Masonic And General Tidings.

Masonic and General Tidings .

BRO . MURPHY , Q . C , has been elected Treasurer of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple for the ensuing year . THE MAROUIS OF LORNE has consented to act as Vice-President of the Committee of Advice at the Victorian Exhibition , Earl's Court , while Bro . Sir Arthur Sullivan will be the Chairman of the Musical Section Committee . THE RIGHT HON . the Lord Mayor of London , whose country seat of Bills Park is situated in Hertfordshire , was entertained at dinner at Hertford on Saturday evening lust , among Ihe guests present beinif Bro . the Earl Cowper , K . G ., and Bro . Abel Smith , jun .

THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF YORK concluded their visit to Bro . the Earl and Countess Cowper on Saturday last , and returned to York House , the Duchess travelling direct , while the Duke , who wss attended by the Hon . Derek Keppel , broke the journey at Norwich for the purpose of inspecting the Fat Stock Show . Bro . R . I . FINNEMORE , K . C . T ., 33 ° , Past District Grand Master . Past Dist . Grand Mark Master , Past Grand Superintendent , Past Prov . Prior , Sic , who , in consequence of the pressure of his official duties as Crown Solicitor , resigned his Masonic offices in 1 S 95 , has just been raised to the judicial bench , as a Puisne judge ol the Supreme Court of Natal .

BRO . WILHELM KUHE has arranged a Sarasate Concert at the Dom ? , Brighton , to-morrow ( Saturday ) at 3 p . m . The selection which will be given by this distinguished violinist will include several of his own compositions and Bach's second sonata for violin and piano . The pianist will , be Dr . Otto Neiteel , who will play pieces by Mendelssohn and Liszt .

H . R . H . THE PRINCE OF WALES presided at a meeting of his Council , held at the offices of the Duchy of Cornwall , Buckingham-gate , on Saturday last , among those present being the Earl of Ducie , Lord Playfair , Sir Nigel Kingscote , Sir D ' ghton Probyn , and others . In the evening his Royal Highness and suite visited the Comedy Theatre , and witnessed a performance of " A White Elephant . "

THE CRICKET TEAM which Lord Hawke will takeout to the West Indies early next year , will consist of himself as captain , and Messrs . H . D . G . Leveson Gower , G . R . Bardswell , P . F . Warner , H . R . Bramlin Davenport , A . M . Miller , W . H . Wakefield , T . M . Dawson , R . W . Wickham , A . E . Leatham , and R . Berens . The party will leave England on board the R . M . S . Don , on ths 13 th January . A MEETING of the Barnby Memorial Trust Fund was held at the Royal Academy

of Music , under the presidency of Sir Alexander Mackenzie on Wednesday , when it wis announced that the subscriptions amounted to £ ' 1451 . Bro . Sir Archur Sullivan , Mr . Littleton , and Mr . Brooks-Hitching , were appointed trustees . It was suggested that a concert should beheld on the 28 th January , 1 S 97 , the anniversary of Sir Joseph Barnby's death and if the expenses are guaranteed that it should take place under the auspices of the committee ofthe Trust Fund .

SATURDAY , the 21 st inst ., was the sCth birthday of the Empress Frederick of Germany ( Princess Royal of Great Britain and Ireland ) , and the auspicious event was celebrated at Windsor in the usual manner by the firing of the Royal salute in the Long Walk and the ringing of the church bells . In Berlin the Emperor and Empress gave an evening entertainment , in honour of the anniversary , at the New Palace , Potsdam , at which the British Ambassador ( Sir Frank Lascelles ) and Lady Lascelles were invited to be present .

AN EMBLEMATIC SCULI . EKY . MAID . —Demse Duval was recently a scullerymaid in the emplcymer . t of a lady whose husband is a Fret mason . The dishonest servant stole her master ' s apron , scat f , and insignia , and went away . She offered a rare mark to the pcllce , however , by walking through Mon ' martre on Saturday , her hat ornamented with triangles and olher extraordinary articles , while a Masonic scarf did duty on her shoulders as a shawl .

THE MID-WINTER SHOW of the National Chrysanthemum Society will take place on Tuesday , Wednesday , and Thursday next , at the Royal Aquarium , when a remarkable display of late ( lowering varieties of fuperb character will be on view . Persian cyclamen , Chinese primroses , and berried plants will be added to the display of chrysanthemums , and the whole will form a unique exhibition . The flower show will not interfere with the ladies' cycle racing , which has proved most successful .

MAJOR-GENERAL SIR HFRHERT KITCHENER , Sirdar of the Egyptian Army , arrived at Windsor Castle on Saturday , and was introduced by the Lord-in-Waiting to her Majesty , who conferred upon him the honour of knighthood , and afterwards invested him with the insignia of a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath ( Military Division ) . The Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha were present with the Queen , and Bro . the Earl of Kintore , Capt . Drummond , and Bro . Col . the Hon . Henry fayng were in attendance .

THE NORTH GERMAN LLOYD STEAMSHIP COMPANY have had built for them a new vessel , the Frederick the Great , to run between this country and the Australasian Colonies . The ship has a tonnage of 10 , 500 , while those of the P . and O . and Orient lines do not average more than about 6000 tons and do not exceed Sooo tons . The German steamer thus far will be largest that has as yet been put on this route , and this fact may not improbably stimulate our British shipbuilders to build bigger and faster ships than those hitherto employed .

MRS . KF . ELY , the venerable actress , celebrated her 90 th birthday on Sunday last , and received innumerable letters and cards of congratulation and souvenirs of the happy occasion . Among those who sent messages were Bro . Sir Henry Irving , while among those who called or sent were Bro . J . L . Toole , Bro . and Mrs . Bancroft , Bro . the Earl cf Londesborough , Lady Freake , and others . Mrs . Keely , in spite ol her great age , is hale and hearty , and was not only able to receive her numerous callers , but took her usual place at the dinner table in the evening .

STANLEY SHOW . —The Self-Adjusting Bicycle Support Company , Limited , whose temporary offices are at S 3 , Piccadilly , ar » showing a most ingenious and useful attachment which can be easily fitted to any machine , enabling the rider to stop at pleasure whilst retaining his seat , an obvious boon to beginners or those who ride in crowded thoroughfares . It is not at all unsightly ; in fac ; , from the front or back of the machine it is invisible , and a touch to aspiingon the handle-bar instantly adjusts it . For military ru-poses it would be invaluable , as the men could shoot without dismounting . The price at which it is proposed to retail the invention is not at all prohibitive .

THE CEREMONY of consecration and installation will be rehearsed by Bro . James Terry , P . G . S . B ., Sec . R . M . B . I ., at the Lewisham Lodgeof Instruction , No . 2579 , at the Parish Hall , Ladywell—adjoining Ladywell Station , S . E . R ., on Wednesday , the gth prox . Ledge will be opened at 6 . 30 p . m . precisely , but only Master . Masons can attend , and Masrnic clothing will be worn . The musical arrangements will be in charge af Bro . C . W . Wilkes . We undrstand there is ample accommodation in the hall for a

laigc attendance , and brethren will , doubtless , avail themselves of so excellent an rppoitunity of witnessing what , under the guidance of so experienced a Mason as Bro . Terry , cannot piove otherwise than a most impressive performance . We will add that the Lewisham Lodge of Instruction meets every Wednesday throughout the year , at S p . m ., at the Black Bull Inn , High-street , Lewisham . For the particulars , if desired , may be had of Bro . Kdward Hall , Hon . Secretary , 17 , Mount Pleasant-road , Lswisham , S . E .

DROPS OF SCENT WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD . —In a recent article in Answers , it was erroneously stated that Messrs . Blondeau , the manufacturers cf the well-known Vinolia Soap , consume 1000 ouncesof otto of rosescvery year . Considering that otto of roses is more than worth its weight in gold , probably some readers thought that the writer was romancing . _ As a matter cf fact , however , his statement fell far below the truth , as a representative of Answers discovered the other day when lie paid

a visit to the famous Vinolia factory . Roughly speaking , this firm ' s yearly consumption of this golden fluid is about 5000 ounces ! The precious liquid has a strong-room all to itself , wherein it reclines in curious-looking flagons swathed in flannel . These 11 igons are undoubtedly the most valuable in the world . Although less than 12 inches long and only about fix inches in diameter , each of them contains . fiSo worth of liquid ! The same sized flagons , if filled with wine of the rarest and most costly vintage , would n"t be worth one-tenth of their present value . —Answers .

Masonic And General Tidings.

BRO . MAJ .-GENERAL LORD . . METHUHN will present the prizes of the North Middlesex Rilles at the regimental head-quarters in Camden Town , on Fridav >__ iSth December . . ' . . J > me . BRO . SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH , Bart ., M . P . ( the Chancellor of the Exchequer ) and Lady Lucy and Miss Hicks-Beach have been visiting Earl Fortescue . at Cactii Hill , North Devon . ' stle

BRO . THE EARL OF DIINRAVEN , who'is lieutenant of the County of Limerick , went early in the week to Adare Manor to meet his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland •' on his visit tb that county . ¦ . ' BY COMMAND of the Queen , the choir of St . George's Chapel sang before her Majesty arid the Royal Court at Windsor Palace on Wednesday' evening , the concert taking place in St . George ' s Hall . Bro . Sir Walt ° r Parratt conducted .

THE QUEEN REGENT and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands visited the King and Queen of Italy at the palate at Maza on Saturday afternoon , and returned to Milan in the evening , while on Sunday the King and Queen of Italy returned the visit . THE PRINCESS LouiSE . Marchioness of Lome , opened an addition to the premises cf the Scottish Branch of the Jubilee Nurses' Institute , at Castle-terrace , Edinburgh , on Tuesday , among those present being the Lord Provost , the Marquis of Lome , Lord Reay , and others .

AMONG THE GUESTS who have been staying at the Earl and Countess Brownlow ' s seat , of of Ashridge , near Great Berkhampstead , were the Duke and Duchess of Westminster , Bro . the Earl and Countess of Wharncliffe , the Earl of Ilchester , Bro . Lord Rathmore , and Lady Ampthill , and Lady Constance Russell . BROS . A . AKERS-DOUGLAS , Lord Balfour of Burleigh , Lord Halsbury ( Lord Chancellor ) , Sir M . Hicks-Beach ( Chancellor of the Exchequer ) , the Duke of Devonshire

Lord George Hamilton , W . H . Long , and Sir M . White Ridley were among the ministers present at the Cabinet Council helJ at the Foreign Oflice on Tuesday . MONDAY WAS the ioth birthday of Prince Alexander , eldest son of Princess Henry of Battenberg , an exhibition of the animatograph was given by command of her Majesty by Mr . Downey , before the Royal children at Windsor Castle . The entertainment was given in the Crimson Drawing-room , which had been especially prepared for the purpose .

BRO . THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT was prevented by indisposition from presiding at the meeting of the Aldershot Military Society on Tuesday , when Colonel E . T . H . Hutton delivered a lecture on " Our Comrades of Greater Britain . " However , his Royal Highness ' s place was taken by Lieut .-General Sir William Seymour , who expressed regret at the indisposition which had prevented the Duke's presence .

T . R . H . THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES and their daughter , the Princess Victoria , with the Prince and Princess Charles of DenmarK , travelled to Blenheim on Monday on a visit to the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough . Their Royal Highnesses were attended by Major-General Ellis and Lady Emily Kingscote , while among the guests invited to meet them were the Marchioness of Londonderry and Lady Helen Stewart , Viscount and Viscountess Cu-zin , the Earl of Chesterfield , the Hon . George and Mrs . Curzon , Mr . A . J . Balfour , Mr . H . Chaplin , Bro . and Mrs . Grenfell , and Lady Randolph Churchill .

CORNWALL AS A WINTER RESORT . —The Great Western Railway Company have issued a revised edition of a pamphlet upon " Cornwall as a Winter Resort , " and it will appear from the tables contained in it that the claims of West Cornwall , and of Falmouth in particular , as a residence during the winter , in comparison with the South of France and the Riviera , are unimpeachable . The equability and mildness of the climate are remarkably illustrated by the numbers of exotic and subtropical plants which thrive and flower in the open air throughout the winter . Sir Edward Sieveking , M . D .,

LLD ., and i-ir Joseph Fayrer , Bart ., M . D ., F . R . S ., have , at meetings of the Medical Association , by articles in the Medical Journal , and in various other ways , directed the attention of medical men to the peculiar advantages of Falmouth , which , at the cost of a short land journey by express trains from all the principal towns served by the Great Western Railway and other lines in direct communication , gives the invalid a choice of climates rivalling those of the South of France , without the drawbacks of lonjt and fatiguing travel , foreign languages , unfamiliar habits , and unaccustomed surroundings ,

THE ARMOUR OF J OAN OF ARC . —In discoursing of the known portraits and relics of the Maid of Orleans in the sumptuous Christmas number of the English Illustrated Magazine Mr . Andrew Lang says : — "The armour of Jeanne has probably disappeared . One suit of harness she dedicated to St . Denis , when her attack on Paris was foiled by her King in September , 1429 , * for St . Denis is the cry of France ! ' The English , on the departure of lhe French army , robbed the church of St . Denis , and the arms are lost . 1 he Revolution would have destroyed them in any case . In the reign ot Louis XII . the author cf an inventory mentions the harn : ss of the Maid as extant in the

Chateaux of Amboise , and suggests that the illuminator of a manuscript of the period copied this armour . In 1581 a suit of her harness is said to have been at the Chateaux d'Anet . At the end of last century Carre describes a suit of hers at Chantilly—armour certainly made for a woman , he says , and covered with crosses . It may or may not be the Chantilly harness which is now in the Musee des Invalides , in the Series G ., No . 119 . There is also a so-called harness of Jeanne's in the Museum of Berlin . A sword , said to bi hers , was given by Peiresc to Charles du Lys , a descendant of her family , in 1 C 32 , and thence came to the family of De Maleyssie , who lost it ( and some of their own heads ) in the Revolution .

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS of the Great Western Railway Company have issued to the public , in a concise and handy form , a pamphlet embodying particulars of scales ot reduced rates recently adopted by the company for agricultural , farm , and dairy produce carried by passenger and goods trains respectively . The scales of reduced rates granted for traffic sent by goods trains embrace fresh meat , dead poultry , dead rabbits , eggs , butter , fruit , and vegetables , and apply to quantities of io : wt ., 1 ton , 2 ton , and 3 ton lots respectively . One important advantage in connection with these rates is that

they will cover mixed consignments of any or all of the articles named , so that farmers may combine to send away varying small quantities ( exceeding 3 cwt . ) amounting in the aggregate to 3 tons , 2 tons / 1 ton , or iocwt ., and have the whole of the separate lots charged at the rates applicable to those quantities , the only stipulation being that the traffic must lis sent at one time from one station to another station ; and that the carriage must be paid by one sender or by one consignee . In addition to the reductions thus announced , rates for the sanae descriptions of traffic have been specially arranged

to London , in no cas : exceeding the scales above referred to ; and rates hive also been given for consignments of loss than iocwt . by goods train in order to supplement the facilities offered by passenger train for small quantities going to the London markets . The company have also revised and largely reduced the rates for cider and perry from the producing districts of Devonshire , Somersetshire , Herefordshire and Gloucestershire ; and are making numerous and important reductions in the charges for other articles of agricultural traffic , such as potatoes , turnips , parsnips , carrots , mangold wurzel , feeding stuffs , and manures .

*• I DREAMT THAT I DWELT IN MARBLE HALLS " will be the pleasing fancy . to every one who Iirst crosses the threshold of the gorgeous Trocadero Restaurant , which now holds such a proud and enviable position in the " New London " starting into life round and about Piccadilly Circus . But instead of the " vassals and serfs " of the old song we shall lind a warm and hospitable welcome from the courteous and spirited proprietors , Messis . J . f yons and Co ., Limited , and the proverbial attention and personal ccmlort ever exlended to the public by these well-known caterers and

restaurateurs . The basement floor is devoted to the grill room , with the buffet , smoking , reading , and billiard rot ms . 'Ihe entrance floor is occupied by the grand restaurant , with its golden minstrel ai \ d great gallery in the style of Louis Quatorze , and attached to the gold hall and gallery is a splendid adjacent saloon in the style of Louis Quinze . Small but deliriously cosy dining rooms surround these splendid public rooms . The first floor of the new 1 ' rccadtio is another welcome surprise , consisting as it does of a

ball room , a banqueting hall in the Empire period—a most admirable reproduction—and an ante-room in the style of Louis Treize . On the gallery level , at the top of the grand staircase , will be found a reception room , again in the style of Louis Treize ; a magnificent Masonic ledge in the period of Francois Premier , with , of course , the necessary ante-rooms for the comfort and convenience of the brethren of the Craft . Full particulars can be had on application at the Trocadero , Piccadilly Circus .