Weekly Summary.

Master of Rugby School , in thc place of Dr . Hayman . The Castro trial continues , probably the summing-up of the Lord Chief Justice will be concluded before our impression appears , but we defer necessarily to next week , any comments

on the trial itself . If the news from Coomassie may be relied on , Sir Garnet Wolseley is in possession of the town , of the King and the Royal family . We have to lament the loss of Captain Huyshe , on the staff of the army . Some interesting details

of the march have arrived , but the jungle does not improve in acquaintance , and the roads are susceptible of Macademic amelioration . Our soldiers seem to have shown of what good stuff they are made of as usual , as their principal

enemies have been so far , the " climate , " and want of transport , and a great many , we are sorry to say , are coming home invalided ! The search of the salvage corps continues at the Pantechnicon , but much has been irreparably

lost to depositors . Four railway accidents , more or less serious , occurred on four different lines of railway , which is rather an unusual number , in one week . As is commonly the case , they are all apparently unaccountable .

Up to Friday evening the fund now being raised in the City of London , under the auspices ofthe Lord Mayor and an influential committee , composed of Lord Lawrence , Mr . N . de Rothschild , M . P ., the Hon . R . Bourke , M . P ., Sir Albert Sassoon , Mr . Dudley Smith ( banker ) ,

and other gentlemen of consideration , towards the relief of suffering by the impending famine in the province of Bengal , amounted far towards £ 18 , 000 , and subscriptions were still coming in . The subscriptions included Mr . John Baring , £ 200 ; the Marquis of Bristol , £ 50 ; Matheson

and Co ., £ 500 ; the Mercers Company , £ 525 ; the Borneo Company , £ 100 ; Messrs . Copestake , Moore , and Crampton , £ 105 ; Messrs . Allsopp and Co ., £ 100 ; the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company , sc ? ioo ; N . R . B ., £ 100 ; Sir John Macleod , £ 50 ; Messrs .

Harker and Co ., ^ 52 10 s . ; and the Tiphook Tea Company , £ 50 . A telegram received yesterday morning Dy the Lord Mayor from the Viceroy of India stated that the Chairman of the Central Relief Committee at Calcutta had been informed of the first remittance of sS 10 , 000 ,

from the City of London Committee . A most desperate highway robbery took place in the Fulham-road , of Mr . G . F . Dillon Croker , on Monday last , at midnight , by two interesting strangers . We trust these amiable footpads

will soon be in the custody of the police . Doubts are still thrown on the report of Dr . Livingstone ' s death , and we confess that we still do not believe it , If , however , the last telegram maybe relied on , there is but little hope left .

Nothing more has been said about the Chatham Scandal , and Mr . Cuffe ' s combative propensities ; the truth is , the least said , the soonest mended . With regard to foreign news we have little to record .

France is tranquil , and trade apparently reviving generally , though in Paris many are suffering greatly . Madame MacMahon has assisted at a meeting to commence a system of soup kitchens for the indigent .

In Japan , it seems , a civil war has broken out and Nagasaki is threatened with the " . happy dispatch . " The Emperor of Austria was to leave St . Petersburg for Moscow on the 22 nd , and was to be back at Vienna via Smolensk and

Warsaw on the 17 th . Cardinal Tarquini is dead , one of the last appointed Cardinals , Cardinal Antonelli is unwell , and Cardinal Barnabo is in great danger . It is asserted that a new batch of Cardinals will shortly be created , among whom , will be

Archbishop Manning , the Bishop of Orleans ( Dupanloup , ) and the Archbishop of Malines . In Spain , General Morione ' s movements are in such a state of doubt and mystery , that we are inclined to think they will all end in smoke . We have to announce the deaths of Sir George Campbell , of Succoth , of Sir Thomas W . Hol-

Weekly Summary.

borne , of W . Vesalius Pettigrew , M . D ., of J . Pearce Parker , M . D ., of Charles Kidd , M . D ., of C . Wordsworth , Q . C , of Lieutenant-Genera ' Sir Sydney Colton , Governor Royal Hospital Chelsea , of Colonels Jeakes , George Green Nicholls , John James Hamilton , of

Lieutenant-Colonel Reed , Major Henry Chase , Major Mant , R . A ., Captain De Lancey , Surgeon-Major A . F . Richard , 38 th Regiment , J . C . S . Freemantle , late and Life Guards , W . G . Andrews , late ist Hussars , of William Bruce , retired Captain R . N ., Coram . Hon . J . Vivian , R . N ., and Lieutenant Hon . Basil Napier , R . N .

United Grand Lodge..

UNITED GRAND LODGE ..

The following is the agenda of business to be transacted in Grand Lodge on Wednesday , 4 th March , 1874 : — 1 . The regulations for the Government of Grand Lodge during the time of public business will be read .

2 . The Minutes of the Quarterly Communication ofthe 3 rd December , 1873 , will be read and put for confirmation . 3 . The election of a M . W . Grand Master .

4 . Election of a Grand Treasurer . 5 . Report of the Lodge of Benevolence for the last quarter , in which are recommendations for the following grants , viz .. — The Widow of a brother ofthe Alexandra

Lodge , No . 993 , Levsnshulme ... ... . £ 50 A Brother of the Royal Union Lodge , No . 382 , Uxbridge £ 50 A Brother of the Portsmouth Lodge , No . 487 , Portsmouth ... ... ... £ 50 6 . Report of the Board of General Purposes

to the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England : — "The Board of General Purposes have to report that memorials or complaints having been received from Brother Hemming and others of the British Oak Lodge , No . 831 , Mile End , in

which , amongst other things , it was alleged and charged , and acknowledged by the W ; Master to be true , that , on a regular lodge night the W . Master , of his own motion , called the lodge off and left the room with his officers , remaining away five hours : when he returned and resumed

the lodge , the board duly proceeded to the consideration of the said matters , ancl summoned before them the several parties . " The W . Master , Brother Hackwell , delivered up the Warrant ancl Minute Book of the Lodge . " The complaining brethren , the VV . Master

and others , were severally heard at considerable length , and the Board bestowed great trouble and pains to ascertain thc state of feeling amongst the members , and it is with deep regret that the Board feels itself imperatively called upon , in Ihe interests of the Craft , to report that the

antagonistic feelings prevailing amongst the members of the British Oak Lodge , No . 831 , are such that it appears quite certain that the continued existence and assembling of the lodge cannot possibly be attended with favourable results , either to its own welfare or that of the Craft . Under

these circumstances the Board , unwillingly but unanimously , recommend that the lodge be erased ancl the warrant declared forfeited . " The Board consider they should not close this report without stating , for the information of Grand Lodge , that complaints of a very grave

character were heard before them from members of this same British Oak Lodge , No . 831 , on August 26 th , 1873 , when , although the warrant was returned to the W . Master , he and the brethren were severely reprimanded by the

President , and were then informed b y him that the members of the Board had grave doubts as to whether they ought not then to suspend the lodge , and earnestl y cautioned them as to the future .

" ( Signed ) J A . RUCKER . " Vice-President . ' ' To the report is subjoined a statement of the Grand Lodge accounts at the last meeting of the

Finance Committee , held on Friday , the j 3 th day of February instant , showing a balance in the hands ofthe Grand Treasurer of ^ 4 , 905 us . 6 d . ; and in the hands of the Grand Secretary for petty cash , £ 75 j and for servants' wages , £ 90 17 s .

United Grand Lodge..

7 . Report of Bro . R . P . Harding , Auditor of Grand Lodge Accounts of Receipts and Disbursements during thc year 1873 .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

[ We do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even as approving of , the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish in a spirit of fair play to all to permit within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —En . ]

THE PRESENT POSITION OF OUR MASONIC CHARITIES .

To the Editor of The Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — There is much in the leading article , with the above heading , in your issue of Saturday last , and in articles recently published on the same subject , which appears to me to be

worthy of , if not to demand , notice . The pamphlet which you take as your text is not by Bro . Walker , but by Bro . Henry Watson , S . W . of S . Hugh Lodge , No . 1386 , Lincoln , who has done himself much credit , and the Masonic Institutions good service by his

disinterested advocacy . This is rendered more valuable as being the result of a minute analysis of expenditure and management , which it is hoped will prove as acceptable to the Craft at large as it must have been satisfactory to Bro . Watson .

Let me , however , first notice your complaint , of non-advertising in your paper . Now is it not a singular coincidence that in the same number in which contains this complaint there appears the advertisement of our ensuing Anniversary Festival , the first of three insertions , for

which instructions have been given , the Freemason being the only paper in which this announcement has appeared up to the time of this present writing . In my humble opinion class institutions do not gain much by publicity , but at the same time I do not advocate its entire

avoidance , and if the great majority ofthe Craft did but subscribe to and support The Freemason , the only English Masonic paper existing , that paper would unquestionably be the most proper , and the best , medium of information to our friends . But have we not

your own repeated utterances that such is not the case . To reach our friends , therefore , who from lack of discrimination will not carefully aud diligently peruse your columns , we are driven to resort in cases where publicity is desirable , to the prints which are generally read , by those in , as

well as out of , our pale , and of these the paper you prominently instance—the Times—is , by common consent , accepted as best calculated to serve the object in view . For myself I can assure you that there is no wish to withhold any advertisements which may

legitimately find place in your paper . There are difficulties in the way of advertising some of our meetings , but these and other questions connected therewith may be fairly considered , with a view to devise means for arrangements more generally satisfactory .

In perusing your leader does it not strike you how we meet on common ground ? You quote my remarks as to the small proportion of the members of our Order by whom the institutions associated therewith are supported , and you complain ofthe " cold shoulder " to which The Freemason is treated .

If our complaints are both well-founded , in what way can a remedy in Jeach case be best sought and applied ? Is there any intrinsic weakness in our institutions which renders them so comparatively unattractive , or which justifies the " cold

shoulder '" to which they and their advocates are occasionally treated ? Is there anything radically defective in the conduct and management of The Freemason which can reasonabl y account for the neglect you complain of ?

To these questions we should both undoubtedly answer firmly , perhaps indignantly , in the negative . Where then is to be found the solution of the difficulty in each case , so often obtruded on the attention of the Craft ? Clearly , and at once , is the fact patent to all observers , that in all the various walks of life ,