Masonic And General Tidings.

Masonic and General Tidings .

THE LADY MAYORESS will hold a musical reception at the Mansion House on Tuesday , the and prox ., from three to six o ' clock . THE GLASGOW EXHIBITION . —The attendance at the Glasgow Exhibition on Saturday numbered 88 , 982 , making a total of 2 , 882 , 810 since the opening . OF THE 11 , 000 , 000 Jews in the world , 6 , 000 , 000 live in Russia , 2 , 106 , 000 in Austro-Hungary , 600 , 000 in the German , and 235 , 000 in the British Empire . Of the last , 140 , 000 belong to London .

THE YEOMANRY . —The King has been pleased to approve the formation of a Regiment , of Imperial Yeomanry for the county of Glamorgan , to be designated the Glamorganshire Imperial Yeomanry . A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL DINNER was held at the Whitehall Rooms of the Hotel Metropole last night , Bro . Chas . E . Keyser , J . P ., in the chair , to commemorate the 143 rd anniversary of the Orphan Working School .

THE REEDHAM ORPHANAGE , PURLEY . —The general meeting and the Midsummer election of this Charity will be held at the Cannon-street Hotel on July 2 nd . Mr . H . Cosmo O . Bonsor , the Treasurer , will preside . THE L 0 R 1 NERS' COMPANY . —At the invitation of the Master ( Bra . Alderman Sir William Treloar ) , who presided , and was accompanied by Lidy Treloar , the annual ladies' banquet of the Lorine-s' Co npanv was held at the Crystal Palace on Thursday , the 20 th instant . Bio . the Loid Mayor and Lady Mayoress were the principal guests .

THE PRINCESS LOUISE ( Duchess of Argyll ) has consented to allow her name to be added to the list of Royal Patrons of the Naval and Military Concert at the Crystal Palace , on Saturday afternoon , the 6 th prox ., in aiJ of service charities . The concert already has the patronage of the Kine and Queen Alexandra and the other members of the Royal Family .

BRO . GEORGE DABBS , the Isle of Wight physician , who periodically writes plays , has copyrighted an original five-act drama called "The Dreamers , " the gist of which can be gathered from the fact that among its characters are seven members of the central committee of the Brotherhood of Labour , an institution which apparently has its headquarters at Venice .

LICENSED VICTUALLERS' SCHOOL . —The 9 Sth anniversary dinner of the school was held at the Crystal Palace on the 25 th instant , under the presidency of Mr . Samuel Whitbread , when the Concert Hall was well filled with diners , and the galleries with wives and sisters looking on . During the proceedings subscriptions were announced to the amount of £ 8896 .

THE FUND collected to purchase annuities for the two aged daughters of the late John L . Hatton , the renowned comp oser of songs and part-music , is about to be invested . The amount received is a little over £ 700 . Any persons desirous of giving donations should forward the same to Bro . Dr . William H . Cummings , at the Guildhall School of Music , as soon as possible .

THE LATE BRO . SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN was first surnamed Arthur by his father , but his mother at baptism added the name of Seymour . The unhappy combination of initials and the maternal thoughtlessness were not brought home to him until he began to be chaffed for initialing his " royalty " songs " A . S . S . " He therefore bought a rubber stamp with the name " Arthur S . Sullivan . "

LEWISHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL .-The Works Committee reported that they have considered applications from the Ravensbourne and Lewisham Masonic Lodges for permission to hold their meeting at the Town Hall , and had granted permission during the Council ' s pleasure , and subject to the meetings being held at such times as the rooms are not required by the Council , at a charge of £ 2 ios . for each meeting .

SONS OF THE CLERGY .-Bro . Eatl Egerton of Tatton , Vice-Presidjnt of the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy , presided on Monday at a Court of Assistants at the Corporation House , Bloomsbury-place . Sir Paget Bowman presented a list of 7 6 applications from clergymen in need of help , some of them disabled by age or illness , and seme with clerical incomes wholly inadequate for maintenance , and grants amounting to £ 116 5 were made from the funds at the disposal of the Gove mors , besides £ 350 voted towards the education or outfit of clergy children .

BRO . PASSMORE EDWARDS' SAILORS' PALACE . —The British and Foreign Sailors' Society signed the contract for the Passmore Edwards' Sailors' Palace this week . On the same morning there came by post a gift from a lady of £ 1000 towards its endowment fund . The builder took possession of the site on Monday , the 24 th inst . The foundation-stone is to be laid by Bro . the Duke of Fife , as vice-patron of the society , and the Lord Lieutenant of the County of London on the nth prox . Bro . the Lord Mayor of London will at the same time lay a memorial stone , and thus link on the City of London .

THE PROGRAMME of meetings in connection with the 32 nd session of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , I . O . G . T ., which is to be held in the City Hall during the first week of July , has just been issued . The meetings in connection with the session extend from June 15 th to July 4 th , and include open-air demonstrations , processions , a s > ermoii in the Barony Church by the Rev . Principal Hutton , D . D . ; conferences and breakfasts , in addition to the business meetings . A reception is to be tendered to the

Grand Lodge by the Corporation on 2 nd July , and on the day previous an outing takes place to Rothesay . The programme extends to 78 pages , and contains a number of portraits of the ipeakers at the various meeting ) , and a guide to Glasgow , which is illustra ' ed with views of the city ' s Municipal Buildings , and a map . The reports to be presented to the session show that Good Templary is in a healthy condition in Scotland , the tvtal membership being 89 , 422 in 1174 lodges , an increase of 1111 adults and 2447 juveniles .

THE MILLENARY OF KING ALFRED .-A Successful Movement .-Meetings of the Executive Committee for the National Commemoration of King Alfed the Great have recently been held at the Mansion House , under the presidency of Bro . the Lord Mayor , and the announcement made that the King had graciously consented to become Patron of the movement . The commemoration will be hell in either the second or thiid week of September , at Winchester , on which occasion the colossal statue executed by Mr . Hamo Thornycrofr , R . A ., will be unveiled . The Committee have decided to hold

at the time of the commemoration a meeting of learned societies in Winchester , and the Royal Societies of England and the leading Universities of Great Britain , America , and the Colonies have been invited to be represented by delegates on that occasion , the majority of whom have already most cordially accepted the invitation . The sum of £ 150013 still required in order to complete the permanent memorial and the work already undertaken , and among recent subscribers are the University of Pennsylvania 4 , , and the Colonial Dames of America ( fi'st instalment ) £ 20 .

IT WAS IN a part of England , peculiarly rich in both literary and artistic associations , that , as was only natural under the Mastership of a well-known represen . •ative of illustrated newspaperdom—Bro . Lionel Gowing , of the Daily Graphic—the journalistic Freemasons of the Gallery Lodge , No . 1928 , held their annual summer picnic ot the 23 rd instant . Their route was identified with the three greatest storywriters in the English language , for they passed through Stratford-at-Bow , which Chaucer has immortalised for its pronounciation of Frenchand Colchesterwhich was

, , th $ scene of the first critical event in the life of Defoe ' s " MJII Flanders , " to Ipswich , where Ujeir temporary resting-place was the Great White Horse , which will always be associated with the adventure of Mr . Pickwick and ' •the lady in the yellow curlpapers . " They had passed through "Constable ' s country" as they had gone by the Stour ; and , in a special Great Eutern Company ' s steamer , they proceeded down the O . well through "Glinsborough ' s country" into the open sea , finding their old friend

of he geography books , "the North Sea or German Ocean . " so calm in the bright sun . shine as to make the grim guns of the historic Lind ^ uard Fort an J the black flotilla of half-a-dozen torpedo-boat destroyers lying at Harwich a more than usually striking contrast . From Harwich to London proved a pleasant after-dinner run ; and the round trip from Liverpool-street , with the steamer connection between Ipswich and Harwich , which ihey thus enjoyed , may be considered likely to prove increasingly popular . — Birmingham Daily Post .

Masonic And General Tidings.

THE KING has been pleased to approve the appointment , of Bro . the Earl of Warwick and Brooke to be Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Essex , in the room of Lord Rayleigh , resigned . THE KING , has , through Sir Dighton Probyn , signified his intention of presenting a lilver challenge cup for competition at the Royal Isle of Wight Agricultural Society ' s Exhibition , and also of subscribing a sum of £ 10 towards the Society ' s funds .

M . ALBERT SALEZA , having sung the number of performances for which he was engaged for the present season at Covent Garden , has left town for his home in the Pyrenees . He has decided that he will not return to America for the opera season , which opens there in October , but it is probable'that he will accept an invitation which he has received to sing at the Grand Opera in Paris next November .

ELECTION OF CITY SHERIFFS . —Monday being Midsummer Day , the annual election of Sheriffs of the City of London took place at the Guildhall , Bro . the Lord Mayor presiding . The only candidates were Bros . Alderman Bell and Councillor Horace Brooks Marshall , J . P . These were duly elected , and returned their thanks . The retiring Sheriffs , who will go out of office on Michaelmas Day next , are Bros . Alderman Vaughan Morgan and Joseph Lawrence , M . P .

THE HOSPITAL SUNDAY FUND . —The fund now totals about £ 34 , 000 . The latest contributions include : Christ Church , Lancaster Gate , £ 1317 ; St . Jude , South Kensington , £ " 557 ; St . Mary Aldermary , £ 89 ; Christ Church , Newgate-street , £ y > is . 3 d . —compared with £ 48 4 s . 6 d . last year ; Mr . W . Mann Cross , C . C ., £ 20 ; St . Giles , Cripplegate , £ 4 , 12 s . ; St . Andrew , Holborn , £ 5 os . 2 d . ; St . Botolph , Aldgate , £ 3 6 s . od . ; Sermon-lane Mission , £ 2 ; and Gray ' s Inn Chapel , £ 50 .

BRO . LORD KITCHENER OF KHARTOUM , the Commander-in-Chief in South Africa , was 51 on the 24 th instant . He has completed more than 30 years ' service , for 1 e joined the Royal Engineers in January , 1871 , in his 21 st year . Bro . Lord Kitchener is the bearer of several academic honours . Oxford conferred a degree upon him some two years ago , and about the same time the University of Edinburgh made him an LL . D ., while on the same day the northern capital presented him with the freedom of the city .

TRIPS TO THE NEW FOREST . —A series of day excursions to the New Forest has been arranged by the London and South Western Railway in connection with Messrs . Thomas Cook and Son . Passengers leave Waterloo by special train at 9 . 25 a . m . every Thursday . At Brockenhurst carriages are in waiting to convey the party to Beaulieu to inspect the Abbey ruins , and thence to LyndhuVst-road . Luncheon is followed by a drive through the heart of the New Forest , via Beldrewood . Mark Ash , and Rhinefield , returning to Brockenhurst . London is reached on the return journey shortly after eight o ' clock . The charge , including rail fare ( first-class only ) , carriage drive , and luncneon , is 20 s .

THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY inform us that in addition to the impoitant alterations already announced in connection with their summer trains , the service { to Yorkshire will , from the ist prox ., be considerably improved . The luncheon and dining car expresses , now leaving London ( King ' s Cross ) for Leeds at 9 . 45 a . m . and 5 . 45 p . m ., will be accelerated to reach Leeds at f . 24 p . m . and 9 . 35 p . m . respectively ; whilst the 1 . 30 p . m . from London ( King ' s Cross ) , now due to arrive at 5 . 22 p . m ., will reach there 5 . 7 p . m . A new express will be timed to leave Leeds ( Central at 2 . 0 p . m ., calling at Wakefield ( Westgate ) and Grantham , and reaching London ( King's Cross ) at 5 . 35 p . m .

THE SHERIFFS' FUND SOCIETY . —Bro . Alderman Sir Joseph Savory , Bart ., presiding , a special meeting of this society was held at the Sessions House , Old Bailey , on the 24 th instant . There were also present : Colonel Martin Frobisher , Mr . Under-Sheriff Gardiner , Mr . ex-Sheriff Cooper , J . P ., Mr . W . C . Capper , Mr . Clarence Halse , Mr . F . W . Smith , Sir Clarence Smith , Mr . F . Kynston Metcalfe , Colonel Milman , and

the Rev . A . W . Baldwin ( hon . secretary ) . Bro . Alderman Sir Joseph Dimsdale , M . P ., and Mr . F . Kynston Metcalfe , solicitor , 92 , Great Tower-st , were elected additional trustees . A resolution was passed authorising the investment of the funds of the society in such securities for the time being authorised by law as investments for trust funds as should be directed from time to time by the committee of the society .

NEWSVENDORS AND THEIR CLAIMS . —On Tuesday Bro . the Lord Mayor , presiding at thc festival dinner of the Newsvendors' Institution , at Stationers' Hall , drew attention to the hardships which newsboys suffered , and appealed for increased support to an admirable institution , which had carried on its useful work for 60 years . It helped those , he said , who had never contributed to its funds , but its permanent benefits were

reserved for those who had paid the modest annual subscription of fi' -e shillings . The committee , unfortunately , had reason to deplore the apathy of the great mass of newsvendors , who numbered at least 100 , 000 in the United Kingdom , with regard to the benefits conferred by the institution . Bro . H . B . Marshall proposed " The Chairman and the Worshipful Company of Stationers , " and the reply of the Lord Mayor brought the proceedings to a close .

REVISED AND IMPROVED EXPRESS SERVICES BETWEEN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND BY THE MIDLAND ROUTE . —The July time tables of the Midland Railway will be found to be of more than usual interest . During the past few weeks we understand the Company has had under review the whole service between England and Scotland , with the result that material improvements will take effect from the ist prox . in the service to and from Edinburgh , Glasgow , the North of Scotland , and London and the principal provincial English towns . Several entirely new trains will be

introduced which will perform the journey in much less time than has previously been the case by this route , and additional dining and sleeping cars will form a welcome feature of the service , not to mention increased facilitiesin respect to through carriages and infrequent changes . In the case of the down service , i . e ., from England to Scotland , a perusal of the time table discloses four new expresses between London ( St . Pancras ) and Edinburgh ( Waverley ) , with a corresponding service to Glasgow , which ,

broadly speaking , will accomplish the journey in about Hi hours . A dose examination of the arrangements which the Midland Company has made gives fair promise that in point of increased service , quick transport with new engines , comfortable travelling by means of new dining and sleeping cars , and numerous through carriages , a complete justification will have been made to the claim that " the most interesting route between England and Scotland " is via Settle and the Ed : n Valley and North thereof through the Waverley district on the east side and the land of Burns on the west side .

LA MARGUERITE'S FIRST TRIP TO BOULOGNE AND BACK IN A DAY . —On Wednesday last the New Palace Steamer La Marguerite made her first trip of the season to Boulogne and back , performing ihe journey in h * r u . ujl expeditious manner . Ihe special train left Fenchurch-street at d . 15 a . m . and punctually a ' , 7 . io a . m . La Marguerite started from Tilbury and p oc . eJed on her journey down ihe liver , calling at Sou fiend , where the Mayor and some of the Corporation came on board , and a soeedv tun brought htr alongside Margate letty at 10 a . m ., where a goolly nunoer

of passengers embarked for the cross channel trip . The weather and t > . e well-kinvn sea qualities if La Marguente dismissed aiy thoughts of mil d ; wr . The 53 miles to Boulogne were quickly covered and almost before luncheon wis finishe 1 th ; grim healland of CapeGn . rez hove in sight . Notwithstanding that Li Marguerite ' s arrival is now an established feature of the Boulogne season , almost the whole of the populace headed by their Mayor and Cirp ration and Chamber of Commerce were on the quay to bid welcome to the firtt tiip of the New Ctntuiy of this favour te vessel , shoving that as faras Boulogne and La Margusiite were onccrnei the feeling of the two nationalities about

was of a most cordial and fricnJiy nature . A'ter hiving allowed her puifngers 2 J hours on shore to visit the nunerom pi . cis of htevst , La . Mirgus . i : e / Mf ( Boulogne at 330 p . m . for the homeward journey and re ched Tilbury well within her advertised time of anival , v ! z ., g . i 5 p . m ., a special fast Irain bringing her passengers to Fenchu'Cnstreet Station . The citeiing on board the boat b intr entirely in the Compiny s own hands , even the most fasti lious had no cause for con pi tint . La Marguerite will repfa > this trip every Monday and Wednesday during the season , and every Thursday * " make a trip from Tilbury , 0 Calais and back . On TutsJiys she goes to Oitead * back .

ANGLO-INDIANS AND OTHERS seeking genuine Indiai-minufacture < j condiments , currie stuff ., ciu' . nees , preserve , pjppiJjns , Bo . nba / dack- - , Nep » pepper , & c , send to the origin il firm . C . Stembridge and Co ., iS , G een-strce > Leicester-square , London ; and Calcutta . EsUblishji lS . il . Wri : e for prce »•' Removed from 33 , Leicester-square ) .