United Grand Lodge.

with that mercy that always characterises Freemasons . The absence of returns from several Lodges will also be dealt with . Grand Lodge will next be asked to give its consent to a revised scale of remuneration for its officials .

rue details ol the proposed increases are given elsewhere , but we imagine there are very few members of Grand Lodge who will devote much attention to their consideration , as it strikes us the justice of the revision

proposed by the Sub-Committee who have considered the question will be at once admitted , and the increases readily agreed to . As the Prince of Wales stated , at the Consecration of the Chancery Bar Lodge on

Tuesday , he has issued 1 , 027 Warrants for new Lodges during the period he has been at the head of the Craft . This has not been a spasmodic increase , but an almost universal one , and it gives the very best evidence that can be adduced of the growth in the

work tnat must nave taken place at the headquarters of English Freemasonry . The last revision of salaries in the office of the Grand Secretary took place in 1874 , the year of the Prince of Wales ' s accession to the Grand

Mastership , so that the comments of the Grand Master in regard to the growth of the Order are particularly worthy of consideration in connection with this question , as giving the very best of evidence as to the increased work in the office . But . as WA j

— . __ — .. v have said , we feel there is no necessity to dilate on this subject—we expect the proposed increases will he agreed to without a dissentient voice , and should be rery sorry to imagine it possible for any section of the Order to oppose a course of action which can

certainly be recommended with justice and fairness to all concerned . No one can complain of the way in which this work of Freemasonry is carried out , and being so no one will object to paying a fair price for it .

The Library and Museum of Grand Lodge has received several additions during the last quarter , all of which are set out in the Report under notice . We are pleased to see this feature still remains in favour ,

and hope the outcome will be a collection worthy the position and standing of our Grand Lodge . * Six new Warrants have been issued during the quarter , all for Lodges to meet at home , two in

London and four in the Provinces , the last here recorded bearing the number 2492 . With this brief summary we dismiss the matter , and look forward to a pleasant and interesting gathering of the leaders of the Craft .

Next Year's Festivals.

NEXT YEAR'S FESTIVALS .

WE are pleased to know that the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution has enlisted the services of Col . Noel Money Provincial Grand Master Surrey , as President for its Festival of next year , and further that

the Pro Grand Master of England , Lord Lathom , has consented to fulfil a similar duty on behalf of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls . We shall again refer to these matters in an early issue .

Consecration Of The Chancerybar Lodge.

CONSECRATION OF THE CHANCERYBAR LODGE .

ON Tuesday night this Lodge was consecrated in the Library of Lincoln ' s Inn by the Earl of Lathom , Pro Grand Master , in the presence of the Prince of Wales Most Worshipfnl Grand Master , the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe Deputy Grand Master , and more than 250 other brethren of the Order . The Lodge is numbered 2 , 456 , but

this does not represent the actual number of Lodgea under the English Constitution , as , since the last " closing up " of tho list , now forty years ago , a few Lodges have died out , some have beon erased , and some three hundred others in

Consecration Of The Chancerybar Lodge.

the colonies have , with Lodges under the Irish or Scotch Constitutions , formed Grand Lodges of their own . Bnt there are still 2 , 100 Lodges on the English roll , and some of these of late years have been established for the convenience of men of particular callings . In this way several

volunteer corps have their own Lodge ? , the medical profession have more than one , chemists have another , the press ! aave another , Scotchmen in London have one to themselves , while in many other cases classes are specially provided , an arrangement that has often been commented upon in our

pages . The members in the Chancery Bar , however , were without one of their own , while practitioners iu the Queen ' s Bench Division had bad the Northern Bar Lodge for many years . According to the prayer of a petition presented to tho Grand Master about a year ago by twenty-six members

of tbe Chancery Bar , the Prince of Wales granted a warrant for a Lodge with the name of the Chancery Bar to meet at Lincoln ' s Inn Hall , the benchers of the Inn having allowed the hall as the locus for the new Lodge . Lincoln ' s Inn is therefore the only Inn of Court with a Masonic Lodge

attached to it . The ceremony of consecration was fixed by the Prince of Wales for 28 th November , and at six o ' clock that evening the brethren assembled . There were to be found among them the following distinguished members : — the Lord Chancellor , Lord Halsbury , Lord Ashbourne ,

Justice Romer , Justice Bruce , Justice Kennedy , the Earl of Jersey , Lord Suffield , Lord George Hamilton , M . P ., the Earl of Euston , Lord Brooke , Akers-Douglas , M . P ., W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., Col . Townley Caldwell , Sir John Monckton , Col . Noel Money , Col . Le G . N . Starkie , Alderman and

Sheriff Dimsdale , Canon Bullock , Sir Albert Woods ( Garter ) , Sir G . D . Harris , Sir Douglas Straight , Sir Forrest Fulton , Major-Gen . J . C . Hay , Col . Tatham , Sir J . Savory , M . P ., Aid . Sir Henry Knight , Sir W . Marriott , Col . Harding , and a very large number of Queen ' s Counsel .

Before the Prince of Wales enterdd Bro . E . Letchworth , the Grand Secretary , formally opened the Lodge , the Senior Warden ' s chair being occupied by Bro . Thomas Fenn , while Bro . Robert Grey took that of Junior Warden , with Bro . J . H . Matthews as Inner Guard . The Prince of Wales almost

immediately afterwards came in , all the brethren standing while the National Anthem was being played by Bro . Ssrgison , grand organist . His Royal Highness took the Master ' s chair , and had the Earl of Lathom on his left as Past Grand Master , and the Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe on

his right as Deputy Grand Master . Lord Halsbury assumed tbe chair of Senior Warden at His Royal Highness '? command , while Akers-Douglas , M . P ., the Junior Grand Warden of the year , took the chair of J . W . ; Canon Bullock , and the Reverend N . A . Macdonald acting as Chaplains , Sir Albert

Woods acting as Director of Ceremonies , and Bro . Samuel Pope , Q . C ., as Inner Guard . After the usual formula had been observed , the Earl of Lathom announced that the Prince of Wales had requested him to perform the ceremony . Canon Bullock delivered an oration upon Freemasonry

as it existed in the present day . He remarked that nearly 100 years ago , at a very large assembly of Masons in 1793 , the Prince of Wales presented to the reigning Sovereign a petition in which the Masonic bcdy were described as " unknown to the law . " They might with deep gratitude

in 1893 be at any rate sure of this—that henceforth the Masonic body , if unknown to the law , could not be unknown to the lawyers . They would have henceforth brought into their Craffc learning which they certainly stood ia need of , and they might hope in the future to glean information and

learn many lessons from the newly-founded and constituted Chancery Bar Lodge . At the present time it was absolutely necessary constantly to enforce this great principle , thatquality ratherthan quantity ought fco constitute their

Order ; that it was of almost vital importance that they shonld , so far as they could , be sure of the character—of the quality , if he might use the expression—of those admitted into their Order .

The ceremony of consecration followed , the Earl of Lathom performing his office admirably , being ably assisted by the Chaplains , while the choir , under Brother Sergison , rendered some superb vocal music . The ceremony over , the Prince of Wales personally

" constituted " the Lodge , every word of the form he used being distinctly heiird thoughout the large hall . The Master of ; the Lodgo for the first year is Bro . B . W . Coltman , a Past Master of many years standing , and that brother was obligated and installed by the Grand Secretary . Brother Coltman afterwards invested the following brethren