The Late W. Wiggington.

days , an expert worker in the Craft , Arch , and Mark Degrees . Nature had given him an excellent voice , and his delivery of the various lectures on the tracing-board , and installation addresses were marked b } ' elocutionary power of no common order , and he was an adept in impromptu speaking . His early Masonic tastes were fostered by his uncle , the late Bro . John

Wigginton , who died in 18 S 1 , aged 91 years , and who was considered the patriarch of Masonry , as he claimed to be the oldest member of the Craft in the United Kingdom . A short service was held on the nth ult ., over the body of Bro . W . Wigginton , in St . Saviour's Church , Brockley-road , Forest-hill , and the remains

were subsequently interred in the family vault at Dudley . The Brethren of the Sir Francis Burdett Lodge , No . 1503 , of which he was a subscribing member to the day of his death , sent a beautiful wreath , bearing a card upon which was written : — " From the members of the Sir Francis Burdett Lodge , No . 1503 , as a token of

respect to departed merit . " This memento mori now rests on the coffin within the vault at Dudley . He had been a helpless invalid for months , suffering from softening of the brain and general paralysis of the body . During his illness his wife and two daughters , who resided with him , were unremitting in their attentions . His family consisted of three sons and four daughters , all of whom survive him .

Robert Burns And Freemasonry.

ROBERT BURNS AND FREEMASONRY .

( Reprintedfrom the " Scotsman . " ) ( Concluded . ) BURNS must have been the life and soul of the St . James ' s Lodge in more ways than one . The minutes show that there were more meetings when he was an Office-bearer than at any

other period . Though Burns is known to have been a member from the end of 1781 , it is not till July 27 , 17 S 4 , that we have any record of his appointment to a position of influence in the Lodge The Deputy Mastership was then conferred upon him—a position that carried with it the active duties of the Grand Master , who was not

frequently present at the meetings . All assemblies at which the Master was not present were under the presidency of the Deputy Master , and it is in this capacity that Burns has signed so many of the minutes . There are three short minutes written in full by the poet . The first is dated " Tarbolton , 1 st September , 1784 , " that is

unsigned , a circumstance not uncommon amongst the records of that time . The minutes bear marks of literary conceit at any rate , the antithesis being worthy of note . It is almost ludicrous to find the world-famed poet writing thus : —

"This night the Lodge met and ordered four pounds of candles and one quire of eightpence paper for the use of the Lodge , which money was laid out by the Treasurer , and the candles and paper laid in accordingly . " The other minutes , written in the poet ' s hand , are as follows : —• " Tarbolton , June 23 , 1786 . —This night the Lodge met , and Robert Andrew , a Brother of StDavid'sTarboltonwas admitted bunanimous votegratis ;

. , , y , likewise , James Good , having been duly recommended , was entered an apprentice . R . Hums , D . M . " " Tarbolton , August iS ( no year , but from the dates immediately before and after , sure to be 1786 ) . —This night the Lodge met , and James Tennant , from Ochiltree , having been recommended , was admitted accordingly . Robt . Burns , D . M . "

It is a curious coincidence that two of the three minutes written in full by Robert Burns are near to the one written in the hand of Gilbert Burns , the three being in view at the one opening of the book . Burns , who , whether living at ; Lochlee or Mossgiel , must have had several miles to walk in order to attend the meetings of the Lodge , was most attentive to his duties . The first minute

which he signed as Depute Master is dated June 29 , 1785 , and the last to which his name is adhibited is dated May 23 , 17 8 S ; but this does not mark his final departure from the Lodge , as Dr . Robert Chambers erroneously states in his " Land of Burns . " On October 21 , 17 S 8 , and again on November n of the fame year ,

the minutes record that Bro . Robert Burns was in the chair , though his signature was not attached . Both of these meetings took place at MauchHne , and they must have been held during a flying visit from Ellisland , as Burns settled there on June 12 , 1788 , a letter of

Robert Burns And Freemasonry.

his , dated June 13 , stating that " this is the second day he had been on his farm in Dumfriesshire . " Between the first and last signature , Burns has in all signed his name twenty-nine times , and on one occasion he has his initials placed to a postscript ; but one of the signatures has been cut out by some unscrupulous admirer . The theft occurs in the second last minute that was signed by the

poet , the signature being that of the main part of the minute—the minute having been divided into three . Burns has signed a " P . S . " to the same minute , and also an addition to this "P . S . " connected by the words " also at same time , " and to the last of these hangs a tale . The gentleman in Tarbolton who had charge of the

minutebook was at one time showing it to a visitor , and being called away for a moment to attend a sick daughter in another room , the visitor and the book were left unwatched . After the visitor departed the gentleman was asked by his daughter to look to the book , as she was afraid something would be found wrong . Whilst her father

was with her she heard either a knife or a pair of scissors at work , and she was right in her surmise that one of the minutes had been tampered with . On discovering this , the visitor was communicated with , and ordered to return the stolen property or suffer the consequences , and the cutting was returned . The

stolen part is now neatly pasted in at its original place , and being on the opposite page from the blank left by the cut-out signature , eloquent testimony is borne to the rapacity of collectors and the value placed upon relics of our national hard . Strange as the omission may appear , there is no mention of the poet ' s demission of office , nor of his leaving the district , even though Burns himself looked so favorably on the position he held amongst Tarbolton Masons as

to address a poem to them as his farewell . This was in 17 SG , when he seriously contemplated emigrating to the West Indies . It is curious also to note the manner in which Burns signs his name : in this there is great variety . In regard to the spelling , he continues the"Burness" up till March 1 , 1786—the first under the more familiar "Burns'" being of date May 25 of the same year . Whilst Burns signs

" Burness" so long , it is noteworthy that the references to him in the ' text of the minutes arc always spelt " Burns " unless on one occasion , when the name had first been spelt " Burns , " but afterwards altered to " Burness , " probably by the poet himself , cr at least by his instructions , as his name appears at the foot of this minute as " Burness . ' '

In regard to his Christian name , it appears once before Burness as " Robert , " and thirteen times it precedes the same , spelling as " Robt . " Before the later spelling of Burns we have it once only in u : l as " Robert , " a single time as " R ., " and eleven times as " Robt . " Burns ' s younger brother Gilbert was entered , passed , and raised

as a Brother on March 1 , 1786 ( the last date on which the poet signed Burness ) , and must , for a time at least , have taken an active part in the affairs of the Lodge . We find Gilbert signing the minutes on five separate occasions between December 11 , 1786 , and December 21 , 17 S 7 , one of these , as already said , being written by

him in full . The last reference to either of the brothers occurs on November 18 and November 20 , 178 S , on which dates the text of the minutes states that Brother Gilbert Burns occupied the chair . These last-named meetings were held in MauchHne , and form the closing testimony to the warm interest maintained for six or seven years by Robert , and during a shorter period by Gilbert , in the affairs of St . James ' s Lodge , Tarbolton .

Burns signed the minute relating to the visit of Professor Dugald Stewart to the Lodge , who at that time was tenant of Catrine House , and a friend of the poet . The record is as follows : — "A deputation of the Lodge met at Mauchline on July 25 , 1787 , and entered Brother Alexander Allison of liarmuir an apprentice . Likewise admitted Brothers Professor . Stewart of Cathnnc , and Claud Alexander , Esq .,

of Ballochmyle ; Claud Nielson , Esq ., Paisley ; John l- ' arquhar Cray , Esq ., of Ciilimluscrofi : ami Dr . George Gnerson , Glasgow , honorary members of this Lodge , " the minute being signed , Robt . Burns , D . M ., in very taint ink . John Wilson , who was parish teacher of Tarbolton , and the Dr . Hornbook of Burns ' s well-known poem , was Secretary to the Lodge from August 8 , 17 S 2 , till some time in i ~ Sy , and in that capacity wrote many of the minutes . Two of them arc signed by him , one as " Master // tf tempore , " and the other as " M . P . T . " This last minute