Mark Masonry.

time conferred this'degree under the authority received from its founder until the year 1861 , when it was proposed to unite with the present Mark Grand Lodge which was effected , and on the 13 th April , 1862 , the first meeting was held under the present constitution , since when it has gone on flourishing and now numbers nearly 100 members , 35 of whom have been advanced during the last twelve months .

Masonic Festivities.

MASONIC FESTIVITIES .

WARWICKSHIRE . HAXDSTVOBIII MASOMO BAM . The annual reunion in aid of the funds of the Masonic 'Charities , under the auspices of St . James's Lodge ( No . 482 ) , tc-sk place at the New Inns , Handsworth , on Thursday night , the 1 st inst . The ball and supper rooms were tastefully decorated for the

occasion hy Messrs . Holliday and Lewis , of New-street , and the ball itself was of the most perfect and harmonious character . There were 250 persons present , amongst whom were : — Jiros . Dr . Bell Fletcher , P . D . Prov . G . M . Warwick ; E . Hooper , Prov . J . G . W . ; AV . Hopkins , P . Prov . J . G . W . ; E . L . Bullock , P . Prov . J . G . W . ; C . Yarwood , P . Prov . S . G . D . ; John tioode , P . Prov . S . G . D , ; J . J , Turner , Prov . G . Dir . of Cers . ; AV . Hutton , P . Prov . G . Dir . of Cers . ; Thos . Bragg , Prov . S . G . D . ;

G . C . Richards , W . M . St . James ' s Lodge ; M . H . Simpson , S . W . ; E . A . South , J . W . ; H . A . Bavis , S . D . ; F . Meyur , I . G . ; M . E . Simmons , P . M . ; T . XV . W , Bullock , F . Cotton , J . Vose Solomon , N . Sarony , Captain Briggs , P . Prov . G . Dir . of Cers ., & c . The dance programme , which was well selected , was as follows : — Quadrille"La Fete des Fleurs" polka"Garrison Ball "

, ; , ; lancers , " Garibaldi ; " waltz , " Soldatenlieder ; " mazurka , "Apollo ; " Caledonians , "Le gahmt Clswionette ; " galop , * 'Chinese ; " quadrille , " Les amours de Satan ; " polka , " Brauxier Offizier ; " lancers , "Cure ; " quadrille , "Trumpet ; " waltz and galop , "The Guards and Jockey . " ( Interval . ) Polka , ¦ " Vei-einsball ; " lancers , "Les beaux Ianciers ; " galop , "Glorioso ; " quadrille , " Panl-y-toole-y-technic ; " waltz , " La Duchesse de Brabant" Caledonians"United Service "

; , ; waltz , "Mabel ; " Schottisch , " Miss Anna ; " lancers , " New ;" galop , " Night bell ; " quadrille , " Orphee ; " waltz and galop , " Hilda and Croquet . " The music was most effectively rendered by Bro . Davis's hand . Too much credit cannot be bestowed on the Honorary Secretary , Bro . H . A . Davis and the Stewards , who have rendered such efficient services to make the ball so brilliant a success .

Bro . Gillmer , as M . C ., discharged his functions to the entire satisfaction of his brethren . The supper was supplied in a liberal maimer by the host , Bro . Sudbury .

Reviews.

REVIEWS .

Tile Pestilence : why inflicted , its duration , and desolating character . By JAMES BIDEX . Qosport : J . P . Lcgg . 1866 . The task of the conscientious critic is always laborious and oftentimes painful . Before lie feels in a position fairly to review a work submitted to him , lie must peruse it from beginning to end , and to those AVIIO wish to

appreciate such a trial we would recommend the pamphlet now before vis . It is almost impossible to give a systematic notice of a compilation so disjointed as Mr . Biden ' s attempt at accounting for the Pestilence . Page 10 ' , lie writes , "The thirteenth chapter ( of Ezekiel ) condemns the teaching of the prophets of Israel ; Avbo ' speak ¦ vanity and see lies , ' who seduce the people , crying ,

' peace , and there was no peace . ' And at page 5 Mr . Biden says , "By what authority do I declare these things ? why do I assume that I am the appointed ¦ watchman ? " Then giving his own replies , writes , " Tho answers are , I have been conscious of being dealt with in a manner not ordinary . My mind has been influenced many times in its work , and a power given to it ivhioh it

naturally does not possess . " It is a pity our author has not more closely considered the first quotation before presuming to answer the question as to his authority for accumulating extracts from Holy Writ , and giving to them such meanings as could only originate ( we hope ) from his own mind , and that , Ave can quite believe , has been , as he says , " influenced many times in its work . "

"VYe can hardly suppose that it has had " a power given to it which naturally it does not possess , " but wo should rather feel inclined to suspect that it had been deprived of what little it mi ght originally have been adorned with , otherwise Mr . Biden would scarcely have had tho presumption to commence his work , as he does , with the sentence , "The Pestilence announced in 1860 as coming is now amongst us ; it will intensify , and greatly desolate . "

It is satisfactory to find that our author possesses that humility so essential to the characters of those professing to expound the Scriptures . Speaking of his former writings , he refers to " The Only Sacrifice " as " a marvellous little book ; " but then , he tells us , it was presented to him in a dream ; so , we should imagine , was the pamphlet now before us . Mr . Biden fills much paper

with explanations that Zion is used in a spiritual , not temporal sense in Holy Writ , Avhich , AVO believe , was sufficiently understood already , but we must give him the credit of placing in some of his parentheses interpretations of Scriptural passages quite original . We are presumed to accept his dictum without requiring argumentspossibly becauseif we may judge from the

fol-, , lowing quotation , he has even less ability for logic than for prophesy . On the first page , he writes , " There is , however , another field of view above and beyond the natural—the supernatural or spiritual—though the supernatural , when fully understood , may perhaps be but a part of Nature ' s operations . " * * * * We cannot understand , ourselves , hoAv " Nature ' s

operations " can bo " supernatural ; " the English of the sentence it is needless to comment upon . Elegance of composition is conspicuous by its absence . Page 14 , Mr . Biden says , " I could fill volumes with comments on the prophecies , and show that all the predictions culminate in our day ; " but we sincerely hope , in the interests of religion and common sense , that he will abstain from doing so , at least until he has awakened from the "dream" from Avhich he has derived those inspirations from which his books have hitherto arisen .

Geschiehte der JFreimaurerei von der Zeit Hires Entstehens bis auf die Gegemvart . Von J . G . FINDER . Zweite Auflage . Leipzig : Forster mid Findel . 1866 . History of Freemasonry ; from its Rise down to ihe Present day . By J . G . FINDEL , Editor of tho " Bauhi ' ttte , " & c . Translated from the second German Edition , under the Author ' s personal superintendauce .

With a preface by Br . G . Van Dalen , ^ Representative from the Grand Lodge of Scotland to tho Grand Lodge of Prussia , "Boyal York znr Freundschaft , " & c . London : Ashor and Oo . 1866 . If we remember rightly , it w as Fichte who said that the most instructive and popular part of the study of philosophy , consisted in the history of philosophy . To a

certain extent the same remark applies to all sciences and arts , and to none more than to the Boyal art of Freemasoni' 3 ' . But no branch of Masonic Literature has , till withiu tho last thirty or forty years , been more neglected and unproductive than the history of Freemasonry ; indeed , the labours of Masonic historiographers of former ages have been either too abstruse

or too bulky and voluminous to be within the reach of the coHHJMiw c ? es mortels ; they have never been accessible but to the privileged few who could afford the time and the pecuniary means for indulging in the luxury of studying the ivorks of Bros . Anderson , Fessler , Olliver , & c . Bro . Findel has undertaken aud accomplished a highly meritorious task , in condensing within the limits