Consecration: Benevolentia Lodge.

restored Brethren to the good position they had occupied before they were reduced to straitened circumstances . The ceremonies were then continued , and at their termination Bro . Tijou was installed W . M . of the Lodge . Bro .

J . W . Gibbs P . M . was then appointed to act as I . P . M . and the other Brethren honoured with office were Bros . H . W . Lee P . M . S . W ., H . Ffrench Bromhead P . M . P . P . G . Sup . of Works Essex J . W ., J . Taylor P . M . Treasurer , H . Grimsdall Secretary , W . P . Griffiths S . D ., J . G . Hammond jun . P . M . Prov . G . Steward

Essex J . D ., H . A . Lee I . G ., Ben Johnson P . M . D . C , A . H . Stokes Organist ,, E . Purkess and W . J . W . Cole Stewards , and D . Legg P . M . Tyler . The Consecrating Officers were elected honorary member .- * of the Lodge , and presented with jewels as a memento of the occasion . The Brethren then made a contribution to the

Convalescent Home in which they were assembled , the W . M . stating that it was doing an immense amount of good in the East End of London , and was much in need of funds . The W . M . was thereafter elected to represent the Lodge at the next

festival of the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution , for which he was promised the hearty support of the Brethren . After the Lodge had been closed the Brethren adjourned to the George Hotel , where they partook of an excellent banquet and honoured the usual toasts .

Bro . Henry Garrod P . G . P . responded for that of the Grand Officers . Bro . Tijou W . M . proposed the Consecrating Officers . He said it was really the toast of the evening , and when he said that he was not speaking of the Consecrating Master simply as

Grand Secretary or as Consecrating Master , but as a Brother and as a man . Many of the Brethren had opportunities of meeting Bro . Letchworth ; they met him in his arduous labours very , very often . Whenever he met him , whether in the performance of . his duties or outside , he was always the same

gentleman , and he had no greater friend than he . Bro . Letchworth and Bro . Grey were the two brethren in whom he felt he had perfect friends . There was no greater pleasure to him that night than to have Bro . Letchworth there . He had heard Bro . Letchworth consecrate Lodges before , and had had opportunities

of assisting him ; but his feelings that night when Bro . Letchworth was consecrating their Lodge was very different to what they were when he was consecrating other Lodges . There

was now a bond of friendship between Bro . Letchworth and the Brethren of this Lodge , which there was not before . Bro . Letchworth , he hoped , would feel that the Benevolentia Lodge Was one of his Lodges .

Bro . Letchworth , in acknowledging the toast , said he could not refrain from expressing his warmest thanks to the W . M . for the more than kind manner with which he had been pleased to couple his name with the toast , and the Brethren for the kind reception they had been pleased to give to it . He knew he was

only expressing the feelings of all those who had been associated with him in the ceremony of that day when he expressed the hope that the Lodge might have before it a most successful future . He confidently believed that it would , because he knew it contained all those elements which could not but secure success .

That that might be so was the wish of everyone in the room . It now became his most agreeable duty to propose the health of the W . M ., whom he had had the great pleasure of installing , and he most heartily congratulated the members of the Lodge on having as their first Master one so able to rule over them in this

their first and certainly the most critical year of their existence . Ijt had been his good fortune to be associated with Bro . Tijou in various ways , and it was a very great pleasure two years ago to convey to him the news that the M . W . G . M . had been pleased to

appoint him to Grand Office . He ventured to think that the fact of Bro . Tijou being designated the first Master of the Benevolentia Lodge might have had some influence with H . E . H . in granting a Warrant for this Lodge .

Bro . Tijou W . M ., replying , said he should very very shortly thank the Brethren for the reception they had given him as the Master of this Lodge . Properly to thank them could not possibly be done in less than a quarter of an hour . He should

therefore simply thank them . He hoped to make a few long speeches during his year . He then proposed the Visitors , and took occasion to thank the Clapton Lodge for its handsome gift .

Bro . Fairclough , in reply , said it had been a great treat to him to witness the installation ceremony , but as to the gift mentioned by the W . M . it was only what Brethren should do . There ought to be in Brethren that feeling which would prompt them , whether individuals or Lodges , to assist one another .

Bros . Buck , Green , and Hooper also responded . Bro . Henry Garrod P . G . P . proposed the Masonic Charities . Bro . Tijou W . M ., in reply , said he was very gratified at the

way in which the Brethren hud received the toast , but he should be better gratified that time next year when he saw how the lists of the three festivals between now and then had been made up . He was fond of tbe Charities , aud did the best he could for all of

Consecration: Benevolentia Lodge.

them . He worked as well as he could for the Old People . He should be pleased to be on the Committee of the Girls ; he would , put aside a lot of work for that . But it mattered very little on what Biethren worked as long as they did their best for their Masonic Charities , no matter what they might be . They had

plenty of opportunities before them . He did not plead the cause of the Benevolent Institution , because he was one of the Committee ; but he did that of the Girls and the Boys . He was on the Board of Benevolence . He loved all the Charities . He was sure the Brethren would not let him go up empty-handed next February .

The toast of the Officers followed , and was responded to , aud the Tyler ' s toast closed the proceedings of a very happy and successful dav .

Royal Arch.

ROYAL ARCH .

— : o : — SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER

THE Annual Convocation was held on Wednesday , when the business as set out in the Agenda we published last week was regularly disposed of . The three Principals' chairs were occupied by Comps . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., Grand J . as Z ., Eev . J . Studhoime Brownrigg P . Assist . G . Soj . as H ., H . Thornhill Morland as J .

The following Companions were appointed as the new Grand Officers for the year :

Comp . H . R . H . the Prince of Wales - - Z . The Earl of Lathom - - - - Pro Z . The Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe - - H . W . W . B . Beach , M . P . ... J . Edward Letchworth ... - Scribe E . Viscount Dungarvan - Scribe N .

Robert Grey - - - - - Pres . Com . Gen . Purp William Mason Stiles - - Treasurer F . A . Philbrick , Q . C - - - Registrar Sir W . T . Marriott , Q . C - - - Deputy Registrar Sir Lionel Darell .... Principal Sojourner C . F . Marshall - - - - 1 st Assist . Sojourner .

Col . H . Studhoime Brownrigg - - 2 nd Assist . Sojourner Col . L . G . Dundas ... - Sword Bearer Lieut-Col . W . Newton - - - Deputy Sword Bearer Alfred S . Tomkins - - - - \ Herbert J . Steward ...

-James Edmeston ... 1 standard Bearers Dr . F . Ernest Pocock - - - [ Walter Hughes .... George E . Fairchild - / Frank Richardson - - - Dir . of Ceremonies W . H . Rylands .... Deputy Dir . of Cers .

Howard H . Room - - - - \ Joseph Todd f Assist . Dirs . of Cers . John Newton - - - - I Harry Tipper - - - - j W . de M . Sorgison - Organist William Lake .... Assistant Scribe E . Henry Sadler .... Janitor .

Sussex.

SUSSEX .

THE annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Chapter was held at the Eoyal Pavilion , Brighton , on Saturday , 20 tb ult ., under the presidency of Lieutenant-General C . W . Eandolpb Grand Superintendent . Amongst other business , the following Provincial Grand Officers were appointed for the ensuing year :

Comp . Rt . Hon . Sir W . T . Marriott , Q . C , 1466 - H . W . Wright 311 .... J . V . P . Freeman 311 , & c . - - - Scribe E . W . Botting 732 Scribe N . J . M . Read 732 Treasurer

J . P . Slingsby Roberts 1496 - - . - Registrar E . T . Cooksey 315 - - - - Principal Sojourner l : LS 8 u : : : : [ A - *****™ ,. D . Jeffery 916 .... Sword Bearer W . T . Jordan 40 Standard Bearer

W . Gill P . P . G . S . N . 811 - - - Dir . of Ceremonies A . King P . P . G . J . 271 - - - Organist H . E . Breach 38 - - - - I atar „ orAa CE . Botley 40 .... / Stewards . Subsequently the Companions sat down to the annual banquet , when the customary toast list was honoured .

West Lancashire.

WEST LANCASHIRE .

ON Wednesday of last week was held the annual meeting of this Provincial Grand Chapter , at the Conservative Club , Heaton Moor . In the absence of the Earl of Lathom , who has not vet returned from his health-seeking tour in the West Indies ,