Our Masonic Contemporaries.

journalist was the independent action of private enterprise ; and , among other cases , he , while engaged 011 'The Civil Engineers' Journal , successfully resisted an attempt of the Board of Trade to impose restrictions on -the steamboat interest , for which the journal received a testimonial from the leading parties concerned . On leaving the more active practice of engineering ,

Bro . Clarke engaged in researches on various branches of mechanics and physics . The subject of colour ( on which some popular lectures by him have been more than once republished ) occupied his attention , particularly with respect to color-printing . In the early series of The Railway Magazine will be found a paper ' -. On

Printing b ) Galvanism ; " and he was the inventor of a typecompiosing machine , the adoption of which has on several occasions been proposed by large establishments . Professor Wheatstone ' s experiments for an acoustic telegraph were followed b y Bro . Clarke , and some interesting articles by him " On the means of increasing and propagating

sound" will be found in The Mechanic ' s Magazine for 1840 . Acoustic and hydrostatic telegraphs having been abandoned for the electric telegraph , Bro . Clarice became engaged with the late Prancis Whishaw in several telegraphic operations , including a means of doubling signals , the code systemancl the telegraph for India . Bro .

, Clarke ' s report to the East India Company on this latter subject decided the matter ; but , though Messrs . Whishaw ' s ancl Clarke ' s expenses were afterwards repaid by the Government , they were not employed in carrying out tho system . *

Bro . Clarke was afterwards engaged with Mr . Cramp"ton on a scheme of Australian telegraphs for a Committee of Members ofthe Australian Legislature , whicli , on account ofthe financial crisis was postoned . On the first proposal of the ocean telegraph for the Atlantic , Bro . ¦ Clarke was employed in the investigation ; but lie de--clined to proceed with the undertaking , as he

recommended a middle in preference to a northern route , and a stronger form of cable . In 1859 , Bro . Clarke was again called in by some of the competitors for the Atlantic cable . We may mention here that Bro . Clarke was one of the first advocates of steam transit to America . In 1836 lie

expended a considerable sum of money ou this object , but was defeated b y tlie vulgar prejudices which opposed him 011 every side , besides getting the character of au enthusiast . On some friends of his acquiring au interest in Mr . Berdan ' s gold patent , Bro . Clarke became secretary ancl engineer of the company ; butalthough too late to save

, them from complete loss , he rescued the directors from heavy liabilities , for which he received a testimonial . His exertions there led to a like invitation from a large company engaged in smelting in Chili , supposed to be in very prosperous circumstances , but requiring stricter management . Bro . Clarke devoted much time to the

undertaking , and at length detected serious deceptions in tlie management , though too late to prevent very lieavy loss to the shareholders and creditors , showed the necessity of winding up the concern , in which lie was employed . While engaged in making himself master of tlie details , Bro . Clarice compiled a very valuable work

on " Copper Smelting , " read in 1859 before the Society of Arts , printed in the Journal of the Society , and since republished . A large mass of statistical essays is the result of Bro . Hyde Clarke ' s continual labours , and in which princi ples are educed , and many new economical laws laid down . These discussions embrace banking , bullion , railways ,

fire assurance , aud other subjects . Among those republished in a separate form are the pamphlets on the Railway Returns for several years , and on Fire Assurance Returns . Although Bro . Clarke has been engaged on a great variety of subjects , and in a wide field of research , it

will be noticed that each of these has been sedulously and perseveringly pursued for many years from the commencement of his public career . At an early period it was natural that this pursuit of numerous objects should be regarded as the result of a volatile disposition rather than of a comprehensive grasp of mind , and it

must have required considerable resolution to contend against the influence of such opinions ; but as years have passed on , the effects of these continuous and steady labours have been recognised . In these various pursuits , the greatest measure as yet achieved by Bro . Hyde Clarke , is undoubtedly that of English settlement in India . Brought into frequent connection with India by various undertakings connected

with the railways , steam navigation and telegraphs , he was led to mature his early views as a military student on the defence of India , and thereby to the advocacy of a combined system of English settlement and military defence by the occupation of the hill regions , particularly of the Himalayas . These questions have been partially

discussed by every Anglo-Indian of eminence from Clive and Warren Hastings to the present clay of Ronald Martin and Julius Jeffrey ; but each had his own point of view , ancl the public opinions of Anglo-Indians were rather indisposed to any proposition of settlement than prepared for it . Under these circumstances , Bro . Clarke

published , with tlie title of Railways , Colonization , and Defence in our Indian Empire , a well considered proposal for making the healthy hill regions the basis of our military and civil power , governing the plains by the aid of the railway , the steamboat , and . the telegraph . At first this attracted contempt rather than attention ; but , the events of the mutiny so fully confirmed many of the propositions , that the work began to be seriously discussed by statesmen .

One of those who was thus led to take a deep interest in these plans was an old friend of the author and cooperator in tlie cause of education , Mr . William Ewart , the member for Dumfries , and in consultation with Bro . Clarice , he determined to bring the subject before Parliament in 1858 . He , however , met with such rebuffs from

the members of the Government , from the East India Company , and from Indians , that he wished to limit the motion to one for papers . On Bro . Clarke ' s strong representations , after withdrawing one motion , he consented to move for a Committee of enquiry , which he did in a speech since published separately , and tlie motion was carried

after a sharp debate , in which the representative of the Board of Control and the Chairman of the East India Company pronounced the subject absurd , and affirmed that a field a 100 ft , square could not be found in the hill regions for cultivation by Europeans . The Government , howeverdid not dare to divide the houseand the

, , succesful result was greatly owing to the personal exertions ancl influence of Bro . Clarice , with members and the public press , which he brought to bear on this occasion , and by taking advantage of the political crisis . The Earl of Albemarle was prevailed upon to make a like motion in the House of Lords . The motion having

passed , it- required much exertion on the part of Mr . Ewart and Bro . Clarice to obtain working members and witnesses : but , when the proceedings had once commenced , such was the deep interest manifested by the Indian community outside the official circle , that tlie Committee