Original Correspondence.

My query was , Are those ( which M . 0 . now calls presentation jewels ) according to thc Book of Constitutions any more jewels than those which you find attached to many a brother ' s watch chain ? " If he should become eligible to attend Grand Lodge , & c . " If Bro . M . O . refers to R . W . O . hc can put thc " if he should become " in thc waste basket as things of the

past . Will Bro . M . O . be good enough to explain the latter part of the Art . 22 , p . 69 , Edition 1871 , of the Book of Constitutions from " Except such honorary or other jewels as shall be consistent with those degrees recognised by the Grand Lodge as part of ancient Freemasonry ?" There has been a great deal wiitten of late about Grand

Lodges—Grand Lodge of York , Grand Lodge of All England , & c . ; but I have not had the pleasure of seeing anything about the Grand Lodge for Surrey . Unless the printer ' s d—1 had a finger in the pie an explanation of the last line of M . O . will clear up the matter . " Past Grand Jun . Warden for Surrey . " Yours fraternally , R . W . O .

Multum In Parbo; Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo ; or Masonic Notes and Queries .

SOME REMARKS ON THE EXTRACTS FROM THK SHEFFIELD CHAPTER OF PARADISE MINIJTE BOOKS . Bv BRO ., REV . WILLIAM TEBBS . At our first introduction to it this chapter seems to have been in much the same position as that of Royal Arch chapters in America prior to the year 1797 ( when , as Mackey tells us , they were by a convention of delegates

from the several chapters in Pennsylvania , placed under the control of a Grantl Chapter , then first organized and severed from that of the symbolic degrees ) , for we find a " Companion Wilcockson , who had not served the ofiice of King , on July , 16 th , 1788 , gave his authority to assemble when andwherethey pleased , " and it is not until iSco , 1801 , that we find the general business of the chapter conducted

according to the present received models . Wc also find the American precedence of officers in vogue , for in the first mention of their election in 1784 we find the first "Kingly" chair occupied by the " High Priest , " there being also but one Scribe . This title " King , " of thc occupants of the Principals ' chairs seems to point cither to thc recognition of thc

American degrees of Select antl Super-excellent Masters ; or els- ; would favour the idea that those three chairs were idled by representatives of thc Magi ; upon their probable connexion with Masonry some rcmaiks , may , at some future time , be submitted to the attention of the Craft . In the year 1788 the entire working seems to have been altered and remoulded upon the Irish system hy two

visiting companions , Boyle and Macelre y ( Bro . E'lis suggests Mac Elroy , perhaps a better suggestion , by a modern analogy of pronounciation , would be McLcroy ) for we find that the titles of "Kings" were immediately dropped and the substitution made of " High Pri .-st , "afterwards "Revd . High Priest , " 2 , [ j . ] , Royal Arch Captain ; 3 , M . E . Grand Masters [ of Vai's ] ; J . A . and E . B .

[ . ' Captain of Host and Principal Sojourner ] ; antl h . antl N ; also " Ninctor " [ ? Janitor . ] " Super-excellent" is also used openly for the first time—one companion being said to have been " further initiated in this Sublime Degree . " After the year 1800 ( as before remarked ) the procedure of the chapter was gradually changed into that now received , until in 1807 the minutes of thc S . G . and R . C .

of R . A . C . of England were read , and the new constitution seems to have been fully adopted , thc names of those companions under the old constitution being given on page 76 ; this and the preceding pages being copies of lists forwarded to Grand Chapter , London , whilst succeeding ones contain copies of the certificate forwarded to the Clerk of the Peace . After this date too the proper titles of

officers seem to have been adopted . One fact worthy of remark seems that even after this date Mark Degrees were conferred by thc chapter , but that thc Select and Supcr-cxccllcnt features seem to have entirely disappeared . Did space permit there arc one or two other features well worthy of remark , such as Sunday being the d * iy of

meeting ; thc jumble of terms , " raised . " " passed , " " exalted ;" the use of the term " encampment " ( sometimes lodge , although never council ); " Sublime- " Degree , the giving a First Degree Craft Lecture on certain Master Masons joining the companions . The monogram can hardly be entered into here further than to suggest that the "T" on the " H " might either

refer to H . A . B . of Tyre or to thc batlgc of the R . A . Degree . One point more is worthy of notice . Bro . Boyle is called " a Mason of the world , he having certificates from the Four Grand Lodges of the world . " What were these Four Grand Lodges ; as at this date there were some fourand-twenty in existence ?

Respecting thc omitted meeting in April , 1 7 , 84 , by the * room being otherwise occupied , " Boaz " could not surely be thc correct reading of the name of the interloper . I : i the paragraph referred to the legible portion is given in a different manner at each repetition—once " Boa "—once " Bro . and A . " Now what so feasible as that the socalled " Freemasons' Hall" formed part of some house

of entertainment , bearing its name simply from its being rented by the br . thrcn and companions ; ( such is the case with . 1 chapter-room in the West of England now ) , and that at certain times the room was used for ordinary purposes . The contraction might then stand for cither " Boarders " or " Brokers , " as dealers , in household stuffs , & c . ( probably travellers ) , were then called .

Laying The Foundation Stone Of A New Church At Nuneaton.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE OF A NEW CHURCH AT NUNEATON .

On Wednesday , 2 filh uIt ., t ! ieo ! d town of Nuneaton , which generally lies so still and quiet on thc banks of thc littl e river Anker , a river which has been the theme of poets , who have sung its praises in epic and in sonnet , threw off its apparent lethargy , and spread its beams of

varied hue and somewhat fanciful designs to the gentle breeze and genial sun of a fine April day . The occasion was a memorable one . for after the lapse of some six or seven centuries th : inhabitants were about to commence the re-erection of the ancient nunnery which gave the town its distinctive name . The old Abbey Church of Nuneaton owed its

foundation to thc piety and generosity of Robert Bossu , one of the Norman Earls of Leicester , in the 12 th century . He gave the plot of land on wbich thc few crumbling ruins , which mark the site of this old religious foundation , now stands , in gaunt array , on the north-western side of Nuneaton , to thc Benedictine nuns , of the order of Fontefrault , an order that was remarkable for associatin" * monks and

nuns under the same foundation . Thc Abbey thus begun received , like many ether similar communities , considerable possessions in benefactions and gifts . Whether the piers of the central tower of the cruciform church , which yet remain , were part of the original church , cannot be positively slated ; but if it were so , it is obvious that the conventual buildings were not completed for many years

after the original foundation in 115 , 0 . Now , however , it is proposed to rebuild thc nave of the church in the transitional style which prevailed in the early part of the 13 th century . This work has been entrusted to Mr . Clapton Rolfe , of Reading , who has combined some of thc marked features of the late Norman period of architecture with the first and simple forms of the first pointed period of

Gothic architecture , and thc plans are so arranged that they can be carried out in detail until the entire plan of the original church is reproduced . He has been assisted in some of the details by the excellent view of the ruins published by Buck in 1721 ) . The occasion of this restoration we gather from an appeal issued by the Building Committee . It appears that in the month of June , 1 S 69 . Mr .

Thomas Bottrill died , having iratle a large fe ; r ( une in the trade of Nuneaton , and , desiring to benefit his native town , bequeathed by his will the sum of £ 400 towards thc budding , and the sum of /* 2 ,- ; oo f ir the endowment of a new distiict church in Nuneaton , provided such church should be built antl consecrated within the period of ten years after his decease . Mr . Bottrill also bequeathed thc sum

of £ zt , per a-inuni for ten years after his death to be paid to the minister officiating atthe Abbey-street School room . The town of Nuneaton contains 4547 inhabitants , antl thc parish church affords accommodation for 1 , 50 c only . A considerable portion of the inhabitants reside at a distance from the parish church , and since the bequest of Mr . Bollrill service .-- have been held every Sunday in the

National Schools , in Abbey Street , licensed by the bishop for public worship . These services have been largely attended , and the accommodation is quite insufficient for the numbers attending . In order to carry e > ut the intentions of Mr . Bollrill , and to secure to the inhabitants of Nuneaton his munificent bequests , thc committee ( formed of subscribers to the iiitcntlcd church ) put themselves in

communication with Mr . James Tomkinson , the principal owner of land atthe Abbey Street end of thc town , antl hc has with great generosity presented an acre and a half of land , upon which formerly stood the church belonging to Nuneaton Abbey , the foundations antl some of the pillars of which are still in existence . He has also given sufficient land to allow of the construction of a carriage road

from Abbey Street antl a footpath from the Meadow to the church . Of thc sum ( £ 2 *; oo required ) £ i , Soo and upwa * d has been promised , and this received substantial additions yesterday by the gifts of the Freemasons and assembled visitors . This sum eUits not , however , include the value of the land antl roadway , estimated at £ 600 . Only three yeais of the time stipulated by Mr . Bottrill

remains unexpired , and a number of ladies ' are busily engaged aiding the building committee in raising the remainder of the sum required . It is proposed to assign a distiict to the church when finished , & mi thus supply a want which George Eliot pointed out in those powci ful " Scenes of Clerical Life , " which embody some of the annals of Nuneaton and its neighbourhood .

Tlie brethren from thc province assembled at the Town Hall at one o ' clock , when thc Abbey Lodge , and afterwards the Provincial Grand Lodge , were opened . The business of the Grand Lodge having been concluded , a procession was formed in the usual Masonic order , and the brethren proceeded to the site of the nceT church . The Provincial Grand Officers present included Lord Leigh ,

P . G . M . ; Lieutenant-Colonel Machen , D . P . G . M . ; Bros . J . Bragg , P . G . S . W . ; Captain Salt , P . G J . W . ; Revs . W . Randall and F . M . Beaumont , P . G . Chaplains ; G . Beech , P . G . S . ; R . C . Sinclair , P . G . S . D ; [ . R . Chirm , P . G . Supt . W . ; H Sanderson , P . G . A . D . C ; W . II . Webb , P . G . S . B ; , C . F Rowe , P . G . O . ; G . Baker , P . G . P . ; J . Coates , P . G . T . There was also a large attendance of Worshipful Masters

Past Masters , Wardens , and Brethren of thc various lodges in the provinw . Arriving at Ihe site of the new church , the Provincial Grand Master , Lonl Leigh , took his seat near the stone , with the Deputy Provincial Grantl Master , and other Provincial Grantl Officers near . The Rev . W . Rxndall , P . G . C , having offered pravcr ,

liie Rev . II . VV . Bellairs , vicar , and chairman of the Church Building Committee , presented to the Grand Master the inscription on the sbine and copies of the proceedings , and , iu thc name of the town , gratefully thanked Lord Leigh for th ; honour done them in laying the foundation-stone . Bro , G . Beech , P . G . S ., then read the insciiption , which

Laying The Foundation Stone Of A New Church At Nuneaton.

was as follows : — " Provincial Grand Lodge of Ancient Free , and Accepted Masons of Warwickshire . —At a specia meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge , held ta the Abbey Lodge , Nuneaton , on Wednesday , thc 26 th April , 1876 , in the 40 th year of the reign of her gracious Majesty Queen Victoria , this , the foundation-stone of St . Mary ' s Abbey Church , Nuneaton , was laid , in solemn form and

according to ancient usage , by the Right Honourable William Henry Lord Leigh , Lord-Lieutenant , and Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master of Warwickshire , assisted by the Worshipful Brother Colonel Machen , Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Warwickshire , thc Worshipful Brother John Bragg , Prov . Senior Grand Warden ; the Worshipful Brother Captain Salt , Prov .

Junior Grand Warden ; Brother the Rev . W . Randall , Brother the Rev . F . M . Beaumont , P . Grand Chaplains ; George Beech , Provincial Grand Secretary ; and in the presence of a numerous body of P . Grand Officers , Past P . Grand Officers , and Brethren of the Province of Warwickshire . " Copies of several newspapers , the inscription , a prayer

book , and various coins of the realm , enclosed in a tin box , having been placed in a cavity in the stone , thc mortar was spreael and the stone lowered . The trowel and the usual working tools of a mason were then handed to the Provincial Grand Master by the architect , the Deputy-Provincial Grantl Master and Wardens , antl Lord Leigh strewetl corn and poured wine antl oil on thc stone ,

emblematic of plenty , joy , nnd peace . Upon the mallet being handed to him , Lord Leigh said that before vising it , it might be interesting to those present to know that the malli-t which he had the honour of holding in his hand , was the identical mallet with which King Charles laid the first stone of St . Paul ' s Cathedral , in 1 C 175 . ( Hear , hear . ) His Majesty then

presented it to their illustrious and eminent brother , thc great architect . Sir Christopher Wren . At his death Sir Christopher Wren left it to Lotlge Antiquity , No . 2 , in London ^ antl that Lotlge was presie'ed over at this moment by their illuMrious brother , Peince Leopold ( Applause- ) Owing to the kindness of Brother Dr . Erasmus WH > on , and the brethren of the Lodge Antiquity , an officer from the lodge

had been sei . t down with thc mallet for him ( Lord Leigh ) to have the honour of using on that occasion . His lordship then dcdaied the stone well and truly fixjd . Brother Beech , P . G S ., according to cus ' om , deposited a sum of money or . the stone for the workmen , and " God •¦ avethe Queen " hav ng been sung by the choi ? , Lord Leigh , addressed thc assembly , having furthe

announced that the Freemasons present that day had contributed £ 50 , which would be paid over by thc Provincial Grand Secretary in aid of the work . The Rev . M . Beaumont , P . G . C , delivered an address , •eftcr which a collection was matle in aid of the building funtl . The procession re-formed , and the brethren returned to the Town I lall , where the Provincial Grand I odge was

r . sumed and closet ' . A banquet , which was well attended , afterwards took place . During thc excavations between the piers of the central tower and the eastern part of the nave , many remains of the original structure have been found . These consist of a small cross , within a circle , inscribed on soft red sandstone , similar to the consecration crosses of the late

Norman period . The carved heads from eavc mouldings , thc fragments of carved stone of no special distinguishing character appears to be thc cap of a pillar , and a number of tiles ; one of the tiles bears the arms of thc Bcauchamps Earls of Warwick , another a lion passant gardant , and the ethers bear some geometric patterns , but they do not equal in number , variety , and beauty , those found on the same spot many years ago , drawings of which are in the possession cfMr . J . T . Burgess , of Leamington .

Presentation To Sir Frederick. M. Williams, Bart., M.P.

PRESENTATION TO SIR FREDERICK . M . WILLIAMS , BART ., M . P .

On thc 4 U 1 inst . the members of thc Cornwall Rose Croix Chapter , TVuro , through their M . W . 3 ., Colonel John Whitehead Peard , 30 ° ( in open chapter ) , presented to the 111 . Bro . Sir . F . M . Williams , But ., M . P ., 32 , a handsome P . M . S . jewel , in appreciation cf his valuable

services as thc first M . W . S . of the Chapter . Notwithstanding his many duties Sir . F . M . Williams had never been absent from any assembly of the Chapter since its constitution , and not only had he presented thc furniture of the chapter , but in every nay possible , as M . W . S ., he had endeavoured to promote thc true interests of the Ancient and Accepted Rite , now firmly planted in

Cornwall . On the rjth inst . the members of the Centenary Lotlge of Fortitude assembled in large numbers to witness the presentation to the R . W . Bro . Sir F . M . Williams , Bart ., P . G . W ., and Representative eif the Grand Orient of Portugal , of a Deputy Prov . Grand Master's jewel of Cornwall , by the Senior l ' . ist Master , on behalf of the members

of the lodge , who thus desire to exhibit their appreciation of Sir F . M . Williams ' s devotion to Freemasonary in general , and his important and substantial aid to the Great Misonie Charities th . ; Local Masonic Annuity Fund , antl indeed , for any good Masonic work . The worthy Baronet in ' ri-p ' ysaid , that what little he hael done had been not only glanly rendered on behalf of the belovctl Craft , but the duty had proved a great pleasure .

The gift woultl be highly valued by him , and that evening was to him the most memorable in his Masonic career VV . Bro . William James Hughan was called upon by the brethren to speak , and in response to the demand presented brief sketches of what Sir Frederick M . Williams had achieved for Freemasonry , and his short , telling speeches were enthusiastically received . The jewels gave great satisfaction .