Provincial.

Some toasts were given and responded to . An excellent menu was provided , and was admirably served under tho personal supervision of Bro . Riemann , who was congratulated and thanked for the excellent manner in which he bad provided the dinner . An exceptionally enjoyable evening was spent .

Entertainment Notes.

ENTERTAINMENT NOTES .

Garrick . —As ' •Change Alley" has not proved acceptable to the public Bro . H . T . Brickwell has decided upon withdrawing it after the performance this evening ( Saturday ) . Tho Theatre will then remain closed on Monday and Tuesday , and will re-open on Wednesday , 10 th , with " A Court Scandal , " transferred in its entirety , with the original company , costumes and scenery , from the Court Theatre , by arrangement with Messrs . Chudleigh and Boucicault .

By a friendly arrangement Bro . Charles Wyndham has sub-let the Criterion Theatre , with which he has been associated for the last twentythree years , to Mr . Charles Frohman of New York , from October next , by which time Bro . Wyndham hopos to be in possession of his new Theatre in Charing Cross Road . In connection with the Criterion Theatre it mav be

mentioned that the late Mrs . Henrietta Gabriclli , of South Kensington , has bequeathed all her books to Bro . Wyndham ; and her jewels , plate , carriages and horses , together with one half of her residuary estate to Mrs . Mary Albery ( Miss Mary Moore ) . The value of Mrs . Gabrielli ' s estate is £ 14 , 087 18 s 9 d .

Bro . Frank Ilmister , the able and courteous manager of the London Pavilion Music Hall , announces his first " benefit'' at that popular place of amusement , for Monday afternoon , 29 th inst .

THE Brothers Baker , so well known in Islington as the former proprietors of the " Angel " and the " Cock " at Highbury , have gone two hundred and one thousand better than anything they have ever done in the way of fashionable catering , in building a perfect palace of luxury in Leicester Square called the "Queen ' s" Hotel , says the Masonic writer in the "Islington Gazette . " We are accustomed in these days to things magnificent in the surroundings of our catering establishments , but here we have a perfect

THE QUEEN'S HOTEL , LEICESTER SQUARE .

dream of artistic splendour such as will draw all London . Leicester Square is a curious place . One halt is taken up with hospitals , and the other with palaces of pleasure , so we have pleasure and pain at a glance . The " Queen ' s" is on the pleasure side , next door to the Empire , chock-a-block with the new circus , and Daly ' s , and with tho Alhambra in its left eye . It is an immense building in cut stone in the French Renaissance style . On the ground floor there are buffets for all , with fittings of exceeding costliness and

richness . In the rear is the most lovely dining-room in Loudon , if not in the world , for not even in Vienna , where they do these things better than anywhere else , can there bo found such a feast of gilt , delicate tapestries , and glittering lights . Here at separate tables is to be served a five shilling dinner by a chef whose quality was fully tested by a really delicious inaugural lunch on Tuesday , when all tho quidnuncs came to test and view . Up in a gallery a delightful string band plays popular music all the time . Adjoining this

magnificent hall is a similarly beautiful grill-room , and upstairs there are suites of princely chambers that charm one with their artistic beauty , the variety of their design , and the richness of their furniture . One drawingroom is an exact copy of one of Marie Antionette ' s rooms at Versailles , a dream in white and gold ! There is a handsome Masonic suite where Lodges to the number of sixty-five persons can ba served and closely tiled . Mr .

Meyer Van Praag conducts the orchestra . M . Guillot from tho " Bristol " is the manager , and the chef is Maitre Charpentier , from the " Savoy . " Altogether , the hotel is the very lap of luxury , and Messrs . Baker appeared duly proud of it on Tuesday when they lunched with a room full of distinguished people . There were no speeches , the hotel simply was allowed to speak for itself , and it spoke volumes , for every visitor was dazed with the splendour and resources of the building .

IF we examine the London Stock Exchange list of quotations of mining and land shares , we shall find that the shares of those companies which are devoted to the exploration and development of lands and gold mines stand at far higher prices than those of mining companies proper . Among the companies carrying on this kind of work in Rhodesia , the prospects of the Austen ( Gwelo ) Development Syndicate , Limited , are second to none , taking into

RHODESIAN SHARES .

consideration the fact of the smallness of its capital , which is only £ 50 , 000 , in £ 1 fully paid-up shares , and that it owns a farm of 6 , 000 acres and 507 claims in the best known and most important gold mining districts of Rhodesia . The latest reports from tlie manager in Rhodesia state that " duriug the week some rich float has been picked up on the strike of the reef at the ' Old Dog ' Mine . " " Have started to sink on that pay shoot on the Jackson , and it is paying wonderfully . " " Have started some work on the Gwelo Main

Reef and Clackmanan , and have a shaft going down on the Jackson , where good ore was found . " " Found nice specimens of visible gold from the shaft on the Jackson . Greatly pleased with the appearance of the reef ; it is rock which pans well . " "Old Dog , Jessop and Jackson will make a very nice company , with four reefs and spleulid site for reduction works and storage dams for water . " " We havo found good ore at Scouts in the old workings ; excellent , shewing rich visible gold . " The properties acquired by the Austen

( Gwelo ) Development Syndicate , Limited , as . will be seen from tho above , are of a magnitude which now places the company in a position to reap the great advantages and profits arising from subsidiary companies formed to work portions of their large estates . At the present price of about £ 2 per share , at which the shares are now dealt in on the London Stock Exchange , they should be a good speculative investment , as there is every probability of their very shortly improving to many times their present price .

The new loop line skirting Rotterdam , which has been made at considerable cost by the Dutch Government with the object of shortening the route between the Hook of Holland and tho German frontier was successfully

Entertainment Notes.

inaugurated this week , when a party of English journalists were conducted over the line by Mr . C Busk , train i manager of the Great Eastern Railway There were also present at the inspection several prominent officials of the Dutch Railway . Hitherto passengers booking by tlie Great Eastern Railway for North Germany have been compelled to proceed from Rotterdam to Amersfoort by a circuitous route via Amsterdam . Tbe new connecting line obviates this , and effects a saving of twenty-five miles . The North German

express will now run in au almost direct line from the Hook of Holland to the frontier , and thence for Berlin , North Germany , and Russia , constituting this the shortest route between England and tbat portion of the Continent . The improvement effected will not only result in an acceleration of the mail and passenger service between London and Berlin , but correspondingly improved connections have also been arranged with other parts of the Continent .

Yarmouth and London are not alone to benefit by the Great Eastern new breakfast aud dinner trains . Norwich and Cromer aro also to reap advantage from this latest piece of railway enterprise . Commencing on 1 st May there will be a breakfast express run daily from Cromer at 8 . 5 a . m ., save on Mondays , when it leaves an hour earlier , calling at Norwich en route , and reaching London at 11 . 22 a . m . There will be a corresponding down train at

4 . 55 p . m . from Liverpool Street , on which a table d'hote dinner will be served , and tho train will reach Cromer at 8 . 47 p . m ., calling at Norwich ( Thorpe ) at 8 p . m . on the way . On Sundays , too , a luncheon train will leave Liverpool Street for Norwich , at 9 . 50 a . m . Clearly the G . E . R . is marching with tho times . The restaurant cars will be both first and third class , so that the masses as well as the classes will be able to enjoy this latest luxury of travel .

The Midland Railway Company are now running a third-class luncheon carto Nottingham by the North Express , leaving London ( St . Pancras ) at 12 . 25 , Kentish Town 12 . 29 , and Kettering at 1 . 55 p . m .

Writing in defence of the Craft , the Chaplain of an Irish Lodge , says : "Since , generally speaking , our secrets are fairly well guarded , no one but a Mason can judge of Masonry . An outsider may pass his opinion , but such an opinion is not judgment , but prejudice in the worst sense of the term . " Our Irish Brethren thank their Brother for this expression , and we think that vote of thanks worthy of endorsement .

The Theatres, &C.

The Theatres , & c .

Adelphi . —8 , A Kiss in the Dark . 8-30 , The Man in the Iron Mask . Matinee Saturday , 2-30 . Avenue . — 815 , The Rift within the Lute . 850 , The Cuckoo . Matinee , Wednesday , 3 . Comedy . —8-15 , Groat Cresar . Matinee , Saturday , 2-30 . Court . —Wednesday , 17 th May , Wheels within Wheels .

Covent Garden . —Monday , 8 th May , Grand Opera Season . Criterion . —8-20 , The Tyranny of Tears . Matinee , Wednesday and Saturday , 2-30 . Daly ' s . —8-15 , A Greek Slave . Matinee , Saturday , 2-30 . Duke of York ' s . —8 , Chums . 8 - 45 , Tho Adventure of Lady Ursula . Matinee , Wednesday and Saturday , 2-30 . Gaiety . —8 -15 , A Runaway Girl . Matinee , Saturday , 2 .

Garrick . —Wednesday , 10 th May , A Court Scandal . Globe . —8 , The Gay Lord Quex . Matinee , Saturday , 2 . Haymarket . —8-10 , A Golden Wedding . 9 , The Manoeuvres of Jane . Matinee , Wednesday and Saturday , 2-15 . Her Majesty's—8-30 , Carnac Sahib . Matinee , Wednesday , 2-30 . Lyceum . —S , Robespierre . Matinee , Saturday , 2 . Lyric—8 , L'amour Mouille . Matinee , Thursday , 2-30 .

Opera Cpmique . —8-15 , A Good Time . Matinee , Saturday , 2 . 30 . Prince of Wales's . — 8-15 , The Only Way . Matinee , Thursday , 2-15 . Princess ' s . —7 - 45 , Woman and Wine . Royalty . —8-15 , Mr . Cynic 9 , A Little Ray of Sunshine . Matinee , Wednesday and Saturday , 3 . Savoy . —8-15 , The Lucky Star . Matinee , Saturday , 2-30 . Shaftesbury . —8 , The Belle of New York . Matineo , Wednesday , 2 . St . James's . —8-30 , In Days of Old . Matinee , Wednesday and Saturday ,

. 2-30 . Strand . —8-15 , A Man about Town . 8-45 , Why Smith Left Home . Matinee , Wednesday and Saturday . Terry ' s . —8-30 , Sweet Lavender . Matinee , Saturday , 2-30 . Vaudeville . —8 , A Woman's Love . 9 , On and Off . Matinee , Wednesday and Saturday , 3 .

Alexandra . —Next week , Ma Mie Rosette . Dalston . —Next week , What happened to Jones . Grand . —Next week , The Brixton Burglary . Queen ' s Opera House , Crouch End . —Next week , The Little Minister . Alhambra . —7 . 45 , Variety Entertainment . Jack Ashore , Red Shoes , < fec . Aquarium . —The World ' s Great Show . The Great Fight . Varied

Performances , Sec , twice daily . Empire . — -7-50 , Variety Entertainment . New Ballet , Alaska , & c . London Pavilion .-8 , Variety Entertainment . Oxford . —7 ' 30 , Variety Entertainment . On the Roofs . Saturday , 2-30 also . Palace . —7 * 45 , Variety Entertainment . New American Biograph , & c Saturday , 2 also .

Royal . —7-30 , Variety Company . Saturday , 2-30 also . Tivoli . —7 ' 30 , Variety Entertainment . Saturday , 2-15 also . Alexandra Palace . —Varied attractions daily . Crystal Palace . —Varied attractions daily . Egyptian Hall . —3 and 8 , Mr . J . N . Maskelyne ' s entertainment . Madame Tussaud's ( Baker Street Station ) . —Open daily . Portrait models of modern celebrities , Sec .