Province Of Surrey.

PROVINCE OF SURREY .

THE annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge took place on Monday last , at the Albany Hall , Kingston-on-Thames . The Right Worshipful Brother General Studholme Brownrigg , O . B ., Provincial Grand Master , presided , and waa supported by hi 3 Deputy , the Rev . C . VV . Arnold , M . A ., Past Grand Chaplain , and a very large gathering of present and Past Provincial Grand Officers and members of tbe Province , with . Visitors from Metropolitan and many of tbe

neighbouring districts . The reception and entertainment of the Provincial Grand Lodge had been entrusted to the members of the Brownrigg Lodge , No . 1638 , and the way in whioh the arrangements were carried out gave the most unqualified satisfaction to the large body of Craftsmen who took part in the proceedings of the day . After Provincial Grand Lodge had been duly opened , the roll of

Lodges was called over , and with but one exoeptiou all were represented . The report of the Finanoe and Audit Committee showed a very satisfactory balance to the oredit of Provincial Grand Lodge , and the several recommendations for grants to the Charities—viz ., £ 10 10 s to the Royal Masonio Institution for Girls , £ 10 10 s to the Royal Masonio Institution for Boys , and

£ 1010 a to the Royal Masonio Benevolent Institution—were cordially assented to . A further sum of £ 10 10 a was voted in aid of the fund for the restoration of the Parish Church , at Kingston , a work that is now being vigorously poshed forward . Brother George Price was then re-elected Provincial Grand Treasurer , and the thanks of Prov . Grand Lodge tendered him for past services . The Provincial Grand

Master , before formally investing hia Officers , alluded in graceful terms to the hearty co-operation and assistance he received from the Deputy Provincial Grand Master . Bro . Arnold was invariably so attentive to the business of the Province , and , moreover , so universally appreciated and esteemed by the brethren , that he felt assured he could not do better than ask him to continue his services as Deputy

Provincial Grand Master . General Brownrigg then stated that it had been his intention to confer the collar of Senior Graud Warden on Lord Onslow , bnt this brother was unable to be present that day , and as he made it a rule only to give the collars to those who were in attendance , he must pass Lord Onslow over for this year . The following brethren were then formally invested as Officers for the next twelve months : —

The Rev . C . W . Arnold , M . A ., P . G . C . Deputy Prov . G . Master Henry C . Lee Bennett 189 Prov . G . Senior Warden Stainslaas Makooski 416 Prov . G . Junior Warden Tbe Rev . G . P . Merrick 1816 Prov . G . Chaplain 22 gb J . D ^ y 1556 Pro ? . G . Registrar C . Greenwood Past G . Sword Bearei ' .., Prov . G . Secretary Abel Laurence 1638 Frov . G . Senior Deacon Cathbert C . Gibbs 1872 Prov . G . Junior Deacon Frederick Flood 1149 Prov . G . Supi ; . of Works Thomas Pulley 1714 Prov . G . Dir . of Ceremonies John Mew 1362 Prov . G . Assist . D . of Cers . Alfred Nuthall W . M . 889 Prov . G . Sword Bearer S . P . Catterson 1981 Prov . G . Standard Bearer Frederick Cambridge 463 Prov . G . Organist W . R . Church 1347 ... , Prov . G . Pursuivant C . E . Oldridge 1638 Prov . G . Assistant Pur . C . T . Speight Prov . G . Tyler H . Saxelby 463 , J . H . Jarvis 889 , S . ) Parsons-Smith , M . D ., 1556 , Edwin ( p n « .. „„„ , Nioholls 1714 , John Youlden 1981 , C ProT ' Steward 8 A . Steele 1982 )

General Brownrigg , in the course of his remarks , spoke of the loss the nation , and especially the Craft , had sustained by the death of the Duke of Albany . At the time when this sad loss was fresh in the minds of all , he had had it in contemplation , in accordance with what was being done elsewhere , to summon a meeting of the members of the Province . Grand Lodge , however , took the matter up , and he

thought their action might be accepted as embodying the views of the entire Masonio body . He should not , therefore , suggest that any special letter of condolence—either to the Queen , the Duchess of Albany , or to the Most Worshipful the Grand Master—be entertained . He desired , however , that the sad event shonld be recorded on their minutes of proceedings , and that an expression of the sentiments of

Provincial Grand Lodge might be recorded thereon . Reference was next made by General Brownrigg to the progress Freemasonry WBB making in Surrey , When he succeeded to the Provincial Grand Mastership , there were but nine Lodges , now they had twenty-six . For his own part , he did not desire to see a further increase in their number . He preferred that those already in existence should be

solidified and strengthened . A feature he desired to see universally carried out he would now allude to . Some of the Secretaries throughout the Province were in the habit of occasionally sending him their summonses ; he wished they would invariably do so . He sometimes had a few spare hours , and nothing gave him greater pleasure than now and again to pay a flying visit . By this

means he could get an accurate idea of how the work of the several Lodges was being conducted . He thanked the brethren for the way in which they had supported him on the present occasion , and said he looked forward to another pleasant meeting on the 9 th of July , at Redhill , when the Most Worshipful the Grand Master had it in con - templation to lay the foundation stone of the Chapel of the Royal

Asylum of St . Anne ' s Schools . Owing to the Prince of Wales ' s absence from England the arrangements hitherto had not been matured , but notice would be given , and he trusted he might be well supported by the members of the Province . The P . G . Master then formally proposed that Prov . G . Lodge vote a sum of twenty guineas

in furtherance of the objects of the St . Anne ' s Schools . This proposition , as well as the one in regard to the record on the minutes , referred to above , was seconded by the Rev . C . W . Arnold , and carried nem con . Amongst other matters to which reference Wa 8 made , was a proposition to the effeot that the yearly returns

Province Of Surrey.

from the several Lodges should be made up to a fixed date in tho year , say to the end of April . This elioited several expressions of opi . oion , but in the end the suggestion was adopted . The practice of the members of the Province , with regard to the utilisation of its voting powers , was next reviewed . Bro . Arnold explained the Btepa hitherto adopted by those who desired a concentration of the strength

of the Province in this direction . He urged on those who had the privilege of votes to place them in the hands of the Provinc ial Grand Seoretary , in order that they might be made available for the oandidate or candidates to whom the Province had promised its support . This again brought out several suggestions . It appears that hitherto the Charity representatives of the

Province have been in the habit of meeting at 33 Golden sqnare , in the afternoon of the day on which the respective Quar . terry Communications of United Grand Lodge are held , but in the opinion of some of those who took part in the disoussion the sphere of operations might be considerably extended , and it was sug . geated that a representative should be iu attendance from eaoh

Lodge with power to act in its corporate oapaoity . The practice of , and advantages connected with , the lending of votes reoeived full consideration , and we feel assured the brethren will eventually advantage themselves by carrying out some of the suggestions made . This completing the work set down for Prov . Grand Lodge , General Brownrigg reminded the brethren that the Provincial Crand

Chaplain had arranged to preaoh a sermon at All Saints Church ; he therefore desired they shonld attend him there , and he then proceeded to olose his Lodse . The banquet took place at the Sun Hotel , Kingston , where upwards of a hundred guests assembled to do justioe to the repast provided by Bro . Bond , whose exertions received , as they merited , the

highest approval . On the removal of the cloth the loyal toasts were given in terms that reoived a cordial reception . In speaking of the Grand Offioers , General Brownrigg expressed the gratification he felt in knowing that the Province of Surrey stood so well in that regard . Three years back , they had three representatives—Bro . Lord Onslow , Bro . Charles Greenwood , and Bro . Magnus Ohren . They

were fortunate this year in again having the Provmoe represented , by Bro . Lott , who had received the appointment of Grand Organist ; with his name he would couple the toast . After a reply from Bro . Lott , the health of the Provincial Grand Master was proposed by the Rev . C . W . Arnold , who spoke of the deep interest taken by General Brownrigg in the welfare of the Province , and of the many qualities

he displayed . This having been suitably acknowledged , the several other toasts received attention . Bro . Binokea replied for the Masonio Institutions , and expressed his acknowledgments for the great service rendered by the Provincial Grand Master of Snrrey when he presided , last year , at the Festival of the Royal Masonio Benevolent Institution . He ( Bro . Binckes ) trusted so esteemed a

ruler as General Brownrigg might at an early date be induced to place himself at the disposal of the Institution with whioh he was more olosely associated , when , doubtless , the members of his Province would as loyally assist him as they did on the occasion to whioh he had just alluded . The Worshipfnl Master of the Brownrigg , Brother Abel Laurence , acknowledged the compliment paid the Lodge over which he presided , and expressed

the pleasure it had afforded his brother memberB to enact tho part of hosts to Provincial Grand Lodge . The Musical brethren were thanked for their services , and the Press representatives were complimented . The Tyler was then summoned , and the parting toast was given . The musical arrangements were conducted by Bro . F . J . Hunt , R . C . M . L ., who was assisted by Bros . Kenningham , Hanson , Stanley Smith , and J . Hodges .

We have great pleasure in appending , in full , the sermon preached before the members of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Surrey , by the Provincial Grand Chaplain the Rev . George P . Merrick : — " The God of heaven , He will prosper us ; therefore we His servants will arise and build . "—Nehemiah ii . 20 .

Prophecy giving them assurance , and the ever-present aid of their father ' s God impelling them , a large band of returning exiles " asked their way to Zion with their faces thitherward " from a Babylonish land of captivity . Chiefs of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin , members of the royal house of David , priests and Levites , the necessary ministers of the sanctuary , and a goodly company , numbering some 42 , 360 souls , besides their servants and maids , assembled themselves at a new Succoth to commence another exodus from a new

house of bondage . The circumstances were widely different , bowever , and the auspices far happier than those of the first migration from the iron furnace of Egypt , nearly a thousand years before . An ignominious and degrading servitude , whioh an increasing severity had made intolerable , had driven them into a precipitate flight . But here was a land in which they were no longer strangers , in whioh

they enjoyed the comforts of civilisation , whioh they were forsaking for the perils of a long and toilsome journey , for a home many years lost in un 8 ettledness and barbarism . In the former exodus , they were pursued by a relentless taskmaster , bent upon placing them again under that yoke from which their necks were hardly yet free . Now , a royal mandate and special marks of a monarch ' s favour

accompanied them , to undertake a well-defined national work in the restoration of their mined homes and of tbe sanctuary of their God , whioh half a century had seen desolate . Success was almost certain to attend their undertaking , for the spirit which animated them was a single-minded obedience , similar to that which possessed the father of the faithful , Abraham , leading him in acqnieseence to the Divine

oommand , and under the promptings of a beneficent promise to go forth from his country , from his kindred , and from his father ' s house , to the land whioh God had given him for an inheritance . The good hand of their God was upon them , and in safety , and with "joy and singing , " we are told , their