Masonic And General Tidings.

Masonic and General Tidings .

THE United States navy estimates for the fiscal year amount to 98 , 910 , 984 dollars . BRO . EARL CARRINGTON will , it is stated , be asked to accept the Mayoralty of High Wycombe for the ensuing year . IT IS proposed to confer the freedom of Maidstone upon Bro . Alderman Frank Green , Lord Mayor of London , who is a native of the town . THE BOROUGH COUNCILS .-Bro . T . H . Brooke-Hitchings , C . C , J . P ., will probably be elected the Mayor of Marylebone for the ensuing year .

WE REGRET to announce that Bro . Maurice Spiegel , P . M ., has undergone a serious operation in one of Mr . Buckston Browne's Nursing Homes , 49 , Beaumontstieet , Weymouth-street , W . ACCORDING to a contemporary , the office of Grand Organist has been created in the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotian ., and the name of Comp . A . Louis Reis is mentioned as having received the appointment .

WITH the approval of the King , and by arrangement with the Olfice of Works , the whole of the plans submitted for the proposed memorial of the late Queen Victoria at the head of the Mall , will be open to public inspection at St . James ' s Palace on the 1 st prox . THE ROYAL DENTAL HOSPITAL . —The King , who was recently graciously pleased to become Patron of the New Dental Hospital of London , in Leicester-square , his now commanded that in future the Institution shall be known as the Royal Dental Hospital of London .

GUV'S HOSPITAL . —The Lord Mayor-Elect , Bro . Alderman Sir Joseph Dimsdale , M . P ., will preside at a Minsion House meeting in January in furtherance of the appeal of this hospital for assistance in raising the sum of £ iSo , oOo which is required to meet the cost of works of renovation and extension .

THE ANNUAL Prov . Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Hants and the Isle of Wight will be held at the Southsea Esplanade Assembly Rooms to-morrow ( Saturday ) , the 26 th instant , when Bro . Loveland Loveland , who was recently elected Prov . Grand Master , will be installed by the R ght Hon . the Earl of Euston , M . W . Pro Grand Master .

IT IS ANNOUNCED that Bro . the Rev . Richard Lee is resigning the headmastership of Christ ' s Hospital . Bro . Lee has been connected with the ancient school for nearly 30 years , and his tenure of office has proved a brilliant success . But he naturally desires to transfer to younger hands the task of initiating a new era on the approaching migration to Horsham .

THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL TO QUEEN VICTORIA .-The Lord Mayor ' s Fund for the National Memorial to Queen Victoria now amounts to £ , 156 , 2-0 . Recent donations include : County of Chester ( first instalment ) , per Earl Egerton of Tatton , Lord Lieutenant , £ 500 ; City of Birmingham ( balance ) , per the Lord Mayor £ 2 C , i 6 s . Cd ., making a total of £ 1524 1 O 3 . Gd .

MAYOR OF GREENWICH MARRIED . —On the 19 th instant , in the quietest manner possible , at AU Souls' , Langham-place , W ., the marriage of Bro . Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel Ralph Gooding , the present Mayor of Greenwich , to Miss Laura Frances Baillie-Hamilton , youngest daughter of the late Admiral and Lady Harriet Baillie-Hamilton , was celebrated . Sit William Baillie-Hamilton , the brother of the bride , gave her away .

COMP . THE HON . ALAN DE TATTON EGERTON , M . P ., Grand Superintendent of Royal Arch Masonry for the Province of Cheshire , has summoned a Prov . Grand Chapter , to be held at the Masonic Rooms , Birkenhead , at 3 . 15 to-morrow ( Saturday ) , for the purpose of transacting the annual business of the Prov . Grand Chapter , including the appointment and investiture of Prov . Grand Officers for the ensuing year . High tea will be served at the Masonic Chambers , Hamilton-street , at five p . m .

IT IS NOT generally known that Lord Rosebery possesses the costliest collection of snuff-boxes in the world . Many of them are of solid gold , and some are set with brilliants . A curious inlaid enamel snuff-box was at one time the property of Napoleon Bonaparte . A small black box studded with three diamonds belonged to the eminent statesman Pitt , while another plainly inlaid with fine gold was used by Fox . Although the collection only comprises 23 boxes altogether , its estimated value is £ 35 . 000 .

THE COUNCIL of the Society of Authors has resolved to raise a m . morial to Bro . Sir Walter Besant , the original founder of the Society . They have approached the Dean and Chapter of St . Paul ' s Cathedral , and have obtained permission to erect a wall monument in the crypt , close to the tablet placed to the memory of Charles Reade . Mr . George Frampton , A . R . A ., has promised to execute the work , which will commemorate Bro . Sir Walter Besant ' s unique services to his struggling fellow-writers , as well as his great distinction as novelist and historian .

BRO . SIR JAMES BUCHANAN of Craigend Castle will be missed in Masonic circles in Glasgow , and especially amongst the higher Degrees and red Masonry . He was always a welcome guest at the festival of Lodge Prince ' s , and at the dinners in connection wilh the higher Degrees he was always much in evidence . He was a delightful companion , and though he had the bluff , outspoken manner of the sailor , he was in his youth , he had a very kind heart , and was a very close and true friend . No one who heard him reply for "The Army and Navy " will forget the enthusiasm with which he spoke of his profession , and his fine disdain of its critics . —Glaigo-. o Evening News .

WE HAVE received from Bro . Lieut . Learmont , R . A ., Secretary of the Ubique Lodge , No . 17 S 9 ( Bro . Major A . C . T . Boileau , W . M . ) , a copy of the Ubique Masonic Calendar for 1901-2 , which should prove of use and interest not only to brethren of the Royal Artillery qua rtered at home , but also to those who are abroad " wherever dispersed . " The roll of subscribing members to the Craft lodge number 179 , ranging in military rank from Major-General to N . C . O . The Ubique Royal Arch Chapter and Mark Lodge have each a gcodly roll of members , and the Calendar also discloses that the lodge has contributed very largely to the Masonic Charities since its foundation .

THE SITE OF THE ALEXANDRA WING . —The British and Foreign Sailors ' Society have received from Mrs . Sam Lewis £ 1000 , the cost of the site on which will be erected the "Alexandra Wing" of the Passmore Edwards Sailors' Palace . Mrs . Lewis desires the gilt to bo of an In Memoriam character , and associated with her late husband . Now that the site is cleared , and building commenced , the value of the opportune extension is much more appreciated . The Marquis of Lansdowne has sent £ 5 towards the endowment of a bed in the Sailors' Palace , to be associated with the county of which his lordship is Lord-Lieutenant .

BRO . DR . W . H . CUMMINGS will , we learn , shortly issue a volume dealing with the history of the words and music of "God save the King . " Bro . Dr . Cummings , who has made a collection of early editions of our National Anthem , about 23 years ago , contributed to a monthly paper a remarkable series of articles on the subject ; but they are not , of course , now easily available . The forthcoming book will at any rate

prevent , it is hoped , the almost annual recurrence in print of the absurd fiction that thc tune was derived from France . The claim that the melody was composed by Lully in mid-seventeenth century rests entirely upon a hoax contained in the spurious " Memoirs de la Marquise de Ciuqui , " which were written by Cousen de St . Maso as recently as 1 S 34 .

BRO . ARCHDEACON SINCLAIR AND THE JEWS .-At the Whitechapel Parish Church , on the 19 th instant , Bro . Archdeacon Sinclair addressed a congregation consisting entirely of Jews . He based his discourse on the words , " I will scatter you among the heathen , and will draw out a sword after you , and your land shall be desolate and your cities waste . " In the course of his sermon , which was translated , phrase by phia- * e , into Yiddish by Mr . Neugertz , the Archdeacon referred to the fact that on several previous occasions the Hebrew people had been taken captive from their native

land and that they had returned thereto . Their expatriation , however , had never before extended to over 1800 years . He suggested that that remarkable fact should cause thc Jews to consider whether their position was not due to the attitude they had taken up , which was originally adopted at the dictation oi priests who were beside themselves at the idea that their authority was to be taken away from them . Not until that attitude was changed would the Jews be able to return to their own land if they wished , and Jerusalem be rebuilt ,

Masonic And General Tidings.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS to Bro . Sir Michael Hicks-Beach , who , although he is now the Father of the House of Commons , was only 64 on the 23 rd inst . _ AS the chairman of the City Lands Committee , Bro . T . Hastings Miller has issued invitations for a ladies' dinner at the Hotel Cecil on Monday , the 28 th inst . BRO . PENLEY has decided to revive the three-act farce , " Uncles an *! Aunts , " at the Great Queen-street Theatre . He will play his original pa-t of Z- * dekiah Aspen .

BRO . EMRA HOLMES has received the thanks of H . R . H . the Duchess of Cornwall and York for his poem " Kiaora , " recently published in our columns , and copied by a large number of our contemporaries . AFTER formally accepting custody of the Elcho Shield , the National Challenge Trophy , and the China Cup at Guildhall on the 19 th inst ., Bro . the Lord Mayor entertained the members of the winning teams at dinner at the Mansion Hou ? e . Bro . Lord Roberts , who was amongst the guests , responded to the toast of "The Imperial Forces , " bearing testimony to the intelligence , perseverance , and determination of all branches of the British force in South Africa .

IN CONNECTION with the autumn election for the Asylum for Idiots at Earlswood , to be held at the Cannon-street Hotel on the 31 st instant , Bro . Alderman Sir Joseph C . Dimsdale , M . P ., Treasurer , in the chair , a strong appeal is being made for funds , as the charity is in straitened circumstances . Amounts overdue amounting to £ 3500 are waiting to be paid , but funds do not permit . This is a heavy responsibility in addition to the debt due to the bankers , and the Board have been reluctantly compelled to reduce the admissions to the foundation .

THE ALDERSGATE PAST OFFICERS' CLUB . —The first meeting of the season was held on the atst instant , at the Manchester Hotel . The President , Bro . V . I . R . Longman , C . C , occupied the chair , and there were also present Bros . T . Murray Janes and James Mayhew , Hon . Sec . The Treasurer and the Hon . Secretary were reappointed . Atthe supper which followed , under the presidency of the Hon . Secretary , a few toasts were given and songs rendered . The winter dinner of the clnb was fixed to take place at the Manchester Hotel on Thursday , the 28 th prox .

THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT will be nominated on December 3 rd for reelection on March 4 th , 1902 , as Grand Master of Mark Masons . His Royal Highness has not yet been installed in that oliice , to which he was elected for the first time on February 19 th , but it is his desire , I believe , that the ceremony shall take place at the end of January or the beginning of February next . His nomination for re-election as

Grand Master of Craft Masonry will be made in United Grand Lodge of December 4 th . No election is required for First Grand Princioa ! in Grand Chanter of Roval Arch Masons , as that office , and the ofiices of Pro Grand Principal and Second Principal , follow the holder ot the positions of Grand Master , Pro Grand Master , and Deputy Grand Master of English Free and Accepted Masons .

MEDALS FROM GERMANY . —English medallists are showing resentmjnt at the introduction of Coronation medals from Germany without any indication as to their origin , and a memorial has been prepared for presentation to the King , which sets forth that at the present time German manufacturers ara able to send medals into the United Kingdom with the country of origin marked on the paper bags or boxes

containing them only , which bags or boxes can be changed after the goods are received , so that the medals can be sold then without any disclosure as to the place of manufacture . The request is made that his Majesty shall cause some regulation to be promulgated which shall ensure that the country of origin shall be indelibly marked on such medals and similar articles .

THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE AND CHRIST'S HOSPITAL . —The annual dinner in commemoration of the birthday of King Edward VI ., founder of the Christ ' s Hospital , was given in the great hall of the school on Wednesday , his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge , Governor of the hospital since 18 41 , and President since 1834 , presiding . In responding to the toast of " The King and other Members of th : Royal Family , " his Royal Highness said the members of his family had from time immemorial shown a lively interest in the institution . He deeply deplored that the school was about to sever itself from its antecedents Tn the

City of London and remove to Horsham . He looked as cheerfully to the future as was possible to him . If he had differed from the authorities of the School in the past , he had done his best . He had been President of the School for 47 years . Thoy ought to get a younger man for the post , but they could never get anyone who wished them better than he did . He hoped the School would be as successful in the future as in the past . ( Cheers . ) The President subsequently proposed " The Religious , Royal , and Ancient Foundation of Christ's Hospital . " The Rev . G . C . Bell , M . A ., Master of Marlborough College , proposed subsequently " The Masters and Officers of Christ ' s Hospital . " Bro . Rev . Richard Lee , the Head Master of the School , responded .

BRO . EMRA HOLMES , whose poem on the death of the Empress Frederick which recently appeared in the Freemason , having expressed a hope that the Empress ' s friend , Princess Stephanie , might favour Dovercourt with her presence on her next visit to England for her health , has received the following characteristic letter from Count Lonyay , the husband of her Royal Highness . It is understood that the Threnody on the death of the Km press was inspired by the Princess :

"Austerhtz , Ber Briinn M'ihren , "Austria , 13 Octr ., 1901 . " Dear Mr . Holmes , " The Princess Stephanie asked me to tell you she is very sorry your letter was not answered before our departure from London ; but we left suddenly ,

being obliged to return to Austria . H . R . H . is thanking you for the lovely poem , and was deeply touched by your beautiful words about the late Empress Frederic , whom she worshipped quite especially . The Princess and myself will be very glad to meet you another year if our travellings will bring us to the perfect coast of your country , to which we are both so devoted . —Believe me , yours faithfully , " Count E . LONYAY . "

AMONG LONDON RESTAURANTS there is none more palatial , more rich and artistic in its decorations , more luxurious in it ; surroundings and general appointments than the Monico , which , since its establishment in 1 S 77 , has been repeatedly enla'ged , and , by the judgment and liberality of the proprietors in catering , has steadily advanced in public favour . The Messrs . Monico have recently made great alterations in connection with their table d'h & te room and their hall , which is called the International . The table d'hote room from the decorative point of view , may now be

regarded as an entirely new feature—a creation sugjested by drawings and documents of the Pre-Raphaelite School , and a veritable triumph for Messrs . Jetley , of North Audley-street . The artistic modelling is without anything of excess in plastic ornamentation ; and the scheme of colouring , with the elegant upholstery gives to the room a lofty , and airy , and yet grand appearance , that is at once a delight _ for the eye and most eloquent of comfort for the visitor . The International Hall has undergone a complete metamorphosis and there is wonder

as well as delight for the members ol the Masonic Craft , the worshippers at th : shrine of Terpsichore , the organisers of the guests at the poli ' lical , regimental , club , and private banquets and others , who are certain to patronise it . Here , that genius in artistic decoration , Mr . lloekbinder , appears to have been giv . n carle blanche . The architectural features of the apartment have been altered , but the ceilings , walls , and windows have undergone an entire change . Th : walls have been fitted with beautifull y modelled panels , highly decorated and lavishly enrich id with gold . The ceiling has

been covered with fibrous plaster enrichments , and the girders have been supported by artistically modelled caryatides . The whole scheme is in th : Renaissance style , with light tints giv ' ng to the hall the appearance of greatly increased space . The cove which has been retained is covered with magnificent paintings illustrative of music , painting , hunting , dancing , & c , Sir .. With so many added beauties and delights , and with catering to suit all tastes and all pockets , the fame and popularity of ths Monicogreat as they are—should be materially increased .

Marriage.

Marriage .

OHREX—CAMI 1 , —On the 19 th instant , Mr . Aubrey Magnus Ohren , third son of Bro . Magnus Ohren , A . M . I . C . E ., of Burleigh , Garlies-road , Forest Hill , S . E ., to Amy , youngest daughter of the late Mr . John Camp , of Bridgewatef House , Leyton . Esstftc . *