Masonic And General Tidings.

Masonic and General Tidings .

THE STATIONERS' COMPANY have placed their hall at the disposal of the Newsvendors' Benevolent and Provident Institution for the purpose of the annual dinner on Wednesday , the ioth prox . Bro . Alderman Treloar has promised to preside . POLLING FOR THE VACANCY oh the Aldermanic Bench of the City Corporation , caused by the retirement of Sir James Whitehead , Bart ., representative of the Ward of Cheap , took place at the South Court , Guildhall . The Lord Mayor declared the result as follows : Mr . Deputy R . C . Halse , 4 < 5 f >; Mr . ex-Sheriff George Hand , 178 . The poll is the largest on record for this ward .

THE PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE and Provincial Grand Chapter of Cumberland and Westmorland will assemble at Whitehaven , on Friday , the 5 th of June , when Bro . Colonel Sewell , P . G . D ., Deputy Prov . Grand Master , will be installed Grand Superintendent of Royal Arch Masons , in succession to the late Earl of Bective . The ceremony is to be performed by the M . E . Grand Scribe E .

THE SALE of the second portion of the late Bro . Montagu's collection of English coins commenced at Sotheby ' s on Tuesday , when some good prices were realised . A Canute penny , of London mint , fetched £ 13 ios . ; a Hardicanute penny , of Aylesbury , £ 11 5 s . ; a Harold II . Chelsea penny , the only one known from this mint , £ 13 13 s . ; a William the Conqueror Stamford penny , also unique , £ 12 15 s . ; and a St . Edmundsbury penny , £ 14 15 s .

A C ORRESPONDENT WRITES : " Bro . Lord Brassey , Governor of Victoria , in spite of the heavy calls upon his time , appears to have entered upon the work of Masonry with a will . Appointed a Past Grand Warden of England , by the M . W . Grand Master , after his departure for Australia , the news was cabled to Melbourne , before his arrival in that great city . Subsequently the members of the Combermere Lodge , No . 752 , the only re maining English lodge ii Victoria , gave Lord Brassey a reception worthy of the occasion , attended as it was by some 1500 brethren . In due time , his Excellency joined

the Combermere Lodge , as also the Clarke Lodge , under the Victorian Constitution . At the ensuing Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lod ? e of Victoria , Bro . Sir W . J . Clarke , Bart ., signified his desire to retire from the Grand Master's chair , which he has filled with such dignity and advantage to Colonial Masonry since his installation in 1 SS 9 , when the Victorian Grand Lodge was inaugurated , at the Sam's time he nominated as his successor , Lord Brassey . A consideruble section of the Victorian Masons , however , declining to part with their old Grand Master , something of a deadlock , at all events , a contest , was threatened . This at the eleventh hour was happily avoided ,

through the tactful good sense of Sir William Clarke , who personally obtained Lord Brassey's acceptance of the position , if elected . Finally , at the Quarterly Communication , an hour or so later , Sir William Clarke withdrew his own candidature , and announced Lcrd Brassey ' s election accordingly . His lordship has since been installed M . W . Grand Master of Victoria , with Sir William Clarke as Pro Grand Master , and Bro . George Baker , P . G . M ., in his old position of Deputy Grand Master . Add to all this the fact that the new Grand Master of Victoria ( a Past Grand Warden of the English lodge , by thebye ) , has _ been elected and installed W . M . of the Combermere Lodge , and so all is right as right can be . "

MIDLAND RAILWAY WHITSUNTIDE HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS . —Cheap excursion tiains will be run from London to Dublin , Cork , Killamev , & c , for 16 days , via Liverpool , on Thursday , May 21 st , and via Morecambe on Wednesday , May 20 th , returning May 21 st , 23 rd , 26 th , 2 Sth , 30 th , and June 2 nd or 4 th ; to Belfast , Londonderry , and Portrush for Giant's Causeway , via Barrow and viA Liverpool on Friday , May 22 nd , for 16 days ; to Londonderry , via Liverpool , on Saturday , May 23 rd , to return within 16 days as per bill of Sailing ; to Leicester , Nottingham , Newark , Lincoln ,

Birmingham , Walsall , Wolverhampton , Burton , Derby , Manchester , Liverpool , Blackburn , Bolton , Oldham , Sheffield , Leeds , Bradford , Scarboro' , Newcastle , the Furness District , Carlisle , & c , & c , on Saturday , May , 23 rd , returning the following Monday or Thursday ; to Carlisle , Castle Douglas , Dumfries , Helensburgh , Edinburgh , Greenock , Glasgow , & c , on Friday night , May 22 nd , returning the following Tuesday or Saturday , by which Third Class Return Tickets at a Single Ordinary fare for the double journey will also be issued , available for returning on any day within 16 days . On

Whit-Monday , May 25 th , to St . Albans , Harpenden , Luton , Bedford and Birmingham , for one day ; and to Manchester , for the Races , on Thursday ( Midnight ) , May 2 Sth , returning Saturday , May 30 th . Ticke's for these trains for starting from St . Pancras Station can be obtained on the two previous days to the running of the Trains at the Company's City and West End Booking Offices . Cheap daily and weekend excursions to Southend-on-Sea , as announced in time tables and bills . Cheap excursion trains for five or eight days will also be run to London from Carlisle ,

Bradford , Leeds , bhefheld , Liverpool , Manchester , Blackburn , Burnley , Bolton , Bury , Rochdale , Oldham , Lincoln , Newark , Burton , Derbv , Nottingham , Birmingham , Walsall , Wolverhampton , Leicester , & c , on Saturday , May 23 rd ; and for six days on Monday . May 25 th . From Manchester , Stockpcrt , Bradford , Leeds , Barnsley , Sheffield , & c , on Saturday , May 23 rd , for 3 , 5 , or S days . Passengers will be booked by these Trains at cheap fares to Brighton , Hastings , St . Leonards , Eastbourne , & c . ; and to Paris and other places on the Continent , having the privilege of returning by any ordinary train within 16 days . On Whit-Monday , May 25 th , an excursion train to

London for one or two days will be run from Bradford , Leeds , Barnsley , Sheffield , & c ; and for one , three , or six days from Birmingham , Wolverhampton , Walsall , & c . ; and day trips from Burton , Derby , Nottingham , Leicester , Wellingboro' , & c . On Whi ' - Monday , May 25 th , certain booked trains will be discontinued , of which due notice will be given by special hitls at the stations . To prevent inconvenience and crowding , the Bcoking Offices at St . Pancras and Moorgate-slreet Stalions will be open for the issue of tickets all day on Friday and Saturday , May 22 nd . and 23 rd , and tickets to all principal stations on the Midland Railway will also be issued beforehand at any of their offices . .

THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY announce excursions on Thursday , the 21 st inst ., to Cork and Killarney , and on Friday , the 22 nd inst ., to Belfast , Armagh , Larne , Giant's Causeway , Cardiff , Newport , Swansea , New Milford , Waterford , and other stations in South Wales and freland . A fast excursion train for the West of England will leave Paddington at 7 . 55 a . m . on Saturday , the 23 rd inst ., reaching Exeter in 5 ! hours and Plymouth in 75 hours , and excursions will also be run to Bath , Bristol , Dorchester , Weymouth , Worcester , Malvern , Hereford , ' Newport , Cardiff , Swansea ,

Oxford , Leamington , Birmingham , Wolverhampton , Shrewsbury , Chester , Liverpool , Manchester , Aberystwith , Barmouth , Llandudno , & c Return tickets at 24 s . 6 d . will also be issued to Guernsey and Jersey . On Whit Sunday a cheap train will run to Swindon , Cirencester , Stroud , & c , leaving Paddington at 8 . 35 a . m . At Midnight on Sunday an excursion for one or four days will leave Paddington for Oxford , Birmingham , Wolverhampton , & c On the Bank Holiday cheap trains will be run to Reading . Bath , Bristol , & c , and on Whit Tuesday an express half-day excursion will be run to Oxford .

Leamington , and Stratford-on-Avon . Excursions will be run to London from most of the principal stations , and crosscountry trips have also been arranged . ' Cheap tickets are issued daily from London and many suburban stations to Staines , Windsor , Taplow , Maidenhead , Burnham Beeches , Henley , Goring , Wallingford , and other riverside resorts . These tickets can be obtained throughout the Whitsuntide holidays , and in fact during the whole of the summer months . The train service to and from the riverside stations has also been considerably improved . To meet the expected additional

traffic by the ordinary trains on Saturday , the 23 rd inst ., the Company will run in duplicate the 3 . 0 , 5 . 45 , and 9 . 0 p . m . trains from London to the West of " England , and the 12 . 0 noon and y . 15 p . m . trains to Weymouth , Hereford , and Sjuth Wales . The first portion of the 9 . 0 p . m . train will leave Paddington at 8 . 55 p . m ., but the first parts of the other trains will leave at the advertised times , and the second a few minutes afterwards , the long distance passengers being as far as possible taken in the first portion ,

but with a few exceptions both trams will stop at the advertised stations to take up and set down passengers . Ordinary and excursion tickets are issued at the Company ' s City and West-end Offices . 1 he booking offices at the Paddington Station will be open all day on the 20 th , 21 st , 22 nd , and 23 rd inst ., so that passengers wishing to obtain tickets for any destination on the Great Western Railway can do so at their convenience . Ordinary tickets will be dated to suit the convenience of passengers .

" THE PRINCE ' S RESTAURANT , PICCADILLY , W ., to be opened on the iSth May , will be the most elegant and best appointed establishment of the kind in London , where Society can meet to enjoy Luncheons , Dinners and Suppers of the most recherche description , —Managing Director , G . Fourault , from Benoist .

Masonic And General Tidings.

AT THE LAST MEETING of the Mariners' Lodge , No . 168 , a collection was maH » on behalf of "Our Brother's Bed , " at the "Home for the Dying , " Clapham , S . W . HER MAJESTY has been pleased to appoint Bro . the Marquis of Tweeddale to be her High Commissioner to the ensuing meeting of the Grand Assembly of the Church of Scotland . THE QUEEN has been graciously pleased to contribute a donation of £ 50 to the Domestic Servants' Benevolent Institution on the occasion of its completing the 50 th year of its existence .

BRO . T . HASTINGS MILLER ( the Chairman ) and the members of the Coal and Corn and Finance Committee will entertain theLord Mayor , Mr . Alderman and Sheriff Pound and Mr . Sheriff Cooper at dinner on Monday next , at the Ship and Turtle , Leadenhall ! street . PRINCESS CHRISTIAN OK SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN , accompanied by her daughter the Princess Victoria , was present at the annual meeting , which was held in the Reuben ' s Room of Grosvenor House , on Tuesday afternoon , in behalf of the Metropolitan Association for Befriending Young Servants , of which her Royal Highness last year became President .

THE MASTER ( Bro . Lieut .-Col . P . Cowan ) , the Wardens , and the Court of Assistants of the Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers' Company will dine together at the Whitehall Rooms of the H 6 tel Metropole on Wednesday next , the 20 th inst ., when it is expected that Bro . Lord Mayor Sir W . Wilkin and the Sheriffs will honour them with their presence .

IT WAS A HAPPY THOUGHT to try and induce some of the leading London Clubs to raise £ 1000 each for the purpose of endowing a bed in Guy ' s Hospital . The required amount has already been raised at White ' s , the Bachelors' , and the Turf . The bed , of course , will take the name of th ; Club that endows it . At the Reform and the Carlton the movement is being pushed forward .

A DINNER was given at the new Travellers'Club on Tuesday evening to the officers who took part in the Athantee Expedition under Sir Francis Scott . The chair was occupied by the Earl of Fingall , and among those present were Sir Francis Scott , Capt . Donald Stewart , Captain Parmeter , Sir W . Maxwell ( Governor of the Gold Coast ) Surgeon-Major General W . T . Taylor , and Lieut .-Col . Ward .

THE TROCADERO RESTAURANT will shortly be opened by Messrs . J . Lyons and Co ., Limited , after a lengthened period of preparation . Every effort is being made to make this the handsomest and most perfectly-equipped dining palace in Europe , and the arrangements for Masonic meetings will be made a special feature . Applications respecting bookings should be made as early as possible to the proprietors , J . Lyons and Co ., Limited , Cadby Hall , Kensington , where all inquiries should be addressed . — [ ADVT . 1

THE WILL OF BRO . J ABEZ CHURCH , M . Inst ., C . E ., F . G . S ., of 55 Parliamentstreet , Westminster , Gas and Water Consulting Engineer , who died on March 17 th , at 17 Holland-park-gardens , has been proved by Mr . Alfred Frederick Church , of 51 Fenchurch-street , Solicitor , the brother , and one of the executors , the value of the personal estate being £ 8545 . The testator bequeaths all his household furniture and effects to his wife , Mrs . Mary Elizabeth Church , and subject thereto , he leaves all his real and personal estate upon trust for her for life , and then between all his children .

TO-MORROW ( SATURDAY ) , will be " Lifeboat Saturday " in London , when collections will be made throughout the Metropolis in behalf of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution . Different steps will be taken in furtherance of the movement in different districts , and both in Camden Town and district and in the Lambeth and Southwark district there will be a procession , with lifeboat crew , and other special features . Collections have been made in business establishments , and there will be a demonstration in connection with lifeboat work at the Imperial Institute in the afternoon .

BY KIND PERMISSION of her Grace the Duchess of Sutherland , a concert and dramatic performance in aid of the Free Home for the Dying , under the patronage of H . R . H . the Princess of Wales , who has promised to attend the concert should her Royal Highness ' s engagements permit , and the Duke and Duchess of York , will take place at Stafford House , St . James ' s , on Tuesday , the gth prox ., at 3 . 30 p . m . Tickets one guinea each , or two for 30 s . ; or at 103 . 61 ., or three for 25 s . ; may be obtained from Miss Erskine , Speaker ' s Court , Palace of Westminster ; or from the following : Messrs . Lacon and Oilier , 168 a , New Bond-street ; Keith and Prowse , 48 , Cheapside ; and Lamer and Stokes , 42 a , Chester-square .

FREEMASONS WHO TAKE more than passing interest in the ancient institution to which they belong should obtain a copy of "The Freemason Commemorative Number , " published by George Kenning , proprietor ot the well-known journal specially devoted to the doings of the Craft . It gives a full record of all that was transacted at the recent meeting of Grand Lodge , when H . R . H . th : Prince of

. Wales was proclaimed , for the 22 nd time , Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Order . There is also published an interesting record of Freemasonry during the 21 years H . R . H . the Prince of Wales has held that office , with much else that is worth reading . With this number is presented a well-executed collection of portraits of all officers of Grand Lodge , from the highest to the lowest in rank . This is worthy of a frame , and no doubt copies will be kept by very many as a memento of a memorable event in the annals of Freemasonry . —Kingston News .

LisT OF FAIMHOUSE AND COUNTRY LODGINGS ON THE GREAT N ORTHERN AND NORTH-EASTBRN RAILWAYS . —Messrs . Walter Hill and Co . have _ prepared for the Great Northern and North-Eastern Railway Companies a neat guide containing particulars of farmhouse and country lodgings to be obtained daring the holiday season in Hertfordshire , Cambridgeshire , Norfolk , Linolnshire , Derbyshire , Nottinghamshire , Yorkshire , Durham , Westmorland , Cumberland , Northumberland , & c . The book , which contains capital illustrations of places of interest on the Great Northern and

North-Eastern Railways , will be issued on Monday next , and may be obtained free upon application to the superintendent of the line , Great Northern Railway , King ' s Cross , superintendent of the line , North-Eastern Railway , York , the station masters at any ot the companies' stations , town office ? , or ticket agencies . THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY announce that on Friday , the J 2 tti May , a cheap excursion wiH leave London—Woolwich Arsenal , Woolwich Dockyard , Victoria ( L . C . & D . ) . Moorgate . Alderscrate . Farrinsrdon . King's-cross . & c—for

Newcastle , Berwick , Edinburgh , Glasgow , and Helensburg , returning on Tuesday , the 26 W , or Saturday , the 30 th May . Tickets at a single fare for the double journey will also be issued b y this excursion to places named , available for return by one fixed train on any day within 16 days , including days of issue and return . On the same date cheap three or six dajs' excursions will also be run to Cambridge , Huntingdon , Peterboro' Wisbech , Lynn , Cromer , Norwich , Yarmouth , Lincoln , Boston , Grimsby , Leicester , Notting ham , Deiby , Burton , Tutbury , Stoke , Newark , Sheffield , Barnsley , Huddersfield , Manchester ,

Stockport , Warrington , Liverpool , Wakefield , Leeds , Bradford , Keighley , Hal ''**' Hull , York , Scarboro' Harrogate , Whitby , Bridlington , Darlington , Richmond , Middlesboro ' , Hartlepool , Durham , Newcastle , & c , returning May 25 th or 28 th . And for one , three , or four days to Skegness , Sutton-on-Sea , and Mablethorpe . On Whit Monday , May 25 th , cheap day excursions will be run from Victoria ( L . C . & D . ) , Ludgate H ijJ > Moorgate , King ' s-Cross , Finsbury Park , & c , to St . Albans , Hertford , Wheathampsteaa , Harpenden , Luton , Dunstable . Hitchin , Rovston , and Cambridge . Also from

Moorgate , King's-cross , Holloway , Finsbury Park , & c , to Skegness , Sutton-on-t > ea , an Mablethorpe , returning same day only . Manchester Races . —On Thursday night . May 28 th , a fast excursion , for two days , will be run from Moorgate , King ' s-cross ( " ¦ , '' & c , to Manchester , at a fare of ios . ( third class ) . To prevent inconvenience ifora crowding at the Company's principal terminal station , King ' s-cross , tickets , datea advance , will be issued at King ' s-cross ( G . N . R . ) , Victoria ( L . C . & D . ) , Ludgate H « £ Moorgate , Aldersgate , Farringdon , and Finsbury Park Stations , and at all the w > panv ' s London officesl

Marriage.

MARRIAGE .

COUSANS—NEWSON . —On the 6 th April , at Rio de Janeiro , after the _ « ceremony , by the Rev . Henry Mosley , British Chaplain , and on the 9 th Apri , the British Consulate , Santos , by Francis W . Mark , Esq ., H . B . M . Consul , Henry Edward Cousans , of Santos , Brazil , to Beatrice Catherine , twin-daug hter 01 late Thomas Newson , Esq ., Marlowe House , Kingston-on-Thames .