Old Antiquity.

Prince Leopold had been installed and received the clue ' Honours , ' the Past Masters of the lodge first of all , and then the members of the lodge , were presented to His Royal Highness . The W . M . then proceeded to close the lodge in a very workmanlike style . The brethren subsequently adjourned to a banquet , which was served in the Ladies' Drawing-Room , Freemasons . Tavernunder the distinqiiished presidency of their Royal Master . He gave ,

, after grace was said by the Chaplain , the usual loyal and Masonic toasts with commendable clearness and forcible brevity , and responded to the toast of ' The W . M ., ' most ably proposed by the Installing Master , Bro . Col . Stuart , in most feeling and eloquent words . He also proposed ' The Health of the Past Masters of the lodge , ' alluding both warmly and humorously to the services of the past Grand Officersmembers of the lodgeBros . Col . StuartCol .

, , , Creaton , the Grand Treas ., the I . P . M ., and Erasmus Wilson , who had so patriotically brought Cleopatra ' s Needle to this country , and the members of the medical and legal professions present . Bro . Woodford returned thanks for the Past Masters , and remarked that H . R . H . that evening was installed W . M . of one of the oldest lodges in the world , and which , in one sense , might not

unfairly be termed the mother lodge of Masonry , as far as England , and all lodges hailing from England , were concerned . After the retirement of His Royal Highness , the other toasts were proposed , concluding with ' The Tyler ' s' toast . The brethren separated at an earl y hour , having spent a most enjoyable and unforgettable evening , to be carefully noted as an ' alba dies ' by the excellent Secretary , Bro . Barron , in the imperishable records of ' Old Antiquity . ' We may observe that the arrangement of the tables was most

artistic , reflecting the highest credit-on Bro . Best , and the banquet was one which called for all praise . as regards all concerned , whether as to the careful skill which planned it , or the ' cuisine " which produced it . Among those present we observed Bros . P . M ' s . Col . Stuart , Creaton , Swinburne , Rae , Sampson Pierce , Master of Ceremonies ; Erasmus Wilson , Holmes , Philbrick , BarronWharton HoodWoodfordI . P . M . ; the D . M . Bro . Hope ; Parker

, , , , Deacon and Greetham , Senior and Junior Wardens ; Pontifex and Twynam , Senior and Junior Deacons ; Stephen Pearce , Letchworth , Moore , Hilary Skinner , Taggart , Joliffe , Organist ; Lasseter , and Speight , Tyler , P . G . Tyler for Surrey . Several of the brethren were abroad , and were unavoidably absent . There were no visitors excent Bro . the Honorable A . Yorke . "

In the Times of Thursday , June 26 , appears the following interesting article : —• " Prince Leopold ' s installation last night , at the Freemasons' Hall , as Master of the Lodge of Antiquity is an event of greater public interest than the majority of Masonic proceedings . The office which Prince Leopold now fills was worthily filled b y his great-uncle , the Duke of Sussex , for thirty-four years . This association with a Royal personage is not , however , the only or the greatest distinction of the Lodge of Antiquity . William III . was initiated into

Masonry in this lodge , which then bore the name of St . Paul ' s , and in which Sir Christopher Wren officiated as Master for eighteen years . It received from him what is both a treasure and a curiosity—that is , the mallet or gavel used by Charles II . to lay the foundation-stone of St . Paul ' s Cathedral , and formed out of a piece of wood of the original structure . He also gave it a fragment of the stone of the Roman teruple which stood on the site of the present

cathedral , and which was dug up when the foundations were laid . Some of the lodge furniture was designed and presented b y the great architect , so that the members can boast of possessing many things of almost national value . It is appropriate that a body such as this should have at its head one whose literary and artistic tastes are so much in sympathy with its history , and who is well qualified to perpetuate the traditions of those Masters who have adorned the position to which he has been elected . Even the general public , to whom Masonry may not be a subject of particular concern , cannot but feel gratified that a body so venerable as the Lodge of Antiquit y should continue to deserve