Ancient And Accepted Rite.

he had spent so pleasantly at Sheffield , and he called upon the brethren to drink a bumper to their Most Wise Sovereign . —The M . W . S ., in responding , expressed his determination to support the Talbot Chapter and spread the Rose Croix degree to the best of his ability , and said it was a peculiar gratification to hiin that the 111 . Bro . Hyde Pullen , 32 ° , who , more than four had conferred the Rose Croix degree upon him in the

years ago , Royal Naval Chapter at Portsmouth , should that day have done him the additional honour of installing him the M . W . S . of the Talbot Chapter . He had the greatest esteem for Brother Pullen , both for his private worth and for his extensive masonic research . He therefore asked the brethren to show their appreciation of his visit by warmly drinking his health . — Brother Pullen , 32 ° , feelingly responded , and in the course of

his remarks gave some very valuable information on the origin of the degree and the beauty of its symbolism , and concluded by proposing " Prosperity to the Talbot Chapter Rose Croix . " — The health of the visitors was replied to by the 111 . Bro . C . J . Banister , 30 ° , M . W . S , of the Royal Kent Chapter Rose Croix , Newcastle-on-Tyne , who said he had been much pleased with his visit that day , and looked forward to many subsequent visits which he hoped to to Sheffield . The " Officers of the

pay Chapter , " the "Newly perfected . Princes Rose Croix , " and other toasts were given , and a great deal of valuable and interesting information was derived on various masonic subjects from the illustrious brethren who were present , and all departed highly p leased with their day ' s work .

Obituary.

Obituary .

BROTHER WILLIAM ROSS . On the 24 th of November , died at Trinidad , aged 45 , after only four days illness , Bro . William Ross , P . M . of Prince of Wales Lodge , No . 1169 , Trinidad , and had served as Secretary of Victoria Lodge , No . 755 , St . Vincent . Bro . Ross had been for many years a resident of the island of St . Vincent , at which

p lace he held the appointment of Member of Council . He established himself here in 1 S 58 ; was an extensive merchant and proprietor of two sugar estates . As a man and a Mason , our brother was all that could be desired . He has left a widow and nine children , with a large circle of friends to deplore his loss .

Notes On Music And The Drama.

NOTES ON MUSIC AND THE DRAMA .

The Monday Popular Concerts will be resumed on the 13 th inst . The principal New York journals are talking enthusiastically about a child of eight years old who is surprising and delighting the public with her achievements as a pianist . This youthful prodigy is called Teresa Carrena , a native of Venezuela , in South America . If the glowing descriptions of the New York

critics are not greatly exaggerated , she must be a creature of such genius as is rarely met with , in which case we shall , no doubt , have before long an opportunity of judging with our own ears of her qualities and attainments . A courageous gentleman , one Herr Scholz , says the Affieuieum , has been producing at Frankfort a new overture to Iphigenia in Tauris .

Gluck ' s superb Armida has been revived carefully at Dresden with Madame Burde-Ney in the principal character . Herr Wagner ' s Tristan mid Ysolde is in rehearsal at Vienna . There is mention of a new opera , Joan of Arc ( a subject never happily treated in music ) , by Herr Langert at Leipsic . Herr Kiel ' s Requiem has been performed at Magdeburg . The Entr' Aetethe well-known theatrical journalwhich has

, , been published in Paris for so many years , was seized the other night by the authorities , for giving an imperfect programme of the performances at the theatres . Mr . Fechter will open the Lyceum on the 10 th inst ., but will defer the production of his burlesque until Easter .

The Week.

THE WEEK .

TITS COUBT . —The Queen and the other members of the Royal Family are now in retirement at Osborne , for the holidays . GESEUAXI HoitE NE -WS . —The state of the metropolitan health continues to improve . There was not only a decrease below the high rates of November , but a considerable

diminution from the average mortality of the preceding ten years-The number last week 1292 . The corrected average is 1560 . The deaths were therefore fewer by 26 S than the average mortality would have led us to expect . In the same week the births exceeded the deaths by 31 S , the numbers being 1610 children , however , was below the average of the last ten years . The

revenue returns for 1 S 62 were published on Wednesday night . They are of the most gratifying character . There has been a net increase on the year of £ 2 , 892 , 57 S . The only item upon which any decrease is shown is Excise , which has produced £ 627 , 000 less than last year . The total revenue from all sources is £ 70 , 996429 . The medals awarded to the successful

exhi-, bitors at South Kensington are to be distributed without any ceremony whatever . They will bo handed over to the medallists at the Exhibition building " any day before the 10 th of January . " The certificates of honorable mention are not yet ready for delivery . The Home Secretary has rejected the petition praying for a remission of the sentence passed upon Mr .

M'Laughlan , the Roman Catholic priest , who was recently sentenced to a term of imprisonment , for refusing to give evidence before a Glasgow magistrate . An " action of suspension and liberation" has , however , been raised in the Court of Session , and an order has been obtained granting '" interim liberation " to the rev . gentlemen . At the meeting of the Cental Relief Committee in Manchester on Tuesday , Mr . Farnall

reported a further decrease of rather more than 5000 in the number of persons in receipt of parochial relief in the cotton manufacturing districts . The largest falling off has occurred at Ashton-under-Lyne , Stockport , and Oldham ; but Mr . H . Mason , of Ashton , and Mr . R . M'Clure , of Stockport , informed the committee of local circumstances , which went to show that the increased employment of cotton operatives in their

districts was likely to be only temporary . Mr . Hutchinson , of Blackburn , abso observed that the apparent diminution of pauperism in that town arose chiefly from an arrangement , by which the Relief Committee take charge of a large number of cases which otherwise would appear on the books of the relieving officers . Among the contributions announced at the

meeting were £ 100 from the Pope , and 250 boxes of bacon from the British residents of New York . The bacon was conveyed to Liverpool free of freight by the Cunard steamer China . Mr . Horsman made an after-dinner speech at Stroud , on Saturday evening , in which he passed in review the leading topics of the day . With regard to the American war , he expressed his

entire approval of the polic } ' of strict non-intervention hitherto pursued hy Her Majesty's Government , and he added that he was not anxious to precipitate the recognition of the South , or European interference of any kind whatever in the unhappy stvuggle between the Federal and Confederate States . Mr . Justice Crampton , who retired from a seat in the Court of

Queen ' s Bench about four years ago , died on Monday night at his residence , Enniskerry , in the 81 st year of his age . Mr . Crampton was Solicitor-General under Earl Grey's Government , and in 1836 was made a judge in the Queen ' s Bench under the Government of Lord Melbourne . The learned gentleman began life as a Whig , and fought a severe hut unsuccessful contest for Dublin University with the present Lord Chief Justice