Provincial Grand Lodge Of Somerset.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF SOMERSET .

THE annual Provincial Grand Lodge of Somerset was held on the 31 st ult ., ai the Town Hall , Wellington , under the banner of the Fidelity and Sincerity Lodge , No . 1966 . The Provincial Grand Master Bro . tho Right Hon . Viscount Dimgarvan presided , and was supported on

hia rigi't by the Doputy Provincial Grand Mastor Brother R . C . Fa ' se P . G . D . of England . The Town Hall was very tastefully and appropriately decorated for the occasion , and there was a numerous attendance of brethren , the whole of the Lodges throughout the Province being represented * *

The Provincial Grand Secretary ( Bro . J . C . Hunt ) , read the minutes of the Provincial Grand Lodge held at Bath , on the 14 th May * of last year , and they wore confirmed , as were also the minutes of spe cial Lodges held at the formation of the Exmoor Lodge ( M iuehead ) , and on the occasion

of the opening of the Masonic Hall , at Frome and the laying of the foundation stonei of the Art and Technical Schools at Weston-super-Mare . On the motion of the Provincial Grand Master ( Lord Dungarvan ) , seconded by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master ( Bro . Else ) , a

resolution was entered on the minutes of profound sympathy with Her Majesty and the Prince and Princess of Wales in their bereavement on tbe occasion of the death of Bro . the Duke of Clarence . The Provincial Grand Treasurer ( Bro . C . L . Fry Edwards ) next presented his annual statement

of accounts , from which it appeared that the income during the past year amounted to £ 230 5 s lOd , and the expenditure to £ 178 6 s 6 d . The balance in hand last year was

£ 133 14 s 3 d , and this year £ 148 18 s 7 d . Brother C . L . Fry Edwarda waa unanimously re-appointed Provincial Grand Treasuror , on the motion of Brother White , seconded by Bro . Radway , and thanked for his past

. Tho Provincial Grand Master appointed and invested tho Provincial Grand Lodgo Officers for tho ensuing year , as follows : — Bro . J . Moyler 261 S . W . B . Watts G 3 J . W .

Rev . McConnell 379 ... ... | Ch laina Rev . A . W . Weatherly 17 o 5 ... ) * C . L . Fry Edwards ... ... Treasurer C . Western 2038 ... ... Registrar J . C . Hunt 135 ... ... Seoretary J . T . Dunsford 291 ... ... Assistant Seorotary

G . Parry ... ... ... a . u . W . H . Price 1296 ... ... J . D . A . P . Judge 1953 ... ... Supt . of Works E . A . Cross 446 ... ... Dir . of Cers . F . H . Railton 291 ... ... Assist . Dir . of Cers . E . Stephens 1197 ... ... Sword Bearer TW Nai 8 Vo nR ] Standard Bearers J . Hay ward 906 ... ... J A . Edwards 437 ... ... Organist W . H . Clark 1750 ... ... Pursnivant C . Lookyer 976 ... ... Assist . Pursuivant Salter ... ... ... Tyler Bigwood ... ... ... Assistant Tyler The Provincial Grand Secretary next read a satisfactory

report of the Charity Organisation for the past year , which was adopted . A luncheon was subsequently held at the Squirrel Hotel , Wellington , under tho presidency of the Provincial Grand Master .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Gloucestershire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE .

rTIHE Provincial Grand Lodge of Gloucestershire was _ L held on the 1 st instant , at Cirencester , under the presidency of the Right Hon . Sir Michael Hicks-Beach ,

Bart ., M . P . The Lodge was held at the Corn Hall , which was handsomely fitted up for the occasion . The banners of the Lodges in the Province adorned the walls , in the

following order : —Royal Faith and Friendship Lodge , Berkeley , No . 270 , Royal Union Lodge , Cheltenham , 246 , Foundation Lodge , Cheltenham , 82 , Royal Lebanon Lodge , Gloucester , 493 , Cotteswold Lodge , Cirencester , 592

Sherborne Lodge , Stroud , 702 , St . John s Lodge , Dursley , 761 , Royal Gloucestershire Lodge , Gloucester , 839 , Lodge of Sympathy , Wotton-under-Edge , 855 , St . George ' s Lodge , Tewkesbury , 900 , Prince of Wales' Lodge , Stow-oa-the-Wold , 951 , Zetland Lodge , Gloucester , 1005 , Royal Forest

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Gloucestershire.

of Dean Lodge , Nownham , 1007 , Tyndall Lodge , Chipping Sodbury , 13 t 3 o , Hicks-Beach Lodge , Stroud , 2407 . Prior to the opening of the Provincial Grand Lodge a Lodge of Recreation was held at the seat of the Right

Hon . Earl Bathurst , in his Lordship ' s park . About 150 of the brethren availed themselves of the invitation , and this proved a most enjoyable feature of the day ' s proceedings .

At half-past throe o ' clock tho Provincial Grand Lodgo was opened in the Corn Hall , when tho attendance waa very large . Tho Provincial Grand Maater presided , and he was supported by the following Provincial Grand Lodgo Officers : —Bros . R . V . Vassar-Smith Deputy Master ,

General Vizard Senior Warden , R . W . Northcott Junior Warden , the Rev . Chris . V . Childe Chaplain , J . Naysmith Registrar , T . Nelson Poster Treasurer , James B . Wintorbotham Secretary , J . W . Drew Senior Deacon , Robert

Anderson jun . Junior Deacon , R . J . Weston Supt . of Works , Dr . Needham and Dr . Campbell Directors of Ceremonies , William Heath Sword Bearor , J . P . Thomas and S . W . Hadingham Standard Bearers , E . G . Woodward

Organist , Henry T . Jew Pursuivant , J . A . Goold , Sidney

Bloodworth and William Rice Stewards . The Lodge having been opened in the usual manner , tho first business was the confirmation of the minutes of the Provincial Grand Lodge held at Dursley , on 19 th May 1891 . The next business on the agenda was " to receive

the report of the Provincial Grand Treasurer . " Brother T . N . Foster then submitted a detailed statement , which showed that the receipts were £ 161 5 s , and the year closed with a balance in hand of about £ 74 . The report of the

Charity Committee was presented by Bro . R . V . Vassar-Smith D . P . G . M . After , devoting a considerable sum to Masonic Charities , thero was a balance in hand of £ 115 12 a 4 d . The D . P . G . M . reminded tho brethren that

Sir Michael would this year preside at the Annual Festival of the Boys' Institution , and expressed a hope that he would be well supported on that occasion . Bro . T . Nelson was then formally proposed and unanimously re-elected Treasurer , and the vacancy caused by the death of Brother

Phillips was filled by the unanimous election of Brother Window ( Sympathy Lodge , Wotton-under-Edge ) as Tyler . The charity votes having been passed , Bro . R , V . Vassar-Smith moved that the sum of 100 guineas he voted to the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , to endow the chair of

the Prov . Grand Master in perpetuity , in celebration of this year being the fourth occasion Sir Michael would preside at the Festival . The role of the Lodges was then called , and the respective reports proved that Masonry in tho Province was generally in a flourishing condition . At tho conclusion of this formal business , the Prov . Grand Master

then , in an able manner , appointed and invested the Provincial Grand Officers for the ensuing year , as follows : — Bro . Sir Lionel Edward Darell , Bart . Senior Warden R . Ellett ... ... ... Junior Warden

Rev . Alfred Bond ... ... Chaplain E . G . Woodward ... ... Registrar T . Nelson Foster ... ... Treasnrer Jas . B . Winterbotham ... " Seoretary Colonel R . Rogers ... ... Senior Deacon

E . H . Henly ... ... ... Junior Deacon T . A . Huband ... ... Superintendent of Works Edwin"ta ::: :: ; I :: ] Direotor ° Ceremonies

W . Roberts ... ... ... Sword Bearer

Henr 7 ? e 8 ague ¦•Z ^ } Standard Bearers Frank Forty ... ... ... Organist R . P . Snmner ... ... Pursuivant Window ... ... ... Tyler E . Dallimore ... ... ... ">

J . Rawlins ... ... ... > Stewards T . B . Porter .. ... ... ) Before the business concluded , Sir Michael thanked the

brethren for the evidence of the substantial support ho would have at the forthcoming Boys' Festival . The usual banquet was served at the King ' s Head Hotel , Sir Michael in the chair , when the usual Loyal and Masonic toasts were hononred .

The brethren attending the Provincial Grand Lodge numbered about 200 , and the event was regarded as a very successful one .

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FUNERALS properly carried out and personally attended , in London and Country , by Bro . G . A . HUTTON , 17 Newcastle Street , Strand . W . C . Monuments ereoted . Valuations made .