Knights Templar.

The Patents being in each case dated on the day of St . Matthew the Apostle , Evangelist , and Martyr , 1900 . You have been pleased to grant a warrant for a new Preceptory to meet at Brisbane , Queensland , and to be called the Duke of Albany , No . 171 , which will immediately commence its labours , and will be largely instrumental ^ increasing the numbers and influence of the United Order in Australia .

Your Council have been informed by the Executive Committee of the ' Red Cross of Constantine that Bro . Arthur Henry Bateman has been suspended from the privileges of that Order for the period of 12 months from the nth October , and that such suspension had also taken effect in the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons and in the Supreme Council , 33 ° .

. You ' r'Council have therefore suspended the aforesaid Bro . Arthur Henry Bateman from ali privileges of the United Orders for a concurrent period . Care must therefore be taken that admission shall be refused to him should he claim to enter a Preceptory . The following preceptories abroad are in arrear :

Name . Years . Connaught and Strathiarn ... ... ... 3 Royal Deccan ... ... ... ... 3 Vasco de Gama ... ... ... ... 2 Diamond of the Desert ... ... ... 1 Johannesburg ... ... ... ... 1

Himalaya ... ... ... ... ... 1 Your Council beg to recommend that the sum of £ 50 be voted from the Benevolent Fund to a former member of the Prudence Preceptory , Ipswich . The Great Treasurer's accounts have been audited to 31 st August , 1 9 , and show the following balances , which are in the London and Westminster Bank , Bloomsbury Branch .

General Fund . . . . . . . . . ^ 311 3 9 Benevolent Fund ... ... ... 72 10 6 ¦ , . ————— - £ 383 14 3 \ By order of the Council , R . LOVELAND LOVELAND , , .. . Great Chancellor . C . FITZGKRALD MATIER , Great Vice-Chancellor ,

12 th November , igoo . On the motion of the GREAT CHANCELLOR , seconded by the GREAT REGISTRAR , it was resolved that the report be received and entered on the minutes . The GREAT CHANCELLOR proposed and the GREAT TREASURER seconded , that the report be adopted .

The V . E . Knight the Hon . ALAN DE TATTON EGERTON , M . P ., K . C . T ., Provincial Prior for Cheshire : Before that motion is put to Great Priory , Most Eminent and Supreme Grand Master , perhaps this is the proper moment to inform you , and through you the Knights here assembled , that in reply to the mandate which you conveyed to me I attended at Berlin and duly invested Prince J oachim Charles William Frederic Leopold of Prussia with the Jewel and Star of an Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the United Orders . The motion for the adoption of the report was then agreed to .

The GREAT CHANCELLOR : I have now , Most Eminent and Supreme Grand Master , to propose to Great Priory the only motion which arises out of the report , viz ., that the sum of Fifty Pounds be granted from the Bene * - Volent Fund as recommended . ' This was seconded by the V . E . Knight Capt . N . G . PHILIPS , G . C . T ., Provincial Prior for East Anglia .

The V . E . Knights Lieut .-Col . James Daniel Murray and Lieut .-Col . George Walton Walker , were respectively invested as l < -lights Commander of the Temple , the Grand Master thanking the former for what he had done for the Order in the Province of Lancashire and the latter for his services in Staffordshire . Alms amounting to £ 5 7 s . were collected . The GREAT VICE-C HANCELLOR read the following letter : —

Grand Encampment Knights Templar , U . S . A . Office of the Committee on Christmas Observance , Portland , Maine , November 15 th , 1900 . Dear Frater , The following sentiment has been prepared for the coming Christmas . * " To pur Most Eminent Grand Master , Reubsn Hedley Lloyd : A merry Christmas , and may the coming century fulfil the golden

promise of Peace on Earth and Good Will toward men . T . ie Grand Master sends the following response : " Templars : I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year . When all keep the new commandment of our Redeemer , the golden promise will b-s fulfilled . You are obligated to labour unremittingly to bring to pass that perfection of man ' s moral and

intellectual development . " In the Gospel of St . John , xiu . chapter , 34 ' . h verse , you will find : the new commandment . " Will you join in these sentiments on Tuesday , December 25 th , at noon Eastern Standard time ( equivalent to 5 p . m . Greenwich ) , and will you

• extend the invitation to your command , as well as to all true Templars and their friends , wheresoever dispersed , on land or sea t Courteously and fraternally yours , STEPHEN BERRY , Committee , Portland , Maine .

Hawaiian Standtrd Time ... 16 5 W . .., 6 a . m . Alasla „ 135 ° W- A 8 „ Pacific „ „ ... 120 W . ... 9 „ Moun aln „ „ ... 10 5 ° VV . ... 10 „ Central „ „ ... yo ° W . ... n „ Eastern „ „ ... 75 w - - ' m . Greenwich „ o .... 5 p . m .

Philippine Standard Time 120 E . 1 a . m . Dec . 26 th . Please acknowledge the receipt of this . The GRAND MASTER : I think , sir knights , we should agree to this . Thereque't is made each y a ** , and as we wish all these brethren well , I h pe u-e will all remember to with tl em God speed on Christmis Day . ( " Hear , hear . " ) Great Priory was then closed in ample form .

Order Of Malta.

ORDER OF MALTA .

Great Priory of Malta was opened in ample form . The M . E . and Supreme G . M ., the Earl of Euston , G . C . T ., occupied the throne . The G . Chancellor , Sir Knight C . F . MATIER , K . C . T ., read the minutes of the previous meeting , which were confirmed . The G . CHANCELLOR then said that he had received the commands of

the M . E . and Supreme G . M . to announce that he had made the following appointments : Sir Knight R . Loveland Loveland , Q . C , G . C . T . G . Prior . „ Sir Edward Stock Hill , K . C . B ., M . P . G . Capt . Gen . „ John Strachan , Q . C . ... ... G . Lieut . Gen . ,, E . O'Connor Terry ... -.. G . 1 st Lieut . ,, F . Sumner Knyvett ... ... G . 2 nd Lieut . „ Rev . Canon Walker ... ... G . Prelate . ,, Charles Belton , K . C . T ... G . Mareschal . ,, Vtn . Archdeacon Sinclair ... ... G . Hospitaller .

,, B . A . Smith ... ... ... G . Admiral . ,, W . S . Sutton ... ... ... G . Conservator . „ E . Coulton Rogers ... ... G . Baillie . „ A . W . Siddall ... ... ... G . Turcopolier . „ C . F . Matier , K . C . T . ... ... G . Chancellor . ,, Ralph Clutton , G . C . T . ... ... G . Treasurer . „ John Barker ... ... ... G . Banner Br . „ Dr . W . H . Kempster ... ,.. G . S . B . ,, Harry Nicholls ... •¦•)/ - r- . ¦ , - > . . " Q C Kent \ Captains Outposts . ' , ' , H . R . Rose ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ' . ... G . Org .

The following Knights of the Order of the Temple then received the Mediterranean Pass , and were admitted into the Order of Malta , the Accolade being given by the M . E . and S . Grand Master : George Phillips Parker , St . George's Preceptory ; George Adams Harradon , ' St . George ' s Preceptory ; Lieut .-Col . John Skene , All Soul ' s Preceptory ; Edward Manville , Bard of Avon Preceptory ; Philip Dawson , Bard of Avon Preceptory ; Albert George Francis Gartside Neville , Bard of Avon

Preceptory ; John Farquharson Roberts , Bard of Avon Preceptory ; Arthur Ernest Baker , Faith and Fidelity Preceptory ; Richard Stafford Charles , Faith and Fidelity Preceptory ; Thomas Henry Newsome , Fearnley Preceptory ; Charles Rolls Foster , Holy Palestine Preceptory ; Archibald Edward Young , Sussex Preceptory ; Benjamin Hunting Howell , Tancred Preceptory ; and William Maurice Powell , Tancred Preceptory .

The Most Eminent and Supreme Grand Master , the Earl of Euston , G . C . T ., afterwards presided at the banquet , supported by the V . E . Prov . Prior for Cheshire , the Great Officers , many Past Great Officers , Preceptors , and other Knights , and the visitors from the United States of America .

Scotland.

Scotland .

¦¦ h » n ii SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER ,

There was a large and representative meeting of Royal Arch Masons tn Edinburgh on Wednesday , the t 8 th instant , on the occasion of the opening of a home for the Grand Chapter , the first since its establishment in 1817 . The architect was Comp . Peter L . Henderson , Past M . E . Z . of No . 1 of Scotland , and the work has been admirably carried out . The property , entering by 75 , Queen-street , has been entirely gutted and re-constructed ,

The sunk floor , include the caretaker ' s house , kitchen , and store rooms , on the ground floor are the offices for the Grand Scribe E ., and chapter hall or dining-room ; on the first floor are the Royal Arch temple , assembly hall , clock room , retiring rooms , & c . The entrance from Queen-street is protected by an Ionic porch , projecting out to the pavement , with a pediment over the front . The chapter hall , in which a company of over 100 dined

on the above date , is capable of seating about 200 persons . The hall is elaborate in design , with pilasters at intervals , each console has two lions couchant , on the heads of which is a deep abacus , supporting the beams of the upper floor . The staircase is extremely handsome , being seven feet wide , of solid granite concrete steps , witb mahogany balustrades in Ionic columns of a Venetian type , supporting some circular arches ; The

" temple " on the upper floor is Egyptian in style , and has a row of small columns at each side , with suitable alise and clerestory abnve , while the supports of the recess at the dais or throne are in rows of tall columns . The itails are simple and massive rather than elaborate , and have been arranged with a view to an extensive scheme of mural decorations , to be carried out during the summer months . A very large number of representatives from chapters all over Scotland

were present on the iSth inst ., to attend the quarterly communication and assist in the consecration of the Temple to Royal Arch Masonry . The ceremony was solemnly performed , the emblems of consecration being corn , wine , oil , and salt , the ceremony was practically the sime . as used at the consecration of the Chapter in 1817 . Col . W . Iveson McAdam , Depute First Grand Principal , presided , and with the assistance of other officers , including Comps . Capt . Thos . Hope , Second Grand Principal ; W . Munro

Denholm , Third Grand Principal ; and R . S . Brown , Grand Scribe E ., performed the ceremony of consecration with all solemnity . The business of the chapter included the granting of charters for a Mark Mister Lodge in Australia ; and for a chapter in Fauldhouse , Linlithgowshire . Votes of thanks were accorded to the sub-committees which had so successfully carried out the work entrusted to them in getting the building consumnated . The companions present were photographed in thc temple after theempter was closed .

A banquet was held in the hall on the ground fl oor , at which Comp . Col . Iveson McAdam presided ; Croupiers Comps . W . Milroy Kelly and K . A . Peacock , and among others present were Comps . Dr . Auchinleck of the Irish Constitution ; Dilrymple Dincan ; David Reed , Grand Secretary ; C . C . Nisbet , Munro Denholm , VV . Witson , Carthew Yorkiton , P . L , Henderson , T . VV . Cunningham , Jas . McCombe , Colin Young , P . ovJst Kirkwood , A . A . Murray , and R . S . Brown . The toasts were all loyally responded to , and son ^ s were giv .-n at intervals during the evening .