Northumberland.

The reports presented showed the Ofderio be increasing , and were 'altogether of ^ satisfactory character ; Trie Provincial Grand' Master appointed the following Brethren as Officers for the ensuing yeaj ? : Bro . Seymour Bell 1626 ... Senior Warden W . A . Ogilvie 1712 - Junior Warden

Bev . Joseph Golighlly ;; M . 'A ., 1167 ' - Chhpl & in Balph Carr 24 - -. - - . Treasurer John E . Eoberts 2260 - - - Eegistrar F . H . Ccrder , B . A ., 1664 - - - Secretary - " F . Turnbull ^ Sl . ,, - - - -- Senior Deacon . Jdh _ •H . ' -Ricnar'd ' soh 24 " ... Junior Deacon

W . Bell 991 .... Superintendents-Works- ' John Straker Wilson . 685 . - - - Director . oiOeremonies-. Matthew-Murray 2497- - - - Assistant Dir . of Cers . jMSIi efr 3155 ! : : llSianuard . e . rers- ; John T . Heslbp 431 ... Assistant Standard Bearer

John U . Simpson 406 ... Assistant Secretary J . H . Walton 481 - , .. r i , - - Organist Geo . Frederick Gibson' 1712 " - - Pursuivant Thomas : iWrightl 342 - - - Assistant Pursuivant ! Hi ' W . Walton , 991 - - - - l .

Young Terry 431 - - - - Wiliiam-D ' ddds-lSa . - - - - \ Stewards AlffedCbopdr 2520- ' - - - : Joseph Jj Holme - - - - jj .. . Joshua Curry ----- Tyler .

In addition to these ,- two Past Provincial : Grand Officers were selectedx for special honour ,, to commemorate- the : celebration of theJong . andsglorious reign of Her Majesty the ; Queen , namely Bros ; Fred H . Corder ,. Gosforth Lodge , No-. < 1664 , as S . A $ . ~ , and William Fawcett ,, Priory-Lodge , No . l 863 ias ! j , W .

A new military Lodge , to be , known as the Victoria / Commemoration . ( Reserve Forces ) Lodge , . No . , 2666 , , was / duly consecrated ^ and the following were invested-the Officers ; : —

Bros . Major Straker Wilson W . M .,. Capt . , A ; F ; . BallLP . M .,,

Gob . W-. Mi Angus S . W ,, ; Col . Philip : Watts-J . W-.,. Rev . H .-. Bott , Chaplain ,, Major Kidd Treasurer , / Major W . H . Strachan Secretary-, Major John ^ Braithwaite D . G .,-. Captain : Spicer S . D ., Major Kayll J > D .,,. Lieutenant : Muir , KG .. . The PrpvincialvGrand ' Master ,, inr the . course of a short

address ; , alluded .: in ¦ feeling terms to the death : of Bro . Reid ; , the Stationmaster , in Newcastle . He was glad : to . say the , , reports ; of the various Lodges bore witness to the : continued j prosperity of Masonry : in the Province ; Referring- ; to the new Masonic- building in the city , he expressed , the hope that the ^

good work begun would soon be successfully completed , . and ; that the object they had in view would be accomplished . He had pleasure in declaring that Provincial Grand Lodge , would meet next year in the Masonic Hall , Newcastle , under the banner of St . George ! s . Lodge No . 431 , North Shields .

On the motion of the Deputy Provincial Grand Master , seconded by Bro . Straker-Wilson , a hearty vote ; of thanks was passed to the W . M . and Brethren of St . Peter ' s Lodge , No . 481 ' , for the excellent arrangements made'for-holding Provincial Grand Lodge that day .

In the evening the Brethren attended a banquet at the-Grand Hotel , presided over by the Provincial Grand Master ; — "Newcastle Journal . "

West Yorkshire.

WEST YORKSHIRE .

THE annual meeting of this Provincial Grand Lodge was held at the invitation of the Airedale Lodge ; No ; 387 , at the Salt Institute ; Shipley , on the afternoon , of the 26 th inst ., under the presidency of the Right Hon . W . L . Jackson , M . P ., Provincial Grand Master .

There was an unusual attendance of Officers and Brethren from all parts of the Province , the important question of removing the Provincial offices from Wakefield to Leeds , which was to come up for consideration , having excited considerable interest on the part of the Brethren .

The ordinary Craft Lodge was opened by the W . M . and Officers of the Airedale Lodge , and the Prov . G . M . then entered and opened the Provincial Grand Lodge . The Provincial Grand Master , in an address to the Brethren , said the Airedale Lodge was originally established

at Baildon seventy years ago , and was removed to Saltaire in 1886 , and that was the first time the Provincial Grand Lodge had been held under its banner . The year had been an eventful one both in the Craft and in matters outside of Freemasonry . Since their last meeting the Duke of Devonshire had laid the foundation stone of the Nurses '

Home in connection with the Bradford Infirmary , and on the same day the new Lodge Victoria was consecrated ; it was attended not only by the Duke of Devonshire , but by nearl y 100 Worshipful Masters and Officials in the Province

West Yorkshire.

and itivvas seldom they attended in such numbers . He hoped the work . thus so well begun would go on and flourish . The bye-laws had been revised by a Committee ; with'the greatest care , and the . result , he thought , was highly satisfactory . With regard to the West Yorkshire Benevolent Fund ,

everything was going on satisfactorily , and it would isoon--be on its ! feet . He then proceeded ! to invest the following Brethren with' Past' Provincial rariky in accordance with the power vested in him on account of the Jubilee year : —Bros . W . Watson 16 , Halifax , J . Harrison 810 , Skipton , Wardens ;

J . T . Last 2331 , Bradford , Registrar ; H . Telford 387 , Shipley , C . Stokes 1239 , Sheffield , W . Flockton 1042 , Leeds , J : L . Brayshaw 2091 , Settle , Deacons ; J . H . Bolton 1736 , Halifax , ; Superintendent of Works : ; A . Armitage 521 , Huddersfield , D . C ; and W . Isherwood . 750 , Cleckheaton , Standard Bearer .

The Provincial : G .-M . moved that a hundred guineas be voted from the funds of the Prov . Grand Lodge , to further endbw the- P . G . M ; chair-to the Royal Masonic Institution for . Boys ,, in 1 commemoration of its Centenary . Brother C . W . Lupton seconded the motion , which was carried .

The D . P . G . M . " moved that the bye-laws in force be rescinded ; and those submitted" be approved-and adopted . This wasseconded and carried .

Bro . W . C . Lupton , who stated that the location , of the Provincial Offices was for the Provincial Grahd'Master to determine' ; moved : — "That it' be a :-recommendation'to the Provincial Grand Master that , the ^ Secretarial offices , of

Provincial Grand : Lodge be removed . from Wakefield to Leeds . " He remarked that the removal would result in a great saving' of time to the Brethren in the Province . Leeds was much better-advantaged than 1-Wakefield-with : its

train service ,. and as the ProvincialfGrand Master and Deputy Provincial Grand Master were now resident in Leeds they would be more in touch" with the offices than they could be at present ^ and : the work of the Province would be ? more efficientlyi carried ion-.

Bro .- G . H . Smith , Mayor of , Halifax , seconded the motion .

Major Bolton opposed the proposition . The Provincial : Grand Master . ' said ; 'that while he should support the prerogative of the chair in-such matters ^ he , was quite willing to obtain the opinion of the Brethren on the subject-: Loud" cries of " " Vote "' were raised , and on it being'taken 'the majority-were in favour-of the removal .

The Provincial Grand Master having . to leave , the . chair was taken by the Deputy Provincial Grand . Master . Invitations for the next meeting of the Lodge were received from 1 SheffieldLand Wakefield ; and the proceedings terminated . 7— " Yorkshire Post . "

The regular meeting of the Upton Lodge , No . 1227 , is to be h ' eld on Thursday next , at the Great Eastern Hotel , Liverpool Street , E . G ., at five-o ' clock . The business includesithe third degree , for which Bro . Walter Hurley , is . a candidate .

"A Sprig Of Acacia."

" A SPRIG OF ACACIA . "

A PAINFUL sensation , was caused in many circles in Chester on Saturday , by the news of the sudden death of Bro " . Edward Leeming , an active member of' the Dee Lodge , and for the past twelve months a me _ ber-ofthe . Travellers Lodge , No . 2609 , at Chester . Bro . Leeming , who was about fifty to fifty-two years of age , had been in indifferent health for

some time , but was able regularly to attend to his duties , and was at business even so late as Saturday morning . The immediate cause of death is supposed' to have been a clot of blood on the brain . The deceased was very widely esteemed at Chester , where universal sympathy is felfc for his widow and family .

I > EO . JAMES SMITH PUDDICOMBE , an old and respected J > inhabitant of' Carmarthen , died at his residence in that borough , on Saturday morning , after a protracted illness . Born on 11 th December 1820 , at Cuckoo ' s Grove , near Haverfordwest , Bro . Puddicombe was fitted at an early age for the drapery business , and when he removed to Carmarthen he became head of Commerce House , Guildhall Square , an establishment which flourished under his management from 1844 to 1862 . In the

seventies the deceased went to Swansea to reside , the Castle Hotel being under his supervision for about eight years ; Eeturning to Carmarthen , he opened the spirit vaults at which ' he died . Por many years he was a member of the Town Council , and was reported to be the senior Mason of the town having been a member of the Craft since he . was twenty-six years old . He was a lover of sport , and a most genial soul .