Ancient And Accepted Rite.

ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED RITE .

NORTHUMBERLAND . NEWOASXLE-rpo >* -Tris * E . —Poyal Kent Chapter of Sovereign Princes Hose Croix of S . E . D . M . —The annual convocation of this chapter was held on Friday Feb . 22 nd , at the Masonic hall , Bell's-court , Newgate-street , and was opened at five o ' clock bv the M . W . S . Robert J . Banning , M . D . Amongst the Sov . Princes present were J . M . Bros . Henry HothamH . G . Ludwig

, , Ed . Shotton , Wm . Robinson , Anthony Clapham , W . M-. invoocl . Wm . Brignall , jun ., W . Foulsham , J . H . Thompson , Jens Jensen W . G . Laws , Francis Law , & c . After the confirmation of the minutes of the last chapter , and of a chapter of emergency . The M . W . S . proceeded to instal his successor , S . P . Jens Jensen , the M . W . S . elect . The following officers were appointed : —111 . Bros . William PuuslienPrelate ; William Foulsham

, , 1 st General ; James H . Thompson , 2 nd General : Anthony Clapham , Grand Marshal : W . G . Laws , Raphaei ; William Brignall , jun ., Capt . of the Guard : and W . S . Trotter , Equerry . After the closing of the chapter the brethren dined together in the hall , and upon the removal of the cloth the usual loyal toasts as well as thoso peculiar to this Order were given from ihe chair .

Obituary.

Obituary .

THE LATE REV . BRO . ANDREW E . BONAR . GIUND CHAELAIJS-, GEASD LODGE or SCOTLAND . & C - With feelings of the profoundest sorrow , we take pen in hand to chronicle the death of one of the foremost Freemasons in Scotland , a brother alike distinguished for his ripe , scholarship , his unaffected piety , his warm-heartedness , and his delight in our beloved Craft . It was but a few days previous to his

decease that he wrote us a letter full of that humour for which 'lie was so distinguished , and he appeared then to be in the best of health and spirits . But a week after , and his friends , and those he loved , and who loved him so dearly , knew him no more . Another empty chair in the family circle , another empty pulpit in the old Canongate , and another empty seat in the lodge , and the true and constant one has passed away . When in reviewing Iiis work upon the Poets and Poetry of Scotlandwe hinted a

, hope of being able at some future time to say something of its author , we little expected how soon , and under what melancholy circumstances , we should be called upon to do it . Even yet the sudden bereavement appears a dream , some horrible nightmare , from which awakening , the kindly voice , and the genial smile will once more he ours . Alas , already the sod is smooth above the grave , the body has been surrendered to its kindred

dust , ancl the soul , has flown to Him who gave it . To the Craft in general his death will be a great loss , to ourselves it will be a loss which will be irreparable , for he was iu many things our constant adviser and helper .

Ihe Rev . Bro . Bonar was , at the date of his decease ( 25 th February ) , about fifty years of age , in personal appearance rather above the middle size , and stout . He was a native of Edinburgh , and born of a family which has had members well known both in clerical , commercial , and private life in the city and neighbourhood . His father was James Bonar , a native of Hampshire ( but of Scotch extraction ) , who long carried on the 'business of a Russian merchantwhen he retiredresiding latterl

, , y in Edinburgh . As a preacher the subject of our present sketch was far above the average . His discourses ivere distinguished by their high intellectual character . They were earnest , forcible , and eloquent , indicating great command of language , and they -were delivered with animation and fire . Mr . Bonar was a man of great force and vigour of mind , and of deep and accurate learning in various branches of knowledge . The reverend

gentleman obtained his education at the High School and L ' niversitv of Edinburgh , having , at the hitter seat of learning , for his pro " - fessors , amongst others , the celebrated Professor Wilson , and the renowned theologian , Dr . Chalmers . withDrs . Welsh and Brunton . He carried off several high honours , including the second medal in the Moral Philosophy class , under Christopher North . To " rough old Kit" he appears to have entertained to the last

a iv . irni feeling , for in the "Poets and Poetry of Scotland" lie writes of him " ( p . 321 ) : — " The writer of this ' notice gratefully remembers the intellectual stimulus derived from attend ' ni * . at the Moral Philosophy class , as conducted by Wilson .- and when

Obituary.

the strength of the strong had been sapped , and the eloquent voice was unheard in the old haunt where so many fresh and pure triumphs had been gained—iu common with hundreds of former students , not a few of whom had experienced his rough , yet hearty lri . iiiness—he felt that a light had faded , almost that a star had fallen . " Bro . Bonar was licensed to preach the gospel in 181-1 . In 1843 he was ordained minister of the parish of Fogo ,

Berwickshire . In 18-15 he was translated to be minister of the second charge of the Canongate , and on the decease of the senior clergyman , the Rev . Dr . Gilchrist , he was presented by the Crown to the first charge . Bro . Bonar was quite of a literary turn , and was the author of a great number of works on religious , ecclesiastical , and general subjects . These included— ' ' - Voyages of Discovery round the Globe" ' Perils and Adventures on the Deep" " The French

, , Revolution , and career of Napoleon . " "The Last Days of the Martyrs , " an edition ot" Mungo Park ' s Travels , " with a memoir oftlie intrepid African explorer , "The Holy Land , " "Scenes from the History of the Christian Church , " " Presbyterian Liturgies , " & c , besides several smaller publications , and he was also editor of more -than one religious periodical . Arising out of his works on ecclesiastical history , he was a candidate for the chair

of Church History at St . Andrews , and also at Edinburgh on the last occasion of a vacancy . All his writings , besides being ably written , breathe a truly Catholic spirit , and are distinguished for moderation and good sense . By his work on Liturgies he is credited with having done something in pioneering the way for the feeling which enabled Dr . Robert Lee and others to introduce improvements into the service of the Church ot

Scotland . Bro . Bonar belonged to a family who have achieved distinction in religious literature , but unlike the other members of the family , who may be said to have restricted themselves to that field alone , has diverged into other pastures , and published works on general literary topics , including , with others mentioned above , a " Life of the Duke of Wellington . " He was also the author of an admired Burns' Centenary Poem , read before the Lodge Edinburgh , St . Stephens , on 25 th January , 1859 ; he also published in I 860 , on the occasion of the tricentenary of the Reformation of 1560 , a discourse , preached in the

Canongate Church , entitled "The Reformation and its Blessings , " and issued only a few weeks ago a second edition of his admirable work entitled " The Poets ancl Poetry of Scotland " from James I . to tbe present time , which has been favourably reviewed in many quarters . This is a work containing many of the choicest specimens of our earlier and some of our recent poets , preceded in each instance by a short biographyancl a discriminating criticism on their productions .

, Bro . Bonar was initiated iu the Lodge Edinburgh , St . Stephen , was Chaplain of the Lodge Canongate , Kilwinning , and for many years held , with the Rev . Dr . Arnot , of the High Church , the office of Joint Chaplain to the Grand Lodge of Freemasons in Scotland , and he has officiated'as such on several important public occasions . Bro . Bonar ' s Masonic addresses were models of true Craft teaching , and his earnest

wish was to raise the standard of Masonic knowledge , so that the brethren might understand what they were accustomed simply to repeat by rote . He was one of the ablest and most constant contributors to the Scottish Freemason ' s Magazine , in tbe columns of which unfortunate publication his sketches of the Masonic poets appeared . For ourselves he was preparing a fresh seriesbut death cut him oft' in the beginning of his

, work , when he had only completed three . A contemporary has justly said that Bro . Bonar was a Minister of whom the Canongate has great reason to be proud . His standing among his brother clergymen was very high , and at the date of his death he held the honourable and important post of Moderator to the Edinburgh Presbytery . Bro . Bonar was a widowerand leaves an only and youthful daughter to

, mourn his loss . It may not be uninteresting to say a few words with regard to the church with which our deceased brother was so long connected . At the period of the Revolution the Abbey Church of Canongate was exposed to the pillage of the people , and for 70 years afterwards it was left in a dilapidated condition . It was * repaired bGovernmentand newly roofed ; hut the roof

y , being made of heavy flagstones fell in shortly afterwards . With the addition of such repairs as are necessary to keep it from failing altogether to pieces , the church remains still in the same state . It was succeeded in 16 SS by the present parish church , in which it ivas provided that all persons having a right to