Cumberland And Westmorland.

CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND .

A T the annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge , held at Maryport , of Friday of last week , and presided over by Lord Henry Cavendish Bentinck , M . P ., there was a large representation from all the Lodges of the Province . Brother George Dalrymple , of Whitehaven , who for a long series of years had filled the office of Secretary , with marked satisfaction , retired from that position owing to ill-health , and the appointment of a successor was deferred .

The following were appointed as the Provincial Grand Officers for the year :

Bro . J . W . Hayton 1532 - - - Senior Warden J . W . Scott 962 - - - - Junior Warden Rev . D . G . Douglas 1073 - - - ! . . , . Rev . H . J . Allen 119 - - - } Onaplaras R . J . Nelson 129 .... Treasurer R . T . Derome 129 ; .... Registrar

S . Jj . Barns-Lindow 119 - - - Senior Deacon Gray 310 - ---- Junior Deacon J . Henderson 310 - - - - Superintendent of Works J . Noble 2285 ... - Director of Ceremonies R . Robertson 1989 ... - Assistant Dir . of Cers . Tulley 1220 Sword Bearer

G . Johnson 371 - - - - I c * ^ j T > J , W . Carmichael 962 - - - [ Standard . Bearers . I . Silson 371 .... Organist E . Griffin 1390 .... Pursuivant F . Ireby . 1073 .... Assistant Pursuivant

O . Procter 1074 - - - - \ J . Young 872 .... . J . Fletcher - - - „ , L . Ferguson H 00 - - - - [ - Stewards . Dixon 1660 - Aird ---- --

Devonshire.

DEVONSHIRE .

ryy HE Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Devonshire is to be JL held at the Masonic Hall , Ilfracombe , on Wednesday , 26 th instant , at 3 . 30 p . m . In the unavoidable absence of the Right Hon . Lord Northcote , G . C . I . E ., Prov . G . M . M ., the chair will be taken by the Acting Prov . G . M . Bro . G . S . Strode D . Prov . G . Master .

The regular committee , as well as the Prov . Grand Treas . and Auditors , will be elected , and the Officers for the ensuing year appointed and invested . The Committee of General Purposes will assemble soon after 3 p . m . In order for Brethren to obtain the advantage of return railway tickets at a fare and

a quarter , not less than six first class or ten second or third class passengers must book " at the same time from the same station , " instead of permitting the members to select their own time and without any regard to the number leaving by any particular train .

The North Devon Union Lodge , No . 540 , is to be consecrated in the same Hall at Ilfracombe , earlier in the day , at 12 . 30 p . m ., by the Acting Prov . G . M . The Founders are Major G . C . Davie W . M ., Rev . R . W . J . Smart S . W ., and Bro . William

Drew J . W . The other original members are Bros , the Rev . H . G . Morse , the Rev . Thomas Russell , and H . R . Gover . An elaborate programme has been printed respecting the interesting ceremony .

There are twenty-five Mark Lodges in Devonshire , but three , at least , are in abeyance . Possibly these may be soon reopened , the degree being very popular in the county .

London Lodges.

LONDON LODGES .

fllHERE are already on the roll of Grand Lodge of JL- England no less than 498 Lodges situated within the metropolitan area , that is in a radius short of ten miles of London . A considerable proportion of this number have special objects in view , or , to speak more correctly , have , as the reason for foundation , the purpose of uniting- bv the one

more tie oi Masonic Brotherhood men engaged in a particular calling in life , or in a pleasure with which they relieve the monotony of obtaining a subsistence . Thus , music , and the drama have a dozen Lodges in which professors and lovers of these respective arts mav meet on a nommnn nlnt-fnrm

and forget their rivalries and jealousies . Another dozen London Lodges bring the already united services of the navy and armv top-ether . whiV f-hp vr > 1 nniw » i-= > -e ;™ v « ;„

having alone a still larger number of Lodges for themselves than each of the combined professions aforesaid support collectively . As many as five Lodges are connected with the law , three of them being composed entirely of members of

London Lodges.

the Bar ; and physic and surgery have at least four Lodges . The members of the Jewish faith have always been very strong on Masonry , not only the art of Masonry itself , but its traditions , its history , and its ceremonies , being closely allied with the Biblical records of the ancient creed . The eldest

of the Israelitish London Lodges are Nos . 185 and 188 , the Tranquillity and the Joppa , and the peculiarity of No . 185 is this : that , whereas it was so ultra-Christian in its early years that it had a bye-law that no Jew should be a member , when it got into pecuniary difficulties it was released from

these difficulties by Jews , and thenceforward it became a Jewish Lodge . Masonry also has attracted many persons engaged in particular trades to secure Lodges in London for their fellows in the same trades . The pawnbrokers , therefore , have a Lodge of their own—the Lombardian—and an

Attenborough was considered not an unsuitable Brother for its first Master . The gas engineers have an Evening Star Lodge ; there are two Lodges connected with the administrators of the Poor Law ; tobacco supports the Sir Walter Raleigh Lodge , and working journalists exclusively maintain

the Gallery Lodge . With printing and paper , the Caxton , the Papyrus , and the St . Bride Lodges combine companionship of the allied trades in their supporters ; and the London School Board and the London County Council have no difficulty—more especially the latter—in keeping up a

membership of Lodges of their own which is both numerous and highly representative . The Pilgrim Lodge works in German , and La France in French ; La Tolerance worked in French at one time , but it has long abandoned that distinction , and it now only uses English language in its

ceremonies . Christ ' s Hospital has a Lodge of its own ; Merchant Taylors' School has the Sir Thomas White Lodge , and the City of London School the John Carpenter Lodge . The tradesmen who have the good fortune to hold warrants for supplying Royalty with their wares , being a very powerful

body , formed themselves last year into petitioners for a Lodge entirely to themselves , and they are now a strong Lodge with the significant title of the Royal Warrant Holders Lodge . Several City wards have special Lodges for the members of

those wards ; Cornwall and Lancashire have their own Lodges in London , and it is expected that shortly Devonshire will join the list , with the Lord Chancellor for its first Master . — " Morning Advertiser . "

Banquet To Sir George Philipson.

BANQUET TO SIR GEORGE PHILIPSON .

ON Friday evening of last week , in the new banquetting room of the County Hotel , Newcastle , the Brethren of Northumberland and Durham united to pay honour to Prof . Sir George Philipson , in recognition of the recent knighthood conferred upon him by Her Majesty , and as a testimony of the esteem in which they hold a Brother Mason , holding a high position in the world of medical philanthropy . The Provincial Grand Master of Northumberland Sir

Matthew White Ridley , Secretary of State for Home Affairs , presided , and had on his right hand the guest of the evening Sir George Philipson P . M . 2260 and 2352 P . G . S . W . Durham , and on his left Lord Barnard P . G . W . of England . The Provincial Grand Master , in proposing the Loyal

toast , dwelt on Her Majesty ' s sympathy with the poor and sick and suffering , and said it must be a matter of profound satisfaction to them all that the Queen marked her interest so clearly by sending the Prince of Wales there to open the New Infirmary on her behalf .

The Provinial Grand Master also proposed the health of the Prince of Wales Grand Master of England . Bro . J . Gibson Youll proposed the Grand Lodge of England .

Bro . Lord Barnard , in replying , expressed in warm terms the concurrence of the Brethren in the Province of Durham in thus honouring Sir George Philipson . In this honour the whole Province felt itself honoured . The Provincial Grand Master , in rising to give the toast

of the evening , was received with great enthusiasm . He said he had never had more pleasure in presiding over any gathering than in that assembly called to honour a gentleman who had recently been knighted by the Queen for his distinguished

services m the medical profession and in other respects in the North of England . There was , he went on , no man more worthy of honour than Sir George Philipson , either among Freemasons or in the medical profession . Touching with a note of regret on the death of Sir Hedworth Williamson , and