United Grand Lodge.

The Board also submit a Statement of the Grand Lodge Accounts at the last meeting of the Finance Committee , held on Friday , the nth day of May igoo , showing a balance in the Bank of England ( Law Courts Branch ) of ^ 11 , 787 13 s 3 d , and in the hands of the Grand Secretary for Petty Cash ; £ ioo , and for Servants ' Wages £ .

( Signed ) RICHARD LOVELAND-LOVELAND , President .

Freemasons' Hall , London , W . C ., 15 th May 1900 . This being the last Meeting of the present Board , it was resolved unanimously : " That a most hearty and cordial vote of thanks be accorded the President , V . W . Bro . Richard Loveland-Loveland , Q . C ., for the skill , ability , and courtesy displayed by him while presiding over the Meetings of the Board during the past year .

( Signed ) WILLIAM JAMES MASON , Vice-President .

15 th May 1900 . The proposition by Bro . Farnfield , to vote £ 70 for coal for the inmates of the Masonic Institution at Croydon ; and that by Bro . Burgess , to alter the time of meeting of Grand Lodge to 6 o'clock ; were agreed to , and the other business completed , after which Grand Lodge was closed .

The following is a list of those successful in the election of Brethren , to serve on the Board of General Purposes , together with the number of votes recorded for each :

P . M . Lodge Votes polled . James Speller 1677 481 Arthur Blenkarn 2381 440 William Cleghorn 1287 380 Charles J . Knightley 174 307 Robert Manuel 1196 295

James Willing , jun . 1987 289 James Beresford Byley , M . D . 1423 286 Arthur George Duck 898 267 James Whittaker Burgess 1325 258 Bernard Groner 1613 258 Arthur G . Sandbars , M . D . 3 257

Arthur Williams 834 249 William John Batho 1708 247 Frederick Atkinson Powell 2416 212 Henry W . Roberts , M . D . 1293 193 Japheth Tickle 12 190 Edwin Styles 704 183 Frank P . Telfer 12 153

List of Lodges for which Warrants had been granted . by the M . W . Grand Master since the last Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge . 2804 . —The Seymour Lodge , Redditch , Warwickshire . 2805 . — -The Balfour Cockburn Lodge , Guernsey . 2806 . —The Lodge of the Three Pillars , Cockington , Devon .

2807 . —The Paddington Rifles Lodge , London . 2808 . —The Erkenwald Lodge , London . 2809 . —The Capital . and Counties Lodge ., London . 2810 . —The Abiff Lodge , Saxmundham , Suffolk . . 2811 . —The St . John Lodge , Coventry , Warwickshire .

2812 . —The St . Martin Lodge , Fenny Stratford , Bucks . 2813 . —The Hope Lodge , Savannalamar , Jamaica . 2814 . —The Fleetwood Lodge , Liverpool . 2815 . —The Southport Temperance Lodge , Southport , Lancashire . 2816 . —The Bowen Lodge , Chesham , Bucks .

Mark Grand Lodge.

MARK GRAND LODGE .

rpHE Quarterly Communication of this Grand Lodge was JL held on Tuesday , at Mark Masons' Hall , London , under the presidency of the Earl of Euston Pro G . M ., who was supported by a very large number of members of the Degree , the attendance being more than usual , on account of its being the day for the annual appointment of Officers .

The Grand Secretary Bro . C . F . Matier first read a letter , written by command of the Prince of "Wales , acknowledging the vote passed at the special meeting of Grand Lodge on 27 th April , congratulating the Grand Master on his merciful preservation from the attempt on his life .

The Report of the General Board was then dealt with , being regularly received and adopted . It was to the following effect :

REPORT OF THE GENERAL BOARD . 5 th June 1900 . During the three months ending 31 st March 1900 , there have been issued : —Mark Certificates , 727 ; total registered , 41 , 483 . Since the last report , five Warrants have been granted for

new Lodges , viz : No . 536 , Friendship , Cairo , Egypt . No . 537 , Union , Mansaurah , Egypt . No . £ 38 , Philanthropic , King ' s Lynn , Norfolk .

Mark Grand Lodge.

No . 539 , Bundaberg , Bundaberg , Queensland . No . 540 , North Devon Union , Ilfracombe . Royal Ark Mariners Certificates , 79 ; number registered , 6 , 20 5 . His Royal Highness the Most Worshipful Grand Maste - hasbeen graciously pleased to re-appoint for a further term of three years :

R . W . Bro . Sir Augustus Frederick God 5 jn . is i rovincial Grand Master for Worcestershire . R . W . Bro . His Excellency Idris Bey Ragheb as District Grand Master for North Africa . The Warrants of the South Melbourne Lodge , No . 310 5 the Waranga Lodge , No . 371 ; and the South Melbourne Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners , No . 310 , have been returned to Grand Lodge through . the District Grand Master for Victoria .

The Warrant of the St . Georges Lodge , No . 492 , Larnaka , Cyprus , lias been returned to Grand Lodge , all the former members having died , or permanently left the Island . An irregularity in the Isaac Newton Lodge , No . 112 , of Royal Ark Mariners , was reported to the Grand Master's Royal Ark-Council , a Brother having been installed as Commander without

a dispensation , he not being at the time an installed Master of . a Lodge of Mark Master Masons . After careful consideration , the Council directed that the Lodge should apply for a dispensation and that the Brother be re-obligated as Commander in the presence of a Board of Installed Commanders at the next regular meeting . The Lodge was also fined the sum of half-a-guinea .

The Board have the pleasure to announce that the sum of ^ 700 has been repaid by the general Fund to the Annuity Fund , leaving a sum of . £ 700 stm due to tne Annuity Fund .

FUND OF BENEVOLENCE . The M . W . Bro . Right non . the Earl of Euston Pro Grand Master has kindly consented to preside at the thirty-second Annual Festival in aid ' of the Benevolent Fund , which will be held at the Freemasons' Tavern , on Wednesday , 11 th July 1900 , and the Grand Secretary will be happy to receive the names of Ladies and Brethren willing to act as Stewards . Mrs . Rowe , widow of Bro . Alexander Rowe , late an Annuitant , has been placed on the Annuity Fund under Rule 203 , Sub-section XIV .

Bro . William Furze , Copley Lodge , No . 111 , m the Province of West Yorkshire , and Mrs . Annie Cooper Smyth , widow of Bro . Charles Smyth , of St . Wilfrid ' s Lodge , No . 209 , in the Province of Lincolnshire , have been elected on the Annuity Branch without proceeding to a formal poll . The following cases have been relieved :

Bro . W . D . R ., Lodge No . 94 , ^ io . Mrs . M . E . F . ( widow of a . Brother of Lodge No . 38 ) , £ ™ . Mrs . M . A . S . M . ( widow of a Brother of Lodge No . ' 17 ) . £ l ° -

Mrs . H . R . T . ( widow of a Brother of Lodge No . 184 ) , £ 10 . The Board recommend that the sum of ^ 26 be voted to Bro . H . J . G ., Canynges Lodge , T . I .

R . LOVELAND-LOVELAND , President . FRANK RICHARDSON , Vice-President . C . F . MATIER , Grand Secretary . 3 rd May 1900 .

At the conclusion of the ordinary business , the following resolution was passed : "That the' cordial thanks of the Members of the General Board be and are hereby tendered to their

President , R . W . Bro . Loveland-Loveland , Q . C ., for the very able and courteous manner in which he has presided over the meetings of the Board during the past year . ' ' FRANK RICHARDSON , Vice-President .

The Prince of Wales was then declared as re-installed Grand Master , his proclamation by Bro . _ H . E . Cousans Grand Director of Ceremonies calling forth a hearty expression of loyal enthusiasm on the part of the assembled

Brethren . The Earl of Euston continues in his Office of Pro Grand Master , the Hon . Alan de Tatton Egerton , M . P ., was invested as Deputy Grand Master , and the Grand Officers for the year were appointed .

Grand Lodge was afterwards closed , and the Annual Festival was celebrated , the Earl of Euston Pro G . M . presiding .

''A Sprig Of Acacia.''

''A SPRIG OF ACACIA . ''

WE have just been informed of the death of Bro , George Edward Sharland , one of the . oldest and most respected Freemasons in Gravesend , which occurred on

Tuesday , 29 th ult ., at his residence in Whitehill Road . Bro . Sharland , who was in his 83 rd year , was a Past Master of a local Lodge , and a Past Provincial Officer of Kent . The mneral took place on Friday of last week .