Masonic Notes And Queries.

had been gifted with a particular tongue , and that each tongue gave forth , with double force , " All hail , the Masons !" THE DIS - . The hall of the assembling Masons was graced with a considerable display of greensgracefully arranged

, in star-compass and straight-line pattern , instructively and pleasingly interspersed with mottoes significant of the past and present glories of the sublime order . " Ex pede Herculum "— " Judge us by the size of our feet . " " Nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit "— " No man is at all times a fool . " "In hoe signo rides "— "By

this sign thou must laugh , "— "Toutbienonrien . " " Go the whole hog ; " and many others which we unfortunately fail to recollect . The tables AA'ere laden with viands and vine juice in many forms , and the bitter beer of Bass was strongly represented .

The band crashed and clashed forth sonorous sounds as each emblematically-decorated brother , Avith quiet dignity , remoA'ed the beaver and took place at the festive board .

Afc first there was a little confusion as to the use of napkins . Some reasonably concluded that , as the weather was cold , many must hai-e caught cold aud , applying the cloths to nasal service , felt gratified . Others of fiercer temperament rejected with indignation the napkins as memorials of baby-tuckers which careful mammas pin under infant chins to

economise washing . There were a few complaints not " loud hut deep , " at tlie sharpness of the knives , which , through forgetfulness , excitement , or inadvertence , performed fork duty , and cut what was not intended for carving : howeverno accident occurred Avhich could demand

, the attention of the coroner . There was a slight dispute as to the utility of finger-glasses . The discussion , however , was satisfactorily settled by a learned member , who proved that such things were invented b y the Masons of Pompeii and Herculaneum for the purpose of cleansing

eyebrows aud beard before supper , and hence held places as objects of veneration at the dining-tables of the Craft . The entertainments of the evening were too various to he described ;—too intellectual to be criticised;—too " spiritual" to be compi'ehended ;—too harmonious

to admit of fault-finding . Iu fact , my tendencies being Masonic , I decline to elaborate : if I would , I could not ; if I could , we should not , and therefore confine myself to the address of the Grand Arch , or president .

THE ADDEESS . Gents , and Brother Masons : — "We are assembled ¦ once more , I am happy to say , to commemorate , to display , to extol the quantity and quality of our g lorious Order . ( Loud cheers , and hear , hear . ) Ton respond with cheers and hear , hear . For the first I

am more than grateful , but for the last I have a question to ask . ( Cries of " Say it out . " ) Tou say hear , hear , but clo all here know the ori gin , the growth , the establishment , the greatness , of the Society of which we this day are the humble representatives ? ( Hear , hear , mixed with shouts of " I guess we do . " ) The Templars were Masons , and the Templars Avere men of the Temple , and the men of the Temple were the children of Solomon , and therefore wise , ( Cries

" Of course , of course . " ) The ancient Christians who fought with Julius Caesar were Masons , for they had signs and performed wonders . ( " Sartanly , sartanly . " ) But we go further back , gentlemen , for the signs of our great society . "We go back to the subsidence of the Flood . ( A general expression of awe . ) After the floodbrother Masonswhen King Belus built a

, , tower , that towered so uncommonly high that no man , without the aid of an opera glass , could see the top of it ; at that period , I say , you will find the history of our origin in the pages of the immortal Josephus . ( Cheers , ivith cries of "We ' ve read all . " ) At that period the confusion of tongues was so great that

when the Master Mason called for mortar , the hodman rushed to the nearest chemist ' s shop and seized a pestle , and everything became so confused with the confab that King Belus , ivhen he called for his matutinal coffee , was presented with bitter beer . Then , I saywas our distinctivedistinguishedand

unextin-, , , guishable Craft established . ( Loud cheers , intermixed Avith cries of "How well larn'd . " ) King Belus summoned the head masons and established a code of signs , by which all true masons might know mortar from pestle , and render no mistake possible between coffee and bitter beer . ( Hear , hear , with

cheers from excited members . ) King Hiram , the head carpenter of King Solomon , Avho cut away all the cedars of Lebanon , Avas a Master Arch , and gave us , for a sign and remembrance , the compass ; which means all square , or all round my hat . ( Cheers , cheers , more cheers . ) And Bellisarius , the great general of the greater Constantine , introduced the sign of unfortunate brethren when in search of Pabulum .

( Much excitement at the profound learning of the speaker . ) The accidental , intuitive , instinctive , and , I may add , instructive lengthening of the nose , by the application of the expanded digits , notwithstanding its vulgar use , is a great and wonderful sign , and traceable to clays of remotest antiquitj ' . ( Cheers . ) Bufc I must conclude , gentlemen and brother Masons

( cries of "I guess you ought" ) , with a bumper , and Avith earnest trust that Ave may at all times prove ourselves worthy representatives of our founder King Belus the confused and Bellisarius the forlorn . The speaker , amid loud cheers , collapsed after his bumper . ( From Young Puneli , published at Nassau , New Providence . )

MASONIC BY-LAWS . I hai'e in my possession the by-laAVS of the Emerald Lodge ( No . 139 ) , Mountmelick , Queen ' s County , Ireland , dated ISM' , and among them I find , " No . 29 . That the costume of the brethren of this lodge shall consist of a rifle-green dress coat Avith lodge button , white vest with lodge button , dark trowsers , with black stock or cravat . " Is this the custom among our Irish brethren?—T . L . J . W .

VEILED LANGUAGE . Is there any Dictionary of Synonymes which will give me a clue to the veiled language , such as used by Lord Bacon in his New Atlantis ?—STUDENS . —[ Yes . Millott ' s Sislorg of the Troubadours . Send a note , stating Avhere you ivill be sure to be found , and you shall have a private letter . If we Avere to print a key we should raise such a hue and cry that the consequences Avould be anything but pleasant to us . ]