Consecration Of The Queen Alexandra Lodge, No. 2932.

The Worshipful Master briefly replied , and stated that having to keep an important engagement , he had to vacate the chair , which was then occupied by the I . P . M . Other toasts followed , that of " The Officers of the Lodge "

being responded to by the Senior and Junior Wardens and the Secretary , Bro . Sargood , who remarked that whatever it had been his privilege to do in assisting to found the Queen

Alexandra Lodge , it had been a labour of love , and he trusted he might be spared to carry out the Secretarial duties in a maimer that would be acceptable to the brethren and creditable lo the lodge .

Bro . Neeld , I . G ., and the Stewards also responded . An excellent mus ' cal programme was carried out , and the proceedings throughout were of a highly satisfactory character .

Old Tracing Boards.

Old Tracing Boards .

BRO . T . M . Woodhead , an earnest Masonic student , of Bradford , Yorkshire , has lately acquired eight quarto pages , mounted on old leather book covers , which , so far as my knowledge and enquiries extend , are unique .

One of the pages is devoted to a portrait of the author , John Browne , editor of the singular publication known as the "Master Key" ( partly in cypher ) , of A . D . 179 8 and 1802 , 2 nd Edition , who is described as " Editor of the General

Law List , London Conductor , & c . "

( : / f . - 'StW // , ' O / , //// , - , - ¦ » iet . - / i £ ,.... / t . _/ ,. s . ' , „ . / , „ : ? . ; .. /„; .,.. There , are four pages of closely printed matter , all being

in cypher , the lirst having as title " 'The Ne Plus Ultra of the Craft . ' B y Br . J . Browne , P . M . of six Lodges , M . A ., and Editor of Browne ' s Masonic 'Master Key , ' ' Through the Three Degrees , by way of Poliglot , ' under the sanction of the Craft in general . " The second page has at foot , Typ ., 60 , Siunvhill ; the third

has the same note at foot , and at the head " Hie labor , hoc opus , " the fourth of the set being headed " Sit Lux et Lux Fuit . Origin of Hieroglyphics , with their explanation . In the First Degree . " The first Tracing Board is light , artistic , and suggestive , some of the emblems being well known .

The second Tracing Board differs in some respects Irom the regular series , especially in relation to the prominent Keystone of the rather heavy and cumbersome Arch .

' ^^ KH ^^ MWHOIMBaiBBMHnpHMrS ' . V'WW'A ^ The third Tracing Board is , to my mind , of an interesting character , especially for reasons not to be described here . The casket was a feature of the earliest Tracing Boards known , of French usage ( 1730-1745 ) , but our present 3

Tracing Board is only about 60 years old , for which see THE MASOXIC IUA ' STHATI- ; I > for July ( Bro . Sadler ' s valuable History of the " Emulation " ) .

The photographs have been taken for ( his article by my friend , Bro . John Taylor , J . P . ( Mayor of Torquay ) , who has had great difficulty with the third of the set , having taken it some six times . The capital letters on the square are H . A . —M . B . —T . C 581 —130 . I cannot feel sure as io ( lie

figures , as though 581 would do to add another to and make say 5812 , that would still leave 130 unexplained . Bro . Woodhead and I are anxious lo know if these pages are really unique .

W . J . HUGHAN .