Prov. Grand Lodge Of Cheshire.

PROV . GRAND LODGE OF CHESHIRE .

THE annual meeting was held on Thursday , tho 8 th instant , at Stockport . The Provincial Grand Mark Lodgo having been opened by Lord Egerton of Tatton , tho roll of Lodges and roll of Provincial Grand Officers was called , and all were found to bo represented . The P . G .

Treasurer , Brother F . K . Stevenson , submitted his statement of accounts , showing a balance in hand of £ 25 . Bro . Stevenson was Te-elected Prov . Grand Treasurer , and Bros . Atkinson and P . Duff Auditors for the ensuing year . His Lordship than appointed and invested his Officers for tho ensuing year , as follows : —

lion . Alan de Tatton Egerton , M . P . D . P . G . M . M . Lieut .-Col . S . W . Wilkinson Senior Warden John Ashton Junior Warden Eev . J . W . Newell-Tanner Chaplain F . K . Stevenson Treasurer W . Eamsden Registrar R . NewhouBe Secretary ^ John Morris M . O . " P . Duff S . O .

F . S . Moore J . O . J . Mantle Senior Deacon John Woolley Junior Deacon A . Atkinson Dir . of Cers . J . VV . White Assist . Dir . of Cers . James Cookson Sword Bearer James Worsnnp Innpeotor of Works J . G . Hallwood Standard Bearer II . Lomas Pursuivant iTSL}8ta»rf''

His Lordship afterwards addressed the P . G . Lodge , after which the brethren unanimously resolved to voto ten guineas to the Mark Benevolent Fund . Birkenhead was selected as the next place of meeting .

HENNIKER LODGE , No . 315 . A MEETING of this flourishing Lodge took place on Tuesday , the 6 th inst ., at Mark Masons' Hall , there boing present Bros . Barnett jun . P . P . G . M . O . Middlesex and Surroy W . M ., Crntoh S . W ., Lane J . W ., Nicholls S . O ., J . Terry P . G . A . D . O . Treasurer , Hogard P . G . St . B . Seoretary , Moore Registrar of Marks , Warner S . D ., Criok J . D ., Gluokstein I . G ., Col . Radcliffe , Cox P . M . ' s , and

Matier G . Secretary . Visitors : Driver 6 . 1 . of W ., Maple W . M . Old Kent Lodge , Danford Thomas , and Ferguson . The Lodge being opened , ballots were taken for Bros . Moore , Kift , and Richardson , whioh were unanimously favourable . Bros . Cnlverwell , Gale , Moore and Kiffc were advanced to the degree of M . M ., the ceremony being performed in a most perfect and impressive manner by the W . M .

The W . M . then invested Bro . Kift as Honorary Organist of the Lodge . The brethren then repaired to the Holborn Restaurant , where Bro . Hamp had prepared one of those reoheroho little dinners ho knows so well how to provide . The pleasure of the evening was much enhanced by the vocal abilities of Bros . Kiffc , Moore , and Lane .

We wish that Canon Tristram , or Mr . Straohan , or some other Masonic authority would enlighten us more about early Freemasonry . It would interest us all to know something about the men who bnilt the old castles of Durham and Northumberland , and to know to what Lodge the builders of Durham Cathedral belonged . Probably the Masons were among tbe first to have a guild of their own . St . Alban ,

tho first martyr for Christianity in this country , is said to have been a great patron of the Masons . There seems to have been a successful agitation among them for higher wageB in his time , and only society men were permitted to work on any building with whioh the members of a Lodgo were concerned . There was a Master and Warden connected with each Lodge , and the whole dwelt in an enoamp .

ment near the building they were employed to erect . It is a noteworthy fact in connection with Mark Masonry in Northnmber . land and Durham that the north country furnishes the first record of Mark Masonry in the kingdom . Until recently the year 1777 was assigned as the earliest reference to tho Mark Degree ; but in looking over the minutes of the Marquess of Granby Lodge , Mr . Logan

made tbe disoovery that a Mark Master Masons' Lodge existed in the city of Durham four years anterior to that date . The reference to it is under date 21 st Dooomber 1773 , thus— " Bro . Barwirk was also made a Mark'd Mason , and Bro . Mackinlay raised to the Degree of a Master Mason , and alio made a Mark MasoD , and paid accordingly . " —Newcastle Journal .

^ Canon Tristram is equally at home whether officiating at a function of Mark Masons or playing tho roll of a " bakeem , " or medicine man among tbe Bashi-Bazonks . In the investiture of his brother Masons he comports himself with as much grace and ease as he did one day when , travelling in the land of Moabhe unexpectedly found

, himself in the tent of a Bedouin woman , whose uncombed and unwashed piocanniniea smothered him with kisses in the hope of getting backsheish . And this adaptability to circumstances does not desert him when the toils of the day are over , and the members of hia Craft " proceed from labour to refreshment . " The Canon has

Prov. Grand Lodge Of Cheshire.

banqueted on cold sheep ' s head and rice in the presence of naked Bedouins . He knows what it is to live on Arsb flat barley damper for three weeks at a stretoh , and ho has satisfied his hunper while an accommodating sheikh has afifectionally stroked tho canonical stomach . He has been " hail ! fellow , well met " with an ecclesiastical warrior , a ragged dervish , who boasted of having slain thirty men in

fiwht with his own hands , and he has been in ruoro thau oco Arab skirmish . It must have been a raro treat to see tho veteran Canon of Durham on the war-path . Whiio among tho Arabs ho had few equals as a diplomatist , and none knew bettor how to take a bull by the horns or brow-beat a bully . Happening on ono occasion to

fall into the hands of a board of thieves , ho forced his way to tho spot where they were sitting in solemn couclave , and presented himself before the chief in his boots and puri . The chief is said to havo been as muoh astonished aa the old Bedouin lady was after the C ; u > on had administered to her , by accident , an overdoso of croton oil .

On Monday , the 5 th inst ., a meeting of tho Leicestershire and Rutland Provincial Grand Lodge was held at tho Masonic Lodgo , Ashby-dela-Zouch . There was a very largo attendance . Worshipful Brother S . S . Partridgo

D . P . G . M . P . A . G . D . England presided , m tho absenco of Right Worshipful Brother the Right Hon . Earl Ferrers P . G . M . Tho business of the session included tho

installation of Officers for tho ensuing year . Subsequently a banquet was hold at tho Queen ' s Hotel , when Brother Partridge again presided , supported by W . Bro . the Hon . Pauline Hastings .

Lieutenant-General His Royal Highness the Dnko of Connaught and Strathearnr , K . G ., is going to Salisbury on the 31 st inst ., to instal the Earl of Radnor as Provincial

Grand Master of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons . A good many Military Freemasons will accompany the Prince .

The installation of Bro . Edward S . White aa W . M . of the Burgoyne Lodge , No . 902 , will take place at Anderton ' s Hotel , Fleet Street , on Monday , the 26 th October , at 4 * 45 p . m ., Bro . Simson John Byng P . M . and Secretary will be the Installing Master .

There has been an extensive agitation in St . Louis in favour of Mrs . Maybriok , and the Freemasons thero aro about to start a petition for her release . The Union Lodge , No . 127 , was re-opened , after

the summer recess , on Tuesday , 6 th inst ., at Freemasons ' Hall , High Street , Margate . There was a good muster of the brethren , and the usual rontine business connected with the Craft was gone through .

The Freemasons' parent lodge in the Borough of Tynemouth , St . George ' s , which now boasts a membership of 220 , has been putting its Masonic Hall nnder extensive alteration . The work is now completed , and the Lodgo is

in possession of one of the most handsome and perfoctly arranged buildings . The members re-assembled under the roof of their old building which had been renovated and beautified almost past recognition .

The Annesley Lodge , No . 1435 , has arranged with Bro . James Stevens for the Delivery of his Lecture on Symbolic Ritual and Ceremonial , at the Masonic Hall , Goldsmith Street , Nottingham , on Friday , November 27 tb .

The South of India Observer , under date 27 th June , makes the following comments : — It was we think some time last year that the Madras Masonic Revieiv threw out a suggestion that the July meeting of the Distrioc

Grand Lodge should occasionally be held either here or at Bangalore . We have now a large number of the Fraternity amongst UB , and surely the present District Grand Master wll bo able to carry out

the suggestion . We are sorry to record that neither at the laying of the foundation stone or the opening of the Masonic Tern , pie here , tho ceremonies usual on such occasions were performed .

Quite a big muster of first-class shots turned up at Ilford Range on Saturday , 26 th nit ., for what is known as the Masonic Matoh . Some years since Major Lambert , whose standing in Freemasonry is indicated by the letters P . G . S . B ., presented an article used by the members of the mystic tie , known as a " Gavel , " to be competed for by teams from Lodges which have been formed in Metropolitan

corps . The L . R . B . H . A . C . lsfc Surrey , "Tho Vies ., " South Middlesex , and Queens' Westminster , were at first the only corps who were represented at the shoot . Latterly , however , the London Scottish , London Irish , and Bloomsburya have formed Lodges , and they therefore stand in . The arrangements were made by Q . M . Sergt . Bellerby of the Queen ' s , and Staff .-Sergt . Harnell , of the same corps , acted a ohief of the statistics . Qtizn .