Northumberland And Durham.

and long spared to Mark Masonry . The motion was moved by the Prov . G . M . and seconded by Bro . R . Reid Past D . P . G . M . The Prov . G . Lodge expressed its pleasure at having the honour of a visit from Lord Euston , Bro . C . F . Matier G . Sec . and P . G . W ., and Bro . Charles Belton P . G . M . O .

The annual festival took place in the evening , at the County Hotel , presided over by the Prov . G . M ., when the usual Loyal and Mark toasts were honoured .

Scotland.

SCOTLAND .

npHE quarterly meeting of the Grand Lodge of Scotland I was held in the Freemasons' Hall , Edinburgh , on the 3 rd , the Grand Master Lord Saltoun presiding , supported by Brother Sir Charles Dalrymple of Newhailes , Bart ., M . P ., Past Grand Master . On the recommendation of Grand Committee , it was

agreed to grant a Charter to Lodge Menzies Doric , Menzies , Western Australia ; and authority was given to the Grand Lodge of India to resuscitate Lodge Eastern Bengal Railway , to be re-named " Lodge Nizam , " and to meet at Raichur , Deccan . It was also resolved to recognise and exchange

representatives with the Grand Lodge of Norway . Captain Thomas Hope , of Bridge Castle , was re-appointed Provincial Grand Master of Linlithgowshire ; the Earl of Amherst was appointed representative of the Grand Lodge of Scotland to

the Grand Lodge of England , in room of the late Earl of Lathom ; Past Grand Master William Barron was appointed representative to the Grand Lodge of New Zealand ; and Bro . William G . Robertson was appointed representative to the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick .

The law agents ( Messrs W . and J . L . Officer , W . S . ) reported that the Supreme Court of New York had decided the case of the William Ferguson Bequest to Grand Lodge , and had held that the legacy was valid , except so far as the present value of the residue exceeds one half of the estate

which the laws of the State of New York prohibit a testator from alienating from his next-of-kin . This excess amounts to 663 . 74 dols ., which the Court directed to be paid to the widow . The balance of the estate would fall to be invested

by the executor , and the income thereof paid to the widow during her life , and upon her death the balance would be paid to the Grand Lodge for the purposes set forth in the testator ' s will .

The Visitation Committee reported that the Lodges in the Metropolitan District were in a high state of efficiency . During the past quarter grants amounting to £ 177 were made from the Masonic Benevolent Fund ; and a report by the Annuity Board showed that 104 annuitants , spread over 375 Lodges , had been voted £ 1 , 080 .

Church Services.

CHURCH SERVICES .

A SPECIAL Service under Masonic auspices was held in the Old Presbyterian Meeting House , Ballycarry , on Sunday , 30 th ult . The preacher was Rev . J . Kennedy , of Lame , who , taking as his text Acts xi . 26 , discoursed on the practical religion common to all forms of Christianity .

Applying the subject to the object of the meeting—viz ., to honour the memory of James Orr , " the Ballycarry poet " ( 1780-1849)—the preacher referred to the various opinions held as to the origin of the Masonic Order , of which Orr was an attached member , pointing out that some held it to be

coeval with creation , while others traced it to the Dioysiac Brotherhood of Architects , who made their appearance in Asia Minor about 1440 B . C ., where they erected temples Diatres and Stadia , and that they still speak of corporations or paternities scattered through Europe in the earlier

centuries ot Christianity , and known in Italy as Colleges of Architects , in France as Pontifical Brothers and Free Corporations , in England and Scotland as Freemasons , a name assumed in consequence of extensive privileges enjoyed by them as a corporation of builders . Mr . Kennedy further

mentioned that the latest pronouncement on the subject was that of Dr . Churchman , who identified modern Freemasonry , its signs , symbols , and passwords , with the religious system of the ancient Egyptians , and declared it to be a living ritual , which

is perhaps six thousand years old , essentially the same as that practised by the dwellers in the Nile Valley in pre-Mosaic times , the object of which is the promotion of practical Christianity—morality , charity , truth , and justice . Referring to Orr , the Rev . gentleman said—Of the

Church Services.

Ballycarry poet , whose memory you venerate , and wish to perpetuate by renewing the handsome monument in God ' s acre hard by , it may be truly said that , whatever his weaknesses , he endeavoured to make real in his daily life the principles of that practical Christianity in the form of

Masonry to which he was so deeply attached . Like Burns , he had a very passion for justice—equal rights to all men , whatever their creed—and at a time when the great bulk of Irishmen , our own forefathers included , laboured under oppressive laws , he not only sang in melodious verse of

freedom to his country , but -fought for it at the battle of Antrim , and suffered imprisonment and exile in consequence . He only wished his ideal of his countrymen , as enshrined in his poem , "The Irishman , " were true to fact and history , for hardly ever yet did Irishmen combine for any purpose

without including traitors in their numbers . But of Orr he thought it must be said that he was true and faithful , that he believed in the cause he espoused , that he was a true patriot ,

loving all countries because he loved his own ; that he was kind hearted and genial , his sympathies not confined to any sect or party , and that he gave a genuine photograph of his own inmost soul when he

sang" Erin , loved land ! from age to age Be thou more great , more famed , more free ; May peace be thine , or , should ' st thou wage Defensive war , cheap victory .

May plenty bloom in every field , Which gentle breezes softly fan ; And cheerful smiles serenely gild The home of every Irishman I "

A MASONIC Service was held in Portadown Parish Church on Sunday afternoon , in aid of the Century Fund of the Masonic Orphan Boys School ( Dublin ) . There was a large attendance , many of those present being from Armagh , Lurgan , Tandragee , and Gilford . The Brethren

assembled in Church Street Schoolhouse at three o ' clock , and half an hour afterwards marched in procession to the Parish Church , wearing their regalia . The sermon was

preached by the Rev . Dr . O'Loughlin , rector of Lurgan , who selected as his text Cor . xiii . 13— " And now abideth faith , hope , charity , these three ; but the greatest of these is charity . "

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