Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS tj New Year ' s Entertainment of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ' .... 14 Entertainment at the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls 14

Royal Masonic Institution for Boys t £ Masonic Memorial to the Late Prince Leopold , Duke of Albany , K . G r J Masonic Ball at Swansea 13 The Altar and Witness rj CORRESPONDENCEThe Distress in Preston , Lancashire ej

Reviews 'J REPORTS OF MASONIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 18 Instruction -t Royal Arch -1

Mark Masonry •' Scotland - < Gibraltar 2 *** Masonic Ball at Maryport 22 Obituary 22 Masonic and General Tidings 23 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 24

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WE understand that the installation of his Grace the Duke of ABERCORN is to be a most brilliant and imposing ceremony . The form to be observed will be similar to the one adopted on the installation of his father , 6 th January , iS ;*" , who , as " Lord Lieut .-Gen . and Gen . Gov . of Ireland , " was so much beloved , as the General and Masonic Ruler of the Emerald Isle .

The R . AV ., Bro . ROBERT AV . SHEKLETON , J . P ., Q . C , will again officiate as Installing * Master , and will , doubtless , be once more called upon to accept the office of Dep . Grand Master , a position for which he is so well fitted , and in which capacity he has done such good service for the Craft in years gone by . * According to the usual custom , his Grace the Duke of ABERCORN is

first of all to be installed as Master of the Grand Masters Lodge , in the small lodge room , and then will proceed to the large hall for the greater and more important ceremony . The attendance is likely to be very large , so large that the capacity of even the large hall will be put to a severe test , and as there will be many visitors from the Grand Lodgeof England , in which the

new Grand Master of Ireland holds the rank of Past G . S . W ., the occasion bids fair to be one of the most memorable in the annals of the Grand Lodge of Ireland . AA ' e rejoice in the nearness of the event all the more because we believe his Grace will he a frequent attendant at the Grand Lodge , and prove to be an active and genial ruler .

THE final arrangement for the School Elections in April are on the eve of being made . In other words , the lists of candidates wilt be approved , and the number of children to be elected will be settled at the Quarterly Courts , which will be held , in the case of the Girls' School to-morrow ( Saturday ) , and in that of the Boys' School on Monday . As regards the former

Institution , the General Committee have recommended for adoption a list of 37 candidates , and lhat the vacancies to be filled should be 22 ; or , in the event of one of the motions , of which notice has been given , being carried , the number will be 23 . As regards thc Boys' School , it is recommended that the list of candidates should be 48 strong , and the number of vacancies

20 , which , if Bro . MURRAY ' S motion h accepted , will be increased by ten to 30 . As there is very little doubt that the recommendations of the General Committees will be endorsed by their respective Quarterly Courts , we may take upon ourselves to assume that in April next certainly 22 , and probably 23 , girls will be elected into the elder School , from a list of 37

applicants ; and 20 , or possibly 30 , boys , from a list of 4 . 8 , into the younger . These figures are so far satisfactory that they show that the additions made some few years since to the numerical strength of the Girls' School have had the desired effect of keeping the lists of candidates at a moderately low figure ; while the additions , now being gradually made to the Boys' School '

on the strength of its new Preparatory School , are producing a like result in respect of lhat Institution . This must be very gratifying to the Craft generally , but especially to the School authorities , who have had the responsibility of formulating and carrying out the policy to be followed , and we sincerely trust a like measure of success will attend their future efforts towards promoting the efficiency of these Institutions .

* * * IT affords us great pleasure to announce that H . R . H . the Prince of WALES , M . W . G . M ., has graciously consented that the work , entitled "Masonic Records , " now preparing by Bro . J LANE , of Torquay , may bc dedicated to his Royal Highness . The occasions are so few in which such

dedications are permitted to our M . W . Grand Master , that this special compliment is enhanced by reason of its rarity ; and as we are assured by those competent to form an opinion , that Bro . J LANE ' S " Masonic Records" will be in every sense worthy of the distinction thus conferred so far in advance of its publication ; wc most heartily congratulate the

author on the well deserved honour . Brethren who can in any way assist the author with any facts bearing on the nomenclature or location of old lodges , especially with respects to the " Ancients " prior to this century , should lose no time in thus wisely utilzing their information and adding to the value andinterest of the volume . We understand it will contain some 300 pages of closely printed matter , quarto sirze , the cost of which will be so

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great , that even two guineas per copy will not cover the expenses of production . Bro . HUGHAN has consented to write an introduction , which will add to the importance of the book , if that were possible , and the same brother has placed his facsimile of the 1725 list of lodges ( of which only one copy of the original is known ) in Bro . LANE ' hands that it may be reproduced as the frontispiece to this large and imposing volume .

» , * AVE had barely had time to congratulate the Craft on the comparative paucity of the deaths which occurred among the more distinguished of our brethren during the year 1885 , when the news reached us that on the morning of Christmas Day one of the leading lights of English

Freemasonry , Bro . the Rev . C . RAIKES DAW , M . A ., P . G . Chaplain of England , had been struck down with paralysis . Bro . DAVY , though advanced in years , was by no means an old man , having been born in 1 S 19 , but he had not long since retired from the Provincial Grand Mark Mastership of Gloucestershire , his health being such that he felt himself no lonerer

able to take lhat active part in the duties of Freemasonry which had signalised the whole of his Masonic career . Thus , death came upon him not unexpectedly , and the brethren are now mourning the loss of one who , in the different spheres of work in which he had been placed , had laboured most zealously in behalf of our Fraternity . He had achieved both Grand

and Provincial Grand Honours in Craft , Arch , Mark , and Templar Masonry . He had been for years a member of one of our most distinguished London lodges , and—what happens in the case of but very few brethren—he was connected with no less than three of our provinces . He was , too , an active supporter of our Schools ; and , in short , whatever he

put his hand to Masonically , that he did earnestly , thoroughly , and well . We give elsewhere a sketch in detail of his Masonic services ; but it would not be just , graceful , or considerate , that we should miss the opportunity of bearing our respectful testimony to his worth , and expressing , both on our own behalf , and that of our readers , the sincere sorrow with which the news of the death will be received throughout the country .

* * * THE Critic of New York refers to Bro . G . F . FORT ' latest work , "A Historical Treatise on Early Builders' Marks " in a friendly spirit ; but withal not very complimentary to the Society of which Bro . FORT is such a distinguished ornament . The Critic remarks that thc work may be recommended

to . thosewho are interested in either Masonry or Freemasonry , as containing many curious particulars , gathered from recondite sources , and set forth in a painstaking , though not always a very lucid , fashion . Though nota very warm endorsement of this able volume , we should have let the review pass without challenge were it not that the same writer observes : " Modern

Freemasonry and the building trade have , as every one knows , as little in common as Orange Societies and orange growers . " Now , we ask , is this a fair statement of facts ? Is it true that modern Freemasonry has no more connection with its ancient prototype than the widespread " Orange Society " has with those who grow oranges ? The Critic alludes to Bro . FORT ' S

" Early History and Antiquities of Freemasonry . " We fancy lhat had he carefully read that able work his opinion would be considerably altered . At all events , those of us who claim that Freemasons of to-day are members not only of an Honourable , but also of an Ancient Society , are not without abundant evidence , and can prove that by continuity and absorption the

lodges of the present era of the Craft are the lineal descendants of the old Fraternity of the Middle Ages . Lodges having records from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries , and overlapping the period of transition ( as Bro . GOULD , the Masonic historian , so well " puts it ) being also still in

existence , are , or should be , sufficient justification of the claim we make . Of late years so considerable is the accumulated evidence on the side of the antiquity and continuity of Freemasonry , that we wonder at the random talk of the Critic .

*»* THERE is now an excellent opportunity for those of our readers who have devoted any time and study to the subject of " the Social Clubs of last Century " and " their Relations with Freemasonry , " to give lo the world the result of their researches . In a recent number of Notes a' / d Queries will be found a paragraph signed " \ V . FRAZER , F . R . C . S . I ., " in which the

writer refers to a pamphlet relating to the higher Grades of Freemasonry , which was published in Dublin towards the close of last century , and which conlains " a collection of Masonic songs , several relating to the strange associations which then existed for social purposes . " Mr . FRAZER goes on to say that he was not aware these clubs had any relation to Freemasonry ,

but , having regard to the songs appended to the pamphlet , he is anxious to ascertain if any such existed . He then enumerates certain of the songs , of which he says " there are three " relating to the "Society of Bucks , " two for the " Honorable Order of Select Albions ; " one for the " Honorable Lumper Troop ; " two for the " Ancient Corporation of Stroud Green " ; one for the " Corporation of Gray ' s Inn Lane " ( this Society is stated to have