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WASHING WELL DONE AND ACCURATELY RETURNED . Old Established . VICTORIA LAUNDRY WORKS , Child's Hill , Hendon . Prospectus free .

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L TTTIBRO . JOHN READ , P . M ., P . Z ., VV . P . G . ( Mark ) Org ., P . G . ( Chap . ) Org ., P . G . A . D . C . n Knight Templars and 30 , P . P . C . Org ., Royal Order , undertakes all MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR MASONIC MEETINGS . Speciality—Orchestral Arrange-, ents during Banquet , and Select Madrigals , Glees , and Pait Songs after Dinner . Address : 49 Somerleytonrnad . Brixton , S . VV .

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A Feature of the Metropolis . SPIERS & POND'S CRITERION RESTAURANT , PICCADILLY CIRCUS , LONDON , VV . EAST ROOM . Finest Cuisine , unsurpassed by the most renowned Parisian Restaurants , Luncheons , Dinners and Suppers a la caile and { . rix fixe . Viennese Band . GRAND HALL . Musical Dinner 3 s . Cd . per head . Accompanied by the imperial Austrian Band . WEST ROOM . Academy Luncheon 2 s . Cd ., Diner Parisien 5 s ., during both of which the renowned Mandolin Quartette performs . BUFFET & GRILL ROOM . Quick service a la carte and moderate prices . Joints in each room fresh from the Spit every half-hour . AMERICAN BAR . Service of special American Dishes , Grills , & c . Splendid Suites of Rooms for Military and other Dinners .

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NOTICE . The Index for 1897 is now ready aud will bo forwarded on application .

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Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

We are in a position to announce that the terms and conditions on vvhich the Grand Lodge of England is Pfe'pared to acknowledge the Grand Lodge of New . and as an independent Masonic Authority have ' - * - " accepted by the latter body , a cable to that effect SATURDAY , MARCH 26 , 1898 .

¦ " ¦ " •K , according to the New Zealand Craftsman , been 4 hn SmiUcd 'Jy Br ° ' W' Barro " ' -W . G . Master . Wc ¦¦ take an opportunity cf reproducing these terms

x week from our contemporary . In the meantime , . ^ may statu that the-y are of thc usual character , but Nev / : ' , pr 0 vlsion t 0 th * - < - -- -l- * - lbc Grand Lodge ol v -caa ndshallnotitsue vvarraiilsoutsidcthfColony ,

Tl . i > * * ciidiiw ^' P 0 rl and Statement of Account for the year Co ,,,, ? - ,, 3 ' St D ( - -nber , 1807 , whicii the General '' avc I' A ^ ° ° y ; i 1 Masonic Institution for Girls "" -Kt m lVn CORncction wU 1 - ^ e voting papers for * » nvolflvf e , ection > are in all respects satisfactory . he facts Iela --ng to the Cambridge and other

Masonic Notes.

public examinations at which pupils from the School have entered , have already been referred to in these columns , but vve have much pleasure in reproducing the statements contained in the said report , namely—( i ) that the general health of the children during the year has been excellent ; ( 2 ) that the sum of £ 3000 has been expended in the purchase of £ -779 6 s . gd .

India Three per Cent . Stock , while . 64000 has been lodged vvith the bankers on deposit to meet the anticipated diminution of receipts during the present year ; and ( 3 ) that the Civil Service Class recently established during 1 S 9 7 has proved a success , three girls having already passed for appointments under H . M . ' s Postmaster-General . The number of girls in charge of the Institution during the year is reported as 267 .

* * * As for the Statement of Account , vve do not think the most exacting critic vvill find in it any reasonable subject for complaint . The receipts for the year amounted to . £ 21 , 346 , the chief items being Donations and Subscriptions , including the small annual grants

from Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter , amounting to - £ ¦ 7-573 ; the special contribution by Grand Lodge of £ 116 7 in respect of the Diamond Jubilee meeting ; and interest on investments and deposits to the extent of £ 2381 . The expenditure , composed of the same items as in past years , reached £ 13 , 964 ; the balance

remaining to the good being £ 7381 , which , after allowing for depreciation on furniture and buildings , is reduced to £ 6341 . The Assets represent a total value of £ 201 , 969 , composed of Freehold Land and Premises at St . John ' s Hill valued at £ 9 8 , 055 ; invested Caoital of the value of £ 92 , 765 ; Furniture

& c , value £ 6 317 ; Cash on Deposit , at bank , and in hand £ 483 2 . The liabilities , exclusive of Capital Account , reach only £ SiS , so that the friends and supporters of the Institution have every reason to be satisfied vvith the soundness of its present financial position . We are afraid that the hope expressed by

the Committee in their Report that it will be unnecessary to devote the £ 4000 lying on deposit at the bankers towards the current year ' s expenditure will not be realised . The prospects for the approaching Festival on Wednesday , tjje 18 th May , are by no

means encouraging . Indeed , we shall be greatly surprised , and at the same time delighted , if a formidable hole in that £ 4000 is not made before the year is ended . * * *

The Board of Management of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys have also issued a Statement of Account and Balance Sheet for the year ended 31 st December , 1 S 97 , together with the Report of the examination of the School by thc Cambridge University Syndicate in October , and sundry information hiving relation to

the designs for the nevv School premises to be erected at Bushey , Herts . The receipts during the year reached £ 23 , 206 ; the donations and subscriptions , with the annual grants from Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter , amounting to £ 19 , 482 ; the special contribution from Grand Lodge in respect of the Diamond

Jubilee meeting , L ' i 16 7 ; Life Presentation from Monmouthshire , £ 525 ; and interest and dividends on invested capital , £ 1804 . The expenditure , vvhich vvas of the ordinary character , reached £ 13 353 , the balance to thc good on the 31 st December last being . £ 5695 . The . Balance Sheet shows a total of assets amounting to £ 11 ¦ 5 , 847 , of vvhich . £ 8343 is cash in hand and on

deposit ; £ 62 , 852 , value of invested capital ; £ 30 , 400 value of land and premises at Wood Green ; and £ 13 , 306 value of land at Bushey . During the year ^ , 4038 vvas expended in the purchase of . L ' 4000 London County Council 2 j percent . Stock . Thus the soundness of the financial position of the Institution as disclosed by these particulars leaves -nothing to hi desired .

? * * As regards the other portions of thc report , vve have already called attention to most of the particulars relating to the successes achieved by the boys at sundry public examinations and to those of the whole School by the Cambridge University Syndicate in October . But

as testifying to the excellence of the work vvliich has been done in the School during the eight ycars the present system of management has been in force , it is worthy of note that during this period 35 candidates from the School have passed the "Senior" ; 18 7 the "junior "; and yy thc "Preliminary" Cambridge Local Examinations ; and of this total of 321 , there

have been 58 to whom " Honours , " and 23 to whom "Distinctions" were awarded . Under the same system as many as 300 candidates have passed thc South Kensington ( Science and Art ) Examinations in Mathematics , Drawing , ^ c , & c . Such results as these do not need to be comnended—they speak for themselves .

Masonic Notes.

Worcestershire has done well in acknowled ging the services rendered to it and to Freemasonry generally by its respected Prov . G . Master , Bro . A . F . Godson , M . P ., who , in the several offices he has filled in the Province , but more especially as the Deputy of his

predecessor in office—the late Bro . Sir E . A . H . Lechmere , Bart . —and as Prov . Grand Master , has acquitted himself most honourably and to the manifest advantage of the Craft in Worcestershire . There are not many brethren having so many and such important public duties devolving upon them who

could or vvould have devoted so much time to Freemasonry as Bro . Godson ; and the Province has honoured itself in honouring its respected chief . We trust that many years may elapse ere the connection existing between Bro . Godson , as Prov . Grand Master , and his Province shall come to an end .

? # # We have received a letter from Bro . the Ven . Archdeacon Stevens , Past G . Chap ., in which he speaks in the highest terms of the excellence of the arrangements made for the comfort and convenience of the

party of brethren—to vvhich he acted as Chaplainwhich recently made an excursion to Egypt and Jerusalem under the guidance of Bros . Dr . Lunn and Perowne . " There vvas not , " he writes , " a single serious hitch from first to last , " while it must have enhanced the pleasure of the party , that they " had smooth seas

nearly the whole of the time . " Equally fortunate were they in the hearty reception they met vvith from sundry lodges during the journey , the United Brethren Lodge , No . 1923 , Malta , and the Grecia Lodge , No . 1105 , Cairo , as well as the Royal Solomon Mother Lodge—No . 293 on the Canadian Register—holding special meetings in honour of the visitors .

* * + Under these circumstances it is not surprising to hear that the hope we recently expressed that the excursion might be repeated is likely to be realised , Bro . Stevens telling us that Bros . Lunn and Perowne

contemplate a similar cruise—which will not improbably be arranged so as to include a visit to Athens—in January next . In the meantime a similar excursion will be made in the month of August to the northern Capitals of Europe—St . Petersburg , Copenhagen

Stockholm , and Christiania—and Bro . Stevens has been invited in this case also to undertake the duties of Chaplain . Berths may be taken " in advance without paying any booking deposit until the final deposit falls due . " Full particulars to be had of the Secretary , 5 , Endslcigh Gardens , Euston , N . W .

We have been requested to announce that two extra meetings of the Grand Master's Lodge of Instruction for Mark Master Masons will be held during the present session , namely , on Friday , the ist April ,

and Friday , the 15 th April . Weare further requested to state that if brethren desirous of instruction in the Degree of Royal Ark Mariners will make known their wish to Bro . John Smith , 4 , The Crescent , Bedford , on

or before Tuesday , the 12 th prox ., Bro . W . Vincent will attend at the second of these meetings ( on the 15 th prox . ) and rehearse the ceremony of Elevation at thc close of the regular vvork of the lodge . * * *

We have great pleasure in announcing that there is now in the press , and will be published at an early date , a nevv work from the pen of Bro . Henry Sadler , G . Tyler and Sub-Librarian of Grand , Lodge . Its title will be " Masonic Reprints of Scarce and Curious

Pamphlets , " and it will include an Introductory Chapter by Bro . Chetvvode Crawley , LL . D ., D . C . L ., Past S . G . D . Ireland , and a mass of Editorial Notes by Bro . Sadler himself . Among the contents will be " A Letter from the Grand Mistress of the Female

Freemasons , " supposed to have been written by Dean Swift , circa 1727 ; "A Defence of Freemasonry , as practised in the Regular Lodges , both Foreign and Domestic , with a Collection cf Mason ' s Odes and Songs , most of them entirely new and never before printed ; " and A Defence of Lawrence Dermott and

the Ancients , with a List of the Officers of the Ancient Grand Lodge from its formation to the Union in 1813 . The "Defence of Free-Masonry" is " by an anonymous writer in 1765 , reproduced in exact facsimile Irom probably thc only copy in the United Kingdom . "

# * * The book vvill contain some 200 pages demy Svo , ami will be issued to subscribers at 5 s ., post free 5 s . 6 d . We may add that subscribers' names , if received before the 31 st May , will be printed in thc book unless otherwise ordered .