Masonic And General Tidings.

Masonic and General Tidings .

BRO . W . W . THOMPSON will preside at the annual festival of the Stockwell Orphanage on Tuesday evening . THE TOTAL NUMBER of friendly societies in England and Wales , according to an official return issued , is 1 C 90 , with a total membership of 1 , 374 , 210 . BRO . LORD WANTAGE has offered to present the Victoria Cross Gallery , which he purchased recently for 1000 guineas , to the town of Wantage , and his offer has been accepted .

BRO . THE LORD MAYOR has promised to open the conversazione to be held at Winchester House on'i uesday , the 3 rd prox ., by the National Amateur Gardeners ' Association .

No SPLENDOUR OF THOUGHT , no grandeur of eloquence , can so portray the be auties of Masonry as the purity of our morals and the spotless character of our lives . —Charles E . Gillett , California . BRO ! J AMES BUCKLEY , P . M . of the Old England Ledge , No . 1790 , and formerly of Wilson-street , has entered into possession of Ye Olde Harp Tavern and Restaurant , Harp-lane , Great Tower-street .

THE GRAND LODGE OF CANADA forwarded a cheque for 2000 dollars for the relief of the sufferers from the Hull and Ottawa fire . At its recent communication , the Grand Lodge of New York donated a like amount for the same purpose .

MR . GEORGE TOLHURST , the son of Mr . George G . Tolhurst , of Heath field , Chislehurst , was married on Tuesday at St . Peter ' s Church , Eltham-road , to Miss Nellie Miller , the daughter o £ Bco . T . Hastings Miller , C . C , of Harrowlield , Elthamroad . INTELLECT iscertainly hereditary . Miss Hudson , who ranks as eighth Wrangler , is the sister of a Senior Wrangler of a few years ago , and the daughter of a Senior Wrangler of a long while since . This distinguished lady mathematician is the niece , our readers will be interested in learning , of Bro . A . B . Hudson , C . C , P . M . 1657 .

OUR BEAUTIFUL TEMPLES are reared , not as Aladdin palaces , by the fiat of the slave of the lamp . They are builded stone by stone with infinite toil and patience . Their walls are tried by the plumb , proved by the level , and must conform to the square . The trowel and the setting maul are wielded by strong right arms , and these arms belong to freemen—not slaves . —Keystone .

BRO . LORD WANTAGE , Prov . G . Master of Berkshire , has invited the members of the Provincial Grand Lodge to hold their annual meeting at his residence , Lockinge House , near Wantage . The gathering , which will comprise members of all the Berkshire lodges and visitors from the Grand Lodge of England and adjacent Provincial Grand Lodges , will take place about the middle of next month .

"SOUVENIRS OF THE SUNNV SOUTH . "—The private view of Mr . and Mrs . Albert Stevens' exhibition of water-colour drawings will be held at the Modern Gallery , 175 , Bond-street , W ., to-morrow ( Saturday ) . The drawings include views in Lakes Como and Maggiore ; Amalfi , Cannes , Mentone , also the Engadine , Chamonix , St . Gervais , Geneva , & c . The exhibition will be open to the public from the 25 th instant to 31 st prox . inclusive .

THE FOUNDATION-STONE of the handsome new technical schools at Barrow was laid recently by Mrs . Vickers , wife of Mr . Albert Vickers , of the well-known firm of Vickers , Sons , and Maxim , the ceremony being preceded by a luncheon given in the Barrow Town Hall . Another foundation-stone laving of somewhat unique interest was that of a new church which is being built at Norris Hank , Heaton Norris . The stme was laid by the Earl of Lathom , with Masonic honours , in the presence of a large gathering of Freemasons , all wearing the insignia of their Craft .

H . R . H . THE PRINCE OF WALES ' S MOTOR CAR . —The motor car , which is being manufactured by a Coventry firm to the order of H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , will rank as the smartest vehicle of its kind yet seen in this country . The body is of the ph .-i'ton type , with hood , and the finish of the car is to be in keeping with all the Prince's carriages . It is stated that his Royal Highness has already received lessons in the art of autocar driving , and is looking forward with much interest to some pleasant journeys in the new vehicle .

MEMORIAL TO GENERAL SYMONS . —The Committee , of which Lord Kinsale is chairman , have commissioned Mr . Taylor , of Berners-street , to execute a window for the _ Church of Botus Fleming , Cornwall , wilh the subject of " Christ and the Centurion , " as appropriate to a soldier's memory . At the time the window , in memory of the 22 officers and 6 55 non-commissioned officers and men of the 24 th Regiment who fell in South Africa was erected in the Priory Church , Brecon , General ( then Major ) Symons was one of the few surviving officers , and took a principal part in it , in the choice of subjects , all bearing on a soldier ' s devotion to ( > jeen and Country .

HARRY ESCO . MBE MEMORIAL . —The friends and admirers of the late Right Hon . Hairy Escombe , P . G , Q . C , LL . D ., M . L . A ., formerly Prime Minister of Natal , have decided to perpetuate his memory by the erection of a life-sized statue in Durban , and , if funds permit , by the creation of a scholarship in connection with the High School of Durban . Over £ 2000 has already been subscribed in Natal , and a large and influential committee has been formed inLondon to co-operate with the Natal committee in carrying out these objects . Subscriptions mav be sent tothe lion , secretary to the fund , Mr . R . Russell , at the Natal Government Agency , 26 , Victoria-street , S . W .

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY . —The Great Western Railway Company announce that a la . ge number of important train alterations will come into operation on the ist prox . Expresses will run from London to Birmingham without stop , and aUo between London and Exeter , and London and Worcester . Additional services are announced between London and Weymouth , Barnstaple , llfracombe , Taunton , Exeter , Plymouth , Newquay , Penzance , and other health and holiday resorts in the VVest of England ; also

to Shrewsbury , Aberystwyth , Barmouth , Chester , Birkenhead , and Liverpool . The steamer from the Channel Islands will leave Jersey at 8 . 30 a . m ., and Guernsey at 10 . 15 a . m ., arriving at Weymouth about three p . m . A special express for Bristol and London will start as soon as possible after the arrival of the steamer , reaching Bristol about six p . m . and Paddington about 7 . 1 . 5 p . m . New trains will also run between Plymouth , Torquay , Exeter , Bristol , and Liverpool , Manchester , and Sco ' . lind .

A PLEA FOR ST . BRIDE ' S . —In view of the general interest in the historic landmarks ot the City of London Mr . G . Tucker writes from Salisbury-court to suggest that the present rebuilding of the southern side of Fleet-strcit should bs made the opportunity of widening the approach to that magnificent example of Sir Christopher Wren ' s work , St . Bride's Church . The spire of St . Bride ' s , he observes , is one of the boldest and most symmetrical pieces of church architecture in England , and he

considers that the manner in which the approach to the church has hitherto been blocked is little short of a scandal . " We could almost put up with this while our friend Punch blocked the way but now that Punch oilices are removed , and ths wretched structure which faced it on the other side of the passage is down , the opportunity seems readymade of making the approach to the church worthy of the structure , of Fleet-street , of the citizens of London , and of the admiration of the thousands of visitors .

THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY announce many important altera , tions in their train service commencing July ist , among the most important of which are the running of additional dining car express trains ( lirst and third class ) on weekdays , leaving London at 11 . 20 a . m . for Edinburgh , Glasgow , Perth , Aberdeen , & c , and at 6 . 15 p . m . for Wakefield and Bradford direct . Additional express trains for the East Coast Vvatering Places will leave King ' s Cross en week-days at 10 . 15 a . m . and l . iop . m for Sheringham , Cromer , and Mundesley-on-Sea , and 11 . 30 a . m . for

Scarborough , Whitby , Filey , Bridlington , & c . A through train will be run from London to Harrogate via York , leaving King's Cross at 1 . 30 p . m . A special Highland Sleeping Car Expresswill , from July 23 rd to August 101 I 1 ( Saturdays excepted ) , leave King ' s Ctuss at 7 . 45 p . m . for Perth and Inverness . It is also announce' ! that , commencing on August ist , dining accommodation will be given on the iu a . m . express from King's Cross to Edinburgh and other parts ot Scotland . A special express for Norway tourists leaves King's Cross for Hull at 10 . 55 a . m . on Tuesdays , Thursdays , Fridays , and Saturdays , until August 18 th .

Masonic And General Tidings.

SATURDAY , the 30 th instant , will be Ex-Pupils' Day , and , as usual , the House Committee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls will be pleased to see as many ex-pupils as can make it convenient to attend between the hours of three and seven p . m . The Committee , however , wish to impress upon ex-pupils that the day is set apart for them , snd them only , and that visitors are not invited or expected to attend . THE MANSION HOUSE FUND for the Transvaal War Sufferers amounted on the 21 st inst . to £ 959 , 100 .

THE NUMBER OF VISITORS to the Handel Festival at the Crystal Palace on the 21 st instant was 18 , 131 , against 18 , 067 in 1 S 97 . CONTRIBUTIONS to the amount of 15 , 342 shillings were received on the 21 stinstant for the Daily Telegraph Widows' and Orphans' Fund . The grand total is now 3 . 547-589 shillings . THE honorary degree of Doctor of Music is about to be conferred by the University of Dublin upon Bro . W . H . Cummin ^ , P . G . Org ., the Principal of the Guildhall School of Music .

BRO . GEORGE WALKER , 19 , Jewin-crescent , has been appointed the sole representative for the United Kingdom of Dr . Herzfeld and Co ., Cologne , patentees of a process of preserving natural palms , plants , flowers , & c . AT A SALE of old silver plate at Christie ' s on the 20 th inst ., a Charles I . 40 Z . saucer-dish sold at 280 s . the ounce ; a Commonwealth Soz . goblet , at 245 s . ; and a William and Mary two-handled cup and cover , 4 S 0 Z ., at 138 s .

THE DUCHESS OF YORK visited , on the 21 st inst ., the Exhibition of Pictures by French artists , held by the French Friends of England Society in aid of the sufferers by the war and the Ottawa Fire Funds , at Messrs . Artemus Tooth and Company ' s Gallery . PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF LONJON AND THE METROPOLITAN COUNTIES . —The Knights Companions of the R . S . Y . C . S . will meet in Council at their Provincial Grand Lodge , at 33 , Golden-square , on Wednesday , 4 th prox ., at C . 15 o ' clock , p . m . precisely .

J UDGES AT THE MANSION HOUSE . —Bro . the Lord Mayor , in accordance with the custom established by his predecessors , entertained the judges at the Mansion H ouse on the 20 th instant , and invited a number of distinguished barristers and solicitors to meet them . THE DUKE OF YORK , on the 20 th inst ., laid the foundation-stone of the new town and market hall and library , which is being built by the Earl of Feversham at Helmsley , in commemoration ot the bi-centenary of the possession of the estate by the Duncombe family and the coming of age of Viscount Helmsley .

ONE OF THE OLDEST SOLICITORS on the roll died on the 19 th instant in the person of Mr . John Shaw , of Beddington Lodge , near Croydon , who passed away in his 95 th year . The deceased , who was admitted a solicitor in 1 S 31 , was a member of thc firm of Bailey , Shaw , and Gillett , of Berners-street , Oxford-street . A NEW MILITARY HOSPITAL . —Sixty acres of land havebeen purchased at Alton , Hants , to build a military hospital for returned invalids from South Africa . It is stited that accommodation will be provided for quite 500 invalids . The site is one of the healthiest in the country , and close to the new light railway and the new Moon Valley Railway .

AT A LARGE MEETING of the Sutherland Lodge of Unity , No . 460 , held at the Castle Hotel , Newcastle-under-Lyme , on Saturday , the iGth instant , a presentation of an illuminated china tablet was made to the lodge as a memorial of a previous presentation to Bro . E . Turner , the oldest brother in Staffordshire , on his attaining his jubilee as a member of the Sutherland Lodge .

THE ANNUAL Dominion Day dinner , which takes place at the Whitehall Rooms of the Hotel Metropole on Monday , the 2 nd prox ., is expected this year to attract an exceptional number of Canadians . The chair will be taken by Lord Strathcona and Mo > int Royal , and already a number of distinguished personages , including Mr . Chamberlain , have signified their intention of being present .

THE ALDERSGATE PAST OFFICERS' CLUB . —The monthly meeting took place on Monday last at the Manchester Hotel , Bro . Thomas Briggs , C . C , President , occuoying the chair . Among those present were Bro . V . I . R . Longman , C . C , Bro . Deputy Goodinge , and the Hon . Secretary , Uro . James Mayhew . Bro . W . S . Whitaker , of 11 , Foster-lane , was nominated by the President , and seconded by the Hon . Secretary , for ballot at the next meeting .

IF THE GOOD WISHES of the Press expressed at the re-opening of the Tivoli Restaurant can do it , Mr . F . Kissel , late Manager at the Trocadero , should in due course make a sterling success of his undertaking . Mr . Adney Payne and Mr . Sutton , on behalf of the Directors of the Tivoli , eulogised the business capacity shown by Mr . Kissel in making terms for his tenancy and wished him every possible success , to add to his already great reputation as a master of catering . The banquet was of a most recherche description and augurs well for the patrons of the restaurant .

THE SCHOOL OF ART WOOD-CARVING . —This school at South Kensington has received from the Clothworkers' Company a grant 0 (^ 50 , and a similar grant from the Drapers' Company . The school will thus be able to continue its work for another year in rooms rented from the Imperial Institute . But for these timely grants it would have been necessary to close the school , as the committee of the City and Guilds' Institute , in consequence of the increasing demands on their funds , have been obliged to withd'aw their annual grant of £ 250 . The closing of the school is , however , only deferred for a year unless aid towards its funds can bc obtained from some other source .

THE QUEEN , accompanied by her Highness Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein , arrived at Windsor Castle at nine o ' clock on the 20 th inst . from Balm oral . The suite in attendance consisted of the Countess of Antrim , the Hon . Aline Majendie , Lieut .-Col . Sir Arthur Bigge , General Godfrey Clerk , Lieut .-Cil . Da / idsm , Sir Janes Reid , Dart ., and Mr . Muther . The Hon . Mrs . Grant left the R wal train at Perth .

Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Hattenberg , with their Hi'hn ^ sies Princess Victoria Eugenie and the Princes Leopold and Maurice , attended by Fraiilcin Margraf , Major the Hon . F . Colborne , and Mr . Theobald , arrived at the Castle in the morning . Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein visited the Oueen and remained to luncheon . Wednesday was the ( 3 4 th anniversary of her Majesty ' s accession . A "Si RAD " A NAPOLEON SNUFF-HOX . —Relics were selling at high figures on Monday at Messrs . Sothebys . A Stradivarius violin , with his label inside , formerly the property of Miss V . Weyer , and purchased on the advice of M . Ries and Sig . I'iatti , sold for £ c , oo . This violin is a well-known example , and has been played upon by Herr Joachim and Madame Normm Neruda . The second relic was a silver gilt

snuff-box , embossed with a wreath of vine leaves and grapes ; on thc inside of the cover is the following inscription : "Presented to Archd . Arnott , Surgejn of H . M . 's XXth Foot , by Napoleon Bonaparte , on his death-bed , at St . Helena , 1821 . " Ona small panel on the lid the letter N . is roughly scratched . It was sold for , ( , 140 . A lock of Napoleon's hair realised £ 22 ios .

PROVINCIAL MAILS . —In order that the work of despatching mails may be facilitated , the Post Ofiice has established a new office at Mount Pleasant , Farringdonroad , whence the provincial mails will be forwarded . Correspondence for the London district and abroad will still be despatched from the General Post Office at St . Martin'sle-Grand . Notice should be taken of the fact that , as the work will be done in two distinct buildings , it is important , if it is wished to avoid delay , to post country

correspondence , where practicable , in the receptacles labelled for the receipt of country letters . The new ofiice at Mount Pleasant commenced work on Monday , the iSth inst . On the same day the late fee posting of letters at pillar boxes in the E . C . district up to seven p . m . with a half-penny stamp was withdrawn , but it will still be possible to post such letters at all branch and town sub-offices , each of which has been fitted with a separate late fee posting box .

HOUSE FURNISHING PAST AND PRESHNT . —In former days the absence of a great variety of furniture rendered the task of furnishing a house a comparatively simple matter ; but at the present time the young couple who are about to " set up house " for themselves often experience the greatest difficulty in miking their selection from the bewildering variety presented for their inspection . A glance through the catalogue which has just been issued by the Hackney Furnishing Co npany , of

Marestreet , Hackney , is sufficient to give one a clear idua of the extent to which the variety of new goods has grown ; whilst , at the same time , it will tend to show that there must be a large demand for the class of goods sold by this company . Indeed , the number of their customers and the growth of their business are a sufficient evidence of this fact . It may be mentioned that the model hire ; system uired by the Hackney Furnishing Company is inconsiderable favour , and find '? many imitators .