Our Architectural Chapter.

Masonic designs , the No . of Lodge , ifcc . At the east end is a raised dais on which is placed the Master ' s chair ( under a canopy representing in gilt carving the rising sun ) and six other splendidly carved oak chairs covered with rich crimson velvet . The dais is approached by three steps , at the foot of which are a fine pair of eighteen inch globesby Johnstone of

Edin-, burgh , which are the gift of Bro . Dees , the present Worshipful Master . The Wardens' chairs are also on platforms . The hall is covered with a mosaic carpet , with tesselated border . The fireplaces are carved with Masonic emblems , and at the west end is a magnificent organ , presented by Bro . J . Fletcher , P . M . and Treas . and P . Prov . S . G . W .,

Cumberland . This is also decorated with some fine gilt carvings , representing the setting sun , moon , stars , etc . Adjoining the hall is the preparing room , with drawers for every member , lavatory , mirror , pegs , & c . There is also a committee room with a carpet , table and chairs , and ca 2 iital book case containing a library of Masonic works , selected by Bro . Spencer of

London , and presented to the Lodge by Bro . Dees . The building was designed and built by Bros . Cousins and Shepherd , members of the Lodge , to whom the highest credit is due . When the ceiling and walls are completely dry , they are to be beautifully painted , and a splendidly executed portrait of Bro . FletcherPast Masternine feet bfiveis to occupy

, , y , it prominent position ; Bro . Stewart Watson , F . S . A ., of Edinburgh , the celebrated artist , is engaged in executing the picture , as a testimonial of the high estimation in which that distinguished brother is held b y his brethren and friends . The members of the Lodge have formed a class for the

practise of vocal music under the superintendence of Bro . Cooper , organist of St . Nicholas Church , an accomplished musician , and are making rapid progress in that art . The Masonic ceremonies of the Lodge arc , we are informed , performed in a style that would do credit to any metropolitan Lodge ; but our correspondent has not informed us how the

funds were raised for carrying out the good work . Glancing our eyes across tho Channel , we find the brethren of a comparatively small Irish town , Skibbereen , in the county of Cork , bestiring themselves to raise a Masonic Hall —the first , we believe , in Ireland out of Dublin . We are glad to see that the scheme is patronized by some of the

most distinguished Irish Masons , and we are sure it will not be allowed to go without a hel ping hand from the English brethren—every temple that is raised to Masonry being but another proof of tho spread throughout the world of the grand Masonic principles of love and charity towards all mankind . The hall is not to be applied exclusively to Masonic purposes , but is to be let for balls , lectures , & c . ; and though we prefer that Mnsouic halls should be specially confined to the objects for which they are built , it is probable

tnat in a small town like Skibbereen , it would be difficult to properly support it if so limited . If , however , a profit is made by tho occasional lotting of the hall , it is to be applied to the noblest of purposes—the aid of the funds of the Masonic Female Orphan Asylum and other Masonic charities . A subscription list has been opened to assist the noble minded

brethren of Skibbereen in their endeavour to raise such a hall as shall bo alike an honour to the Craft , and an ornament to the town ; and in order still further to aid the movement , it is proposed to give as a prize a Master Mason ' s jewel , apron , collar , etc ,, [ of the value of .- £ 20 , on the princi ple of the Art Union , thc price of each ticket being fixed at

tho moderate sum of 5 s . —nothing when compared with the large amount of good it may assist in carrying out . Extending our vision yet a little further , and by the aid nf the press , every want of importance , however distant the scene of action , is brought homo to our firesides . We find that only about three months since our brethren of

Beechwood , in the colony of Victoria—may the colony over prove as prosperous as the reign of the beloved sovereign after whom it is named—wore ongaged in the noble work of laying the foundation , sfone nf a new Masonic . !> £ ))» to be

Our Architectural Chapter.

erected by subscription amongst the brethren , for the accommodation of the members of the St . John ' s Lodge , No . 1030 , ( English Constitution , ) and deeply impressive we feel must the ceremony have been . The Beechioood Constitution in speaking of it , says— " The number of Masons , men of all ranks and classesof all nations and of all creedswho

yester-, , day assisted in the ceremony , was a forcible declaration of one of the great principles of the Craft . The address delivered by the Worshipful Master , eloquent and impressive , laying down in clear and well chosen language the duties and privileges of Masonry , exhorting the brethren ever to persevere in their devotion to the cause of Masonry—the most ancient of all

orders that have ever existed—was eminently calculated to impress the spectators aud listeners with feelings of respect for Freemasonry . " In recording so important an event , it gives ns great jjleasnre to obseiwe the spirit and zeal with which our colonial brethren are carrying out the principles of the Order , and we trust that by the time—or very shortly after—these lines reach Beeehwood , the brethren , to whom we wish all success and prosperity , will be working the time honoured ceremoniee of the Craft within their own hall .

Basilica Anglicana—Vii.

BASILICA ANGLICANA—VII .

NORWICH CATHEDRAL ( CONTINUED ) . HAVING noted a few of the political vicissitudes through which the cathedral church of Norwich lias had to jiass , let us pass into the interior , and notice this magnificent edifice more in detail .

The vista , seen from the west entrance , is exceedingly solemn and grand . The imagination is not , as in York , attracted by endless variety , nor led captive by merely harmonious ^ elaboration . Here grandeur and severity , magnitude , and simplicity prevail . No coloured light falls aslant the shadowy nave , for all the stained glass was broken in the

days of the Puritans . Enormous piers , supporting heavy Norman arches , stretch out on cither side , and extend to the intersection oi' the transepts . These piers and arches support a second tier of arches and piers , somewhat lighter and smaller , but in their proportions still massive and imposing . As in York Minster , however , the mind is subdued by the

presence of some sacred influence . Before , behind , and on either side of you are the mutilated remains of statues , although it mnstbe ' allowed , as compared with other cathedral churches , but few exist . You recognize in this glorious edifice the genius of its founders—lofty , gloomy , proud , and ambitions . You look up to its stone roof , which spans the whole superficies of the nave and aisles . Along its extent is a series of scripture representations , most of them elegant works of art , and some of them enuisitelv beautiful . You

see as it were the history of the world represented in chiaro oxeiiro , or painted with a boldness of design and elegance of finish that betoken the master hand and mind . These representations include almost every well known scripture incident—Adam and five , attended by lions , panthers , and other denizens of tho forest , arc seen in the innocent

state from which they fell ; Abraham , Isaac , Jacob , and the other worthies of patriarchal times , are discovered in the performance of some act of piety or sacrifice ; hero Joseph is again sold by his brethren , and Moses exalts the brazen serpent in the wilderness . The most effective of these works is undoubtedly the representation of the Day of Judgment .

The roofs of the transepts are decorated with similar designs but apparently of a later date and inferior execution . But the choir has even a still more striking effect than the nave , to which the semicircular apex at the end largel y contributes . In its general ch aracter it resembles the nave , but is more florid in detailand is still more loft ythe roof being

, , eighty-three feet from the flooi of the building . The upper or clerestory is of great beauty , and lends a softened expression by the reflection r >[ its niiy gracefulness to the more m \ v \ ywfcs bfiitc-ath . The fweeu and stalls we elaborately