At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar.

the coffin on the steps of the church . Amongst those present were Bros . Harry Nicholls , W . H . Marler ( Secretary of the Genesius Club , of which the deceased was a founder ) , J . D . Beveridge , J . Percy Fitzgerald , R . Manuel , J . W . Mathews , Akerman May , and many others . Many beautiful wreaths were sent .

< £ > ¦& ¦ ' £ » The Phoenix Lodge , No . 173 , celebrated its continuous working for one hundred years at its annual installation meeting on Saturday , the 9 th May , at Freemasons' Hall , Bro . G . Appleton , Worshipful Master , presiding . A company

of over 200 brethren assisted in the work of the lodge , and among them were a large number of Grand Officers . Bro . J . . Finch , P . M ., installed Bro . W . J . Bennison as Worshipful Master for the ensuing year . Bros . G . Appleton was invested as I . P . M . ; H . J . Stokes , S . W . ; W . J . Lewis , J . W . ; A . Moore ,

P . M ., Treasurer ; A . E . Hubert , P . M ., Secretary ; Ben Carter , S . D . ; W . D . Dale , J . D . ; W . G Betts , I . G . ; James Stephens , P . M ., D . C . ; and R . E . Bennison , W . F . Physick , and W . C . Wise , Stewards .

« £ > « S > <® The Secretary , Bro . A . E . Hubert , P . M ., next read the warrant granted by the Grand Master constituting the lodge as a centenary lodge , and authorising its members so long as they continue subscribing members of the lodge to wear a

centenary jewel . He then read a summary of the lodge ' s history from the time of its original warrant on September 27 th , 1785 , showing that the lodge is really 118 years old . A facsimile of the original warrant hung in the ante-room of the lodge with a map of the Swan Inn , south of St . George ' s Church , Blackman Street , Borough , a noted hostelry of those days , where the lodge lirst met .

© © © The reading of the paper was received with much applause ; and , after the lodge work had been completed , the brethren partook of an excellent repast at Freemasons ' Tavern , under the chairmanship of Bro . W . J . Bennison , and

honoured both the customary toasts and the special toast of " The Phcenix Lodge on its Centenary , " which was proposed by Bro . James Stephens , P . M ., P . D . G . D . C . The toast of "The Masonic Charities" was proposed by Bro . Alex . Ritchie , C . C ., P . M . .

AXOTJIKR OF THE AXC 1 KXT I'KHTII'MCATJOS , PARTICULA l ! S OF WHICH AI'l'EA RED IX OUR LAST ISSUE .

Bro . J . W . Pownall , the Almoner of one of the lodges in Ashton-under-Lyne , is doing excellent service to the Craft generally by systematically recording and publishing the records of the numerous Masonic impostors who infest the towns in which lodges exist , and by imposing on the unwary , especially the newly-initiated Mason , often divert

from the really needy that help which the Craft is always ready to give . The last case of imposture was exposed before the Ashton Bench on the ist of May , and was one of a somewhat exceptional type .

< s > © © Joseph Kirkpatrick Rogerson called at the prosecutor ' s shop as a Mason in distress , and asked for assistance . Being asked for his certificate he said it was burnt , but produced a letter purporting to be signed by the Secretary of the

Lochmaben Lodge to prove his bona fides . Bro . Pownall suspected a forgery , and eventually forced Rogerson to confess that the letter was written by a man in a Manchester public library , at his own dictation . His pocket-book showed that he had obtained assistance by false pretences at

Birmingham , Kettering , Bristol , Nottingham , Shrewsbury , Sheffield , Leeds , Huddersfield , Wakefield , Lancaster , Blackburn , Mytholmroyd , and other places , and had been imprisoned in England , Scotland , and Wales for different offences . The prisoner was sent to gaol for three months with hard labour .

< £ » < 3 > < S > Before a large gathering of brethren , the new reading room and library , recently erected as an annexe to the Freemasons' Hall , Hong Kong , was formally opened by the Deputy Grand Master , Bro . E . C . Ray , in the

unavoidable absence of the District Grand Master , Bio . Sir C . P . Chater , C . M . G . In his opening remarks , Bro . E . C . Ray explained to the assembly the objects which led to the formation of the reading room and library , and the particulars of the building , and proceeded to state that the

room was granted free of rent by the Zetland Lodge , and although the institution would be kept up by voluntary subscriptions , the upkeep would , he estimated , not run up to more than $ 300 per annum , and he hoped that after a fewmonths , or probably a little longer , the institution would be self-supporting .