Entertainment By The Chough Lodge, No. 2264.

waited upon bim and had intrusted him with a message to the ladies , to whom they wished him to say from them : " Till the sea and the land and their bounds are as nought 'Tis our duty to seek you— 'tis yours to be sought ; Till the days and the nights their courses have run , 'Tis our honour to win you , and yours to be won ; Till the earth and the heavens from their places have moved , Our joy ' tis to love you , as 'tis yours to be loved . "

That was the message he was authorised to give to the ladies . He could not improve upon it , and he would therefore only ask them to drink to the health and happiness of the ladies , with which toast he should couple the name of Bro . Noad , jun . Bro . NOAD , jun ., in reply , said that no greater pleasure could have been afforded him than to have to reply for this

toast on behalf of such a variety of beauty as that which he saw before him on that occasion . He wished he had been better qualified to do so ; but , unfortunately , he vvas still a bachelor , and , of course , be could not be supposed to know a great deal about the ladies . It was not necessary for him to detain them very long . The Worshipful Master had displayed that eloquence of which

they were all so proud in . proposing that toast , which no one would dispute was the toast of the evening . All would agree with him that this meeting contrasted very favourably with their ordinary lodge meetings , from which the ladies vvere excluded . Bro . Noad concluded by again thanking the Master for the way in which the toast had been proposed , and the brethren and gentlemen for the way

in which it had been received . TheW . M ., in proposing "The Health of the Stewards , " said that on this occasion the toast vvas a very important one , and it was now his pleasant duty to express , in the name of the lodge and also on behalf of the ladies and other visitors , their approbation of the arrangements which the Stewards had made for the evening's entertainment .

He had himself had a good deal of experience of public dinners , but he had never known of such an entertainment as that laid before the guests that evening which had proceeded , as this had , without a hitch of any kind ; and it was the untiring energy of the brethren who had undertaken the office of Stewards which had secured the success that had been achieved . He gave them the health ,

happiness , and prosperity of the Stewards , coupling with the toast the name of Bro . Mussared , the Senior Deacon . Bro . MUSSARED , in reply , thanked the Master and the company for the very kind way in which the toast had been proposed and received . He wished he could borrow from the Master some of that unbounded eloquence which flowed from him so readily . He vvas very pleased that the

work of the Stewards had met with approval . He should have been rather surprised if they had failed , seeing that they had been called upon in another place in connection with the musical society , and they had never found themselves wanting . He need not say that their deliberations had been conducted with unanimity , and that what they had done had been a work of pleasure and a work of love ; and from what he could see at the present moment that

seemed to be what they were up to now . He could assure their fair friends that the lod ? e vvould do their best to make this an annual affair , and that they hoped to see their happy , happy faces round their board again in years to come . He thanked them all very much for the way in which they had received the toast of the Stewards . This closed the proceedings at the banquet table , and after a short interval , the company re-assembled in the ball room , where dancing was kept up until about half-past

twelve . Among those present were Bro . E . T . Edwards , P . M . 7 S 8 , W . M . 2264 , Mrs . Edwards , Miss Ada Edwards , and Bro . E . T . Edwards , jun ., 2264 ; Bro . Rev . W . Caseley , P . P . G . Chap . Herts , and Mrs . Caseley ; Mr . D . Oughton and Mrs . Oughton ; Mr . J . L . Grossmith , Mrs . Grossmith , and Miss Grossmith ; Mr . Fredk . Helps , Miss Sparkes ,

and Miss Bower ; Bro . Walter Marcus , W . M . 1839 , S . W . 2264 , and Mrs . Marcus ; Bro . Banfield and Mrs . Banfield ; Mr . and Mrs . Ingle ; Mrs . and Miss Adamson and Mr . Barker ; Bro . Dewsnap , W . M . 2272 , Sec . 2264 , and Miss Dewsnap ; Bro . G . J . Judge , W . M . 117 S , J . W . 2264 , and Mrs . Judge ; Missts Louie and Minnie Nottage : Mr . and Miss Skudder

Bros . C . G . and W . V . Jull ; Mrs . Jull , and Miss Mabel Jull ; Bro . Saxelby , P . P . G . Reg . Surrey , Treas . 2264 ; Miss Shorthouse , Miss E . Shorthouse , and Mr . Cartwright ; Bro . Deane , 657 , and the Misses Deane ; Bro . Ridley and Mrs . Ridley ; Bros . W . H . Tomsett , W . J . Noad , D . C . ; R . Thornton , Stwd . ; C . Mussared , S . D . ; E . Piggott , I . G . j and others .

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . E . SIMPSON , P . P . G . P . We have this week to record the death of an active Masonic worker in the Province of West Lancashire in the person ot Bro . Simpson , P . P . G . P ., and the oldest Past Master in the list of the Lodge of Foititude , No . 281 , which took place on the 12 th inst ., in the seventy-second year of his age . The interment of the remains of

deceased took place in Lancaster Cemetery on Friday noon , the 15 th inst ., prior to which a short service vvas held in the Masonic Hall , Church-street . About 40 brethren were Present , representing the various Craft and other Degrees , and whilst they vvere assembling Bro . Oglethorpe , P . M ., P . P . G . R ., played the "Dead March in Saul" on the organ . The hymn " Days and Moments quickly flying "

was then sung , after which Bro . Shaw , the W . M . of the Lodge of Fortitude , read a few sentences appropriate to tne solemn event , and was followed by Bro . H . Longman , P . P . G . S . of W ., who gave an exhortation to the brethren . Bro . Kelland , R . M ., then gave a resumeof Bro . Simpson ' s Masonic career , after which Bro . Longman gave another short address . Bro . Shaw then offered prayer , and

repeated a few more sentences , and the service concluded with the hymn " Now the labourer's task is o'er . " The ceremony was a most impressive one . The brethren , each Wearing a sprig of acacia , then marched to the residence ° f the deceased , and accompanied the remains to the cemetery , the following brethren officiating as pall-bearers : Bros . John Hatch , P . P . G . S . of W . ; G . Kelland , P . M . ; J ; R . B . Pilkington , P . M . ; H . Longman , P . P . G . S . rj W . ; J . Edward Oglethorpe , P . P . G . R . ; and W . Ul > ft , P . P . G . Standard Bearer . Bro . Simpson was

Obituary.

initiated in the Lodge of Fortitude on April 14 th , 1847 , and installed W . M . on February 13 th , 1 S 50 . He then served two years at Treasurer , and in 1854 was appointed Secretary , an office which he held for 20 years , receiving a very handsome testimonial from the brethren on his retirement . His last appearance amongst the brethren was at the installation banquet to Bro . Nicholson , in December , 1 SS 7 .

He vvas also a member of the Rowley Chapter , in which he filled all the offices , and in 1 S 75 was appointed Grand Standard Bearer in Provincial Grand Chapter . He vvas also a Past Officer in the Moore Mark Lodge , and in 1 S 84 was admitted to the different Degrees of the Garnett

Council , worked under the authority of the Grand Council of the Allied Degrees , and filled several offices in connection therewith . On the 26 th March , iSSS , he was installed as W . M . of the Garnett Council , and this was his last appearance in the lodge room , failing health preventing his appearing amongst them again .

BRO . JOHN WATSON , J . P ., P . G . D . Bro . John Watson , J . P ., P . G . D . of England and D . P . G . M . of Nottinghamshire , to whose death we refer elsewhere , was a Mason of long standing , and in every branch of the Craft to which he had directed his attention had won considerable distinction . He vvas initiated as far back as iSs ^ in the Royal Sussex Lodge , No . 402 ,

Nottingham , and , after passing through the various offices , was elected W . Master . Having acted also for some years as Secretary of his mother Iodge , and having been successively honoured with the appointments , firstly of Prov . G . Deacon , and then of Prov . G . Registrar of Nottinghamshire , he was , on the installation of the late Bro . Henry Pelham ( 5 th ) Duke of Newcastle , selected for the

important office of Prov . G . Secretary , and while that distinguished brother remained at the bead of the Craft in the county—that is , from 1 S 60 to 1 S 65—our deceased brother retained his post , discharging its duties in a manner which reflected additional credit on himself and won him the respect and esteem of all his Nottinghamshire brethren . On the translation in 1877 of Bro . the Duke of St . Albans

from the Prov . G . Mastership of Lincolnshire to that of Nottinghamshire , Bro . Watson , than whom no more suitable brother could have been selected , vvas appointed and invested as his grace's deputy , and from that time forward till his death , Bro . Watson had carried on the administration of the province in a manner which had not only confirmed him in the high opinion of the local brethren , but

had likewise won for him the still greater distinction of a Senior Grand Deaconship in the United Grand Lodge of England , to which office his Royal Highness was pleased to appoint him in conjunction with the late Bro . Alfred Meadows , M . D ., in 1 S 85 . He vvas exalted to the Royal Arch in the Abbey Chapter , No . 47 ,. Nottingham , and having subsequently joined the Royal Sussex Chapter ,

No . 402 , was , in 1 S 81 , installed as First Principal . In 1 SS 2 , on the appointment of Comp . Sir Henry Bromley , Bart ., as Grand Superintendent of Nottinghamshire , Comp . Watson was appointed and installed Prov . G . H ., and in 1 SS 5 , he was appointed Grand ist Standard Bearer in the Supreme Grand Chapter . He was advanced to the Mark in the Newstead Time Immemorial Lodge of Mark Master

Masons in February , 1854 , and on the erection of Nottinghamshire into a Mark province in 1 SS 3 , Bro . Watson vvas chosen to fill the important role of Prov . G . Mark Master . He had also been perfected Rose Croix , 18 ° , in the Nottingham Chapter of that Degree , while as regards our Charities , he vvas Life-Governor of the Benevolent Institution and Girls' School , and a Life-Subscriber of the Boys '

School , having also served the office of Steward for the senior of the three . Charities . Thus by the death of this distinguished brother , Bro . the Dukeof St . Albans and the Province of Nottinghamshire are deprived of one of their ablest and most energetic supporters , while the Craft generally loses one of the brightest and most capable exponents of its principles .

BRO . J . A . BIRCH , P . P . J . G . W . EAST LANCS . Bro . J . A . Birch , to whose lamented death vve took occasion to refer last week , had been a member of our Society for just a little over 24 years , having been initiated in the Stamford Lodge , No . 1045 , Altrincham , Cheshire , on the 16 th January , 1 S 65 , and installed its W . M . in 186 S . In 1 S 6 S he joined the Shakespeare Lodge , No . 1069 ,

Manchester , and two years later was one of the founders of the St . George ' s Lodge , No . 1170 , being subsequently elected W . M . In 1 S 74 he joined Foititude Lodge , No . 6 4 , Manchester , all these three last being Manchester lodges . He vvas exalted to the Royal Arch on the 27 th July , 1 S 66 , in the Chapter of Virtue , No . 152 , was a P . Z ., a joining member of Caledonian Chapter , No . 204 , and a founder of the Stamford Chapter , No . 1045 , Altrincham . He was

likewise a Past Provincial Grand Officer , and had taken considerable interest in other branches of Masonry . But it will be chiefly by his services as Chairman of the Charity Committee of his province—to which office he was appointed a few years since in succession to Bro . J . Lancaster Hine—that Bro . Birch will be best remembered , and it is on account of those services that his decease will be so generally regretted throughout the Province of East Lancashire .

BRO . R . BROWN , PAST PROV . G . TREAS . WEST LANCASHIRE . The funeral of Bro . Richard Brown , of the firm of Brown , Barnes , and Bel ) , photographers , of Liverpool , took place on Monday , at Anfield Cemetery , Liverpool , and vvas very numerously attended by the members of his family , and the brethren of the lodges to which he had belonged .

The deceased was initiated about 20 years ago , in the Merchants' Lodge , No . 241 , Liverpool , and served as W . M . in 1 S 75 . He was appointed Secretary of the Skelmersdale Lodge , No . 18 30 , at its consecration in 1 S 72 , and was afterwards for some time its Treasurer , though , owing to his increasing business engagements , he was unable to accept the invitation of the members to become

their W . Master . He was also member of several other lodges , and Prov . G . Treasurer of West Lancashire in 1 SS 0 , and in 18 S 1 , being presented on his retirement from the latter office with a valuable silver service in recognition of his services . He vvas also a P . Z . in the Royal Arch , a Mark Master Mason , a Rose Croix , a Knight Templar , but he will be best remembered by his services between 1874 and 1882 , as honorary Secretary to the West Lanca-

Obituary.

shire Masonic Educational Institution , much of the success of that highly prosperous local Charity being due to the energy and ability of our deceased brother . Among the brethren present at the funeral vvere Bros . Captain J . Macnab , W . M . ; W . McLachlan , S . W . ; and several

P . M . s and members of the Merchants' Lodge , No . 241 , as well as several Past Prov . G . Officers and members of other lodges . We beg to offer our respectful sympathy to the family and friends of one who had done much valuable service in his time to Masonry , and whose loss will be very generally deplored by our West Lancashire brethren .

BRO . WILLIAM NOTT . Bro . William Nott , to whose lamented death vve referred last week , had seen considerably over 20 years' service as a Mason , having been initiated in the Wiltshire Lodge of Fidelity , No . C 63 , Devizes , in 1 S 64 . He served the office of W . M . in 1 S 69 , vvas Secretary of the lodge , and vvas a P . P . J . G . W . of Wiltshire . He was P . Z . of the Royal Arch

Chapter of Harmony , No . 632 , Trowbridge , having occupied the chair of First Principal in 1 S 71 , and again in iSSo , vvas Treasurer of the chapter , and a P . G . J , and G . Treasurer of the Prov . Grand Chapter . He was a founder and first W . M . of the Wiltshire Keystone Mark Lodge , No . 17 S , Devizes , its R . of M . and Secretary , and a P . G . Steward of Mark Grand Lodge . But our deceased brother rendered

his most valuable services to Ma = onry in connection with the Wiltshire Charitable Association , of which he was the Prov . G . Secretary , and the Central Charities , having qualified as a Life Governor of all the three latter , and served several Stewardships in thtir behalf . Lastly , he was Editor of the Masonic Calendar for the Province of Wiltshire , and it is a strange coincidence that last week , while ,

in one of our columns , vve recorded his death , and endeavoured to the best of our ability to pay a just tribute of respect to his memory , we were , at the same time , but in another column , describing in terms cf appropriate commendation his Wiltshire Calendar for the current year . It will be seen from this brief record of his career that Bro . Nott had done good suit and service as a Mason , and , as

we stated last week , it will be a long time ere our Wiltshire brethren find one who will fill the offices now vacant by his death with the same or similar ability . The funeral took place on Saturday last , vvhen tha remains of our deceased brother vvere interred , in the presence of some thousands of spectators . The Masons assembled in full mourning regalia , and with the insignia of the Order , sixty-seven of

the Craft being present from all parts of the county . A large number of officers and men from the Wiltshire Regiment , with members from neighbouring corps and representatives from various public bodies , were also present . There vvere twenty-five beautiful wreaths and crosses sent from the Masons , volunteers , and personal

friends , as tokens of esteeem and sympathy . The Masonic burial service was gone through by the Provincial Grand Chaplain . The firing party then fired three volleys over the grave , after which all the Masons filed past jthe grave , and threw in each a sprig of acacia , and the Oddfellows a sprig of thyme , as a token of immortality .

Masonic Ball At Limassol, Cyprus.

MASONIC BALL AT LIMASSOL , CYPRUS .

The first Masonic ball in connection with the St . Paul ' s Lodge , No . 2277 , took place on the 7 th ult . at the large new block of buildings built by Messrs . Rossides , and now

in the occupation of that firm and the Imperial Ottoman Bank . Through the kindness of Bro . Rossides , a splendid ball and supper room were placed at the disposal of the brethren , and Bro . Christian was also kind enough to allow the rooms of the bank being used as cloak and card

rooms . At about 8 . 30 p . m . the company began to assemble , and at 9 o'clock dancing commenced to the strains of the band of the Princess of Wales' Own Yorkshire Regiment . The floor was in excellent condition , and the ball room , thanks to the efforts of Bros . Greenwood and White , was tastefully decorated with Masonic emblems , flags , military

trophies , & c At 1 a . m . a bountiful and recherche repast was served in the supper room , and too much credit cannot be given to Bro . Silvester , W . M ., whose masterful eye soon saw that the wants and wishes of all present vvere attended to . After supper , dancing vvas re-commenced , and vvas kept up with spirit until 5 a . m ., vvhen all dispersed , having

spent a most enjoyable night at the first Masonic ball held in Cyprus , and the hope was expressed that this ball would become an annual affair . Although there vvere about 100 persons present , there were not so many as were expected , and it is to be regretted that the Limassol races vvere not held on the day originally

fixed , as several who vvould have liked to come to the ball vvere too tired to attend after having undergone the fati gue of the races . Several of the visitors expressed surprise that the members vvere not in Masonic clothing , and it is hoped that in future authority vyill be applied for to allow them to appear properly clothed in the insignia of their noble Art .

The Craft Abroad.

The Craft Abroad .

AUSTRALIA . The Executive Committee of the English , Irish , Scottish , and Victorian Freemasons , appointed to make arrangements for the inauguration of a United Grand Lodge of Victoria , met on Monday evening , January 14 th , in the Freemasons' Hall , Collins-street , Melbourne , under the presidency of Bro . John James . The Chairman reported

that Sir William Clarke had expressed his cordial approval of the movement , and had consented to be nominated as the first Grand Master of the new Constitution . It was resolved that the United Grand Lodge be formally inaugurated on VVednesday , the 20 th of March , in the concerthall of the Freemasons' Hall , and that the installation of

Sir William Clarke and the investiture of his first officers should take place the following day in the Exhibition Building , if the latter place be procurable for the occasion . Lord Carrington , the Grand Master of New South Wales , and Chief J ustice Way , Grand Master of South Australia , are to be invited to perform the ceremony of installation .