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THE CYNTHIA QUARTETTE . " UNACCOMPANIED A 1 ALE VOICES . Alto , Bro . FRED HOWARD , Tenor , Bro . REYNOLDS WOOD , Baritone , Bro . ALBERT RAYMENT , Basso , Bro . ARTHUR J OHNSON . The above Quartette is open to accept engagements in London or Provinces for Alasonic Gatherings . Glees , Part Songs , Plantation Alelodies , and Solos . The whole of the Alusic provided for Consecrations , Installations , and Banquets . For terms and vacant dates , apply to—SECRETARY , 1 CHATSWORTII RD ., BRONDESUURY , N . W .

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pAIETY RESTAURANT , S T RAND . LUNCHEONS ( HOT AND COLD ) , At Popular Prices , in BUFFET and RESTAURANT ( on First Floor ) , also Chops , Steaks , Joints , Entrees , Sic , in thc GKILL ROOM . AFTERNOON TEA , Consisting of Tea or Coffee , Cut Bread and Butter , Jam , Cake , Pastry , ad lib ., at la . per head , served from 4 till 6 in RESTAURANT ( First Floor ) . DINNERS IN RESTAURANT , From 5 , 30 till 9 , at fixed prices ( 3 s . 6 d . and 5 s . ) and a la Carte . In this room thc VIENNESE BAND performs from 6 till S . Smoking after 7 . 45 . . ^ y AMERICAN BAK . THE GRILL ROOM is open till Alidnight . PRIVATE DINING ROOMS for large ana small Parties ,

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NORTHERN ASSURANCE COAIPANY . Established 1 S 36 . LONDON : 1 , MOORGATE STREET , E . C . ABERDEEN : 1 , UNION TERRACE . INCOME AND FUNDS ( 1893 ) . Fire Premiums £ 710 , 000 Life Premiums 224 , 000 Interest 169 , 000 Accumulated Funds ... ^ 4 , 293 , 000

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j ^ ^^^^^ SATURDAY , MAY J 8 , 18 95 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Somersetshire was held at Crewkerne on Thursdayi the 16 th inst ., among the visitors present being Bros . James Terry , P . G . S . B ., Secretary of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , who attended for the purpose

of presenting Bro . Viscount Dungarvan , Provincial Grand Master , with the illuminated vote of thanks which the Committee of Management had voted to his lordshi p in recognition of the great services he had rendered the Charity as Chairman at the recent Festival in its behalf .

The brethren who have given their services as Stewards at the approaching Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , held their first meeting at Freemasons' Hall , on Thursday , the 16 th instant , when

it was arranged that the Festival should be held on the day appointed—Wednesday , 3 rd July—at Brighton . I he brethren constituted themselves a Board , appointed officers , and made such further preliminary arrangements as are usual , Of these we shall give full particulars next week .

I'he Masonic and Aliscellancous Entertainment which Bro . F . H . Macklin , W . AL , and the members of the Lod ge of Asaph , No . 1319 , were kind enough to give to " Our Boys " in thc Great Hall of the School .

Masonic Notes.

Wood Green , on Wednesday , thc 15 th instant , was admirable in its character , and wc need hardly say , was most thoroughly appreciated . Indeed , the programme , which was in two parts , was most excellent , and would undoubtedly have attracted a house full to overflowing had it been submitted to the general

public . Among the most attractive items were the musical entertainment , entitled " Our Smoking Concert , " by Bro . Mel . B . Spurr , of tbe Aloore and Burgess Alinstrels ; Bro . John Radcliffe ' s , " Fantasia on Irish Airs" on the flute ; and the clever Ventrilorjuial Entertainment by Bro . John Le Hay . Bro . Geo . E . Fairchild , A . G . D . C , was lhe Chairman , and at the

close of the performance , the boys , at the invitation of Bro . McLeod , the Secretary , gave three such cheers for the brethren who had afforded them such an entertainment as boys alone know how to give . There was a full muster of visitors , so that the large HaU was well , but not inconveniently , filled . * * *

We regret that in the lists of Stewards and thc amounts they raised for thc recent Festival of the Royal Alasonic Institution for Girls , we should have omitted to transfer Bro . Henry A . Tobias , £ 30 19 s . 6 d . as Steward Unattached from West Lancashire to London . The correction , however , will be made in the usual reprint of thc Festival Report , Returns , & c , & c . #

* * We have recently heard with sincere regret of the death of more than one prominent brother , who , in his day , and according to his ability , has rendered material service to our Order , and more especially to the Institutions it has established and maintains with such loving care

and generosity . Bro . F . Bateman Fox , a P . Prov . G . W . of West Yorkshire , and Chairman of its Provincial Charity Committee , is one of these brethren , while Bro . William Masters , a member of the Board of Management of the Royal Alasonic Institution for Boys is another . We have also to deplore the death of Bro . W . B . Williamson , a prominent Worcestershire

Mason , who had taken an active part in thc affairs of Freemasonry for many years , and who , if his life had been prolonged , would , no doubt , have proved as zealous a supporter of our Charities in future as in past years . To the families and friends of these brethren we offer our most respectful sympathies in the losses they have severally sustained .

The Canadian Craftsman contains a very temperate article on the difficulty over the three English lodges in Alontreal which has so long existed between the Grand Lodges of Quebec and England , certain remarks which we published some time ago forming the text for its comments . But while we most cordially recognise

the kindly tone which our contemporary has adopted , we cannot bring ourselves to see the justice of the course it proposes . There is no doubt the difficulty that exists is one that ought to be determined , if possible , and if the Craftsman is right in its conjecture that the English lodges in Montreal , if they were advised by H . R . H . the Grand Master to join the Grand Lodge of

Quebec , would adopt the advice , by all means let the experiment be tried . We are convinced there is no desire on the part of our Grand Master and his advisers that the just influence of the Grand Lodge of Quebec should be lessened by any action of theirs . But it is a sine qua non that the separation of these lodges from their parent must be an act of their own volition , not of compulsion on the part of England .

Nor do we quite see the force of our contemporary ' s suggestion that the Grand Lodge of England should " so arrange its laws as to be in line with the usages of the Craft in the latter part of the nineteenth century . " It is too much to ask that the Grand Lodge of England shall modify the conditions on which its

Grand Master issues warrants for the constitution of new lodges , because a difficulty has occurred with the Grand Lodge of Quebec in respect of certain lodges in that Province of the Dominion which have desired to remain English . All the Grand Lodges which

have been constituted on British Territory , with the solitary exception of that of Quebec , have accepted the terms on which our Grand Lodge agreed to recognise them . Then why alter conditions which have been found to work well generally just to meet a particular case ?

¦ » # Again , what is thc " law of ' supreme Masonic jurisdiction' " which " has become so universal throughout the Masonic world as to be considered a ' landmark ' by most of the Grand Lodges r" At what congress of representatives from all the Grand Lodges

in the world was it agreed to be enacted as a " universal " law ? And how can it be " universal , " if , as our contemporary recognises when it limits its acceptance as a " landmark " to " most of the Grand Lodges , there are Grand Lodges which have not

agreed to accept it as such—we may go further and say , which have never even been consulted as to the wisdom or otherwise of enacting such a law :-' We should like to have some information about these matters before we attempt to proceed further in the discussion .

Correspondence.

Correspondence .

A 1 ASONIC VAGRANTS . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , The enclosed copy letter has been received by me from the Almoner of thc Alasonic Hall , Leeds , with the copy letter attached thereto purporting to be signed by the Secretary and W . M . of their lodge .

I need hardly remark that the certificate is a complete fabrication and void of all truth . F AI never was a member of this lodge and therefore not a P . AL , and consequently his G . L . certificate was not in our hands . Wm . Henderson was not Secretary , nor was F . W . Buck W . M . at tbe date of the so-called ' certificate . "

I may point out that " F M " evidently has been in Carlisle and found out what he could of the lodges , but has somewhat mixed the information received . F . W . Buck was LP . AL on Alarch 7 th ; " Wm . Henderson , " properly "John Henderson , " is Secretary of the Union Lodge , 310 , Carlisle .

My desire in writing you is to call attention to the number of persons ( purporting to be Alasons ) going about the country making Alasonry a cloak for begging , and I am quite certain this man " F AI , " and I am sorry to say many like him , write these letters to suit their purposes , and trust to luck nol to be found out .

In our city we have only one Almoner for thc two lodges , and the plan , so far as the lodges are concerned , works very well , all deserving cases being relieved . Very few care to go to him , they prefer to sponge on private brethren , their excuse for so doing being that the Almoner is from home or says that he has no funds . —Yours fraternally ,

J . W . HAYTON , 1532 , Bective Lodge , Carlisle . Alay Sth .

[ COPY . ] " Masonic Hall , " Gt . Georges St ., " Leeds , April 10-95 . " Dear Sir and Bro ., "The enclosed is a copy of a letter presented to me yesterday by a man representing himself as a

Mason and a member of your lodge . " I refused to relieve him , but not before proving if he was a Mason or not . He seemed to be mixed with a portion of thc American working , otherwise his answers were very good through the three . Having my doubts about the case , I let him go but detained the letter . His description is about five feet four inches in

height , between 50 and 60 years of a-je , bald pate , with a look of C . Peace about him . If you have no such man and the signatures are not genuine , make what use you like of this information , as one is liable to be led off in relieving such a plausible fellow . —Yours fraternally , "Secty . "J . H . NEWTON , " 1532 , Bective . Almoner . "

[ COPY . ] " No . 1532 , Lodge Bective , " Carlisle , Alarch 7 th , 1895 . " This is to certify that the Grand Lodge Certificate of Bro . F AI has been forwarded by this

Lodge to the Board of Benevolence , London , with a petition on his behalf . " He has been a member of this Lodge since 1876 and P . M . over 10 years ; through ill-health has fallen into adversity .

"WM . HENDERSON , " Secty . " Signature of Bro . F AI " Verified , F . W . Buck , W . M . "

To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Your paper for the 30 th March has been forwarded to me , and having carefully read over your leading article on " Masonic Vagrants , " and having had 15 years of practical experience as Almoner for

Lodges No . 425 and 721 , in this City , I can vouch for the truth of . what you have said in respect of that office . There is , indeed , no end to the deceptions which are , and have been carried on for a long time , and which , I fear , must be continually on the increase . I have a complete register for the last 15 years , and had over

400 cases to deal with , the great majority of which were impostures and frauds . I have advocated for a long time that some system should be adopted to check this evil . I have done my best in the matter here , and have found that few of them will face a

regular Committee or an old Almoner if they can avoid doing so . I am glad to say that East Lancashire , as the enclosed card shows , has taken the matter up well , but what is most needed is a uniform system adopted generally throughout the Provinces . —Yours fraternally ,

W . H . RICHMOND . Hoole , Cheshire , Alay Sth .

To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , 1 should like to bring under the notice of four readers a singular discovery of another Alasonic

vagrant , thanks to the Dublin Masonic Visitor of last September . 1 am a member of the Wickham Lodge , No . 1924 , Brockley , in the London district , and at our meeting in thc 6 th inst ., was requested to assist the junior