St. David's Kettle, And Other Matters.

" dover . " Do not ask me why " dover , because I do not know . This excellent dish is partaken of , to thc accompaniment of green peas and new potatoes , in a large tent erected for the purpose , comfortably seated on benches and chairs , instead of the

bare ground as in a picnic , and whatever appetite may remain after several bountiful helps is satisfied by an after course of ordinary fare , such as cold lamb , and strawberries and cream , and other such inferior viands . And who has not eaten a salmon

at a Tweedside kettle , knows not the delicate flavour thereof and is an object for the commiseration of more favoured mortals . " Finally , of all kettles , the annual kettle of St . David ' s Lodge , No . 392 , Berwick-on-Tweed , is as the Koh-i-noor to the glazier ' s splinter . The last one was celebrated on Thursday , 6 th June , and—I was there .

The best way for a Londoner to attend a kettle and increase his knowledge of delectable things , is to find out Avhen one is about to occur and procure an invitation thereto . These are indispensable preliminaries and may unfortunately deprive many a seeker after knowledge of the desired opportunity . Then hc

should book his seat in the dining car of the 2 . 30 p . m . out of King ' s Cross for the day before . The advantages are numerous , lie will ensconce himself inhiscornerwellprovidedwith papers and magazines to while away the seven hours' journey , but immediately the train leaves London lunch will be served .

He will be forced to ask his neighbour to pass thc mustard or some such thing , and conversation will bc openeel with one of the three sitting wilh him at table . Then he will discover that all the three are Masons ( the odds are about 6 to 4 on this result ) , and so he will enter into pleasant converse , and the

quartet will exchange views and cigars for the next four hours or so , by which time it will occur to you that you . have not yet read the news of the day , and do not know what Kruger is up

to . So you will spread out your favourite " organ , " and the others will do the same . But it . is no use . By that time York will be behind you , and the waiters will be laying the cloth for dinner . So conversation will once more hold its own until

Newcastle be pasied , and then it will be too dusky for comfortable reading , and , what with watching the scenery in the gloaming , awaiting your turn for the washhand basin , taking a parting glass ( probably of lemonade ?) with your companions , the train will be on the bridge overhanging Berwick , and you will be able

to hand over your uncut and unread literature to the guard . It is astonishing how quickly the seven dreaded hours have sped . One thing more . The tourist ticket to Berwick costs 49 s . 6 d ., and to Edinburgh only 50 s . Take the latter ; you may feel inclined to go on thc next day or so , and it will be so comforting

to feel that you are travelling to Edinburgh and back—say three hours' journey—for 6 d . There will be a lurking feeling of having done tlie railway company , yet without loss of self-respect . And

if you do not use the full ticket , the loss will not hurt you , and will be amply compensated for by the puzzled look on the collector ' s face when you hand him the unused ticket in the train coming home .

St . David ' s kettle was for 3 o'clock p . m . I have not the faintest suspicion where it was . All 1 know is that it was beside the river in a lovely spot some five or six miles from Berwick , and that when we got there the fish was already cooking . So we . did not see it actually caught , but we saw the men who had

caught it an hour or two before , and they themselves satd they had caught it , so I believe them . I never doubt a man except there be strong grounds for doing so . Besides , I know they can catch iish , for I saw them doing it afterwards . Most of us made our way there by the shortest route , some walking up river ,

others driving , and some coming from all parts of the surrounding country to the nearest railway station . I did none of these things ; my Berwick friend took me and some others for a preliminary drive across the border into Scotland , and a long way

round , 12 or 15 miles , possibly , and every inch of the road was beautiful . This is a thing to be remembered when you go to a kettle . * procure your invitation from a Berwick man who owns a nice trap and a good nag , and make him show you the country .

After dinner came speeches , but not the complete list . Oh no , just the chief toasts , and then out again into the open air . There were over a hundred of us , and we all played either quoits or tip-cat . Not thc tip-cat of thc London streets , however . Tweedside tip-cat is a queer mixture of rounders , base-ball , tip

and run , and tip-cat proper , is played four aside , with four holes and four sticks and four fielders , and every man is playing at the same time and all the time . It is rather exciting , because it is generallv someone just behind you who is wildly hitting at

the cat , and goodness knows where it will alight—in the nape of your neck or the corner of your eye , as likely as not . And it is very exhausting . A quoit tournament was also arranged , and liere again the game differs from that played by us Southrons . The p itch is only 11 yards , and you are allowed to take two

St. David's Kettle, And Other Matters.

strides within that . First you step out with your left foot ( the long-legged ones have the advantage because they take longer strides , and so get nearer the pin ) , then you bring the quoit down between your legs near to the left ankle , this necessitates the right foot being brought forward with an action between that

of mounting a horse , the reel of a drunken man , and the waddle of a duck . It is not graceful , but it is a very difficult action to acquire , although I doubt whether the result is worth the labour . Before your foot touches the ground the quoit must leave your hand . At 6 o ' clock we went back into the tent for tea , and then

we got rid of the rest of the toasts on the list . And about 8 o ' clock we all took our way home , and there must have been a great many ways , for I saw very few going mine . And now you know what a kettle is , but let me impress upon you that the St . David ' s kettle is the one to aim for .

A good way to get home again is to take the nam . from Berwick , arriving at Newcastle at 12 . 30 . Then you must have some friends to meet you there , take you to the adjoining hotel and lunch you , and then leave by the 3 p m . diner . You thus avoid travelling in the very hottest of the day , which you spend

m the cool dining ancl smoking rooms of the Station Hotel . That ' s what I did , but then it is not every one , perhaps , who has friends at Newcastle , which is a pity for them . Dinner is served in thc train about 6 p . m ., and you get comfortably to London by 9 o ' clock .

A kettle is a very nice little break in a busy man ' s life , but St . David's kettle is over for this year , and probably before next year you will have forgotten all about it until too late , which will be your loss ; and thus shall the good brethren of St . David be saved from an overwhelming influx of visitors . G . W . S .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Buckingham Shire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF BUCKINGHAM SHIRE .

This Prov . G . Lodge was held under the banner of the Herschel Lodge at the Masonic Hall , Slough , on Thursday , the 13 th inst ., when there was a large attendance of brtthren from all parts of the province , including Bros . Lord Addington , Prov . G . M . ; J . E . Bowen , Dep . Prov . G . M . ; T . Jones , PastGD . ; KAchhoffer , Past Dep . G . D . C . ; J . Stephens , Past Dep . G . D . C . ; and J . J . Thomas , Past G . Std . Br . ; and the following Provincial Grand Officers , visitors , and brethren :

Bros . L . Cooper , Prov . S . G . W . ; C . A . Bennett , Prov . J . G . W . ; J . J . Simcox , Piov . G . Treas . ; W . Woollett , Prov . G . Sec . ; C . Batting , Prov . J . G . D . ; W . Pottinger , Prov . G . S . B .-, H . E . Clarke , Prov . G . Std . Br . ; H . Pritchard , Prov . G . Std . Br . ; R . S . C . Keymer , Prov . G . Org . ; O . A . Fry , Prov . Asst . G Purst . ; C . L . Carson and J . Hedges , Prov . Grand Stewards ' ; Henry F . Oliver , P . M . 1894 , P . P . G . C . Berks and Bucks , Prov . G . C . Lines ; John Hattersley , 2262 ,

P . P . J . G . W . ; J . King , 2435 , P . P . G . S . B . ; J . Bliss , 1501 , P . P . S . G . W . ; W . Pottinger , 2683 , P . P . G . S . B . ; F . Johncock , 1 5 01 , P . P . G . O .,- H . Hamblinp , 1 5 01 , P . P . J . G . D . ; W . Weston , 2435 . P . P . J . G . W . ; J . C . F . Tower . 4 21 , P . P . S . G . D . ; H . W . Clemow , 2262 , P . P . G . D . C ; R . H . Major , 1894 , P . P . J . G . D . ; J . Williams , 591 , P . P . S . G . W . Berks and Bucks , P . P . G . Treas . Bucks ; V . P . Wyatt , 1 4 10 , P . P . G . C ; ) . Holland , 2492 , P . P . G . S . ; F . J . Hubbard , 2402 , P . G . T . ; M ,

Clapshaw , P . M . 1894 , P . P . G . Org . ; A . Turner , P . P . S . G . W . ; J . Baker , P . P . G . Supt . of Works ; J . H . Light , 16 39 , and Sir Borrodaile Savory , 631 , Prov . G . Chaps . ; J . W . Burges-. , 2492 , P . P . S . G . D . ; W . N . Crowhurst , 1894 , P . P . G . P . ; E . L . Berry , 2458 , P . P . G . S . of W . ; R . H . Barrett , 1894 , P . P . A . G . Sec . ; C . E . Roberts , 2492 , P . P . G . C . ; F . T . Edgington , 591 , P . P . G . D . C . ; A . Payne , 2492 ; T . Dowden , 2492 ; E . G . Woollerton , I . P . M . 2492 ; T . O'Dea , W . M . 2683 ;

J . A . G . Bodger , S . W . 2421 ; W . H . Hanham , I . P . M . 2458 ; G . J . Austin , 145 ; D . Humphreys , 3 82 ; S . Gale , I . P . M . 2262 ; H . Hicks , 2683 ; E . M . Mullins , W . M . 2262 ; W . H . Halliday , J . W . 2683 ; C . A . Park , W . M . 840 ; W . D . Shuard , W . M . 1894 ; W . J . W-terman , Org . 268 3 ; J . C . Coppock , S . D . 150 : ; Henry C . Pope , I . P . M . 1410 ; G . W . Kendall , I . P . M . 615 ; H . Bayfield , 1501 ; T . Jackson , W . M . 857 , 1501 ; W . H . Bridgman , W . M . 591 ; A . W . Watson ,

I . P . M . 591 ; R . S . C Keymer , 591 , Prov . G . Org . ; B . R . Wright , W . M . 1501 * , R . H . Hill , P . M . 1894 ; C . T . Hoskins , 1894 ; F . E . F . Smith , I . P . M . 2420 ; J . H . Frye , 948 ; A . J . Stait , 2492 ; W . T . Pycraft , 1501 ; J . Deverill , A . D . of C . 1894 ; H . D . Bowyer , 1 S 94 ; R . G . D . White , S . W . 591 ; G . W . Turner , 241 ; A . Robinson , 591 ; Mason Taylor , S . D . : S 94 ; F . Payne , Prov . G . Tyler ; S . G . pallop , 18 94 , Prov . Asst . G . Tyler ; J . N . Hodgkinson , 2420 ; and many others .

The Prov . G . Master and Prov . G . Officers entered the lodge room in procession , and Prov . G . Lodge was opened in solemn form , and the opening hymn was sung . The Prov . G . Master , the Dep . Prov . G . Master , and G . Lodge visitors were then saluted , and the roll of the lodges was called , all the 19 lodges beirg represented .

The Prov . G . Secretary , Bro . W . WOOLLETT , read the minutes of the last Prov . G . Lodge , which were confirmed ; and Bro . J . STEPHENS , the Charity Secretary , submitted the report of the Charity Committee , which was eminently satisfactory . Bro . Stephens , however , pointed out that inasmuch as it was necessary to have 5030 votes in order to obtain the

admission of a candidate to the Masonic Institutions he hoped that every brother who had votes would see that they were sent to him , because unless they did so it was impossible to ensure the election of their own candidates . They must remember that united they could accomplish much , but divided they could do very little . The DF . I- * . PROV . G . MASTER seconded the adoption of the report , and emphasised the remarks of Bro . Stephens .

The" Prov . G . Treasurer ( Bro . J . J . SIMCOX ) submitted his report , which showed a substantial balance in hand , and this was adopted . The next business was the election of a Prov . G . Treasurer , and on the motion of Bro . S IMCOX , P . M ., Bro . J . W . Burgess , P . M . 2492 , was elected unanimously to the post .