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THE MASONICREVIEW A MONTHLY JOURNAL OF Jlwsoittc anb Social ( Events for fsreomasons ,

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paid . Boohs , Music , and periodicals for Review should be addressed to the EDITOK , and not to any individual Member of the Staff .

Eminent Masons At Home.

Eminent Masons at Home .

No . I . —Mis ROYAL HIGHNESS , THE GRAND MASTER , AT SANDKINGHAM . F ^ ROM the railway-station at Wolfcrton the three , miles of lanes to Sandringham Mall—the Norfolk home of the Prince —run through a somewhat uninteresting country , lending every

advantage to the squire of energy and taste to develop its natural condition into something more attractive to the eye . The patches of heather and gorsc diminish the nearer one approaches the Royal domain , until we leave the Sandringham Church on our left , in the graveyard of which— " where the rude forefathers of the

hamlet sleep "—stands the plain marble cross over the grave of the infant Prince Alexander , who died on April 7 , 1871 , the year in which the wcll-rcmembercd illness of his Royal Father proved

so nearly fatal . A sudden sweep , and the Norwich gates , of beautifully hammered iron , give access to the park . The splendid drive , through a fine avenue of limes , leads straight to the principal entrance to the house , and here wc get a glimpse of the home-life of our Most Worshipful Grand Master . It is a noble house , is

Sandringham , possessing in every feature the attributes of an English gentleman ' s residence . It is no grand palace , but a picturesque gabled mansion of red brick , in which culture and taste have been exhausted . Beautifully cultivated lawns sweep away from the terrace , clotted with masses of foliage , with rushing

rivulets , and placid lakes . In the clump of trees yonder are hid the stables and the kennels , the dairies , the cottage , and the outbuildings , so dear to the heart of their Royal owner . It might be supposed that there is no difference between the mode of life of the Prince and Princess at Sandringham

Eminent Masons At Home.

and that of a great Norfolk squire and his wife . But it would not be altogether true . The Prince and Princess have indeed combined most happily the inevitable responsibilities of their inheritance with the discharge of the duties of their position as the squire of a large estate and the squire ' s wife , the

possession of which would entitle them to a foremost place in the county if the squire were not heir-apparent and representative of the Royal lines which merged in the House of Hanover , and if his wifCivcrc not the child of a Royal Dane . In 1862 Lord Palmerston recommended the estate to the

notice of the Prince Consort , then in search of a suitable residence for his son , and as Mr . Spencer Cowper , the owner , was willing to sell , the purchase was effected for the sum of £ 220 , 000 . In the following year the Prince of Wales entered on the ownership of Sandringham . The estate contains a little over 8 , 000

acresone-third being very good mixed soil ; one-third grass , marsh , and arable ; and one-third of a kind suited to game coverts , and best left to pheasants and rabbits—and , although the Cowpers improved the property , the price for which it was sold was certainly tenfold that for which it might have been purchased in the time of Charles II .

Over the entrance on the east front , is a tablet recording , " This house was built by Albert Edward , Prince of Wales , and Alexandra , his Wife , in the year of Our Lord , 1 S 70 . " From the vestibule is the saloon in which guests arc received . Its ceiling is of cawed oak , its walls arc covered

with pictures , and priceless works of art are cunningly distributed throughout the apartment . On the right is the library , controlled by Mr . Moltzmann , the private secretary to the Princess . Bookshelves filled to overflowing , writing-tables , and easy-chairs keep the visitor in a state of repose for many an

hour . The Equerry ' s room is next , and beyond it the apartment furnished with mementoes of the historical Indian visit , among which arc numerous fittings and knicknacks from the cabins of the Scrnpis . Off the staircase-corridor lie the reception suite and the morning-room of the Prince , the latter a perfect

nest of comfort as only a man of refinement can appreciate . Then come the drawing-rooms , with their panelled mirrors , their painted ceilings , and Madame Jcrichan ' s statuary of" The Bathing Girls . " Then the dining-room , with its lovely tapestry—a present

from the late Xing of Spain — Royal portraits , Landsccr ' s "Mare and Eoal , " and the host in the uniform of the 10 th Hussars . Mere collect the visitors for the early breakfast ; and luncheon , which is also served here , is sometimes graced by the Princess and the young members of the house . Into the

billiardroom and private den of the Prince peep but the privileged few to whom the Royal hospitality is extended , and they are doubly fortunate if they secure a view of the magnificent collection of arms belonging to the accomplished Royal sportsman . This room , against the walls of which are cabinets filled with

arms , some exceedingly rare and beautiful , lies at the end of a corridor , beyond the dining-room , and hither , when the Princess and ladies have retired for the night , the guests follow the Prince , unless the bowling-alley asserts superior attractions , —a g & mc in which the Princess and many of her friends take much

pleasure . Erom the bowling-alley the apartment which contains the Prince ' s batteries is gained , and there in their costly simplicity are arrayed the chcfs-d \ xnivre in rifle and smoothbore of Purdcy , Grant , and foreign interpolations of royal , imperial , or princely gifts .

The pictures , drawings , and sketches at Sandringham are mostly illustrative of the Prince ' s life ; but there arc portraits and many paintings , souvenirs of friends and of incidents dear to the Princess . On one side of the great salon a picture dated 1 SO 3 represents the palace in which her Royal Highness was born .