Masonic And General Tidings.

Masonic and General Tidings .

THE SIRDAR is to visit Cardiff on the and prox ., when he will receive the freedom of the city . BRO . SIR SOUIRE B ANCROFT will shortly commence a third series of winter " Readings " in aid of hospitals and similar institutions . THE DUKE AND D UCHESS OK CONNAUGHT arrived in London early on Monday afternoon on their return from visiting T . R . H . the Prince and Princess of Wales at Sandringham .

BRO . THOMAS F . H ALSEY , M . P ., Prov . Grand Master for Hertfordshire , has been elected to a ' seaton the Board of the Imperial Accident , Live Stock , and General Insurance Company ( Limited ) . BKFORE LEAVING Balmoral , the Oueen , through Sir Arthur Bigge , made inquiry as to the progress Bro . Sir Henry Irving was making towards recovery , and to express her Majesty ' s regret at hearing of his illness .

THE DUKE OF W ESTMINSTER has again forwarded to Chester General Infirmary a cheque for £ 500 , and to the Parkgate ( Chester ) Convalescent Home one for £ 30 , out of the fees received from persons viewing Eaton Hall . H . R . H . THE UUKE OF CAMBRIDGE , accompanied by Admiral FitzGeorge , has been staying this week at Henley Park , Pirbright , on a visit to Bro . Lord and Lady Pirbright , who invited a lar ge party to meet his Royal Highness .

HER MAJESTY ' dinner party at the Castle on Monday , in addition to the Imperial guests , included the Russian Ambassador , Prince and Princess Loewenstein , and Count Albert Mensdorff . Her Majesty ' s visitors remained at the Palace .

TUB MARQUIS OF SALISBURY , K . G ., Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign AfTairsJ arrived at the Castle , and had an audience of the Queen , and afterwards had the honour of being included in her Majesty's dinner party . ' WE HAVE MUCH pleasure in announcing that Bro . Alderman and Sheriff Alliston has kindly consented to preside at the 31 st Anniversary Festival of the City Waiters ' Provident and Pension Society , which will be held at the Cannon-street Hotel , on Friday , the and prox .

ROYAL HOLLOWAY COLLEGE , EGHAM . —It is announced that eight entrance scholarships , from ^ 75 to £ 50 , tenable for three years , will be offered for competition in July next . Further information may be obtained from the Secretary , Royal Holloway College , Egham , Surrey .

BRO . J . L . TOOLE , who has happily recovered from the operation upon his eyes , left the Southwark Eye Hospital on Friday afternoon last . On Saturday evening he occupied a box at the Royalty Theatre to see his old friends George and Weedon Grossmith in "Young Mr . Varde . " ELECTION OF GRAND TREASURER . —A meeting of the supporters of Bro . Alfred H . Bevan will be held at Mark Masons' Hall , Great C ) ueen-street , on Wednesday next , the 23 rd inst ., at five o ' clock , when the chair will be taken by the Right Hon . the Lord Chancellor , Bro . the Earl of Halsbury , P . G . W .

BY DESIRE of H . R . H . the Princeof Wales , President of the National Memorial to General Gordon , Bros . Field-Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar and Major-General Lord Kitchener of Khartoum have been elected Vice-Presidents of the Gordon Boys ' Home , West-end , Woking , by the executive committee of that institution . THE PRIVATE view of Mr . Herbert ] . Finn ' s Water-colour Drawings will be held to-day ( Saturday ) al the Modern Gallery , 175 , Bond-street , W . The special feature of the Exhibition is the architectural work , which includes some important and powerful drawings of the Cathedrals of Canterbury , Winchester , and St . Divid ' s .

THE EAST TERRACE at Windsor Castle was opened to the public by the Queen's command on Sunday afternoon last . The weather was charming , with bright sunshine , and the promenade and garden walks were thronged with visitors . The bands of the Scots Guards and 2 nd Life Guards -played upon the lawns opposite to the Royal apartments .

AT THE election meeting of the Earl of Lathom Lodge , No . 1022 , held at the Surrey Masonic Hall , Camberwell , S . E ., on Monday , thc 14 th inst ., Bro . Henry Cornford , S . W ., waselect » d W . M ., by the unanimous vote , for the second Monday in the New Year . His installation will be looked forward to with great pleasure as he is a most popular , painstaking , and enthusiastic Mason .

THE QUEEN ' S private chapel at Windsor Castle , which is generally attended by the Court when her Majesty is in residence , has been very successfully lighted with electric incandescent lamps , the installation adding greatly to the beauty of the sacred building , whose walls are embellished with several interesting memorials of deceased members of the Royal household .

A MARRIAGE has been arranged between Bro . the Marquis of Tullibardine , R jyal Horse Guards , eldest son of Bro . the Duke of Atholl , and Miss Katherins MarJDry Ramsay , daughter of Sir James Ramsay , of Banff , Perthshire . The Marquis of Tullibardine , who is in his 27 th year , went through the recent Egyptian campaign , and took p ? rt in the battles of Atbara and Omdurman . He came through them unscathed , but on his return was attacked by fever , from which he has now happily recovered .

A U NIQUE CORPORATION . —The Corporation of the ancient Borough of Lydd ( Kent ) is extremely unique in its constitution , and probably has no parallel in England , ' the present Mayor ( Alderman Edwin Finn , J . P . ) has filled the civic chair 011 no less than 15 occasions , and was this year reelected for the eighth year in succession . Of the i < 3 aldermen and councillors who constitute the corporation , eight are fathers and sons , while th 5 office of town clerk hasb ; en held by th ; numbers 0 ! th * sam ; family for three generations , and the son of the present town clerk is deputy b his father .

THE N ATIONAL CYCLE SHOW , now open at the Crystal Palace , will be continued till the 26 th inst . The exhibition , we are told , will this year excel ail previous Cycle Shows both in the number of exhibits and in interesting novelties ; and the resources of the Crystal Palace , vast as they are , will on this occasion b : sorely taxed to lind sufficient room for the enormous number of exhibits . The oldest and most important of the cicle manufacturers will show only at the Crystal Palace , and visitors may rely upon set ing all the latest inventions in regard tl the important question of brakes which is

now agitating the minds of many cyclists , and all the newest things in tyres , fittings , & c . The company have arranged for many special attractions during the sho . v , including the Kaufmann troupe of bicyclists ( who are exclusively engaged , and give a marvellous exhibition of trick riding ) , and Sam L-ckhart ' s performing elephan . s , " The Three Graces , " who will also make their lirst appearance in England . i " he performance of these marvellous animals is , on the Continent , said to be the chef it wave of this wonderful animal trainer , and their feats must be seen to bs believed .

Masonic And General Tidings.

GUY ' S HOSPITAL . —H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , president of the hospital , has sent 50 pheasants to Guy ' s Hospital . THE FUND for a national memorial to Mr . Gladsone now amounts to about £ 21 , 000 Tbis does not include subscriptions paid to , or prornised . the local committees in provincial towns .

THE DUKE OF YORK had several days' shooting with H . R . H . the Prince of Wales and his guests last week . The Duchess of York and the young Princes and Princess have visited the Princess of Wales . THE MASTER WARDENS and Court of Assistants of the Loriners' ( . Company will meet the Right . Hon . the Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs of London at dinner at the Mansion House , on Wednesday , the 30 inst ., at 6 . 30 to 7 p . m .

BRO . LORD KITCHENER , an Saturday last , visited Mr . Pandeli Ralli , J . P ., at Alderbrook , Cranleigh , near Guildford . The visit was of a purely private character , but his journey through Surrey was of the most enthusiastic descriotion .

AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE GREAT NATIONAL POULTRY SHOW * it was announced that Mr . Watkin Watkin , of . Sholton Hall , had resigned the post of President of the Leghorn Fanciers' Club , and Bro . H . Lovegrove , P . G . S . B ., was unanimjusly elected in his place . THE 30 TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL DINNER in aid of the Goldsmiths'and Jewellers ' Annuity ard Asylum Institution will be held at the Holborn Restaurant , on Tuesday , the 29 th inst ., when the Right Hon . Lord Russell of Killowen , Lord Chief Justice of England , has very kindly consented to preside .

THE ROYAL HOSPITAL FOR INCURABLES . —Bro . H . J . Allcroft , the Treasurer , will preside at the Cannon-street Hotel on Friday , the 25 th inst .. at the annual meeting of this charity . Thirty candidates will be admitted to theb ; nefit ; ot the institution on the occasion . IT IS well known , says the World , that Lord LV . hom has b : en most anxious to give up his office of Lord Chamberlain ever since his wife ' s oeath , and it is now understood that he has definitely decided to resign . His retirement will be much regretted , for he has been an ideal Lord Chamberlain .

BRO . EX-SHERIFF DEWAR has just left London for a tour round the world , similar to the one he made six years ago . Among the places he intends visiting are Khartoum , the North-West frontier of Indii , Siam , Pekin , Corea , Japan , and the Pacific Islands , returning home via Canada and the United States . A MASONIC SERVICE will be held in the new church of St . Michael and All Angels , Southfields , S . W ., on Monday , the 2 S-. h inst ., at S p . m . The sermon will be preached by Bro . Ven . Archdeacon Sinclair , D . D ., P . G . Chap . The offertory will be devoted to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for aged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons .

THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CONNAUGHT , having terminated their visit to the Duke and Duchess of Portland at Welbeck Abbey , arrived at Sandringham House on Saturday afternoon last , having travelled by Great Northern Railway and Great Eastern Railway , via Peterborough and King ' s Lynn , to Wolfercon . Their visit to Sandringham on this occasion was in order to take leave of T . R . H . the Prince and Princess of Wales previous to taking their departure for the Continent .

BRO . THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE have had the following as guests at Chatsworth House during the present week : Prince Christian , the Earl and Countess of Gosford and Lady Louise Acheson , the Marchioness of Londonderry , Earl and Countess Howe , the Earl of Crewe , Lord Marcus Beresford . the Earl and Countess of Essex , Viscount and Viscountess Curzon , Bro . the Earl of Durham , Bro . Lord Elcho , Lady A . Lambton , the Hon . G . Lambton , Lord C . Montagu , Bro . Lord and Lady Alice Stanley , Hon . H . Sturt , Lady A . Compton , Lord and Lady Wolverton , Mr . and Mrs . Leopold de Rothschild , Lord and Lady Lurgan , Captain Fortescue , Mr . Coventry , Hon . F . Stanley , and others .

IN REFERENCE to Fashoda , Bro . Archdeacon Sinclair remarks that , whatever our difference may be , we should always remember that the French are our nearest neighbours , that they have been our allies , that they gave our Celtic ancestors their lirst knowledge of the gospel of Christ , that every year their lovely southern coasts afford friendly shelter to hundreds and thousands of those who desire to escape the gloom and risks of the English winter , that they , no less than ourselves , have been the pioneers of civilisation , that we owe them much in architecture , literature , music , and painting , that their pulpit eloquence is the highest we can imitate , that in taste we bow to them , and that in drama , as in dress and in other domestic arts , they stand supreme .

UNDER ORDINARY circumstances the fact that the three leading ladies papers had each an article last week on the beauty of crape and the circumstances of its being the fashionable material for mourning would strike one as strange . The explanation , however , is not far to seek . When H . R . H . the Princess of Wales recently returned from Dtnmaik she was noticed to be wearingquite an unusual amount of crapj for the losscf the mother she so deeply mourns . As her Royal Highness is regarded as the leader of fashion in this country , the simultaneous appearance of the three articles referred to is only natural .

NATIONAL TOAST . — " Here ' s to John Bull , Pat and Sandy in Grant ' s Morella Cherry Brandy , " acknowledged by all to be delicious and comforting ; and well calculated by its soothing properties to make all parties work together for the benefit of the nation . Sold everywhere . Also Grant ' s Cherry Whisky and Sloe Gin . —Anvr .

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SMOKERS SHOULD USE CALVERT 'S DENTOPHENOLENE. A DELICIOUS ANTISEPTIC LIQUID DENTIFRICE . A fow drops in a wineglass of water makes a delicious wash , for sweetening the breath and leaving 11 pleasant taste and refreshing coolness in the mouth . Kilitor of Health says : — " . Most elTo' -tuiiI for Btrcnglhcuing tho gums iu case of tenderness ¦•ml rUMing the mouth of the nromii of tobacco . " ls . Gd . and 2 s . Od . Bottles , at Chemists , & c , or Post Free for Valuo . Illustrated Pamphlet of Culvert ' s Carbolic Preparations sent post free on application . F . C . CALVERT & CO ., Manchester .

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