Masonic Intelligence.

prevented engrafting on it a Medical School . He had to confess that he was not sorry that such had been the case , for the existence of a Medical School in connection with an Hospital was oftentimes the means of preventing patients going into it . — ( Cries of no , no . )—He thought that such was the case , and that operations were in such hospitals too much indulged in . —( Strong expressions of dissent . )—Well , however , that might be , there could be no question that the Royal Free Hospital had been productive of the greatest advantage to tbe poor and afflicted of the populous

district in which it was situated . Some opinim might be formed of the extent of the relief which it administered when he informed the company that the bill for the supply of drugs for the last year amounted to £ 1 , 200 , and that that sum was insignificant taken in comparison with the number of sick to whom they had been administered , for he found that last year they numbered 30 , 900 . With regard to what the Rev . Dr . Bowles had stated , he might be allowed to say , that he doubted whether they could yet obtain an endowment iundas it would require

, a capital of . £ 100 , 000 to yield , at 3 per cent ., a sufficient income for the maintenance of the 100 beds which this wing was destined to accommodate , and they must , therefore , mainly depend on the public for annual subscriptions and donations for its support . At the same time , some £ 500 or £ 1 , 000 was required for the completion of the sum necessary to finish the building , which he urged them to endeavour to raise before thinking of an endowment fund . —( Cheers . )—With regard to what had

been stated by the Rev . Doctor relative to the spiritual wants of the patients , he might observe that , the hospital had a salaried chaplain attached to it , and that free ingress was given to clergymen of all other denominations to visit patients who wished to see them . In conclusion , Dr . Marsden made an eloquent appeal to the company for support , which was loudly cheered . Br . Jennings , G . D . C . then said , that as alliances were the order of the day , the banner of the Grand Lodge had that day waved in the cause of charity , in union with

that of the friends of the Royal Free Hospital , to support which , there was a strong desire among all classes of the community , even the poorest , as was demonstrated by the large sums , annually deposited in pence and half-pence in the poor-box in front of the building . These in 1854 , amounted to ± 347 , and this year to more than . £ 100 . These facts showed that the poor were grateful for the benefits conferred on them , and satisfied with the good management of the institution , for which they were indebted to the Presidentthe Vice-Presidentand the other officers of the Charity

, , ; and he therefore begged to propose the health of those gentlemen . Br . Fenn , Secretary to the Hospital , returned thanks , and read an extract from the will of the late Wm . Bennett , E .-q ., of Newport , just proved , leaving a legacy of £ 1 , 000 to the hospital ; and several gentlemen present handed in their names as subscribers for various amounts , making an aggregate , as far as we could understand , of about £ 300 .

Br . Alderman Spiers , D . P . G . M . in proposing the thanks of the company to Br . Tonikins , W . M ., of the Lodge of Antiquity , for the loan of the Mall of Sir Christopher Wren , to be used in the ceremony of the day , after referring to the satisfaction which he felt in seeing the corner-stone of the Sussex Wing laid with masonic honours , proceeded to say , that of all the uses to which that instrument could be applied , there was none which could prove more gratifying to the spirit of Sir Christopher Wren than that the relic of one Grand Master was used to raise a

memorial to the memory of the Grand Master of their order , and he could well imagine that those whom he saw around him would never forget that they had taken a part in the ceremonial , the recollection of which was calculated to bring to their minds the cause of charity , which they , as Freemasons , were bound to support , and he hoped that the subscriptions of tbe evening would show that they acted up to then * principles . For his own part , it afforded him the greatest possible pleasure to put down his name for ten guineas .

Br . Tonikins briefly expressed his thanks , and said that the officers of the Lodge as costodians of the Mall , never saw it better employed than in laying the foundation stone of a memorial to the late Duke of Sussex , which they hoped would be productive of a large amount of good to the poor .