Grand Lodge Of Mark Master Masons.

in every respect . Ho concluded by extolling the labours of the Right Hon . the Earl of Limerick during his three years of Graud Mastership , and in tho name of Grand Lodge presented that noble Lord a very haudsome and substantial jewel in recognition thereof . Tho Earl of Limerick in thanking Grand Lodge , in most cordial terms acknowledged the assistauce rendered to him by his

Grand Officers , and gracefully complimented them . The Grand Officers for tho ensuing year were then appointed and invested as follows , viz ., tho Right Hon . tho Earl of Donoughmore R . W . Deputy Grand Master ; V . W . Bros . Lord Henniker G . S . W ., Thos . F . Halsoy P . M . G . J . W ., Thos . J . Sabine G . M . O ., lieg . J . Mure G . S . O ., R . H . Thrupp G . J . O ., Revs . J . II . Hatch and Thos . Radley G . Chaplains ,

Fredk . Davison G . Treas ., H . C . Levander G . Reg ., Fredk . Binckes G . Sec . ; W . Bros . Benj . Smith and Alfred Williams G . S . Deacons , R . G . Smith and Capt . G . Watson G . J . Deacons , W . D . Bright G . Snpt . of Works , Robert Berridge G . D . C ., Martin Kemp A . G . D . C ., Capt . Chas . Hunter G . S . B ., J . B . Shackleton G . Std . B ., R . M . Belcher G . Org ., D . M . Dewar A . G . Sec , J . Salmon G . I . G ., C . Speight

G . Tyler ; W . Hammond , Rev . D . Ace , G . Higgins , 0 . H . Pearson , S . H . Knaggs , H . W . Charrington , Murley , W . Barfoot , S . Jones G . Stowards The following brethren wero nominated by the M . W . G . M . M . to serve on the General Board , viz . —M . W . the Rev . G . R . Portal Presi . dent , and W . Bros . Meggy , Rosenthal , Dibden , Matier , Stidolph , and Cubifct ; and Grand Lodge elected W . Bros . Sabine , Mure , Shackleton ,

H . 0 . Pearson , and Wigginton . Notice was given of the intention to hold a moveable Grand Lodge under the auspices of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Cumberland and Westmoreland , at the Court House , Keswick , on Friday , tho 14 th June , when the Fletcher Lodge , No . 213 , and the Henry Lodgo , No . 21 G , will be respectively consecrated . Grand Mark Lodge was then closed in solemn form , and the members adjourned to banquet , which was , in the unavoidable absence of tho M . W . G . M . M ., presided over by the Earl of Limerick .

Committee Meeting Of The Boys' School.

COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE BOYS ' SCHOOL .

niHE monthly meoting of the General Committee of the Royal J- Masonic Institution for Boys was held at the Freemasons' Hall last Saturday afternoon . Bro . Henry Browse , P . G . D ., presided . The meeting was very largely attended , the election of the House Committee being on the day ' s paper of business . After the minutes of the last meeting had been confirmed , Bros . Webster , H . Cox , Willing , Cubitt and Jardino were appointed Scrutineers of votes for the election . Tho petitious of the friends of five candidates were

then considered , aud tho live children were placed on the list for October . Tho salary of the Assistant Matron wa 3 raised from £ 40 to £ 50 a year , and Bro . Binckes reported that Bro . Plucknett , the Treasurer , had received from Mr . Turqnand , as representing the estate of Messrs . Willis , Percival and Co ., £ 730 Os 3 d , paid by tho Hants and North Wilts Bank as a composition at the rate of 9 s in the £ 1 on the balance of this Institution in the hands of Messrs . Willis , Percival

and Co . at the date of their failure . Bro . Binckes said there was an amount of £ 75 4 s 4 d to the credit of the Institution on the Sustentation Fund , but this would probably be paid in full out of the privato estate of Bro . Samuel Tomkins . Bro . Binckos road a resolution of the Lodge of Harmony , 298 , Rochdale , congratulating the Institution on its success at the last Cambridge Local Examination . Outfits were granted to four late pupils , who had obtained situations , and were conducting themselves with satisfaction to their employers .

£ 100 was voted from the General to the Sustentation Fund , and Bro . Benjamin Head reported tho presentation of Mrs . Monckton's portrait . Dr . Jabez Hogg having suggested tho desirability of providing workshops at the Institution , for the cultivation of a knowledge of Mechanical Arts among the pupils , the subject was referred to the House Committee , to consider and report upon to the next Quarterly Court . The following brethren were elected the House Committee : —

Bro . J . Gyles Chancellor .... with 80 votes . „ Benjamin Head - - - ,, 78 „ „ Henry Wallis Hunt - - - „ 76 „ „ W . F . C . Moutrio - - - „ 78 „ „ J . Joyce Murray . - - „ 78 ,, „ William Paas „ 78 „

„ W . Hyde Pnllen . - . „ 79 „ „ William Roebuck - - - ,, 80 „ „ Sigismund Rosenthal - - - „ 76 „ „ G . J . Row „ 79 „ „ R . W . Stewart - - - - „ 78 „ „ Stephen Wood „ 75 „

The following brethren , nomiuated on 4 th May 1878 , being the number required for the Finance and Audit Committee , were duly elected without ballot : — Bro . John Boyd Bro . D . W . Pearso „ J . W . Dosell „ Jesse Turner „ E . B . Grabham „ Alex . Wallace

„ Benjamin Head „ R . B . Webster „ W . Mann

Presentation Of A Testimonial To Dr. Strong.

PRESENTATION OF A TESTIMONIAL TO DR . STRONG .

rpHE usual Quarterly Visit of the House Committee of the Royal X Masonic Benevolent Institution was paid at the Asylum at Croydon on the 31 st ult .. and after the business of tho day was over ,

Presentation Of A Testimonial To Dr. Strong.

a fewfnends wero iuvited to meet Dr . Strong , tho Honorary Surgeon to tho Institution , and Mrs . Strong at dinner , whereat Col . Creaton , Vice-patron and Trustee , presided as Chairman . Bro . Terry , Secretary to tho Institution , took the Vico-chair , and tho other ladies and gentlemen present were Bro . Samuel Rawson , Bro . Raynham Stewart , Bro . J . A . Farnfield , Bro . Morgan , Bro . Georgo

ioi-ster , Bro . H . Massey , Bro . James Adams , Mr . Hunt , Mrs . Terry and Mrs . Hunt , and Bro . Norris , Warden . The occasion of the party was to witness tho presentation of a haudsome silver service of plate , of tho value of 100 guineas , which , on the motion of Bro . Raynham Stewart , tho Committee of Management—as reported in the columns of tho FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE—voted to Dr . Strong , as Honorary

Surgeon of the Institution . After dinner , Col . Creaton first proposed " The Institution , " which Bro . Terry acknowledged , and said ho hoped it would maintain its present proud position of being at the bead of the three Institutions in the amount of its annual receipts . It was now payiug to 280 aged brethren and widows £ 10 , 300 a year ; aud last year its receipts amounted to the grand total of over

£ 16 , 000 . When Dr . Strong first became Honorary Surgeon to the Institution its income was only £ 2000 or £ 3000 a year . The Chairman , in presenting Dr . Strong with the testimonial , said Dr . Strong had done good suit and service to tho Institution for many years , and his services had not been forgotten by the Committee . At tho last meeting of the Committee a hundred guineas were voted

for tho purpose of providing a testimonial to him , and though this was but a small recognition of his eminent services , Dr . Strong would take it in tho spirit in which it was meant . It was not only the Committee , but all the inmates of tho Institution , who were fully alivo to tho care and attention ho paid to them . The inscription on the salver , which was a portion of the testimonial , was : — " Presented

together with a service of plate of tho value of one hundred guineas , by the Committee of Management , on behalf of tho Royal Masouio Benevolent Institntion for Aged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons , to HENRY JOHN STRONG , Esq ., M . D ., Past Prov . Grand Warden Surrey , in recognition of the great attention and valuable services rendered by him to tho residonts of the Institution at

Croydon during a period of 17 years as the Honorary Surgeon . 31 st May 1878 . " Ho trusted that Dr . Strong would live many years to pursue his life of usefulness , aud , together with Mrs . Strong , look upon this testimonial with feeling 3 of satisfaction . Dr . Strong , who was visibly affected , in reply—after apologising for his inability to return thanks adequately—said , that it was true he had been

connected with the Institntion for more than seventeen years , bnt still he trusted that it might bo many years before his connection with it was severed . It was also his hope that the connection between the Chairman and the Committee might long continue , and that the brethren might long see an extended course of the career of usefulness which had resulted to the Institntion from that connection .

What he had done for tho Institution was a labour of love . The Institution was a hobby of his , and he always endeavoured , both in tho building and abroad , to do the best he could for it . The other Masonic Institutions had no doubt great claims on the Craft , but ho held that to solace tho aged and afflicted was the primary duty of Freemasons . That was the object he had in view , and he had always

tried to give effect to it . Time had wrought great changes in the Institution . The numbor of its annuitants had greatly increased since he was first its Honorary Surgeon . Bro . Terry had said that they wero now spending £ 10 , 000 where they , seventeen years ago , spent £ 3 , 000 ; and as this was the case , it was a proof that even greater exertions on behalf of tho Institntion were required than

heretofore . The handsome present just mado to him would be an encouragement to him to go on in tho future as he had gone on in the past . Ho looked upon it as an exceedingly kind and considerate thing that tho testimonial should havo been presented to him in the very building where his labours had been carried on , where ho was surrounded by tho 3 e brethren and widows to whom he had

endeavoured to be of service . He tendered his best thanks to Bro . Raynham Stewart for proposing to the Committee of Management that this testimonial should be voted . This was not the first time his services had been recognised , for in January 1877 tho iumates of the Institution presented him with the handsome watch he was now wearing , a cabinet of microscopical instruments , and the elegant

locket which his wife now wore . Ho concluded by thanking the brethren , and hoping that if ho had not said sufficient the company would ascribe it to his inability to say all he felt . " Tho health of the Chairman " was proposed by Bro . Raynham W . Stewart , and Col . Creaton , in reply , expressed what great pleasure it had given him to present the testimonial to Dr . Strong . " Tho health of Dr .

and Mrs . Strong , with many happy returns of the day , " was proposed by Bro . Terry , the following day being the anniversary of their wedding day . Mr Hunt returned thanks for the toast of " Tho Visitors , " aDd testified , as an old resident in Croydon , to the useful , ness of Dr . Strong as a public man . Some other toasts were after , wards honoured , and the brethren returned to town after spending a delightful evening .

Hilda Chapter , Rose Croix . —Tho regular Meeting of this Chapter was held at the Queen's Hotel , York , on Monday last , at 3 p . m . Present , Bros . T . Cooper M . W . S ., C . J . Banister 33 ° , S . G . Inspector General for tho Northern District , J . W . Woodall 31 ° , W . H . Britain 31 ° , T . B . Whyteheadlnteud . General , J . S . Cumberland Marshal , M . Millington Raphael , A . T . B . Turner Recorder ; J . Ward Capt . of Guards , G . Simpson D . of Ceremonies , P . H . Rowlans Org .,

& c . Bros . S . Chadwick , and J . Wiufindale , having been regularly approved , were dnly perfected . Votes of thanks were pissed to Bros . M . Millington and A . T . B . Turner for several very valuable gifts presented by them to the Chapter . 111 . Bro . C . J . Banister 33 ° expressed his gratification at having been enabled to be present , and seo the Chapter so efficiently worked as it had been that evening . A banquet was subsequently held .