Masonic And General Tidings.

Masonic and General Tidings .

ON THURSDAY LAST after a protracted meeting the directors of the Bank of England advanced their rate of discount to 6 per cent . The movement was not wholly unexpected , but many money brokers thought the advance would not take place until next week . In the outside market the rates have advanced to 5 | to 6 percent , for three months' paper , while money rates have been very stiff , ranging up to 5 per cent , in some cases . Day-to-day loans close 5 to 6 per cent . The Bank did a fair business in loans at 6 per cent .

BRO . R . LOVKLAND-LOV ELAND , Q . C , presided on Thursday over the 23 rd annual meeting of the St . Giles ' s Christian Mission , Little Wild-street , Drury-lane . WE ARE GLAD to learn that Bro . Wynne E . Baxter , J . P ., has now resumed his duties as the East London coroner after a month ' s absence owing to a severe attack of bronchitis .

MR . A . M . TORRANCE , the chairman of the Fire Biigade Committee of the London County Council , will on Saturday lay the memorial stone of a new fire station in Upper-Street , Islington . PROFESSOR SHUTTLEWORTH is , we regret to say , very little better . He is notable to leave his bed , and his strength does not perceptibly increase . It is to be feared that his recovery will be even slower than was expected .

THE BOOKSELLERS' PROVIDENT INSTITUTION . —Mr . C . J . Longman presided over the last monthly meeting of the Board of the Institution . The sum of £ 116 10 s . was voted for the relief of 57 members and widows . THE ANNUAL BALL in aid of the funds of the Royal Free Hospital will take place at the Holborn Town Hall on Wednesday next . The patrons include Mr . Justice Bruce , Sir J . Blundell Maple , Bart ., M . P ., Sir Charles Hall , Q . C , M . P ., and Sir Henry Oakley .

THE FIRST grand compimentary benefit ( by kind permission of the directors ) to Bro . Arthur J . Barclay , acting and local business manager of the Granville Theatre of Varieties , Walham Green , will take place at the above on Tuesday , the 5 th inst . The programme will comprise all the greatest stars of the season . MASONIC BAZAAR IN EDINBURGH . —In the Freemasons' Hall , on the 24 th ult ., Sir Charles Dalrymple , M . P ., R . W . Past Grand Master Mason of Scotland , opened a bazaar to raise i , " Soo for the purchase and alteration of premises in Musselburgh s uitable for St . John ' s Lodge , No . 112 , Fisherrow . Bro . James Kinnaird , R . W . M ., presided at the opening proceedings .

ROVAL HOSPITAL FOR INCURABLES . —At the Cannon-street Hotel , on the 2 Sth ult ., at the annual meeting of the lRoyal Hospital for Incurables , Putney Heath , a resolution that in view of the fact that by far the larger proportion of the inmates of the hospital are women , it is desirable that women be added to the board of management , was defeated by a large majority .

BRO . I . L . APSEY , P . M . 534 , was , on his retirement from the service ot Messrs . Nurdin and Peacock , Egg Merchants , Wells-street , Oxford-street , W ., on the 23 th ult ., presented by Bro . F . L . Chandler , P . M . 1656 , P . P . G . Purst . Middx , on behalf of many brethren and friends , with a massive tea and coffee service and a handsom e illuminated testimonial on vellum , as a recognition of his valuable and efficient services , joined , to his invariable kindness and courtesy extended to all with whom he had business relations , during a period extending for many years .

BRO . SIRCHARLHS WARREN , who leftSouthamptonon the 28 th ult . for South Africa , to assume command of the Fifth Division , had a magnificent send-off from Ramsgate . Practically the whole town turned out to cheer the gallant officer as he drove to the railway station , and the streets were decorated with flags . At the railway station , the Mayor wished Bro . Sir Charles Warren "God-speed . " fn reply , Bro . Sir Charles said he should have great pleasure in describing to Sir Redvers Buller the marvellous enthusiasm and sympathy of the British people at home . Bro . Sir Charles Warren was accompanied to London by his son and daughter .

CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE . —For the Christmas season Mr . Gillman has arranged a strong and varied entertainment . " Cyril ' s Christmas Dream " will be given on the 23 rd instant . A striking novelty will b ; the performance of the two divinghorses . Many clever things have been done by horses , but for them to dive from a height of nearly 40 feet is surely something new . These animals seem to

have jumped from a bluff in Iowa , when colts , to rejoin their mother , and from this they have been trained to dive . Other features of the Christmas show will be a Colossal Noah ' s Ark , " one-quarter the sire of the original , " we are told , from which the Noah family and the animals are to emerge ; Holden ' s Marionnettes , re-appearing after an interval of 20 years ; Sanger's Menagerie , and Reddish's Water Carnival and Walrus Hunr .

THE DISPUTE which has existed for some time between Grand Lodge of Mark Masons of England and a body styling itself "Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Ashton-under-Lyne District" has come to a close after considerable irritation had been caused by the denunciation of the latter society ex cathedra as " spurious . " Readers of the two London Masonic " weeklies" will have noticed in the correspondence in those papers several remarks which show how deeply hurt members of the so-denominated association were by that title being applied . It claimed to have worked

from time immemorial as a few other lodges which are on the roll of Grand Mark Lodge . This governing body is not yet 44 years of age , and it was established only because the United Grand Lodge of England would not recognise the Mark Degree , which had been worked for ages in connection with old Craft lodges in many provincial districts . After Grand Mark Lodge had been founded it absorbed Mark lodges that were working under warrants from recognised sovereign bodies , and it has now become very powerful , granting charters for lodges in all the British Possessions . There are BOW 530 lodges on its roll , among the latest being one for Ladysmith and one for

Irrawaddy , Burma . Brethren in connection with the Ashton Lodge desirous of union , peace , and harmony , set to work to bring about an amicable arrangement with respect to this lodge , and they have succeeded , but it has been at a great sacrifice , for the lodge has been dissolved , and its funds have been voted to some Masonic Cqarities in Lancashire and Cheshire . As a solatium , a warrant has been granted by Grand Mark Lodge for " The Ashton District , Time Immemorial , Lodge , " which is to be placed on the list after the Old Kent ; and the Pro Grand Master , Bro . the Earl of Euston , will hold a movable Grand Lodge in Cheshire early in 1900 to constitute and consecrate the new lodge . —Birmingham Post .

ANNEXING THE TRANSVAAL . —What will be the fate of the Transvaal after the war it is difficult to forsee , but one thing may be considered certain , and that is that every one who can will take care to annex a case of that delicious liqueur , Grant ' s Morella Cherry Brandy , which is so great a favourite at home and abroad . Sold everywhere ; also Grant ' s Cherry Whisky .

Masonic And General Tidings.

Tux Daily Telegraph Widows' and Orphans' Fund now stands at 1 , 287 , 012 shillings , of which £ 890 14 s . was received on Thursday . The Mansion House Fund amounts to £ 341 , 000 . THANKSGIVING DAY was celebrated by the American Society in London with a banquet at the Hotel Cecil . Mr . Justice Bigham , in a graceful speech , proposed "The Health of the President of the United States . " AT A MEETING of the Lodge of Prudent Brethren , No . 145 , held at Freemasons ' Hall , on Tuesday evening , the 28 th ult ., Bro . Thomas Peachey Warwick was unanimously elected W . M . for the ensuing year . He is an old citizen and liveryman .

THE ANGLO-FRENCH ASSOCIATION ( Entente Cordiale ) has arranged for Tuesday next , at the Portman Rooms , a concert the proceeds of which will be handed over to theSoldiers' Widows' and Orphans' Fund . Many well-known artists have promised their collaboration . IRISH WHISKY AT OLYMPIA . —Messrs . H . S . Persee , Limited , the well-known distillers , have , under competition obtained the sole supply of Irish whisky at all the bars and refreshment rooms of the great South African Exhibition , which opens at Olympia to-morrow ( Saturday ) .

T . R . H . THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES have expressed their intention of being present at the performance to be given on the 15 th instant , at Olympia , Mr . Edwin Geary having offered to divide the entire receipts between the Princess of Wales' Hospital ship and the Maine .

BRO . J USTICE BUCKNILL , P . G . W ., who is now engaged at the Glamorgan Assizes , attended the Prince Llewellyn Lodge , No . 2570 , at Cardiff , and was supported by the leading members of the South Wales Bar . At the banquet which followed he proved himself a genial and clever after-dinner speaker . RHV . J . . ROCKLIF , acting Chaplain to the Forces at Malta , suggests that the troops would greatly appreciate newspapers and periodicals , including provincial papers . They might be sent direct to either of the regiments , addressed to the commanding officer , or to Mr . Rocklif , at Malta .

BRO . SIR J GORST , in the Lecture Theatre of the Victoria and Albert Museum , presented a farewell testimonial on behalf of some 500 subscribers to Major-General Sir John Donnelly , K . C . B . This gentleman is retiring from his position as secretary and permanent head of the Science and Art Department , South Kensington , with which he has been connected for more than 40 years . Bro . Sir John Gorst , in making the presentation , paid a very high tribute to the esteem in which their friend was held by his colleagues and all with whom he had come in contact in the course of his duties .

THE FORTHCOMING Grand Military Concert at the Albert Hall , on Tuesday , the 5 th inst ., in aid of the Sick and Wounded , the Widows and Orphans and the Families of the Troops now serving in South Africa , will present many features of peculiar interest to patriotic Englishmen at the present time . A novel feature will be the singing of Odoardo Barrifc " The Old Brigade , " by MM . Barton McGuckin , Norman Salmond , Joseph O'Mara , John Coates , M . Royd , Denham Price , Charles Copland , H . Lane Wilson , and Hayden Coffin .

AN INGENIOUS method of fraud has recently come to the knowledge of the authorities of the British Museum , who have had to devise a new rule to prevent it . The fraud itself is old enough and common enough outside the British Museum , as most collectors of pictures and curiosities know to their cost . In the Museum , however , it seems to have become a regular trade to make copies or sketches of prints and

drawings and send them down to the provinces for sale as originals . But the same kind of fraud is said to be carried on in the provinces also . The rule introduced by the Museum authorities is that no copy of a drawing shall be taken out of the Museum until it is impressed with a stamp devised for the purpose . This is some protection to the public , and it only remains that those in charge of provincial collections should adopt some similar and simple mode of suppressing deception .

ALTHOUGH the Freemasons of Leeds , or , at all events , the majority of them , have to contribute , through other channels , towards the Lord Mayor's Relief Fund , they have responded very well to the circular appeal which has been issued by Mr . R . Wilson , the Deputy Provincial Grand Master . The fund had been started some little time before the circular was issued , but I understand that already nearly JL 300 has been subscribed ,

and that will be supplemented , in all likelihood , by nearly as much again . I understand that there will be no publication of the names of contributors or other advertising methods which are sometimes used to draw substantial contributions , so that no one need fear that their good by stealth will be seen of men . When one considers the comparatively small number of Masons there are in the city , and the calls made upon them , the response is a generous one . —Leeds Times .

CHRISTMAS APPEAL . —Queen Charlotte ' s Lying-in Hospital , Marylebone-road . This hospital received 1112 patients into its wards last year , and , in addition , atended 1070 patients at their own homes . The enlargement and improvement of the hospital is now almost completed , and much-needed additional accommodation is now becoming available . The new nurses' home , which has been erected opposite the hospital , was

opened by T . R . H . the Duke and Duchess of York in July last . The nurses much appreciate their new quartes . Upwards of £ 7000 is still needed for these works , and for new furniture for the hospital and home . Donations to the building fund , as well as for general maintenance , will be thankfully received at the hospital by the Secretary , Mr . Arthur Watts .

RHODESIAN SHARHS BOOMING . —In view of the great rise in the price of the shares of the Chartered Company ( with its capital of several millions sterling ) , to nearly £ 4 per share , there has been great activity in the shares of other Rhodesian companies , and it is generally agreed that Rhodesian shares are meeting with an amount of attention never before bestowed upon them . More than half the business in the Kaffir market is taking place in Rhodesian shares . The new treaty with Germany will enable the Chartered Company to connect its railway system with the South-West Coast

of Africa . This will give another route to Rhodesia , which will probabl y be the shortest available and the most convenient , and it is calculated that Rhodesia will thus be brought within 20 days of London . The almost complete cessation of mining operations in the Transvaal has enabled the Rhodesian mines to obtain the native labour of which they stood in need , and we ought , as a consequence , to witness a great development of gold mines and land . One of the most promising companies devoted to the exDloration and development of lands and gold mines in Rhodesia is the Austen ( Gwelo )

Development Syndicate , Limited . Taking into consideration the smallness of its capital , which is only £ 50 , 000 , in £ 1 fully paid up shares , of which £ 20 , 000 is for working capital ; that it owns a farm of 6000 acres and 507 claims in the best known and most important gold mining districts of Rhodesia , and that the latest reports from the manager in Rhodesia state that he has struck ore giving over 13 ozs . of gold per ton , the present price of about £ 1 10 s . per share , at which the shares of the Austen ( Gwelo ) Development Syndicate , Limited , are now dealt in on the London Stock Exchange , should make them a good speculative investment . AND

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