clay will bc as follows : The Masons will assemble at 10 . . ' , 0 * tlie Grand Lodge and Provincial Grand Lodge will be opened at 11 ; tile-Prince anel Princess will arrive from Trcgothnan at 11 . 20 , will receive the county and city addresses opposite the Town Hall , and drive on to Southleigh . The processions

will then proceed to the enclosure , admission to which for other persons will close at 11 o ' clock . The service will commence at noon , ancl the musical portion will include a choir of 300 voices under Mr . Nunn , and the band of the Marines . Luncheon at 1 . 45 ; review of volunteers and militia at Trcliske at 3 . 30 ; concert at 7 ; fireworks at 10 ,

anel concluding about 11 . We understand that the Prince of Wales , will leave for the West of England on Monday , visiting Torquay , Mount Kdgecumbc * , Plymouth , the seat of the Provincial Grand Master en route , reaching Trcgothnan on Tuesday evening , thus giving His Royal Highness a clear clay ' s rest before the fatiguing ceremonies on Thursday .

The following circular has been issued by the Provincial Grand Master of Cornwall : 23 , Belgrave-square , London , S . W ., 3 rd May , 1 S . S 0 . Dear Sir and Brother , — It appears to be an almost invariable custom , on the occasion of a foundation stone beinsr laid , Masonicallv ,

for brethren , who have made collections in aid of the Building Fund , to hand them in purses to the officiating officer , to be placed on the stone after the ceremony . 1 have carefully avoided begging for the Cathedral Fund among the brethren of the Province , but I can hardly do otherwise than let them know that contributions will he thus received by H . R . H . the Prince of Wales .

I hey may be collected from the members of each lodge , before the day , or at the time ; bull think the number of purses should not ( at most ) exceed the number of the lodges in the provinces . A collection will be made at the time of thc ceremony , and any contributions from the brethren will be * kept separate from those of the general public . I will take charge of them , and guarantee that they shall be applied to whatever special object may herealter be determined upon by a com-

The Royal Visit, And Masonic Ceremony At Truro.

mittoe of Masons , whose names shall be submitted for approval to the Prov . G . Lodge . If you have any contributions from brethren or from other sources , you are requested to fill in the enclosed form , put it in an envelope addressed to me , and place it in the collecting bag . Yours truly , ' MOUNT-EDGCUMBE , Prov . G . Master .

The City Of Truro.

THE CITY OF TRURO .

The interest attaching to the westernmost and newest city of the kinjafdom in view of the approaching festivities and ceremonial in connection with the laying of the foundation stone of the new cathedral is so great , that we think our readers will not be disinclined to obtain some particulars of its topography and history . Many years ago an old historian called Leland wrote a description of Truro , and in it

he quaintly said : " There is a Castelle , a quarter of a mile by west out of Truro , Iongging to the Erie of Cornwale , now clene downe . " This old castle appears to be the only clue we have to the origin of the present town . Little or nothing , however , is known of the old castle save that as Leland says "it is clene downe , " and the only indication of its ever having existed is a certain street near its ancient

site , called Castle-street . The natural advantages of its position probably caused the town quickly to grow up beneath the castle walls , for so far back as the year 1130 , " the borough of Truro was incorporated by the name of Mayor and burgesses by Reginald , Earl ofJCornwall , and in 1294 , 23 Edward I ., about thirty years after the origin of popular representation , it sent its

first members to Parliament . A writer of a few years ago thus speaks ofthe town in the present day : — "Truro is the largest , cleanest , best built , and best regulated town in Cornwall . Its principal streets are wide and granite paved , and have streams of clear water ever flowing through their side channels . Its houses are for the most part stone fronted and substantial .

Originally planted almost in a hollow at the head of the creek on which it stands , it has now spread itself on its outward and upworth growth over the slope of thc hills , by which tbe old borough was girded , and is a very pretty town , to look at from any commanding point of view . " The history of Truro , like that of most other towns , is bound up very much with its ecclesiastical edifices . Hals , the

old historian of Cornwall , says that on the west side of this town was of old a Dominican Chapel and Friary , but that has long been , like thc castle , " clonedowne , " and has left as its only vestige a name to a street , which is called St . Dominic-street to the present day . Then there was also a Nunnery of the Clares , of which no remembrance remains but of the church , which is to give

place on its site to the new cathedral , which the Prince of Wales comes to lay the first stone of . We have still the fabric , although its clays are literally numbered , and not a little record . "Capella S . Maria de Truru " was dedicated on September 2 SH 1 , 1259 , and thc building of the present church was completed about 151 S . The exterior is ornamented with elaborate sculpture , now much decayed .

Inside the sacred edifice there is much to interest ; among other monumental inscriptions is the following record of the wonderful doings of one Owen Fit / .-pen -. — " 'To the pins and well deserving memory of Owen Fitz-penals Phippen , who travelled over many parts of the world , ancl on the 24 th March , 1620 , was taken by the Turks , and made a captive in Algiers . He

projected sundry plots for his liberty , ancl on ye 17 th June , 1 O 27 , with ten other Christian captives , Dutch and French ( persuaded by his council and courage ) , he began a cruel light with C 15 Turkes , in their own shipe , which lasted 5 bowers , in which 5 of his company were slain , yet GOD made him captaine . So he brought yc ship into Cartagene , being of 400 tons and 2 } ordce . The King sent for him to

Madrid to see him ; he was offered a captaine ' s place and the King's favor if lie would turn Papist , which he refused . He sold all for £ 6000 , returned into England , ancl died at Lamorran , near Truro , 17 th March , 1 ( 13 ( 1 . " It is somewhat melancholy after this record of success and fame to read the following , which is recorded in " W . Lake ' s Parochial History of Cornwall : " "The Cornish

branch of the I'ltz-pcn family was short-lived , and its extinction gloomy . Near the close of the last century a man was found suffocated in the limekiln near Truro , into which he had crept for shelter , and had fallen asleep ; this was a poor wandering , homeless maniac , called George Fits-pen , alias Phippen , alias George Phippeny , the last representatation of the brave Owen , and the learned rector and

master of the Grammar School in 1625 ( George Phippen ) . " In 1 G 42 Sir Ralph Hopton surrendered at Tresellian Bridge , near 'Truro , to Sir 'Thomas Fairfax , the parliamentary commander . Prince Charles , afterwards Charles II ., resided in Truro in 1645 , and , early in 1 ( 14 ( 1 , he again made it his place of residence for several months .

'To come to its more modern history , wc may briefly state that 'Truro was long thc chief coinage town for Tin , which , after continuing for centuries , has latterly been abolished , and the revenue derived therefrom otherwise collected . Truro is still thc scat of the Stannary Courts of Cornwall and Devon , and derives considerable importance therefrom .

Among other celebrities claiming 1 ruro as their birth-place wc may mention Lander , the African traveller , whose statue and monument adorn the top of Lemon-street ,- Samuel Foote , the comedian ; and Martyn , the learned and selfsacrificing missionary . In August , 1 S 7 G , a bill to separate Cornwall from the

The City Of Truro.

diocese of Exeter , and create a bishopric for Cornwall , passed both Houses of Parliament ; Truro being chosen as its seat , and St . Mary's Parish Church as the Cathedral , and the Rev . Edward White Benson nominated as bishop . His enthronement took place on 17 th May , 1 S 77 . From the first it was seen that the building designated was wholly inadequate to the requirements of a cathedral , and

the bishop , with characteristic energy , soon set the forces in motion to raise a structure worthy of the position which it will occupy as the first cathedral built in England since the Reformation . The Cathedral Committee are fortunate in having secured the services of Mr . Pearson as architect . He is said on high authority to be the first ecclesiastical architect in Europe , and the designs he has prepared will certainly tend to preserve that reputation .

Notes On Our English Ritual

NOTES ON OUR ENGLISH RITUAL

BY THE EDITOR . PART III . Before I go on with my "Notes , " as I have been asked to give the names of a few foreign works on the subject , I append those of which I have a copy , or have seen . 1 have read , for instance , all those I have mentioned in my previous " Notes , " except the American one , and the

two Scottish magazines , " Le Testament d'un rranc Macon , " and " Red Masonry . " Among the works which I have seen or possessed may be cited " Catechisnie des Francs Macons , " Paris and Limoges 1 743 ; "Le Secret du Franc Macon , " 1744 , " L'Abbe Pecan ; " "Le Secret du Franc Macon trahi , " about 1744 ; "Der Verrathene Orden , " ' 745 ' "Les plus Secret Mysteres des Hauls Grades , "

17 G 6 ; "Le Franc Macon tel qu'il doit etre , " 1774 ; "Les plus Secrets Mysteres , " 2 nd edition , 177 ( 1 ; " Die drci Grade derFraumaurerei , " Wien 17 S 3 ; "Recueil Pre-cieux , Sec , " 17 S 7 ; "Les Masques Arraches , " 1790 ; " Etoilc Flambozante , " 1791 ; " A Word to thc Wise-, " 179 ( 1 ; " Necessaire Maconnique , " 1 S 12 ; and others might be mentioned .

We have now arrived at that period of our ritual history when the matter becomes important , and our words require to be very measured . In 1 S 13 , at the union of the "Modern" and "Antient " Grand Lodges , an "established mode of working" was set up through the medium of thc "Lodge of Reconciliation , " the object of which was to reconcile conflicting

systems , and bring the " variations" of several "forms of working into one harmonious whole . 'Therefore to Hemming iirst , and to Williams later , were entrusted the perfectioning of a common system of ritual . Hemming drew up a system and form , hut , falling ill , anel unable to complete his work thoroughly , it was given to Williams , who added to and completed the original form

of Hemming . Hemming's form , however , was used , notably in Yorkshire , at one time to a great extent , ancl is still represented by the Stability Lodge of Instruction . It is kept up in many lodges up and down the country . 'The perfected form of Williams is that now in use in the Emulation Lodge of Instruction , and which seems destined

to become the more general form of working in the Craft . The Prestonian form , however , still lingers , and is to be found in lodges , alike in the metropolis ancl in the provinces . There are also remains of an Old York " working" and of the Antient "working , " such as it is . Since 1 S 13 the Grand Lodge , though it formally adopted the established mode of " working" as set out in the

" ritual compiled by Williams , has , most wisely , been most tolerant , and has never attempted to interfere with the " working" of private lodges , so long as the " ancient landmarks" and recognised "aporrcta" were carefully preserved . Knowing from long experience how unwise it is to hind and define too closely , how true it still is in things Masonic as in things mundane , "nevcrdraw the line toe' tightly , " it has

never , except in very special cases , ever sought formally to enforce even the " established , ' mode of " working " on lodges . In one particular case , which was a special point of honour and observance , so to say , with the " Moderns , " and to which we may allude , without too minute explanation , as the "Star in the East , " the Grand Lodge has more than

once called the attention of W . M . s to the fact that such a popular illustration of . Masonic verbiage is not recognised by thc " established mode of working . " It was notoriously a favourite symbol of thc Antient Masons , and , no doub ~ has been derived from the-ir teaching . TheLodge of Reconciliation of 1 S 13 being itself a compromise of two great systems , while it retained the "

verbiage , " sought to suppress the symbol . But in that , as we all know , it has not been successful , as at this moment the favourite " symbol " is all but universal in English Masonry . It is a matter of rejoicing to all English Masons that our ritual is still " oral , " and only properly to be learnt in lodges of instruction . It is a subject of great pride also , ( as I have heard foreign brethren testify ) , namely , the case and accuracy with which

ourolclandcheiishedformularicsarehabituallyrcndi-red ; far exceeding that of foreign jurisdictions , for many prevailing reasons , and reflecting the greatest credit on our Preceptors and our rulers . Such as our ritual is now , with thc slight mollifications I have mentioned in petty formula :, and in equivalent words , it seems to us invested with all that can attract the admiration of the intelligent , ancl the regard of the educated . But as I am only concerned with its history , I forbear to