United Grand Lodge.

UNITED GRAND LODGE .

rriHE following is a list of the Brethren on whom the JL Most Worshipful Grand Master conferred the honour of Past Grand rank , at the recent Festival of Grand Lodge , to mark the completion of the Prince of Wales ' s twenty-five years Grand Mastership :

Bro . Major-General Sir K . M . L . Bundle , i K . O . B ., K . C . M . G ., D . S . O . - - I „ . , Major-General Sir F . R . Wingate , K . G . B ., [ Wardens K . C . M . G ., D . S . O . - - - ! Rev . Canon Garry , M . A . - - - Chaplain W . R . M . McOonneH , Q . O . - - Deputy Registrar

Rt . Hon . the Lord Mayor of London Rev . A . W . Oxford , M . A . - Rev . H . A . Hebb , M . A . - Major G . 0 . Davie - - - - I Deacons T . Y . Straohan .... Charles Belton

-F . Mead •' H . T . Gordon .... Superintendent of Works J . H . Davidson - - - - % F . G . Ivey .... . I Deputy Dirs . of Cera . Abraham

Woodiwisi - - \ Pierrepoint Harris - - - - \ Walter Wellsman - - - - . . . , ^ . , „ A . Knight Prescott , R . A . M . C . - - f Assistant Dire , of Gers . T . H . Nesbitt - - - I

Major H . Wright - - - ) _ ,- -, S . I . Notley - - . - \ Sword Bearers A . W . Duret .... Deputy Sword Bearer Henry Carman - - - . " ) W . B . Fendick . - . . ( Standard Bearers . R . J . Voisey - - . . )

Western Australia.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA .

THERE was a large gathering at the East Perth Hotel , on 13 th March last , to celebrate the Consecration and ' Constitution of the Swan Lodge , the first formed under the Grand Lodge of Western Australia , and also to instal Bro . S . W . Roberts as its W . M . The ceremony of Constitution

was performed by the M . W . the Pro Grand Master Bro . J . W . Hackett , M . L . C ., assisted by the Grand Chaplain Bishop Riley . The ceremony of installation was performed by Bro . M . Samson Deputy Grand Master , assisted by the Pro Grand Master , Bro . Jolly G . D . C ., and the Grand Secretary Bro . Stevenson .

A LARGE gathering of about one hundred and fifty members of the Craft were , by invitation of the Grand Lodge of Western Australia , present on igth March in the banqueting hall of the Masonic Temple , Hay Street , Perth , to bid farewell to the M . W . Grand Master Bro . His

Excellency Sir Gerard Smith , on the eve of his departure for England . In addition to Brethren from the Lodges under the Grand Lodge of Western Australia , there were numbers of representatives of the Sister Constitutions , all being

gathered together to do honour to the distinguished Brother . The chair was taken by the M . W . Pro Grand Master Bro . J . W . Hackett , who had the support of the Grand Master Sir Gerard Smith , Bro . the Lord Bishop of Perth G . Chap ., and other Officers .

The toast of the Queen and the Craft having been duly honoured , The M . W . Pro Grand Master read a letter received from

the Grand Lodge of Ireland , dated 29 th January 1900 , stating that no opposition would come from the Grand Lodge to the formation of a Sovereign Grand Lodge in Western Australia , provided that it was proceeded with in a legal manner .

The M . W . Pro Grand Master said they all knew why they were gathered there that day . They had fjrst of all to take leave of the M . W . Grand Master on his departure for England , next to express their deep Masonic esteem and regard for His Excellency , and , thirdly , to ask his acceptance

of a jewel presented by the Grand Lodge of the colony . He was sure he spoke within the knowledge of all who had had anything to do with their M . W . Brother when he said that wherever Masonry was concerned His Excellency had but one object in view—to sink self and to work for the good of

the Craft . He himself had been brought specially into connection with His Excellency in regard to Masonry , and he could testify to the strong Masonic feeling which had always possessed him , and his full sense of the obligations cast upon him by his connection with their Order . It was a

fortunate circumstance that while the foundation of their Masonic structure was laid by Brq . His Excellency Governor Hutt , and was extended and developed by Bro . John Arthur Wright—to whom they owed a deep debt of gratitude—it had been carried on to its completion under His Excellency ' s

Western Australia.

auspices , and if they were to search the colony over he believed they could find no more fitting , no more worthy Mason , as the first President of their Grand Lodge , than their M . W . Bro . Sir Gerard Smith . Whether the duty he was called to discharge was a highly dignified one , or

humblest , the most arduous , the most elementary , such as the working of a Lodge , their M . W . Brother was always ready to offer his services , to give them cheerfully , and to carry them out most effectively . He had been asked to present to their M . W . Brother a jewel on behalf of the

Grand Lodge . It was not completed yet , but he would see from the case what it contained , and what it was intended to be , but he begged to assure him that he carried away with him a far rarer , a far more precious jewel than this , and that was the grateful appreciation of all he had done for Masonry

in Western Australia , and the knowledge that their good wishes for his future welfare and happiness lay deep within all their hearts . He trusted his Excellency would receive the little memento commemorating his connection with them and his services to Masonry in Western Australia .

Bro . C . T . Mason , President of the Freemasons' Club , said the members of the Club were unable to allow His Excellency to leave the colony without first of all tendering to him a slight memento which would in years to come remind him of the valuable work he had done with regard to

Masonry in the colony . It took the form of a large mounted photograph cf the building they were in at the present time ; and , for the convenience of transit , they had decided to present it to him in that form , having , by the kindness of Bro . Ord , an intimation that he would , when he arrived in

England , have it properly framed , showing the proper Masonic emblems duly engraved thereon . He might mention that when the building was erected , some years ago , the design was perfect and the work was perfect , reflecting credit both upon the architect and builder . His Excellency himself laid the chief corner stone ; and he was glad such was

the case . Downstairs , in the members' room , they had portraits of two eminent and illustrious Masons—the M . W . Grand Master Bro . H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , and M . W . Bro . Earl Amherst—and if , after his Excellency's arrival in the old country , he thought to have his photograph taken

and to send it to the Club , he could assure him it would be well hung in juxtaposition to the others . Their annual meeting took place in June , and he was simply voicing the

feeling of every member of the Club when he expressed the hope that His Excellency would consent to be re-elected the first patron of the Club . He assured His Excellency he would take away with him the most fraternal and best wishes of the members .

The toast of the M . W . Grand Master's health was then drunk , with honours . The M . W . Grand Master , who , on rising to respond , was greeted with hearty applause , said he thanked them with great emotion for the kind way in which his health had been

proposed and honoured . He could assure them that on leaving Western Australia he felt he could look back with infinite satisfaction to his Masonic career there , for several reasons . In the first place , he had seen a very large and genuine growth in Masonic feeling throughout the Craft , a

feeling which had resulted in the multiplication of Lodges , a feeling which had attracted to those Lodges the best and worthiest in the community who had desired to share with them the privileges and responsibilities of a Master Mason . He was sure this growth had been not only for the good of

the Craft , but for the good of the community at large , because the principles which underlay their Craft were those which must commend themselves to all subjects of Her Majesty , and would have a distinct tendency to improve the condition of those around them . As they very well knew ,

the words of their ritual said that a Mason was one to whom the world might point as one whose heart was expanded by benevolence , and whose hand was guided by justice . He said just now that he looked back—and he did so with pride —upon the efforts he had been able to make in-a Masonic

direction , but he had hitherto touched only on one point . The next point he was really proud of was that in consequence of the growth of Lodges and the increase of members , their body had found itself in that position that it was next to impossible to carry on Masonic work with efficiency unless

they established a Sovereign Grand Lodge . The work of the old District Grand Lodge had grown really be } 'ond what was consistent with the efficiency of Freemasonry by reason that everything had to be referred home , and very great delay and inconvenience had been experienced by Brethren who desired to have their certificates , and by Lodges who wanted