Consecration Of Defence Lodge, No. 2839.

the inexpediency of incurring debt for their successors to pay off , who would probably condemn the action of those who had left them such a legacy . The next toast was that of " The Newly-installed Worshipful Master , Bro . Lieut .-Col . Binning , and his Officers . " This was proposed by Bro . Captain Boughton Chambers ,

who , in the course of his remarks , alluded to the long and meritorious service in the volunteer cause of the Worshipful Master , and of the merits of those he had appointed to assist him during his year of office . As the originator of the scheme of a volunteer officers' lodge , he ( Bro . Chambers )

naturally felt the most earnest interest in its welfare , and he urged upon the members of the lodge to use their best endeavours to make it thoroughly successful and a credit to the great auxiliary branch of the service they represented as well as for the good of Freemasonry . In conclusion , he

referred to certain doubts that had been expressed as to the ultimate success of the scheme , and it thus behoved one and all to work loyally for the lodge and vindicate the position it assumed among Calcutta lodges . Bro . Binning , W . M ., in replying to the toast , mentioned

that his volunteer experience dated back to the beginning of the sixties , so that he could well claim the position assigned to him by the proposer of the present toast as one of the oldest ( if not the very oldest ) volunteer in Calcutta . He thanked the brethren on the part of his officers and himself

for the very cordial manner in which the toast was received , and felt that he could rely upon his officers to help him to make the lodge successful .

Bro . Capt . W . 1 . Grice proposed the toast of " The Visitors , " to which Bro . Capt . T . E . Madden , I . S . C , responded . In the course of his remarks he . alluded to their District Grand Master ' s work in the Order , and said that he hoped some day that there would be a Grand Lodge of India with the eminent brother named at its head .

On the conclusion of his remarks , Bro . Sir H . T . Prinsep asked permission to say a few words with reference to Bro . Madden ' s idea of a Grand Lodge for India , and to express his opinion that such a scheme ( which had , however , been mooted some years ago ) was undesirable .

Bro . Lieut .-Colonel Binning then rose and proposed as a special toast that of " Bro . Capt . Boughton Chambers , " and in the course of a few words eulogised his hard work and energy in bringing the present scheme into existence . He had been the originator of the idea , and it was entirely owing

to his efforts that it had assumed a practical shape . He also alluded to his general zeal in the cause of Freemasonry as evinced by the several lodges he had been instrumental in starting , one being the Kidderpore Lodge Federation , opened earl ) ' in December , and of which he was W . M .

Bro . Chambers expressed his gratitude at the unexpected eulogy bestowed upon him by Bro . Binning , and for the extremely hearty way in which the toast was received by the brethren . He felt that he reaped full appreciation for any services he had rendered the Order if brethren would think

that he did all from a genuine love of the Craft and not from any interested motives . The Tyler ' s toast brought an enjoyable evening to a close .

The Late Bro. Sir Ancdrew Clarke, P. D.G.M. Of Victoria.

The late Bro . Sir Ancdrew Clarke , P . D . G . M . of Victoria .

IT is with regret that we have to record the death of R . W . Bro . Lieut .-General Sir Andrew Clarke , G . C . M . G ., R . E ., Past District Grand Master for Victoria , which was almost coincident with our recent article on Victorian Freemasonry . Born seventy-eight years ago , our late distinguished brother ,

although he inevitably outlived the fame which belonged to the achievements of the most active part of his life , left behind him a record which for length and brilliancy in many capacities will not easily be surpassed . Soldier , administrator , governor , were some of the many

roles he played with such success , but it was while he was representing Melbourne in the Victorian Ministry , in which he afterwards became Minister of Lands , that he was

appointed to the office of first Prov . Grand Master of Victoria , which was then formed under the English Constitution . It is interestingly noted by a contemporary that the late Bro . Sir Andrew Clarke was the first governor to name our late Queen Victoria " Empress of India , " which was afterwards endorsed by Lord Beaconsfiekl .

It is remembered by many amongst us that the late Past District Grand Master for Victoria was present at the Centenary Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , and that his contribution was not absent from the list which was announced on that occasion . He also attended

at what was not improbably the last public Masonic gathering at which he was present , namely , the installation of H . R . H . the Duke of Conuaught as Grand Master at the Albert Hall .

The Water Finder.

The Water Finder .

WE have long shared the scepticism of the public as to the powers of certain individuals who have claimed to possess the gift of discovering , by means of what is termed a divining rod , the existence of water beneath the soil ; but we must frankly confess that the evidence which in recent years has accumulated in support of their contention

has gone a long way to lessen our doubts , if not to altogether dispel them . There are many now whose claims are recognized by practical men as possessing this power , and prominent among them is Mr . B . Tompkins , of Chippenham , Wiltshire . His achievements in this direction are certainly

of an extraordinary and convincing kind . One out of his numerous " finds" was on the estate of the late Bro . Sir Gabriel Goldney . This particular spring was found near a roadway in the corner of a field on the lop of a hill , and conveniently situated for supplying the farm ; it was estimated to be at a depth of twenty to thirty feet . The well was sunk

on the spot marked , and at a depth of twenty-live feet was found a spring of water which gave an ample supply . Mr . Tompkins made his first attempt at water finding in 1886 ; since then he has made a great number of experiments with different kinds of wood , but he finds the white thorn or hawthorn the most reliable . He says the ashwood is too

sensitive , whereas the oak is too sluggish . He went to South Africa in 1886 on a water finding expedition , where he met with his usual success . At the conclusion of his tour he had discovered about twenty-live springs on the property .

Mr . Tompkins has been successful also in finding saline and sulphur springs with the aid of the rod , one notable instance being the discovery of such a spring in the recreation grounds of Llandrindod at a depth of forty-five lo fifty feet , and capable of yielding 1000 gallons per day .