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CONNOISSEURS SMOKE TEOFANI'S HIGHEST-CLASS CIGARETTES. TEOFANI'S CIGARETTES have been awarded Two Gold Medals for Quality and Make , International Tobacco Exhibition , 1 S 95 TEOFANI'S are sold at the leading Hotels , Restaurants , and Totacconists throughout the United Kingdom .

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THE CRITERION RESTAURANT , PICCAD 1 LLY . THE EAST ROOM REOPENED , For the service of the highest class cuisine and wines . The East Room has been entirely Re-modelled and Re-decorated in Louis XV . style , and the windows lowered to the ground . Piccadilly or Jermyi :-street , is now one of 'The most comfortable and elegant salons in Europe . THE EAST ROOM , THE CRITERION RESTAURANT , PICCADILLY .

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PB^^^SSJ^I SATURDAY , MAY 27 , 18 99 . - ? —•

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The report which the Committee of Management of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution presented at the annual meeting of the Governors and Subscribers on Friday , the 19 th inst ., was on the whole far more satisfactory than might have been expected . The

year iSys , though tl e Festival , with the exception of that of 18 93 , was the least successful that has been held since 18 77 inclusive , proved after all a fairlyprosperous one . There was no need to trench upon the invested capital of the Institution , and when the

accounts were closed , there were found to be fairly good balances in hand on the two Annuity Funds and the Sustentation of Building Fund . For this the Committee are justly entitled to the gratitude of the friends and supporters of the Charity .

Masonic Notes.

Again , the Festival in February of the current year ultimately proved one of the most successful that has ever been held in behalf of our Old People , the total of . £ 18 , 207 which the Secretary had the gratification of announcing On the day it was celebrated being augmented to ^ 19 , 600 . Under these circumstances we

consider the Committee acted wisely in recommending a permanent increase in the number of annuitants on the two Funds , there being created five additional annuities on the Male Fund , and three on the Widows ' Fund . These additions will necessitate an additional outlay of nearly / 300 a year , so that the outlay for

annuities alone , including the half annuities payable to 22 widows , will amount to . £ 16 , 656 . It is , of course , a heavy responsibility to find this large sum annually , together with the £ 3000 or thereabouts which is required for expenses of management and the

maintenance Ox the Asylum at Croydon . But , in our opinion , the Cralt will the more readily contribute when they realise that an appreciable increase in the number of annuities has resulted from the efforts they so successfully made in February last .

» - * •» The annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire , which took place at Oldham on Wednesday , the 17 th instant , was held under circumstances of a particularly mournful nature . One of the last official acts , as our report informs us , of the late

Bro . Col . Le Gendre N . Starkie , Prov . G . Master , was to issue his mandate for the meeting-, and though his death occurred shortly afterwards it was decided not to interfere with the arrangements he had sanctioned . But the late Prov . G . Master was appointed to office in 1870 and it must have been a subject of intense grief

to our East Lancashire brethren to know that the kindly ruler whose presence on these occasions had been familiar to them for so many years had gone from their midst and that the administration of their Province could no longer be an object of his solicitude . Indeed , as soon as Provincial Grand Lodge was opened ,

the Dep . Prov . G . Master in charge , rose and moved a resolution of condolence with the widow of their late chief , and in doing so paid a just tribute of respect to his memory , recalling how on all occasions and in all matters that affected the welfare of the Province , Col . Starkie had exhibited the deepest interest and had done all in his power to promote those interests .

# » » Especially did the Deputy in charge lay stress on Col . Starkie ' s services to the East Lanes . Educational and Benevolent Institution , for the establishment of which he was immediately responsible , and to the Central Masonic Institutions , which also he had diligently

laboured to assist . He also referred to the great increase in the strength of the Province which had taken place since his appointment to office , there being now 113 lodges on the roll , as compared with some 77 or 78 in 1 S 70 . Bro . Goldthorpe , P . P . G . R ., who seconded the resolution , likewise spoke in terms

of the highest eulogy of what Col . Stirkie had done for East Lancashire , remarking that by his death "The Province had sustained one of the heaviest losses that could have befallen it . '' And not only did the brethren present assent in silence to the proposal , but when the business was over , and before the

meeting closed , Prov . Grand Lodge showed still further their respect for their late Prov . G . Master b y s ' anding in solemn silence while the dead march in "Saul" was played by the Prov . G . Organist . » * * The Prov . G . Master of West Yorkshire has

excellent reasons for being satisfied with the proceedings of the past year . In the first place , there are now 81 lodges on the roll , with an aggregate of 4140 members , or , rather more than an average of 51 per lodge . In the next , thc contributions made by the Province to the Central Masonic Charitable Institutions reached the

unprecedented sum of i ' 7956 , of which . £ 6136 was raised for the Boys' C < ntenary . As regarJs the proposal that was made last year and referred to a Committee for providing a central home for the Province in the way of offices , it is doubtless a matter for regret to many West Yorkshire brethren that the scheme

should have fallen through . The Committee , when they came lo consider the question in all its bearings , fjund that it would involve a large outlay and was not very generally supported , and so it has been dropped until the Province is more favourably disposed towards incurring the expenditure .

* * * But if the non . adoption of this proposal has caused disappointment among a number of thc members , there is little doubt the announcement that Bro . J . C . Malcolm , P . G . D ., had asked to be relieved of his

Masonic Notes.

office of Deputy Prov . Grand Master , and that the Prov . Grand Master had acceded to the request , must have been received with universal regret . Bro . Maicolm had held the ollice for only between three and four years . He threw a vast amount of energy into his work . He had visited most , if not all , of the

lodges in the Province , and had personally satisfied himself that iheir duties were being zealously carried out . But he appears to have convinced himself that , having regard to the pressure of his own private avecations , he could not conscientiously retain his office , and he has now retired , to the great regret of his chief

and of the members of the several lodges in West Yorkshire , to whom he was persona grata in the fullest sense of the words . His successor is Bro . Richard Wilson , who was appointed J . G . D . of England in 1897 , and will , no doubt , prove an efficient administrator when he has had time to accustom himself to his duties .

* * * There must be a great amount of enthusiasm over Freemasonry in the Transvaal . It was erected into a District , with Bro . George Richards to preside over it as its first Dist . Grand Master , on the ist January , 1895 ; and when the Grand Lodge Calendar for the

current year was issued it numbered 22 lodges . On the 1 st July of last year Comp . Richards received his patent of appointment as Grand Superintendent , and on the 22 nd April the Germiston Chapter , No . 2498 , which ranks seventh on the roll of Dist . Grand Chapter ,

was duly consecrated , and entered upon its career with every prospect of success . We judge so , at least , from the fact that at this inaugural meeting as many as 14 brethren were proposed for exaltation , and three companions as joining members .

We beg to remind our readers that thj anmfal sports of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys will take place at Wood Green to-morrow ( Saturday ) . The Boys' Band of the Strand Union Schools will play from 2 . 30 p . m ., while the sports will begin at 3

p . m . Tea will be served in the Hall from 4 to 6 p . m There are frequent trains both to and from Wood Green Station on the Great Northern and Green Lanes on the Great Eastern lines , so that intending visitors will have no difficulty either in going or returning .

» * » We have also much pleasure in annonncing that the Annual Fete and visit of Festival Stewards and their friends will take place at the Institution , Wood Green ,

en Tuesday , the 27 th prox ., the day preceding the Festival , and that the prizes will be distributed by Mrs . Charles E . Keyser , wife of Bro . Charles E . Keyser , P . G . D ., who will preside as Chairman at the Anniversary Meeting at Brighton .

* * * To-morrow ( Saturday ) , at the New Haw Farm , Addlestone , Surrey , will be consecrated the Hatch , lands Lodge , No . 2756 . The ceremony will be per formed by the Right Hon . the Earl of Onslow , G . C M . G ., Prov . G . Master , who will be assisted by Vis

count Dungarvan , Prov . G . Master of Somersetshire , and several of the Officers of the Prov . Grand Lodge of Surrey , with Bro . Frank Richardson , P . G . D ., as D . of C . The Principal Officers designate are Bros . F . Holme Sumner , P . M ., as W . M . j Frank Cripps , S . W . ; and Edward Cazenove , J . W . The Founders include , in addition to the foregoing brethren , Viscount

Dungarvan , who will fill the office of Treasurer ; the Karl of Euston , Prov . G . M , Northants and Hunts , who will take that of Secretary ; Bro . Sir Lipnel Darell , Bart ., P . G . D . j Lionel E . Direll , Frank Richardson , P . G . D . ; the Hon . M . E . M . Sandys , and Alfred Cooper , P . G . D . With such an array of distinguished brethren there can be li'tie doubt that the Hatchlands Lodge has before it a long and prosper JUS career .

* » * The half-yearly meeting of the Great Priory of the Order of the Temple , which was held at Mark Masons ' Hall on Friday , the i- " . h instant , appears to have been very numerously attended . Unfortunatel y , the Earl of Euston , M . E . and Supreme G . Master , was prevented ,

by unavoidable circumstances , from being in attendance until later in the proceedings , and so likewise was Sir Knight Viscount Dungarvan , G . Seneschal ; but Capt . N . G . Philips , Prov . Prior of East Anglia , presided in their absence . The Report of the Council was very satisfactory , and mentioned , among other

matters , that the Order had made great progress during the three years Lord Euston had been at its head . After the G . Officers of the year had been appointed and invested , the presiding officer referred to the proceedings of the annual conference of the

Order in Dublin on the 14 th April , and mentioned in particular that it had been resolved to interchange representatives with the several Grand Bodies . He also announced that the Earl of Lathom had been appointed Prov . Prior of Lancashire .