Committee Meeting Of The Boys' School.

Orillard , George Cooper , Edward Baxter , and F . Binckes ( Secretary ) . On the recommendation of the House Committee , it -was resolved to invest a further sum of £ 1 , 000 . There were five petitions before the Committee , four of which , after examination , were passed , and the boys were

p laced on the list for the April election : the fifth -was deferred . Outfits of £ 5 each were granted to four exptip ils of the Institution , and £ 15 to a fifth . The following Notices of Motion were given for the Quarterly Court next Monday : —

1 . That tho days of election in the two ( Boys' and Girls' ) Institutions remain unaltered , provided only—that when the Qnarterly Courts for tho election of Candidates shall fall respectively on the

Satnrday immediately following Good Friday and on Easter Monday , the Quarterly Court iu each case shall be postponed to the corresponding days in the ensuing weeks .

2 . That whenever the Quarterly Courts for the election of Candidates in the two ( Boys' and Girls' ) Institutions shall fall respectively on tho Saturday immediately following Good Friday and on Easter Monday , the Quarterly Coort in each case shall be postponed for one week .

By Brother J . L . Mather , V . P . —To amend Rule 55 , as follows : — No boy shall be eligible for election or for admission by purchase or otherwise who has a brother in the Institution , unless the number of vacancies is in excess of the number of candidates .

Bro . W . H . Saunders moved a vote of congratulation to Bro . Binckes on bis recovery from his recent severe illness , and stated that the Committee were pleased to see him back again in his place . The motion having been seconded by Bro . J . L . Mather , was put , and carried

unanimously . Bro . Binckes acknowledged the vote , and said the Committee were not more pleased to see him back again than he was pleased to be back . However , if he

took the advice of his medical attendant , he should have to be quiet for the next six months ; but that would not mean a want of interest in the Institution . The Committee then adjourned .

The Committee of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution met at Freemasons' Hall , on Wednesday , at four p . m ., when there were present Bros . Raynham Stewart ( in the chair ) , Tate , Cottebrune , Custance , Perceval ,

Woodford , Dilley , Gallant , Farnfield , Cass , Robbins , C . H . Webb , Goodall , W . Stephens , Moore , Godtschalk , Tattershall , Rawson , Daniels , W . Verry , H . Massey , and James Terry Secretary . The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed . A letter was read from General

Brownrigg , C . B ., accepting the President's chair for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Festival in February 1883 ; it was received with pleasure . The Secretary reported two deaths since the last meeting . The Beport of the Audit Committee was read , received , adopted , and ordered to be entered on the minutes . Petitions were then read from two brothers , and one widow , which were accepted . All business being ended , the meeting was dissolved .

There is expected to be some contest on Satnrday over the confirmation of a resolution come to at last Quarterly Court to preclude purchasing into the Masonic Girls' School a sister of any girl admitted by election , unless the vacancies exceed the number of candidates . Already no two sisters can be in the Institution at the same time by election . Some brethren think that so long as a girl can be purchased into tho School she should bo admitted , but the general

opinion seems to he the other way . in the case of life presentations , that is , whore an individual has already paid £ 500 on condition that he or i-he during his . or her life shonld always have one child in the School , or whero Provinces have paid the sum of £ 1 , 050 sterling for the same privilege , the original condition shonld hold good , but the understanding , should be that fntnre purchases will

not inclnde the sisters of inmates of the Institution . There is also to be a proposition brought forward on Saturday to present a donation of 35 guineas to the second assistant governess , who has obtained the appointment of head governess of the Dublin Female Orphan school . It is always considered ungallant to oppose auythiug in which a lady is interested , bnt it is to be hoped that the Craft as a J . . . . V . ~~ .. ^ . , . . . . . . . « "W « V * . . £ . —

< Dotly will bestir themselves in the matter of the increasing expenses ot the Masonic Institutions . Donations to clerks and other employes , ? ° increase of salaries iu all directions , portraits of leading indt * iann | g , besides the sums of money given to children leaving thb j 00 ' * , are now absorbing an amount that might- profitably be em-P "' yctl in extending the benefits of the Charities . —Evening Nev ; s .

St . Hartin ' s-le-Grand Chapter , Bo . 1536 .-At a meeting ° ' tn : a Chaptrr , held at the Guildhall Tavern , on the 3 rd inst ., Comp . ^ eorge Gregory was installed into the chair of Z ., but , owing to a ecent famil y bereavement , was unable to preside at the usual ° wiqaet .

Province Of Hampshire And The Isle Of Wight.

PROVINCE OF HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT .

A SPECIAL Provincial Grand Lodgo will shortly be summoned for the purpose of electing a irentlemaii to fill tho offico of Prov . G . Treasurer , which , as has already been announced , was relinquished at the last annual P . G . meeting by Bro . Hark E . Frost , who , after seven . teen years' arduous service , finding that failing energies incapacitated him from carrying out tho duties with that zeal which had hitherto characterised his Masonic career , desired to bu relieved of his

responsibility . No successor was appointed at the time , as revised bye-laws were being considered for tho future government of tho Proviuco , and these in somo measure affected tho duties of tho Officers . It is anticipated that a Portsmouth brother will again be elected to fill the post , it having been the custom for many years past ( the Secretary being olected from the Southampton Lodges ) that tho Treasurer

should be chosen at Portsmouth . Bro . Frost retires from his active Masonic duties with the good wishes of every Lodge in the Province , and the P . G . Master ( W . VV . B . Beach , Esq ., M . P . ) has personally expressed his regret at the termination of his long period of office , and thanks for his valuable assistance and counsel on many occasions . Bro . Frost has filled the chair in several of the

local Lodges , and his first office in the Province was that of Grand Superintendent of Works . He was olected P . G . Treasurer at a special P . G . Lodge , held at Portsmouth , iu 1865 . At that time a sum of £ 100 was invested , and £ 262 was received by him from tbe representatives of his predecessor . Tho progress of Freemasonry in the Province is evidenced by the fact that at the present date the sum

invested has been iucreased to £ 800 , and a balance of £ 390 19 s 4 d in cash was banded over by Bro . Frost on relinquishing office . During th 9 seventeen years , the sum of £ 1 , 831 13 s has been disbursed in Charity , viz ., £ 907 3 s to individual Masons , or some members of their family requiring pecuniary assistance , and £ 867 10 s to tho three In . stitutions connected with the Craft . These donations to the Masonio Institutions have secured the following votes in perpetuity for the

Province : —Boys' School , 105 ; Girls' Sohool , 31 ; Royal Masonio Benevolent Institution , 3 G . The enrrent expenses have amounted to £ 766 lis in the seventeen years . It mnst have been a gratifying circumstance to Bro . Frost that , having received funds to the amount of £ 362 on acceding to office , he was enabled on retirement to hand over a larger amount , viz ., £ 390 in cash , in addition to bonds for £ 800 , invested principally in Colonial Government Securities . — Portsmouth Times .

Ye Antiente Fraternitie Of Ye Rahere Almoners.

YE ANTIENTE FRATERNITIE OF YE RAHERE ALMONERS .

THE annual Festival of the above fraternity has , bv special request of Bro . the Lord Mayor , been postponed till Monday , the 23 rd inst ., tho 20 th having been appointed by bis Lordship , the Junior Grand Warden of England , for the entertainment of the Grand Officers and members of his Lodge , No . 1 , at the Mansion House . The Kahere Festival promises to bo a very unique affair . "Ye Lord

Mayore offe ye Citio of London wille be in ye Chair atte VI offe ye clocke , " and will be supported by the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex ( of whom Bro . Aid . De Keyser is ono ) , and numerous mem . bers of the Court of Common Council . We are informed that during the banqupt a boar ' s hpad will be introduced in ancient style of Stato and Old English Carol : and that much of the cinaintness which

characterised the Inauguration Festival of the Society last year , at the Crystal Palace , and contributed so much to its success , will be repeated at the Cannon-street Hotel on the 20 th inst . Tho Kahere Almoners have , in the words of the Lord Mayor , "done good and useful work" dnring tbe past winter , and we cordially wish them that further support which a testimony of that kind from so influential a personage should certainly secure .

The Lord Mayor , Grand Junior Warden , will entertain his brother Grand Officers for the year , and the members of the Grand Master ' s Lodge No . 1 , of which he is row Worshipful Master , and other Masonic gnests , at the Mansion Honse on Friday , the 20 th inst . Sir Francis W . Truscott gnvo a similar entertainment during his mayor , nit } - , when ho was Grand Junior Warden . On that occasion the Prince of Wales was the principal guest of the evening . —Evening News .

GIIPIN ' S "FOUEST SCENERY . " —Messrs . Sampson Low , Marston and Company , are about to publish a cheap edition of the illustrated re-issue of Gilpin ' s " Forest Scenery , " edited , with notes bringing it up to date , by Mr . F . G . Heath , author of "Antumnal

Leaves . " It is a curious fact that the psisteuco of the third E lition of " Forest Scenery , " which was revised by Gilpin himself , and which forms the text of Mr . Heath ' s reprint , was unknown to Sir T . D . Lander , first Editor of this famous work , and there is no copy of it even in the British Museum .

THE ELKCTIUC LIGHT AT WATKUCOO Ho us L \—The extensive premises comprising nearly tho whole of the quadrangle formed by Cnckspur-street , Trafalgar-square , Pall Mall East , and the frontage directlv looking down Pall Mall , and which have for so manv vears

Iiecn known as Waterloo Hon « e , and in tho occupatiou of Messrs . Hailing . Pearce , and Stone , have just acquired a , very snecessful installation of 10 Arc Electric Lights which have been furnished by the Metropolitan ( Brush ) Electric Light Company , the power generator beiug a 12 horse power ( nominal ) Otto gas engine .