Reports Of Meetings.

ceremony . The pleasure and honour he felt in having been placed in his present position had been greatly enhanced by the fact that the ceremony had been done—aud so ably—by a personal friend . Brother Black seconded the vote , which , having been carried by acclamation , Viscount Dungarvan acknowledged the same . He said he had only been too happy to come down and instal so old a friend as their present Master .

Brother Colonel Lockwood said they were greatly indebted to their own Provincial Grand Master for the honour he had done them by being present on this occasion , particularly as he had journeyed from Warwick for the purpose . He proposed that they accord his Lordship a hearty vote of thanks .

The motion having been seconded by the S . W ., The Earl of Warwick , whose rising was the signal for hearty applause , said it gave him great pleasure to be there , not only to support his friend Col ? Lockwood , but to bo present at a meeting of the Lodge which bore his name—an honour ho felt very deeply . He was also pleased to find himself amongst his Essex Brethren again , from whom it seemed to him he had been a long time separated . He was looking forward to seeing more of them

shortly , as he hoped to be back again in Essex about the middle or end of June . It was a source of much gratification to him to find the Earl of Warwick Lodge in so prosperous a condition , and he was sure that they might look forward to a successful continuation during the coming year . No one was more fitted to fill the Chair of the Lodge than the present W . M ., and ho should like to congratulate Lord Dungarvan on tho way that ho had performed the installation ceremony . Thc Lodge was shortly afterwards closed , and between forty and fifty Brethren subsequently dined together at thc Roebuck .

EOYAL AECH . PLEIADES CHAPTER , No . 710 .

THE annual meeting was held on Thursday of last week , at the Masonic Hall . Totnes . Comp . John Taylor , J . P ., of Torquay , P . Z . of 328 Prov . G . S . N . the M . E . Z ., who fills the first Principal ' s chair for a second year , installed Comp . P . G . David J . as H . for the ensuing year . The third Principal-elect was unavoidably away on account of business . The other Officers for the ensuing year were invested .

MAEK MASONRY

FITZWILLIAM LODGE , No . 277 . THE members celebrated their annual festival on Tuesday , 9 th inst ., at Freemasons' Hall , Malton , when Bro . E . K . Spiegelhalter P . G . J . D . was installed as W . M . of the Lodge for the ensuing year , the ceremony being well performed by Bro . S . Chadwick P . M . P . P . G . W . The Brethren afterwards dined together at the George Hotel , the W . M . presiding , and the customary Loyal and Mark toasts being honoured .

EEVIEWS

Books intended for Beview should be addressed to the Editor . "Freemason ' s Chronicle , " Hew Ba . rnet . — : o : — Willing ' s British and Irish Press Guide , and Advertiser's Directory and Handbook for 1895 . As a rule there is not much to say in reviewing the contents of a

directory of Newspapers , or Press Guide , as Bro . Willing terms the volume issued from his establishments , but in this case we can bear testimony to an amount of care and attention to detail that is not always found in similar compilations . The present is the twenty-second annual issue , and embraces most of

the special features that havo made the work of value in years gone by , with careful editing and additions so as to make it a work of utilit y for present day advertisers , who will doubtless find much of service to them in the conduct of their business in the British and Irish Press Guide , which , taken as a whole , seems to be a most reliable compilation .

COST BILLIONS . THE cost of Solomon's Temple and its internal decorations and other paraphernalia was one of the wonders of olden times . According to Villalpandus , the "talents" of gold , silver , and brass used in its construction

were valued at the enormous sum of £ 6 , 879 , 822 , 000 . The worth of the jewels is generally placed at a figure equally as high . The vessels of gold , according to Josephus , were valued at 140 , 000 talents , which , reduced to English money ( as has been shown by Chapel's reduction tables ) , was equal to . € 575 , 296 , 203 . The vessels of silver , according to tho same authorities , were still more * valuable , being set down as worth £ 649 , 344 , 000 . Priests' vestments and robes of singers , £ 2 , 010 , 000 ; trumpets , £ 200 , OCO . To the above add tbe

expense of building materials , labour , & c , and we get some wonderful figures . Ten thousand men hewing cedars , 60 , 000 bearers of burdens , 80 , 000 hewers of stone , 3 , 300 overseers , all of which wero employed for seven years , and upon whom , besides their wages , Solomon bestowed £ 6 , 733 , 997 . If their daily food was worth 2 s each , the sum total for all was £ 63 , 877 , 088 during the time of building . The material in the rough is estimated as having been worth £ 2 , 545 , 337 , 000 . These several estimates show the total cost to have been £ 17 , 442 , 442 , 168 . — " People . "

The installation meeting of the Sir Hugh Myddelton Lodge , No . 1602 will be held on Friday , Sth prox ., at the Agricultural Hall , Islington , and in view of the popularity of the now Master promises to be well attended .

Reports Of Meetings.

COBRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . All Letters must bear the name and address of the writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .

TEEMINATION OF OFFICE .

To the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I occasionally see a copy of the " Glasgow Evening News , " wherein , as you are aware , there are notes for Freemasons , edited by " The Mallet . " A recent issue has some notes as to holding of Office , more particularly as to the point when one's tenure of an appointment terminates .

This is probably a trivial matter , but we have discussed it at a Club of Instruction of which I am a member , the outcome being that we find it is often the custom for the Master of the Lodge to declare all Offices vacant , and call upon the Officers of the past year to deliver up their Collars and

Jewels of Office . I have seen this done at meetings of Provincial Grand Lodge , but do not remember to have noticed it at Private Lodge Installations . Is it the regular custom ? or ono practised only hero and there ? If the latter , is it of such importance as to call for some action on the part of the authorities so as to ensure uniformity ?

I havo already said this may bo regarded as a somewhat trivial matter , but we find considerable pleasure in arguing tho pros , and cons , of such trifles , and I fancy some of your readers may be pleased to join iu the discussion . Yours , & c , ENQUIRES .

A Sprig Of Acacia.

A SPRIG OF ACACIA .

To the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —In a recent issue of the "Sheffield Daily Telegraph " is a paragraph referring to the burial of a deceased Brother , when each of the members of the Craft who was present " carried in his hand a sprig of acacia , which , when the coffin was gently lowered into the earth , was dropped upon it . " The writer of this paragraph then continues r

" Probably none but Masons knew what the action signified . Acacia is a plant which figures prominently in Masonic emblems , as the traditions of the Craft honourably associated it with the great architect of Solomon ' s Temple . One of its objects at the interment of departed Brethren is to remind the living of thoir vows , to impress upon them afresh the sanctity of the obligations they have undertaken , and in their own lives , which must some day end as that , to be faithful unto death . "

This , Bro . Editor , is a new rendering to me , or at least an addition to what I have hitherto heard associated with this particular phase of Masonic ceremonial . I have always regarded the acacia sprig as merely an emblem signifying that the memory of the departed Brother would ever be kept green , as the acacia , but now that it has other significations I should very much like to have a full account of its meaning , if some Brother learned in the matter would devote the necessary time , and you , Sir , the necessary space to the description .

I am , & c , ON THE ROAD . Rotherham , 12 th April 1895 .

Messrs . Cassell & Co . will publish in a few days " My Last Will and Testament , " by Hyacinthe Loyson ( Pero . Hyacinthe ) , translated by Fabian Ware , B . ds . So . Univ . Gall ., with an introduction by the Venerable Archdeacon Farrar . The work will contain a statement of the reasons which led Pere Hyacinthe to take the two great steps that mark his public life and have excited world-wide interest . The work is being translated into several European languages .

There has been somo heart searching in the City of late produced by the appearance of a work of fiction . In his recent novel , " The Sea Wolves , " Mr . Max Pemberton , after a careful study of the modes of transporting gold to Russia , conceived thc idea of an immense amount of bullion being stolen in the course of transit from thc tugs to the steamers , and worked out such

a scheme in the course of his novel . It seems that certain well-known firms of financiers have noted the story , and recently held searching inquiry with a view to ascertaining whether the methods described in " The Sea Wolves " were at all feasible of accomplishment . As a result it appears to have been decided to make a fundamental change in the mode of sending gold abroad , and to discontinue the use of tugs in its transport .

Ad01003

CANDIDATESFORTHEINSTITUTIONS. Announcements are inserted under this head at the rate of five shillings per inch , to appear each week from the time the ballot papers are issued up to the day of election , for cash with order . — : o : — BENEVOLENT INSTI 1 UTION . Your Votes and Interest are earnestly solicited on behalf of BRO . THOMAS SAMUEL STOCKMAN , Who was born on 16 th May 1826 , and who has been a paying member for twenty-three years to True Love and Unity Lodge , No . 248 , Brixham , Devont Bro . Stockman has been confined to his ' bed with influenza and acute bronchitis for near a fortnight ; his wife also for two months ; previous to which he has earned very little—a mere pittance—by night watching , to which may be attributed his present illness .