Reviews.

Bro . Mackey ' s labours , and here he has been able to intro duce in a compressed form a vast amount of new matter gathered with judgment and most carefully , all the latest and best contribution ! , to our history and literature . Among the brethren whom Bro . McClenachan specifies as having materially assisted by their writings in the spread of a sounder and more extensive knowledge of our history are Bros . VV . ] . Hughan and R . F . Gould , of both of whom he

speaks briefly , but in terms of almost unqualified praise , the latter ' s History being again and again referred to , and drawn upon for information not elsewhere obtainable . Bro . T . S . Parvin , Bro . Rob Morris , LL . D ., and others among American brethren are mentioned for their literary labours or services to the cause of Masonic literature . There are also many new subjects , or new branches of subjects previously considered , to which due attention is given , and the

manner in which the different articles are written harmonises well as regards character with ( Dr . Mackey's work . In short , Bro . McClenachan , when he determined upon taking editorial charge of a new edition of this " Encyclop . irlia of Freemasonry" ventured boldly into a field of labour which was certain to entail upon him much hard work and might bring him but little kudos . But he has achieved his purpose well , and we have much pleasure in thanking him for his work , and congratulating him on its success .

Reports Of Masonic Meetings.

REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGS .

( Craft fttasonrg . ROYAL SOMERSET HOUSE AND INVERNESS LODGE ( No . 4 ) . —The installation meeting of this lodge was held on Monday last at the Freemasons ' Hall . The lodge really consists of three united lodges , namely , The Original Lodge , No . 4 , which was in existence in 1717 , and therefore has no warrant , but works by immemorial constitution ; Tlie Somerset House Lodge , No . 279 , which dates from 1762 ; and the Royal Inverness Lodge ,

No . 64 S , which was the first lodge constituted under the United Grand Lodge of England . The lodge includes among its members many distinguished brethren , among whom are Bros . . 'Eneas J . Mclntyre , O . C . M . P ., P . G . W ., P . G . R . ; Sir Francis Roxburgh , O . C , P . G . R . ; Dr . A . Meadow * , G . D . ; C . Locock Webb , Q . C , P . G . D . ; C . Beaumont , P . G . D . ; T . H . Devonshire , P . G . D . ; Ganz , P . G . Organist ; besides a long list of Grand Stewards . The

lodge was opened by the W . M ., Bro . West , who , after the confirmation of the minutes of the previous meeting , initiated one candidate—Mr . Stewart—into the mysteries of the First Degree . Bro . Charles Baxter Cousens , the S . VV . of the lodge and W . M . elect , was then presented for installation , and a Board of Installed Masters having been constituted , was inducted into the chair of K . S . with the customary solemnities , the ceremony being performed by Bro . West

with the precision and fluency which always characterise his work . The officers for the ensuing year were then invested by Bro . Cousens , the new VV . M ., and are : Bros . Hughes , S . W . ; WelJun , J . W . j Andrew , Chap . ; Chynoweth , Treas . ; West I . P . M ., Sec ; Pollard , S . D . ; John Hughes , J . D . ; Hall , D . C . ; H . De Stern , I . G . ; Hoit , Org . ; and Naylor , Stwd .

Before closing the lodge , the W . M . said he had a very pleasing duty to perform . A Past Master's jewel had been voted to Bro . West for the admirable manner in which he had conducted the affairs of the lodge for the past twelve months . The manner in which he had performed his duties reflected great credit upon him and upon the lodge . They had not had very much work to do in the lodge j but what there was could not have been better done , and it gave him

much pleasure to hand Bro . West the Past Master ' s jewel awarded to him , for the way in which he had carried out the duties of his office . Bro . West said , in reply , that he thanked the brethren very much for this kind expression of their feelings towards him . He knew no . v that the last link of responsibility had been broken , and he felt , likewise , that he had lelt the chair in the hands of one who , he was quite sure , would do

his best to fulfil the obligations he had entered into that evening . For his own part , he hoped he had carried out what he had promised to do ; at all events , he had done his duty to the best of his ability . He very much appreciated the mark of feeling that had been bestowed upon him , and he hoped he might take it to indicate that he had in a measure redeemed the promises he made . He should be happy to render the VV . M . such assistance as he had

himself received from the officers while he was in the chair , and lor which he now returned them his thanks for the very great assistance which had enabled him lo carry out the duties he had had to perform . Bro . West then took up his position as Secretary of the lodge , in which capacity he moved that a sum of £ 5 5 s . be voted out of the lodge funds to each of the three Masonic Chanties—the lienevolent Institution , the Boys '

School , and the Girls' School , to be placed on the lists of those hrethren who should represent the Iodge at this year ' s Festivals . It was then proposed by the VV . M ., and seconded by the Chaplain of the lodge , that Bro . Hughes , S . W ; , be elected Grand Steward for the ensuing year , a motion which was carried unanimously ; and , in reply , Bro .

Hughes thanked the brethren for the kind manner in which they had elected him , and said that he would in his new oflice to the best of his ability uphold the dignity of that time-honoured lodge . There being no further business , the lodge was closed , and thebrethren subsequently dined together in the adjoining tavern . When the cloth had been drawn , the W . M . proceeded to propose the time-honoured , loyal , and

Masonic toasts . Alter the toasts to "The Oueen and the Craft , " and " The Grand Master , " had been duly honoured , Ihe W . M . said the next toast was to "The Health of the Pro Grand Master , the Earl of Carnarvon ; the Deputy Grand Master ,

the Earl of Lathom ; and the rest of the Grand Oflicers , Present and Past . " After remarking on the fact that the first mentioned Grand Officers held office under the late Government , the W . M . said they were that evening honoured by the presence of a number of Grand Officers , among whom were the Grand Treasurer , the Grand

Reports Of Masonic Meetings.

Registrar ; P . Grand Standard Bearer , Bro . Col . Peters ; P . G . Org ., Bro . Ganz ; Bro . Thomas , P . G . A . D . C . The VV . M . then referred to the impressions made on him by his visits to Grand Lodge , and concluded by calling on Bro . Philbrick and Bro . Thomas to respond . Bro . Philbrick said that , in responding for the Grand Officers , he was tempted to wish that under this leaden sky that we had all suffered under for the last fortnight in this

terrible corner of the great world , he could bring before his hearers what he sa > v represented in an old Italian picture a while since , which represented the river oi Lethe , where the lame and the maimed and the halt and the blind crawled and hobbled and were brought by officious friends to the edge of the stream . No one having energy enough on the one side to leap in , were pushed in , but , being in , forgot all the past , and emerged on the other side clothed

in renewed youth and strength , and hurried away to start on a new career of manhood and beauty . Did he not wish , as a Grand Officer , that the river of Lethe flowed between all that had ever been said in response to that toast , so that he might say something which would strike his auditors as new . He would say , in answer to that time-honoured toast , how sensible the Grand Oflicers were of the appreciation in which their services were held . Some of them

had seen what business had to be transacted at the forthcoming great meeting of the Order , and how the duties which appertained to the great Order they were proud to belong to extended from east to went—iron Burmah and Madras on the one side , to Illinois and Quebec on the other . Masonry held in her grasp the old world and the new , and the cares of Masonry and the duties of Masonry and the concerns of Masonry were to be found alike in both

hemispheres , and the duties which the Grand Officers had to discharge involved the care and conduct of the great cause of Masonry all over the world , in that great Empire where the sun never ceases to shine . In that circle of Masons it was superfluous to say a word to vindicate the claims which the Earl of Carnarvon and the Earl of Lathom had upon the Order ; both had rendered to the Craft inestimable services . Of the rest of the Grand Oflicers hc

might perhaps be permitted to say that the position of the Order in the eyes of the world at large showed that the management of the ship had not been entrusted to unskilled navigators . And in this distinguished lodge , which was one of the two immemorial lodges , he was pleased to think that there were Grand Officers who were members of the lodge , and in thanking them for the compliment the lodge had just paid to the Grand Officers , he would express the

hope that the coming year might be regarded as one of the years of happy years and happy augury for thc Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge . Bro . Thomas also responded for "The Grand Officers . " Bro . West , I . P . M ., said that as he had taken the gavel into his hand the brethren would know that the next toast to be proposed was that of " The VV . M . " Among the many onerous duties that he had had to perform connected

with his year of office he did not know of anything which had given him so much trouble as being called upon to propose that toast , because he was unable to find in a few words sufficient expression to convey all that he should like to say in behalf of the toast he hid to propose . Many of those present had been in the lodge with their W . M . for a longer period than he ( Bro . West ) had been a member of it , and he was quite sure that one and all sincerely

congratulated Bro . Cousens upon being appointed to the chair of K . S . He had once before put his hand to the plough , and had turned back , and he was one of the few who , having turned back again , had put his hand tothe plough again , with the result that he was now filling the chair . He prophesied that Bro . Cousens would do his best to carry out thc duties he was called upon to perform , and still more to carry them out to the satisfaction of the lodge . It was not letting them into much of a secret to tell them

that Bro . Cousens had been preparing himself for the last 12 months for the duties he would have to perform during his year of office . He did not know that he need say any more than that Bro . Cousens was determined to do his duty , and it would be for thc next Master at the end ol the year to say that his efforts have been successful . He could , however , promise Bro . Cousens that he would receive the same forbearance that had in the past year been shown to himself .

The Worshipful Master , in reply , said that after what had fallen from the I . P . M . he felt diffident in responding to this toast . He had belonged to this lodge for 20 years . It appeared to him that his brethren knew his good and bad qualities better than he did himself . He hoped now that he was in the chair to keep up the dignity of that ancient lodge . It was true he had once turned back , but he had tried again , and was at last installed , and it would

be his earnest endeavour to fill the chair with credit . He concluded by thanking the brethren for the good wishes and good advice that had been given him that evening . The Worshipful Master said he had that night gained a new brother , Bro , Stewart , who had started on the first step of the ladder , and would , he hoped , continue to rise on it , not by fits and starts , but with regularity , until in a few years hc arrived at the chair .

The Initiate , in reply , said that he was so young a man that he could not expect in that lodge to rise rapidly . His experience that evening had ^ been a series of surprises . He would endeavour to do his duty , and he supposed in about 40 years he might hope to gain the chair . The next toast was that of " The Visitors , " to which Col . Peters and several other brethren responded . Bro . Col . Peters said of all the speeches which the

brethren had to respond to that evening the toast with which his name had been coupledwas the most difficult of all . In the presence of so many Grand Officers who were senior to himself he had been deputed to reply for the visitors there that evening , notwithstanding that there were so many much more able to do justice to this very important toast . However great the difficulty might be . it gave him great pleasure to use his best endeavours , though he

might not be able to find words adequately to express his thanks . He had often found that it was far more difficult to return thanks for other people than for himself individually , and in the presence of so many distinguished visitors the difficulty that evening was greater than usual . Were there any brethren present who could find a fault with any

of the evening ' s proceedings , whether in the lodge room or at the banquet table , they must be hard to please , for it must have been their own fault if they did not have all they desired . It was not the first time that he had partaken of the hospitality offered by the lodge , a visit to which was always a source of rea ) pleasure . For himself and for the

Reports Of Masonic Meetings.

other visitors he returned the lodge his warmest thanks . With regard to the work of the lodge , it was the first time he had had the pleasure of seeing Bro . West ' s working ; but he said , and he wassure every one present would concur with him in saying , that he had never seen better working than he had witnessed that evening . He hoped that Bro . Cousens' year of office would be a ereat success , and ,

indeed , he felt certain that it would be , for his genial manner and kindly face carried with them an assurance that , while striving after happiness himself , he would also endeavour to promote the happiness of others . The toast of " The Past Masters " was next proposed by the W . M ., and very ably responded to by Bros . Devonshire and Weldon .

I he VV . M . then proposed "The Health of the Treasurer and Secretary , " and , on account of the lateness of the hour , included in this toast the other officers of the lodge . The toast was responded to by Bro . West , in the absence of the Treasurer , and the Senior and Junior Wardens also acknowledged the compliment , after which the Tyler was summoned , and his toast concluded the proceedings of the

evening . Among the visitors present were Bros . J . D . Allcroft , P . G . Treas . ; F . A . Philbrick , O . C , G . Reg . ; J . Lewis Thomas , P . G . A . D . C ; Col . Peters , P . G . S . B . ; G . D . Lister , P . P . G . S . of VV . ; G . A . Wallis , P . P . G . S . W . ; W . C . Fooks , P . P . G . S . W . ; Lord Headley , 10 ; Theodore Lumley ; A , j . Norris , 569 ; VV . de Manley Sergison ,

10 ; Franklin Clive , 1319 ; H . Sutton , 231 ; C . M . Stephens , 14 ; Alex . Peebles , 905 ; V . Christie , 5 ; J . Pease , 569 ; John F . Carnell , P . M . 1414 ; R . S . Archbold , P . M . 19 ; R . Payne , P . M . 132 S ; George Hughes , 259 ; Lewis P . Collins , S 2 >; John Stedman , VV . M . 172 ; John Hodges , P . M . 1706 ; A . Lawrence Fryer , 1624 ; John S . Cousens , P . M . 227 ; G . H . Hopkinson , 14 ; * H . D . Larnach , 227 j and E . C Massey .

FRIENDSHIP LODGE ( No . 206 ) . —This lodge met on the nth inst . at Bro . Painter ' s , Ship and Turtle Tavern , Leadenhall-street , E . C . Bro . William Gowland occupied the chair , supported by Bros . VV . II . Arber , S . VV . ; J . M . Rooney , J . VV . ; J . L . Anderson , I . P . M ., Treas . ; A . R . Rumsey , P . M ., Sec . ; A . Britton , S . D . ; Wm . Steel , J . D . ; E . H . Marquis , I . G . ; A . VV . Tobin ,

Stwd . ; R . VV . Goldie , VV . S . Tipson , Barrett , and P . M . 's E . Squirrel ) , H . Mann Collier , J . Waters , F . Wiggins , and S . Gammon ; and Gulloch , Tyler . After the reading of the minutes , Bro . R . VV . Goldie was raised to the Third Degree . Some matters cf purely lodge interest were next satisfactorily disposed of , and during the discussion of which the visiting brethren

courteously retired from the lodge . AU business being ended , and it being an " off night , " a most enjoyable hour was passed in social conversation , the toasts being briefly introduced , but most cordially received . Amongst the visitors were Bros . E . VV . Clements , D . C . 1 S 16 ; F . Hitch , 453 ; P . C Brewster , 52 S ; and G . H . Stephens , P . M . 1 G 23 . Bro . Squirrcll , P . M ., as Steward , ably attended to the creature comfoits of the brethren .

WESTBOURNE LODGE ( No . 733 ) . —Thc installation meeting of this lodge took place at Lord ' s Hotel , St . John's Wood , on Thursday , the iSth inst ., when , as usual , there was a very large attendance of the members of the lodge and their guests to witness the installation of Bro . Charles R . Wickens , the S . W . of the past year , who had been unanimously elected by the

brethren to fill the office of VV . M . during the ensuing 12 months . Bro . M . C . Joy , VV . M ., opened the lodge punctually at five o ' clock , and after the formal business of the reading the minutes of the last ordinary and the two emergency meetings by the Secretary , Bro . P . M . Walker , Bro . Charles R . Wickens was presented for installation , and , having confotmed to the usual requirements ,

was obligated . A Board of Installed Masters was then formed , in presence of whicli Bro . Joy installed the new VV . M . with the customary solemnities into the chair of K . S . The ceremony was performed with great care by Bro . Joy , who , after Bro . Wickens had been proclaimed and saluted in the three Degrees , delivered the customary addresses to the W . M ., the Wardens , and the brethren of

the lodge . The VV . M . then proceeded to invest his officers as follows : Bros . M . C . Joy , I . P . M . ; S . 1 . Humfress , S . VV . ; C . J . Biorn , J . VV . ; J . Welford , Treas . ; S . R . Walker , Sec . ; VV . Drew , S . D . ; VV . Burton , J . D . ; J . VV . Curtis , I . G . ; C . A . Cottebrune , P . M ., D . C ; G . Bell , A . D . C ; VV . Belsham and W . Bell , Stwds . ; E . J . Eaton , Org . ; and W . Thomas , Tyler . The lodge was then closed . After the closing of the

lodge the brethren and their numerous guests adjourned to the banquet room , where an excellent dinner was provided in first-rate style by Bro . Reeder , the proprietor of the hotel , and when the cloth had been withdrawn the VV . M . addressed himself to the task of disposing of the customary list of loyal and Masonic toasts . " The Oueen and the Craft , " "The M . W . G . M ., H . R . H .

the Prince of Wales , " and the "Grand Oflicers , " were proposed in a few words , the last being responded to by Bro . C . A . Cottebrune , who said that in performing his duty , as a Past Grand Officer , of returning thanks for the compliment that had been paid to the Present and Past Officers of the Grand Lodge of England , he would remind them that the position of a Grand Officer was not

necessarily a mere empty honorary position , but there were attached to it many duties , either connected with the practical part of Freemasonry , which might occupy a good deal of the time of devoted Alasons , as well as duties of a social nature , which were incumbent on all of them . Among the duties of practical Freemasonry he might instance the Board of Benevolence , at which many Grand

Officers were regular attendants . Only on the previous evening he attended that Board , when there were thirtyeight cases considered , and reliel given to the amount of £ 1020 . I'he Grand Officers of England included many men of great eminence , and he was proud to say , speaking of them as a body , that they were not less worthy than they were distinguished . On behalf of the Grand Officers he

returned his hearty thanks for the cordiality with which this toast had been received . Bro . Joy , I . P . M ., in proposing the next loast , said that he had now the pleasure—lor thc first time in that capacity —to propose "The Health of their esteemed W . M ., Bro . Wickens , than whom no brother in the lodge was better . qualified to fill the chair . Bro , Wickens had shown while