Provincial.

Marlborough gained great victories in the reizn of Queen Anne . If Elizabeth Intel her Drnke . Ar . ae had her Rooko . It AA-as Sir George Rooke ivho nhvy ! ¦ : ;¦» men so well upon the chess board of war , that although ui . - it . 'ked against France and Spain , he checkmated them , e : ir > "i * . * red thafc great stronghold Gibraltar and prevented their castling again . Very unlike Elizabeth , bufc very like Anne is Queen Victoria . What Elizabeth lacked of real heart and wvmnil"race that Anne

.. y possessed , and that Victoria : !¦; : ;;¦; . - ?» . ' •» . Elizabeth ' s physical accomplishments are said to have been unexceptionable . Sir Walter Raleigh , ivhen in disgrace and in prison , wrote u letter to Sir Robert Cecil which ha no doubt intended and perhaps expected Elizabeth would see , in which he compared her riding to Alexander , her hunting to Diana , and her walking to Venus . If honest Drake ' s opinion had b ? e : i risked he would , no doubt ,

have rallied Raleigh on his fulsome flattery aucl averred that his angnst mistress , instead of walking like Venus waddled like a duck ; for , be ifc remembered , Elizabeth at thafc time , if fair , was fat and sixty . In tho Camp of Tilbury , where Elizabeth enlisted enthusiasm by her display of courage and eloquence , she declared she had "the heart of a kins-, and or' a king of England too . " Truly , she had the heart of a king , in some respects of the kingher father ; but he ( the W . M . ) need not stay to put his

, band upon the blots which disfigured fche pages of English history . It was , no doubt , a subject of felicitation with Queen Anne ' s subjects that she had "the heart of a queen , and of a queen of England , too , " as it is our happiness to say of Queen Victoria . Political discussion very properly ivas strictly forbidden at Masonic meetings . Having no political opinion , therefore , at

that date , ifc did not matter to them thafc Anr . o allied herself heart ancl soul to a party of the day called the Tory party , as she as heartily disliked another party called Whigs . Why should it concern us if Anne chose to wear her own hair ,

preferring that which ivas natural to what she may have considered as artificial . It did concern Masons , however , thafc the nation with unanimous voice applied the simple but expressive epithet to that sovereign "Good Queen Anne . " Equally applicable AVUS that epithet in our day— " Good Queen Victoria . " Whatever victories had been gained by land—whatever achievments had been Avon by sea during the reign of Queen Victoria , as Masons their glory and exultation should lie that she had

builded up a moral power which gave England position and influence amongst the nations . 'Die moral teaching of the life and character of Queen Victoria stood out in high relict ' , not only foi the admiration of England but of the whole civilised Avorld . With a mother ' s fondness for her people , and living in their affections , their aspirations event heavenward for the blessing of the Most High to rest on their Queen .

As to the Craft , lie ( the W . M . ) needed not to dwell at length upon their noble institutions for the support and education of orphan boys and girls—upon their houses of refuge for the aged and infirm poor—of their benefactions to distressed Masons and their widows—; ,: ' their local public and private acts of benevolence . Dickens , in his "Uncommercial Traveller , " relates an incident Avhere a man in a workhouse bad a grievance . The pauper

alleged he was a Mason , as ivas also the master ; that he bad given the master the sign , but the master refused to give him ( the pauper ) the countersign . It was the duty of the affluent Mason to assist his poor and distressed brother , no matter how low the spoke of Fortune's wheel on which he might be placed , provided he was worthy . Was Dickens's pauper worthy ? Their social gatherings at refreshment were very pleasant , bufc ifc must not be lost sight

of that primarily Masonry is a moral institution , and ought to be a test at all times of character to candidates seeking admission to the brotherhood . Was ever a man , inherently bad , fit for service that was good ?

KEMT . EDITH . —St . John and , St . Z'auYs Lodge . —At a numerous meeting of this highly respectable and prosperous lodge holden at the Pier Hotel , Mr . Manuel Garcia de la Tor . re was initiated , Bro . Woodnrd passed , and Bro . Mathew raised . This being the clay appointed for installation . Bro . Neville was installed iu the chair of K . S . After ivhich the brethren adjourned , to an elegant banquet . LANCASHIRE . ROBT . —Jlliancc Lodge ( No . 667 . )—This lodge AVUS held on

Tuesday , November Gth , at the loclge room , Stanley Arms , Roby . Tbe loclge was opened afc five o'clock , n . ni ., by Bro . John Porter , W . M ., assisted by Bros . William Doyle , S . W . ; Bolton , J . W . ; Winkiip , P . M . ; iloivartb , P . M ., & c . Amongst the visitors we noticed , Bros . T . Marsh , P . M ., Prov . S . G . W . ; L . Jones , WM ., 249 ; Robertson , Org ., 241 , & c . The minutes of last meeting were read ancl confirmed . The lodge was opened in the second degree , when three brethren were passed to the degree of . F . C-

by the W . M , rendering the ceremony iu his usual impressive and painstaking manner . Tho working tools in this degree were given by the S . W ., Bro . Doyle , in a very impressive manner . The lodge was then closed to the first degree . The W . M ., Bro . John Porter , then rose and said : Brethren , since last we met here , it has pleased the Great Architect of the Universe to take from amongst us our respected Bro . Jones , P . M . I am sure there is not a member of the loclge , and more especially

those who were more intimately acquainted with him , who will not feel that they have lost a sincere and kind-hearted friend and brother . Life is very uncertain ; it was only on Wednesday last Bro . Jones was about transacting his usual business , and yet in a few short hours he is called hence to give an account of his words and actions through life . Let us hope and trust lie has been prepared to meet his merciful Judge . Are we not truly reminded to perform our allotted task while it is

yet day , so that wc may be prepared whenever it shall please the Almighty to summon us from this sublunary abode to ascend to the Grand Lodgo above where the world ' s Great Architect lives and reigns for evermore . Brethren , I have fco propose that a vote of condolence be placed upon the minutes of this loclge , and that a letter of condolence be sent to the wife and family of onr late Bro . Jones . The motion having been seconded by Bro . HoworthP . M . was duly carried . Bro .

, , Jones , AV . M . 249 , on behalf of the visitors stated thafc he had visited many lodges bufc never saw one in which more good friendship , loudness , and brotherly love prevail . He complimented tho W . M . and officers of fche lodge on the good working . The loclge was then closed with solemn prayer .

SOUTH WALES ( EASTERN DIVISION ) . CAEDIEE . —Bute Lodge ( No . 960 . )—The usual bi-monthly meeting of this , fche largest and most flourishing loclge in the province , was held at the Masonic hall , Bute Docks , Cardiff , on Tuesday Gth inst . There ivere present Bros . John Willans , Prov . S . G . D ., W . M ; W . If . Martin , P . Prov . S . G . D ., P . M . and Treas . ; T . B . Bell , Prov . G . Purst ., S . AV . ; W . H . Sladen , J . W . ; T . G . GlassS . D . ; W . ColemanJ . D . ; James Willans Dir . of

, , Cers . ; T . Daniel , LG . ; H . W . Moreton , P . M ., See . ; B . Evans , Prov . G . S . ; P . Bird , F . Ware , C . Coafi ' ee , 68 , Bristol ; and numerous other brethren . The lodge was opened at seven o ' clock precisely , ancl the minutes of the last regular stated lodge read and confirmed . A ballot was taken for Mr . James Tainplin who was duly accepted . A ballot was also taken for Bro . Thomas Griffiths , resident in Cardiff , but initiated in a Bristol loclgeivhich ivas also declared favourable . Previous to

, taking this ballot the W . M . announced , and ordered the fact to be recorded upon the minutes , that the vary excellent and commendable by-laws of this lodge hacl been duly complied with , which enacts—that "No person residing in Cardiff , who shall be initiated away from Cardiff , shall be eligible for election in

this lodge unless be had a previous recommendation from the M . M . of tliis or one of the other Cardiff lodges , to the lodge in ivhich be was initiated . ' ' ' The lodge having been opened in the second degree , ifro . T . V . Yorath ( previously undergoing a satisfactory examination ) , ivas duly passed to tho second or F . C . degree , and the loclge was again closed down to the first degree . The candidate for initiation was not in attendance , but the W . ll . having announced his intention to give the explanation

, of the tracing board in this degree , and secured tbe attendance of a large number of recently initiated brethren who ivere desirous ot hearing the same , proceeded to deliver the customary lecture , with a degree of fluency ivhich elicited the warmest approbation of all the brethren present , many of them much older Masons than himself . The Junior Warden by command of the Worshiful Master now called

p the brethren off to refreshment , which , however , consisted of no more potent beverage than a draught of fresh aiy , —very acceptable nevertheless , to a . crowded lodge in which . the large fires and a considerable amount of gas were consuming , with an outivard temperature very much above the average . The brethren having been recalled from this unsubstantial refreshment to resume labour , lodge ivas at once opened