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JOHN NOBBS AND SONS , TAILORS , 151 and 155 , UPPER STREET , ISLINGTON , N ., AND 77 , FINSBURY PAVEMENT , E . C SPECIALITY TROUSERS from 15 s . net cash .

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pAIETY RESTAURANT , STRAND . LUNCHEONS ( H OT AND COLD ) At Popular Prices , in BUFFET and RESTAURANT ( on First Floor ) , also Chops , Steaks , Joints , Entrees , & c ., in the GRILL ROOM . AFTERNOON TEA , Consisting of Tea or Coffee , Cut Bread and Butter , Jam , Cake , Pastry , ad lib ., at Is . per head , served from 4 till 6 in RESTAURANT ( First Floor ) . DINNERS IN RESTAURANT , From 5 . 30 till 9 , at fixed prices ( 3 s . Gd . and 5 s . ) and & la Carte . In this room THE VIENNESE BAND performs from 6 till S . Smoking after 7 . 45 . AMERICAN BAR . THE GRILL ROOM is open till 12 . 30 . PRIVATE DINING ROOMS for large and small Parties . SPIERS & POND , Ltd ., PROPRIETORS .

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NORTHERN ASSURANCE COMPANY . Established 1836 . LONDON : 1 , MOORGATE STREET , E . C . ABERDEEN : 1 , UNION TERRACE . INCOME AND FUNDS ( 1895 ) . Fire Premiums £ 732 , 000 Life Premiums 239 , 000 Interest ... 172 , 000 Accumulated Funds ... £ 4 , 671 , 000

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^gre^^^^i SATURDAY , J ANUARY I 6 , 18 97 .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

We are glad to learn that since our article of last week Bro . Terry has made further satisfactory progress in streng thening the Board of Stewards for theapproaching Festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institu

tion , the names of upwards of 20 brethren having been added to the list since the first meeting of the Board was held on Thursday , the th instant . This is most encouraging , more especially as the additions have been

made at a time when there are still several weeks available for the new Stewards to go about their work ° canvassing for subscri ptions among their personal nends and the members of the lod ges or chapters they severall y represent . # # # But our appeal to the Craft generally must not be R less urgent because of this particular success

Masonic Notes.

There is a . very large sum to be raised at the Anniversary Festival next month , and the Board of Stewards , as at present constituted , is very far from being equal to the task of raising it . The deficit to be made good is about £ 14 , 000 , and the Board of Stewards is still a good many short of 300 members ,

while last year there were ultimately some 400 ladies and brethren on the Board , and in , 1 S 95 about 330 . Moreover , the result of Wednesday ' s meeting of the Committee of Management is that 30 petitions of candidates , namely , 15 men 15 and widows , were accepted and their names directed to be placed on

the lists for the May election . Hence , though the number of candidates and vacancies respectively will not be formally declared till the Committee meets next month , we are in a position to state that the lists of candidates for the two Funds together contain 119

names , of whom 65 are men and 54 widows . Up to the present time the vacancies to be filled are 19 only , of which 8 are on the Male and 11 on the Widows' Fund . Thus the prospects are not particularly encouraging for the candidates .

* # # We now know from the proceedings at the School Quarterly Courts held at Freemasons' Hall last week what is the number of candidates for each Institution , and how many vacancies there are in each to be filled up at the elections in April . For the Girls there are ,

including the few who remain over Unsuccessful from last October , 29 candidates , while the vacancies they will compete for will be 20 in number . For the Boys ' School , the number of candidates is 60 , of whom 28 remain from last October , and the vacancies are 21 .

It will thus be seen that where the Giris' School list has been brought within manageable compass , the number of candidates for the Boys' School is out of all proportion large when compared with the number of vacancies , there being as nearly as possible three ofthe former to every one of the latter .

* * We desire to call the attention of our readers to a circular letter addressed to the Worshipful Masters of the London lodges by Bros . Sir Joseph C . Dimsdale , P . M . No . 1 , Past G . Treasurer , and C . E . Keyser , P . M . No . 2 , Past G . Deacon , inviting subscriptions to a fund

for permanently endowing a bed in Guy ' s Hospital , which shall be named after the Freemasons of England . The sum required is £ 1000 , and towards this Fund—which , it should be mentioned , forms part of the " Guy's Hospital Re-endowment Fund" —there have already been raised the following sums , namely .- £ 525 ,

voted by Grand Lodge ; £ 105 , voted by Grand Chapter ; and about £ 126 received from individual Masonic donations . This leaves a balance still to be obtained of about £ 244 , and the circular invites the London lodges to contribute each of them a donation not exceeding one guinea , in order to complete the endowment of the bed in question .

* » * According to the Grand Lodge Calendar for the current year there are 439 lodges in the London district , and as the amount asked for is less than £ 250 , there does not seem , at first sight , to be any grave reason why a full and speedy response should not be forthcoming .

Unfortunately , the printed circular has a knack of finding its way into the waste paper basket , and so the W . M . has no opportunity of introducing its contents to his lodge . But this particular appeal is of such an essentially beneficent character , and the scheme for reendowing Guy ' s Hospital has been thus far carried out

so successfully under the auspices of his Royal High , ness the M . W . Grand Master—while our Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter have both made generous contributions towards the object in view—that we hope our London lodges will lend a helping hand and amongst

them remit the required sum to Bros . Sir J . C Dimsdale , and C . E . Keyser , who arc the joint Treasurers of the fund . Bro . Sir J . C . Dimsdale ' s address is 50 , Cornhill , E . C , and Bro . Keyser ' s , Aldermaston Court , Reading . # * *

Very sincere regret is f elt throughout the Province ol Leicestershire and Rutland at the death on the 4 th inst . of Bro . Sir Henry St . John Halford , Bart ., C . B ., who formerly occupied the post of Dep . P . G . M ., and this regret , as will be seen from the report we publish elsewhere , was made manifest by the presence at the

funeral , on the Sth instant , of the Dep . P . G . M . and thc Prov . G . Secretary as representatives of the Province , as well as of several prominent brethren . Our deceased brother was highly respected and generally beloved by the Masons of Leicestershire and Rutland , of whom he had been one for upwards of 26 years , and with whom and lor whom he had laboured most

Masonic Notes.

earnestly during the more active portion of his career . We tender our most respectful sympathy to the widow of our late distinguished brother , Lady Halford , and her family , as well as to our Leicestershire and Rutland brethren—who knew him well , and , knowing , loved him—in the grievous loss they have sustained by his death .

There are various matters of interest in the Report —which has just reached us—of the Proceedings of the half-yearly Communication of the District Grand Lodge of Bombay , which was held at Freemasons ' Hall , Byculla , Bombay , on the 27 th November last . Bro . Lord Sandhurst , Pro District Grand Master , was

unavoidably absent , but his place was ably filled by Bro . George O . W . Dunn , Deputy District Grand Master , as District Grand Master , while a Past Deputy District Grand Master in the person of Bro . I . M . Shields did duty as Deputy . There would appear to have been a full attendance , and the address delivered by the Acting

District Grand Master was excellent of its kind , containing many observations and reflections on matters concerning the Bombay Craft , to which we shall make a point of referring more particularly at an early date . In the meantime , it is satisfactory to note that the Masonic body in this presidency is strong—not ,

perhaps , as strong as it might be , but remaining at or about the same figure from half year to half year—and in good form , both as regards . effective work and funds . The Bombay Masonic Association , also , is being well supported , while a net sum of upwards of 2220

rupees , according to the latest report of the District Grand Secretary , had been subscribed up to that time towards the " Hussey Memorial Fund . " It was also announced that a donation of 1000 rupees had been received to the Freemasohs' Joint Hall Building Fund from Bro . Khan Bahadur B . J . Rajkotwale .

* * * We learn with regret from the Canadian Craftsman that the Craft in Ottawa has sustained a serious loss by the destruction by fire , on the 3 rd December last , of their Masonic Hall . The fire is described as by far the most serious that has occurred for many years in

the Canadian Capital , a large block of buildings being totally destroyed , and thc loss caused thereby being estimated at 300 , 000 dollars ( £ 60 , 000 ) . ' Perhaps , the most grievous to be borne is the destruction of the Masonic library valued at 3000 dollars ( £ 600 ) , which , though insured , cannot be replaced , at least , as regards thc many rare and valuable works it contained .

* * * On the authority of the same Craftsman , we learn that a grand Masonic Hall for Toronto is in contemplation , the Trustees of the Toronto-street Masonic Hall being unanimous as to the advisability of securing the Temple Building for the purposes of the

Craft . The December issue of our contemporary contains an illustration of the proposed building , which it describes as a " splendid edifice , " and certainly , if heig ht has anything to do with splendour , this description must be correct . It is also said to be one of the best structures in the Dominion of Canada , and from

the full and detailed description furnished of its foundations , walls , roof , interior arrangements , fittings , elevators , & c , & c , we should say this description is by no means exaggerated . We are told the question of securing the Temple Building will shortly be brought

before the different lodges for them to approve or otherwise , and if these are generally satisfied that its acquisition will be to the advantage of the Craft in Canada , we trust no time will be lost over the consideration and arrangement of thc preliminaries .

* * * We tender our warmest sympathy to our venerable Bro . T . S . Parvin , Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Iowa , at tho serious domestic calamity he has sustained by the death of his wife . Mrs . Parvin had been a great sufferer for many years , and died at Grand Rapids on the 26 th November last . The funeral

service was held at the residence of Bro . Parvin ' s son , and the remains were afterwards taken to Iowa City for interment . Bro . T . S . and Mrs . Parvin celebrated their golden wedding on the 17 th May , 1893 , when the opportunity was taken by their numerous friends to show them more emphatically in what respect and affection they were held . The blow will be deeply felt by our veteran brother .

* * , * Under the will of Bro . John Hoffman Collamore , 33 ^ , who died at Boston , Mass ., on the 3 rd November last , at the advanced age of 80 years , the Masonic community will be greatly benefited . The deceased has left 500 dollars to each of thirty Masonic bodies , one-half to be paid within one year and the balance within two

years of the testator's death , and , in addition , he has bequeathed to the trustees of the " Masonic Education and Charity Trust" the sum of S , dollars , which is to be allowed to accumulate until it has reached 100 , 000 dollars , and is then to be administered as a permanent fund , to be known as the "John H . Collamore Fund . " Bro . Collamore was not initiated into Freemasonry until January , 1890 .