Masonic And General Tidings.

Masonic and General Tidings .

IT HAS BEEN decided to erect a drinking fountain at Richmond , as a memorial to the late Duchess of Teck . THE EARL OF ROSEBERY reached Dover from the Continent on Monday , and proceeded to London . LORD AND LADY ABERDEEN , on their return from Canada , are to be entertained at a public luncheon in Aberdeen . BRO . LORD AND LADY PIRBRIGHT left Pirbright on Saturday last for the Continent , and are not expected to return until October .

THE EMPRESS EUGENIE is now convalescent from the effects of her recent illness . She is at present staying at Farnborough , and will probably spend the winter there . THE WAR OFFICE has sanctioned the erection of a swimming bath for the troops at Aldershot , and the site will be fixed between the headquarters gymnasium and the Basingstoke Canal . THE LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND and Countess Cadogan have been entertaining a party of guests at the Viceregal Lodge , Dublin , for the cricket matches which have taken place there this week .

THE EARL OF SANDWICH , as Chairman of the Huntingdonshire County Council , and Mayor of the Borough of Huntingdon , has opened a subscription list towards the National Memorial to Mr . Gladstone . WINDSOR PARISH CHURCH bells were rung on Saturday last and a Royal salute was fired in the Long Walk in celebration of the 54 th birthday of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , who was born on August Gth , 1848 .

THB GERMAN EMPEROR AND EMPRESS will leave Berlin on October 12 th , and arrive on the 17 th at Constantinople , which they will leave on October 21 st , so as to enter Jerusalem on the afternoon of October 29 th . THE LORD CHANCELLOR ( Bro . the Earl of Halsbury ) on the recommendation of the Lord-Lieutenant ( his Grace the Duke of Westminster , K . G . ) , has appointed Sir George Charles Mason a Justice of the Peace for the County of London .

THE DUKE OF SPARTA , Crown Prince of Greece , concluded his stay at Cowes on Monday afternoon , and travelled by the London and South-Western Railway to Waterloo . His Royal Highness was driven back to Buckingham Palace , and subsequei tly left for the Continent by the London , Chatham , and Dover route from Victoria . THE LORDS OF THE A DMIRALTY did a vast amount of work on Monday when making their annual inspection of Chatham Dockyard . Their lordships left the impression at that establishment that they have now finally resolved upon the construction of another building-slip , in addition to the dry dock 600 feet long and between So feet and no feet wide .

THE DUCHESS OF SUTHERLAND , as President of the Scottish Home Industries Association is visiting the island of Lewis this month to confer , with the assistance of an expert , with the producers of Lewis tweeds as to the texture , colour , and general get-up of the cloth with a view to meeting the requirements of the market . Delegates from various townships have been appointed to meet her Grace .

SEVERAL DONATIONS have lately been received towards the memorial of the late Duchess of Teck , in the form of a Home of Rest for Poor Women from London . The fund now amounts to £ 9900 , and only about £ 500 more is required for the purposes o * f the endowment of the Home at Bognor , which is being built and furnished by a munificent donor who wishes to be anonymous . Further donations will be received by the Lord Mayor , Bro . 'Alderman Col . Davies , M . P ., at the Mansion House .

ON SATURDAY afternoon last the body of the late Bro . the Earl of Mansfield , " Father of the House of Lords , " who had attained the great age of 92 , was laid to rest in the Old Aisle on the Mote Hill , within 100 yards of Scone Palace , and not far from the spot where the Kings of Scotland used to be crowned . The obsequies were a very simple character . The service was performed by the Dean of St . Andrew ' s , assisted by the Rev . C . AchabiHifcre , Rector of St . John's , Perth , and the Rev . A . Stuart-Martin , B . D ., of Scone . Among the mourners were Lord Balvaird ( he deceased nobleman's grandson , now the Earl of Mansfield ) , Bro . the Marquis of Hertford , Bro . the Duke of Athol ( chief of the Clan Murray ) , and others .

ON TUESDAY her Majesty held a Council at half-past one o ' clock , at which were present : Viscount Cross , G . C . B . ( Lord Privy Seal , acting for the Lord President ) , Lord James of Hereford ( Chancellor ot the Duchy of Lancaster ) , and Colonel the Right Hon . Sir Fleetwood Edwards , K . C . B . ( Keeper of her Majesty's Privy Purse ) . Mr . J . H . Harrison was in attendance as Deputy Clerk of the Council . In the evening the Queen paid a visit to a show held in connection with the Whippingham Garden Societv , at the Rectory Grounds , Whippingham . Her Majesty was accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Connaught . Princess Henry of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holsteii were present at the exhibition earlier in the day .

BRO . GEORGE WILLIAM FERRARS LOFTUS , of Bnarfield , Hastings , formerly of Oaklands , Bromley , who died on the 7 th of June last , aged 59 years , left personal estate of the net value of £ 13 , 678 17 s . Sd ., and the gross value of the whole of his estate having been entered at £ 18 , 771 i * 5 s . Sd . The testator made the following , among other . Charitable bequests : £ 200 to the Aged Freemasons'Institution , £ 200 to the

R . M . I , for Boys , £ 200 to the R . M . I , for Girls , £ 200 to the Bromley Cottage Hospital , and £ 200 to lhe Norfolk and Norwich Blind Asylum . He also directed that his trustees should invest a sum of 4 , 100 in Government securities and to pay the income therefrom to the Bromley Bowling Club for the purpose of purchasing two bowls , lo be known as the Loftus Bowls , and to be competed for annually by the members of the said club in accordance with the rules of the club .

THE FIRST MEETING of the Court of Common Council after the summer vacation will be held on Thursday , the 15 th September . On Thursday , the 29 th of the same month , Bro . the Lord Mayor will give a dinner at the Mansion House to the Lord Mayor elect ( who will be Alderman Sir John Voce Moore ); on Friday , October 14 th , he will entertain the Fruiterers' Company and the General Purposes Committee , after receiving the annual presentation of fruit from the former ; on Tuesday , October iSth ,

the Lord Mayors , Mayors , and Provosts of the United Kingdom will be invited to a ball at the Mansion House ; and on Saturday , October 22 nd , the Elcho Shield will be received at the Guildhall , the Lord Mayor afterwards entertaining at dinner the English Eight and the commanding officers of the Metropolitan Volunteer regiments . The wedding of Miss Florence Davies , the Lord Mayor's second daughter , with Dr . C . N . Barton , will take place at Bishopsgate parish church on Wednesday , the 12 th prox .

Masonic And General Tidings.

THE J UDGES will rise for the Long Vacation to-day ( Friday ) , after which there wilt be no further general sittings in Court until Monday , October 24 th . ON WEDNESDAY the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and Prince Alfrel of Connaught took lunch on board Sir Maurice Fitzgerald ' s yacht Satanita , in Cowes Roads , and afterwards went for a sail .

THE ROYAL YACHT OSBORNE , with the Prince of Wales on board , proceeded to Ryde on Wednesday afternoon . His Royal Highness watched the yacht practising , and returned to Cowes shortly before 6 o'clock . BRO . General SIR G . B . WOLSELEY , Bro . Lord Wolseley ' s brother , has arranged to leave England in the steamship Shannon on the 14 th orox . for India . It is understood that he is next to command the troops in the Madras Division of India .

THE KING OF THE BELGIANS , who has been on a visit to the Archduchess Stephanie , at Bonchurch , in the Isle of Wight , crossed on Tuesday to Jersey from Cowes in the Royal yacht Alberta . His Majesty left in the ' evening for St . Malo . ON MONDAY next the Duke of York will relinquish the cdmmand of her Majesty ' s ship Crefcent , which has been ordered to pay off at Portsmouth into the fleet reserve on that date . The Crescent will be relieved as Royal guardship during the Oueen ' s stay at Osborne by the first-class cruiser Australia . "

THE VINE AT HAMPTON COURT PALACE .- —The famous vine at Hampton Court Palace , which is now 130 years old , having been planted in 176 S , is bearing 1200 bunches of fruit . The grapes are just beginning to ripen , and in three weeks' time the fruit , which is sent for use at the Queen ' s table will be fully matured . THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER ( Bro . Sir Michael Hicks-Beach ) and Lady Lucy Hicks-Beach will spend the early part of the recess at Netheravon Manor , near Amesbury , where they will entertain a party during the autumn manoeuvres on Salisbury Plain . Afterwards they will visit Earl Fortescue at Castle Hill , Devonshire .

THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY announce that in addition to the usual weekly excursions to the West of England , Weymouth , Channel Islands , North and South Wales , Isle of Man , & c , excursions will be run every Friday and Saturday to Chippenham , Bath , and Bristol , from Paddington Station , allowing a week , a fortnight , & c .

THB DUCHBSS OF SUTHERLAND AND THE DUCHESS OF PORTLAND will , on the 25 th and 26 th instant respectively , open a grand bazaar and sale of work to be held at Dornoch in aid of the fund for erecting a new Drill Hall for the Sutherlandshire Volunteers . The Duke of Sutherland has made a personal donation of £ 2 OJ towards thc ccst of the building .

THE LORD MAYOR ( Bro . Alderman Davies , M . P . ) , who will be accompanied by his daughter , Miss Davies , is about to pay a short visit to the United States , and leaves in the Teutonic on the 17 th inst . This will be the first instance of a Chief M \ gistrate of the City visiting America during his Mayoralty . The Lady Mayoress an J other members of his family are staying at Tenby .

BRO . THK DUKE AND DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE , who have been staying at Harrogate , where her Grace has been taking the waters , will leave shortly for Bolton Abbey , near Ilkley , where they will entertain a number of guests for the grouse shooting season . During the Doncaster race week the Duke and Duchess will be the guests of the Earl of Crewe at Fryston Hall , near Pontefract . THE DUCHESS OF ALBANY and her children , Princess Alice and the young Duke of Albany , who have been on a visit to Lord and Lady Mount Stephen at Brocket Hall , Hertfordshire , have returned to Claremont Palace , Esher . The Duke of Albany has presented a prize consisting of a handsome clock to the members ot the Esher Institute Athletic Club , which was competed for at Sandown Park on Wednesday evening .

AT A MEETING of the Chesterfield Town Council or . Tuesday night the Town Clerk read a letter from Field-Marshal Bro . Lord Roberts , V . C ., accepting an invitation to open a new Volunteer drill hall on the 28 th prox ., and to receive the freedom of the borough , whose charter of incorporation dates from the time of King John . Only three free-men of the borough are alive . Chesterfield is the headquarters of the 2 nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters .

THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE will visit the Marquis and Marchioness of Londonderry at Seaham Hall , arriving on the 26 th inst ., at the conclusion of his sojourn on the Continent . His Royal Highness will inspect the 2 nd Durham ( Seaham Harbour ) Volunteer Artillery , of which Lord Londonderry is Colonel in command , on the 27 th inst ., and he will attend a cyclist church parade , to be held in Seaham Hall grounds , on Sunday , the 28 th inst .

PRINCESS HENRY OF BATTENBERG opened a bazaar on Wednesday afternoon in the grounds of Westhill , Cowes , which was held in behalf of a fund for the restoration of St . Mary's Church , of that town . Her Royal Highness was accompanied by Miss Minnie Cochrane and Lord William Cecil . The Rev . L . Smi'h , vicar , received lhe Princes ? , and explained to her Royal Highness the object of the bazaar , after which the Princess declared it opened , and subsequently made purchases at the stalls conducted by the children .

IT IS EXPECTED that the stained-glass window in Cloughton Parish Church , in memory of the late Bro . Sir Frank Lockwood , will shortly be completed and unveiled . The committee selected the design of Messrs . Atkinson , of Newcastle-on-Tyne , and the subject illustrated , on the suggestion of the vicar , the Rev . J . T . Tause , is the judgment of Solomon . Among those who have taken an interest in the memorial ani subscribed towards it are the Earl of Rosebery and Bro . the Earl of Feversham , Bro . Lord Derwent , Lord Grimthorpe , Lord James of Hereford , Bro . Sir Henry Irving , Sir John Barran , Mr . E . Beckett , M . P ., Mr . Kendal , and the late Archdeacon Palmes .

MOHAWK MINSTRELS . —Song and dance , humour and sentiment are happily combined in the new programme signalising the return to the Agricultural Hall of this popular troupe after a prosperous tour . All the principal members received a hearty greeting , and each strove to demonstrate that the pleasure of once more seeing old friends was reciprocated . With the eccentric ditty , " The man that made the cats laugh , " Little Thomas proved himself in capi ' . al form , and much the same may be said of Mr . Johnny Schofield , Mr . Fred Lyne ,

Mr . Harry Francis , and Mr . Billy Hobbs in their respective whimsical contributions . Continuous laughter , too , accompanied the performance of the two extravagant sketches "An Animated Automaton" and "A Doctor ' s Dilemma , " whicii brought together the leading comedians . The musical first part contained some refined songs admirably rendered . Among these should be specially named , both with respect to

subject and to execution , "A love that lasts life long , " for Mr . Norman Ballard ; " Smile on me sweetly again , " for Mr . Ernest Gordon ; " Sitting round the watch fire , " for Mr . Roland Oliver ; " Love's Minstrel , " for Mr . Warren Lawson ; and "Saved from death , " for the fresh-voiced Master Wareham . With the addition ofa running fire of verbal oddities and good choral singing , the entertainment is as bright and varied as " nigger" patrons could desire .

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