Consecration Of The Bard Of Avon Chapter, No. 778.

siding Officer , assisted by Comp . T . Fenn , as S . E . Comp . Parkinson was inducted into the the chair of H . Lord Limerick , the J ., was unable to attend . The rank of Honorary Member was unanimously conferred on Comps . Colonel Burdett ; Mclntyre , Q . C . ; and R .

Wentworth Little , for theit attendance and services . The officers were then elected , and the chapter was closed . The companions afterwards sat down to a bountiful banquet , and all joined in congratulating the M . E . Z . upon the auspicious

commencement of his career as a Chief in Royal Arch Masonry . It is almost superfluous to add that capital speeches were made during the course of the evening by the M . E . Z ., Comp . Elliott , and by Comps . Mc Intyre , Parkinson ,

Burdett , and others , and that in every respect the chapter bids fair to be a worthy adjunct to the lodge from which it derives its parentage and name . The furniture , jewels , & c , were manufactured by Comp . George Kenning .

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .

MASONIC BIBLIOGRAPHY . A curious little pamphlet came into my hands the other clay , entitled , " Thoughts on Masonry , and the Admission of Persons into that Fraternity . " By M . Concanen , Jun . London : Printed by the Author , and may be had of Bro . Parsley , bookseller , Surrey Lodge , Blackfriars Bridge .

" OLD CHARGES OF BRITISH FREEMASONS . ' Since issuing the above work we have come across some more MS . Masonic Constitutions , and especially a notice of one which we now desire to inform Masonic students about . Bro . Jacob Norton , of Boston ( Mass . ) , drew our attention to a "Masonic Charge" alluded to

in an address by Bro . the Rev . J . Wilton Kerr , of Clinton ( Canada , West ) and which appeared in the Phitidclphia Mirror and Ket / stone ( now extinct ) for . August 15 th , i 860 . The MS . it appears , was duly copied by Bro . Kerr , and is given in exlenso in the magazine for the following week .

These have been kindly sent us by the Editor , Bro . Leon Hyneman ( an earnest and learned Mason , through Bro . Norton , and since their receipt we have been most anxious to obtain some information about the original . Both these brethren have been indefatigable in their

exertions to trace the document , and have written to Bro . Kerr , besides making able enquiries . So far , we regret to state , the object of their researches has not been discovered , and from the contents of the letter forwarded by Bro . Kerr to Bro . Thomas B . Harris , Grand Secietary of the

Grand Lodge of Canada , we fear that this valuable MS . is lost . The " Charge " is said to have been delivered at " Scarborough , in the County of York , England , the tenth day of July , 1505 , before William Thompson , Esq ,, President of said lodge , " & c ,

This version of the " Old Charges " agrees in the main with the others which we have published , and also with those Bro . the Rev . A . F . A . Woodford , M . A ., and ourselves are thinking of

issuing in 1874 ; but we fancy the year 1505 must be a clerical error , and meant for 1705 , at which time the old Lodge of York was active , and likel y enough engaged lhrough its members in admitting Masons in other towns in the country .

Bro . W . Cowling , P . M ., P . Prov . G . W . ( of York ) has kindly searched through the names , but he cannot trace a William Thompson in the " rolls " preserved of the ancient York Lodge members , but the same surname is recorded , but not for the 16 th century ,

Bro . Kerr lent the MS ., to the late Robert Cooper , Esq ., County Judge of Haron , who gave a brother ' s pledgs to return it , but alas it has never more been seen by its owner , and though he has made every inquiry of the executor and the friends of the deceased , he failed to find its whereabouts .

He now gives up all personal ownership , and intends publicly to advertise for it , as the property of the Grand Lodge of Canada . Bro . Kerr kindly promises , if he succeeds in

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

tracing it to place it at our disposal . If it ' s found we shall owe its discovery mainly to our good Bro . Jacob Norton . Brethren interested in our description of the

" Grand Lodge MS ., will find some interesting information relative to its purchase , & c , in the Freemasons' Quarterly Review , vol . ix . 1842 , pp . 149-5 0 , which had escaped our attention until lately . W . J . HUGHAN .

Societas Rosicrucianæ In Scotia.

SOCIETAS ROSICRUCIAN ? IN SCOTIA .

COLLEGE OF THE EAST OP S COTLAND . —A special meeting of this college was held in Freemasons' Hall , George-street , Edinburgh , on the 15 th inst . —present : Fraters John Laurie , 8 ° , Chief Adept ; H . Y . D . Copland , Suffragan ; Geo . Dickson , M . D ., Conductor ; W . M . Bryce ,

1 A . ; H . C . Peacock , 2 A . ; R . S . Brown , 5 A . ; James Reid , 6 A . ; James Webster , 7 A . ; W . J . V . Bindon , Secretary ; F . L . Law , CM . ; R . Davidson , O . ; R . Bryce , T . B . ; Captain Charles Hunter , W . Milne , Peter Gardner , F . E . I . S ., and others . The M . C . having been formed , the

following brethren were admitted and received into the grade of Zelator : —Charles Mackenzie and E . G . M . Sellentin , Frater Sellentin . 'being afterwards promoted to the grade , of Theoricus . The accessories and furniture of the college were of the most tasteful and gorgeous style , reflecting great credit upon Frater W . M . Bryce , 1 A .,

who had the management of that department . A few names of brethren were pioposed for admission , and after being balloted for , were declared duly elected , and it was intimated that the number being now complete , no more namss could be proposed . The college was thereafter closed .

Mark Benevolent Fund.

MARK BENEVOLENT FUND .

The following Rules of the Mark Benevolent Association will be found useful in the formation of similar assocations : — " This Association is formed for the purpose of enabling members of the Craft and Mark

Masonry and their friends to obtain Life Governorships in one or other of the Masonic Institutions by small payments .-" The Association will last for 210 weeks , and may consist of an unlimited number of members ,

the dues being is . weekly , but in order to avoid trouble in the collection it is desirable that tos . or £ 1 should be paid at a time . " When sufficient funds are in hand to pay for

a Life Governorship a ballot will be held , and the successful member will have the option of naming the Institution of which the money shall be paid , and also the individual in whose name it shall be entered .

"The successful member must sign an undertaking to continue his weekly payments until the close of the Association . " Any member whose payments have been in

arrear tor ten weeks can be removed from the list of members by a vote passed by a majority of the members present at the meeting and confirmed at another meeting , held after an interval of a fortnig ht .

Any Member whose name has been so removed will forfeit all payments he may have made to the Association , and all benefits derivable therefrom .

" In the event of such Member having drawn a ballott , the Life Governorship of his or her nominee shall be transferred to some other member of the Association , to be decided b y ballot .

" The Treasurer shall have the power of entering the names of new members , subject to the approval of the majority of the members present at the next meeting .

" All meetings to be summoned by the Treasurer giving three days' notice to each of the members , addressed to their last known place of residence . " The Treasurer to be elected at the first meeting . "

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . E . WATES , D . P . G . M . KENT

An earnest and honoured member of the brotherhood has just passed away . Bro . Edward Wates died at his residence , Gravesend , on the 5 th inst ., at the early age of forty-two . He had been ill for two or three months past , the malady being of a serious nature , but he lingered on ,

his friends hoping almost against hope , until , on the evening of Wednesday , the 5 th of November , after having taken a somewhat hearty tea , he suddenly grew worse , and died an hour or two afterwards . Bro . Wates held several legal appointments in and near Gravesend . He was

Clerk to the Commissioners of Taxes for the District j Registrar of the County Court at Sheerness ; Clerk to the Stipendiary Magistrate at Chatham , and Clerk of the Gravesend and Milton Union . He had been for a considerable time a member of the Gravesend Town Council ,

and in November , 1872 , he was elected Mayor , the choice being received with great favour by the inhabitants generally , with whom " Teddy Wates "—as he was familiarly called—was a great favourite j and it is hardly necessary to add that the news of his death , only a few days

before the close of his year of office , although in a measure expected , was received with a deep feeling of sorrow throughout the neighbourhood . In the ranks of Masonry Bro . Wates was , as he merited , greatly liked and respected . He was a most painstaking and attentive member of the

brotherhood , and had attained great honours in the Province . He was P . M . of the Lodge of Freedom , 77 , held at Gravesend , and he performed the duties of Provincial Grand Secretary for Kent for many years , and so satisfactorily that a very handsome testimonial was presented

to him by his brother Masons ; and at the Grand Annual . Festival , held at Chatham a few months ago , the office of Deputy Grand Master of the Province , vacant by the death of Bro . Dobson ( also a former Mayor of Gravesend ) , was conferred upon Bro . Wates by Viscount Holmesdale , P . G . M ., the appointment being one

in which the Masons of the Province heartily concurred . The remains of the lamented brother were interred at the Gravesend cemetery on Tuesday last , about 100 of the brethren , including Past Provincial Grand Officers and the representatives of lodges in and out of the Province , being present .

Masonic Tidings.

Masonic Tidings .

The Provincial Grand Chapter of Middlesex will meet at the Mitre Hotel , Hampton Court , this day , Saturday , at 5 o ' clock . The Burdett Chapter will be consecrated at the same place , at half-past three .

Bro . W . H . Lucia , Prov . G . Sec . Suffolk , liasundei taken the office of Steward for his Province , at the Annual Festival of the Royal Masonic

Benevolent Institution , which will take place on the 28 th January next , under the presidency of Right Hon . Lord Wavcney , Prov . G . Master of Suffolk .

The fifteen sections will be worked on Friday jth December , at the Burgoyne Lodge of Instruction , Grafton Arms , Prince of Wales-road , Kentish-town , when Bro . T . F . Wuest , P . M 7 153 , the newly-appointed Preceptor , will preside . A full attendance is expected .

The next meetings of the Oxford and Cambridge K . T . Preceptory and Rose Croix Chapter will be held at the new Masonic Hall , 33 , Golden-square . The former will meet on Saturday , December 13 th , and the latter on the Monday following .

In consequence of the number of applications for tickets to view the exhibition of Roman and British remains at Bro . Whichcord ' s offices in Queen Victoria-street , City , between Monday ,

the 24 th , and Saturday , the 29 th November , the hours of admission have been made from eleven a . m . to three p . m . each day , instead of one to three p . m ., as formerly announced .