Colonial.

volunteers ; Lieut .-Col . Dupratt , volunteer artillery ; Lieut .-Col . Eustace , volunteer rifles ; Capt . Porter , Cape Town volunteer cavalry ; Capt . Clocte , AA ynberg volunteer cavalry ; Lieut .-Col . J . Scott Tucker , volunteer sappers and miners , colonial engineer and architect to this building ; and J . Reid , Esq ., contractor for the foundations ; and upwards of ten thousand inhabitants of Cape TOAVU and its vicinity . God save the Queen . " Bro . Brand then presented to his excellency , on a red velvet cushion ,

a silver troivel , elaborately embellished and engraved , from a design furnished by Bvo . AL T . King , AV . AI . of the British Lodge . The stone having been laid in due Alasonic form , and his excellency having declared the work " well-formed , true , and trusty , " the cornucop ia was handed to the AA ' orshipful Alaster of the Goede Hoop Lodge ( Bro . C . F . Juritz ) , ivho poured out corn on the stone ; the AA'orshipful Alaster of the British Lodge ( Bro . AL T . King , poured out wine ; and the AVorshipful Alaster of the Goede Trouiv ( Bro . B . J . van de S . cle A illiei's ) ,

oil . After this the Deputy Prov . Grand Alaster pronounced the following benediction ; " The labours having been duly performed , let us HOAV invoke the blessing of Him through whom alone our work can prosper . Alay the Great Architect of the universe pour down His blessings on the ivork noiv commenced . Alay He assist in the erection and completion of this building , and , in His great grace , preserve the workmen against every accident . Alay this intended hospital soon bo finished , to receive the sick and the poor , so that they may bless the Lord for the great good lie has clone unto them ! Alay the Lord bless the inhabitants of this nlii . no . " "So mote it be . "

The procession was then reformed , and his Excellency and Lady Grey returned to the dais , the troops firing a feu de joie , and the bands playing " God Save the Queen . " Bros . Brand , Hill , and King then advanced , and his Excellency having risen from bis seat , Bro . Braucl addressed htm as follows : —It , becomes my pleasing duty to ofter you , sir , a remembrance of the great work which you have now oriinated . The trowel is the emblem of our Alasonic actions—of the

g architecture of our minds . You have no' . v used it for a , construction ivhich , in the true Alasonic principle , has for its object benevolence and charity . A our task has been a pleasant and a graceful one—ours is one of gratitude toAvards you , for having laid the corner stone of a hospital , ivhich , we hope , under divine blessing , may prosper for the relief of the sick aud the poor . Your work sir , in this colony , . luring your government , has been immense , and ofthe utmost importance . No institution

hut has felt your paternal hand beneficially dealing with its objects and its interests . You have brought into existence what ivas still hidden in darkness ; you have opened resources and originated measures most beneficial to the peace , happiness , and prosperity of this colony ; and on this day—on the eve of your departure , as one of the hist of your public beneficial acts—yon have assisted in the commencement of a structure , for ivhich its future inmates and the public at large will bless your inline . I present to ym , sir , this trowel , not only in the name of the Masonic brethren , but in that of all the colonists . The public demonstration of their approbation of your government , and of their high esteem towards your person , has been so general throughout the colony ,

that , in our joint names , I offer you this symbol , of hive aud charity . I ofter it as a mark of our sincere gratitude for what you have this day performed , and of our warm sympathy and devotion towards yourself . Bro . Sir George Grey , in replying , said : —It would have been impossible for mo to have heard what you have said without experiencing Mings to ivhich 1 ' cannot give utterance . I was altogether unprepared to hear such words on this occasion ; and , therefore , I feel quite unequal to the taskpleasurable though it beof full ling to . I can

, , y repy you "uly Sity that as long as I live I will remember this scene , so striking in itself ; and I will cherish iu my heart the remembrance of the words which you have so kindly expressed . I shall always remember with pleasure that my duty here to-day was to help to carry on a good ivork , which had beeu begun years before . AVe have as yet simply entered on to that which has been prepared for us by those who have preceded us . ''Ut . [ do hope that , if not immediately , at least shortly , those who are

now alive ivill not be satisfied ivith having simply lent their presence here ou this occasion . I assure you I will myself be only too happy to end a Avii ling hand in furthering the good work which I am about to -cave behind mo , and , at any time , I will , as I feci myself bound to do , Respond to any application Avhich may be made to me in its behalf ; and , Hii'thermore , I repeat , that as long as I live I will preserve this memento and in the words which have this

carry my memory you day expressed tu me in presenting it . " . _ Three hearty cheers iv ore then given by the assembled multitude , and Jus excellency and Lady Grey immediately afterwards took their departure , which was regarded as a signal for the CI-OAVCI to disperse .

SYDNEY . A USI'U . \ LASIA > ' I'llEEMASOXS' HALL COMPANY . -tUE tenth , half yearly meeting of this company was held at the Freemasons' Hall , Sydney , " July llth , Alderman John AVilliams , D . Prov . u - » . m tho chair . The report for the hist half year , as well as a general ^ miliary of the whole of the proceedings of the directors of the Hall -mn . pany , during the five years of their direction , was brought forward ^ i- the inspection and approval of tho proprietors , who expressed their ' l't'robotiou ofthe manner in ivhich the affairs of the company had bee .-i

Colonial.

conducted . Alderman John Williams , chairman and retiring director , was unanimously re-elected . Alderman ThurloAV and Thomas Alay were elected auditors for the ensuing year . The chairman stated he was happy to inform the meeting that the Alasonic Orphan Fund was the largest proprietor in the company , and he was satisfied that before the expiration of the term of office that they had just elected him to hold , that the Alasonic Orphan Fund and the Lodges would be the sole proprietors of the property . A dividend at the rate of eight per ceut . per

annum was declared for the last half year . A vote of thanks proposed by Alderman Thurlow , aud seconded by Bro . Bradford , to the chairman and directors , for their efficient management of the company ' s affairs during the past five years , was carried . This terminated the proceedings .

France.

FRANCE .

GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE . DHEIXG the course of his stay at Paris , Bro . Hyde Clarke , who is all old member of high rank under the Grand Orient of France and Supreme Council , spent some time on Masonic business . On his visit to the hotel of the Grand Orient , he minutely inspected the building under tho guidance of the Grand Secretary , and spent some time in consultation with the Grand Officers on the present state of Masonry abroad , bestowing the evenings on visits to the Chapters ancl Lodges meeting there . Bro . Clarke was invited to bestow his labours on the

reconciliation of Alasonic difficulties in the East , and in the consolidation of French Atasonry . MARSEILLES . —Lodge . La Veritc , August 12 th . —The members of the Lodge La A erito , having been informed that Bro . Hyde Clarke was in the city , on his way to embark for the East with his family , took measures for his reception . Shortly after his arrival tho Secretary waited upon him at his hotel to request him to name a time for receiving

the Venerable ( AA ' . AL ) , and to offer him the cordial services of the brethren . The same evening the AV . M . attended him to the Alasonic Hall , and the Lodge having been constituted , the AV . M . announced to the brethren the presence of Bro . Clarke in the hall , when a deputation ivas appointed to receive tho illustrious brother , and attend him with the honours due to his exalted rank . The deputation waited on Bro . Clarke , in the library , and a procession was formed consisting of the Standard Bearer anil standard of the Lodgethe Deacons with their

, wands , the Masters of Ceremonies , the three most distinguished brothers of the Lodge , and the 111 . Bro . Clarke , S . P . R . S ., escorted by Bro . Forty , S . P . R . S ., and surrounded by the three lights . The procession halted iu the centre , the brethren standing with swords drawn , when the AA . AI . met the illustrious brother , saluted him fraternally and led him to the chair , which the illustrious brother having occupied , resigned the gavel t . i the AV . AI ., and was then conducted to the rig ht of the chair by 111 . 7

Bro . Fort } , tho brethren saluting with nine . The AVorshipful Bro . Afittre , in a long and eloquent oration , congratul tted the Alarseilles brethren on the presence among them of one . of tho most distinguished ornaments of French Masonry ancl most enlightened contributors to English and American Alasonic literature , whose labours for the propagation of Alasonry in the High and Craft Degrees had been so zealous . Bro . Hycle Clarke replied at some length in French . At the close , of the labours Bro . Clarke retired with due honoursand was escorted to

, his hotel by some of the brethren . Ou the morning of embarkation , AV . Bro . Alittre attended Bro . Clarke at his hotel for the purpose of presenting to him some of the officers of the French government steamer Uoryslkinc , in which he had taken passage , and to claim for him cordial attention .

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . CAPTAIN AV . V . AIASKELYNE . AVE have with regret to record tho death of Bro . Captain AV . A . Aiaskelyne , H . AI . 7 th Royal Fusiliers ( ofthe Inhabitants' Lodge , No . 178 . ac Gibraltar ) , who wiis buried in that fortress on the 18 th of September . Bro . Alaskclyno first s . tw the light of the Order in the above named Lodge about a year ago ; he had therefore not yet arrived at any of the higher honours of the Craft . Ho was called aivay from this sublunary here at an earl under circumstances of a ineUiue .. oly nature .

sp y age , , very He hacl , with tivo other officers of the garrison , gone over to the neighbouring coast of Barbary , on a shooting excursion , as a little relaxation IVom their military duties , so hying to the constitution i" this climate . "Whilst there , the Emperor of Alorocco died , the rupture took place between the Aloors and Spaniards at Ceuta , ancl disturbances broke out iu different parts of the Moorish empire ; the party of sportsmen entered the town of Rabat just as the British residents were leaving it ; they all .

embarked together in an open sailing boat , and had just got onr , of the harbour , when a party of Aloors came into the town , raised the fanatical cry of "death to the Christians , " and set about pillaging and destroying such property as the Europeans had left behind . The boat , detained , by contrary winds , w , s six days reaching Gibraltar , ancl the exposure during that time to a broiling sun , together with the absence ofthe barest , accommodation , brought on a violent fever in the case of tivo out of the three officers , and of the servant ivho accompanied them . AA'ith Bro ,