Masters, Wardens, And Past Masters.

the Master of a particular lodge should die , resign , or be deposed , the Senior Warden shall forthwith fill the Master ' s chair till the next time of election , and he ever does in the Master ' s absence fill the chair , even though a former Master

he present ; " and though the present Constitutions provide for a P . M . taking the chair , they also distinctly state , " and if no P . M . of the lodge be present , then the S . W ., or in his absence , the J . W ., shall rule the lodge ; " and surely " Veritas " would not have it ruled

from the North or the South . In America it is still held , as shown by Mackey , Morris , and various other Avriters that the authority is entirely with the Wardens ; and Mackey states that the Warden having , in the absence of the Master , congregated the lodge , " he may , by courtesy , invite a P . M . of the lodge to preside . But as

this congregation of the lodge by a Warden is essential to the legality of the communication , it follows that in the absence of the Master aud both Wardens , the lodge cannot be opened ; and consequently , under such circumstances , a P . M . cannot preside . " Whilst Morris says ,

' ' The S . W . ia responsible for the doings of the lodge in the Master ' s absence , provided he ( the S . W . ) is present , " and , " in the absence of the Master , he can , aud ought , and must , do everything the Master can , ought , and must do when present . " Having , as we belieA r e , established the ri ght of the Warden to perform the duties of a Master , the question

comes , where ought he to sit , and we maintain that as the Lord Chancellor never sits on the throne of the House of Lords , though acting as the representative of the highest personage in the realm , neither should any but the Master of a lodge ever occupy the chair ; aud the late G . Sec , Bro . White , has distinctly laid it doAvn

that "the Wardenis not competent to assume the Master ' s chair , but must sit by the side or in front of it . " This we published at page 366 in the FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE of 1857 , having , on our application to Bro . White , on the subject been referred by him to a letter which he

had written to the W . M . of a lodge in the early part of 1855—a copy of which he showed us in the letter book of Grand Lodge , to which "Veritas , " as a Member ofthe Board of General Purposes , can at any time have easy access . We think Ave have now shoAvn that the authorit y

is in our favour , aud that the reply we gave to our correspondent is not such an absurdity as " Veritas" would make it appear . If the Warden cannot remove from his position , or undertake all the duties of the W . M ., we should like " Veritas" to inform us how he would provide for a case like the folloAving , and which actually

occurred iu one of our colonies not five years since : — A Master , during his years of office , was called aAvay from the colony at Avhich he Avas residing to take a public appointment in another colony ; and when he left , there being no P . M . in the colony , there was no one to preside over the lodge but the S . W . " Veritas , " referring to the last part of our reply , says , "the Deputy Grand Master is no parallel . " We did

Masters, Wardens, And Past Masters.

not state he Avas , but only mentioned his position in Grand Lodge as a fact—but we think we can show that to some extent he is a parallel . At the time of the obligation of the Earl of Dalhousie , then Lord Panmure , as D . G . M ., the brother who obligated him was Stephen Barton Wilson , who stood to the left of the pedestal ;

and on the recent occasion of the obligation of the Earl de Grey and Eipon , the duty was performed by Bro . Hall , Prov . G . M . for Cambridgeshire , the G . M . holding his chair and governing the lodge , though delegating the performance of a portion of his duties as G . M ., as he had a perfect ri g ht to do , to other brethren .

France.

FRANCE .

Prince Murat has fixed the 14 th October for the election of G . M . of the Masonic Order of Eranee . The following letter has been written by the private secretary of Prince Napoleon , M . Eauvety , venerable of a lodge , to be communicated to the members of the

Grand Orient of Eranee : — SIR . —Tou haA e done me the honour to ask what are the intentions of H . I . H . Prince Napoleon ivith regard to the election of Grand Master of the French Ereemasons , about to take place . I hasten to inform you that the princehaAung thought proper to give in his

, resignation after the election of last May , has authorised me to declare to the deputies of the lodges of Erench Ereemasons that he Avishes them to give their votes to some other candidate . I am happy to add , in the prince ' s name , that while ceasing to be the representative of the Orderhis Imperial Hihness nevertheless

, g considers it a duty incumbent on him to give his utmost aid to an institution from which he has recently received so signal a proof of confidence and sympathy . Accept , & c , Paris , Oct . 6 . EM . HUBAINE .

Architecture And Archæology.

ARCHITECTURE AND ARCH ? OLOGY .

GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL INTELLIGENCE . The restored church of Thurston , Suffolk , has been reopened . The details of the original structure have been adhered to generally , except in a few minor features of the exterior , and in the fittings of the interior . The roof has been raised again some 6 or 7 ft . ; thereby diminishing the

apparent height of the tower , which , however , is slightly increased . The walls are faced with undressed flint , with stone arches and quoins , up to the string-course , above which tho flints have been dressed . Two bands of red brick have been introduced to give additional strength . The arches are of red brick alternated with dressed flints above the dripstones of the windows . In rebuilding the tower , in

which later work had been introduced , ths architect has restored the original design both in the buttresses and in the traceried windows of the belfry . Inside the church the old stones of the pillars have been replaced , except- unsound ones . The whole of the area of the new nave is thrown open , and filled with oak benches with carved poppy heads ; the chancelwhich remains much as it wasbeing furnished

, , with the original stalls . The organ , which fills the northwest corner , is almost entirely reconstructed ; the fall ofthe tower having nearly destroyed the former one . Above , a simple waggon roof of stained wood has been substituted for one of the perdicular style , with cross beams and carved