Devonshire.

DEVONSHIRE .

THE annual Provincial Grand Lodge of Devonshire was held at Honiton , on Wednesday , the 14 th instant . The Committee of Petitions was held in the forenoon , when votes were made to , cases in connection with Lodge Friendship ,

Lodge Harmony , and Lodge True Love and Unity . Afterwards there was a luncheon at the Dolphin Hotel , presided over by the Deputy and Acting Prov . Grand Master Bro . G . C . Davie .

The Loyal and Masonic toasts were proposed . Bro . Rev . T . Russell gave the Most Worshipful Grand Master and the Grand Lodge of England , coupling with it the names of Bro . Rev . R . Peek and Bro . lohn Stocker Prov . G . Sec .

Bro . Stocker was very cordially received and said he was glad to respond to the toast on . that , the first occasion since Grand Lodge had conferred the honour of Office upon him .

Bro . F . C . Gould proposed the Prov . Grand Master and Prov . Grand Lodge , and mentioned that he had heard from Lord Northcote a few days ago , and his lordship said he never enjoyed better health , and frequently remembered his old friends .

The Provincial Grand Lodge was held in All Plallows ' Schoolroom , which had been admirably fitted up for the occasion . The Acting Prov . Grand Master Bro . G . C . Davie

presided , the Rev . Thomas . Russell P . PJ . G . W . acting as Deputy Prov . Grand Master . There was a very large attendance of present and past Provincial Officers and other Brethren .

The Prov . G . Secretary Bro . Stocker presented his report , showing the number of members in the Province to be 4 , 149 and the amount received in dues and fees , £ 459 18 s . The names of 300 members were removed from the register during the year , and there were 384 new admissions . The number

of Past Masters was 929 . Pie desired to thank the whole of the Lodges and Brethren for the generous support accorded to , his Stewardship to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , which enabled him at the recent Festival to hand in a list of no less a sum than £ ? AC 10 s . the lamest sum nn thp

list of any individual Steward . Two new Masonic Halls had been erected during the year , viz ., at Tavistock and Okehampton . the former was dedicated on the 13 th , and the latter will be dedicated on Monday , the 26 th of the present month .

The Prov . Grand Secretary said the Prov . Grand Treas . Bro . Mutten regretted that he was quite unable to attend , and had asked him to present his report . The report showed that the year began with a balance in hand of £ 354 , and ended with a balance of £ 328 , the total sum being £ 877 .

Bro . C . R . M . Clapp Secretary presented the report of the Fiortescue Annuity Fund , which showed steady progress . In 1895 the income was £ 152 13 s , last year it was £ 338 ios . £ 450 was paid in annuities during the year . Bro . E . H . Shorto , in moving the adoption of the report .

said he had a very pleasing announcement to > make . They had a sore distress at Exeter at the beginning of the year , when a most worthy citizen , a young man blessed with good heart and large means , was suddenly called to his rest . But

his reason was preserved to the last , and he was able to settle his affairs before he died . One part of his bequest of his great wealth was to put a sum of £ 50 , 000 , free of legacy duty , at the disposal of his executors to be devoted to Charities in which he had taken an interest . It did not at first

come into their minds that any of the money would come to the Masonic Charities , but Bro . Richard Bowerman West was initiated in Apollo Lodge , at Oxford , and was an earnest

Devonshire.

member of St . George Lodge , Exeter . It was suggested that he ( Bro ' . Shorto ) should give the executors such information as was necessary about the Masonic Charities , and the result was that on Saturday morning he had an intimation that the

Fortescue Annuity Fund would benefit to the extent of £ 500 free of legacy duty . Bro . George Dunsterville seconded the adoption of the report , and afterwards a vote of thanks to the executors of the late Bro . R . B . West was proposed and carried by the Provincial Grand Lodge .

Bro . J . B . Gover , in the report of the Committee of Petitions , stated that at the last election all the Lodges sent in their votes , which was most gratifying . During the year they had succeeded in electing a widow and a boy . Too much credit could not be given to Bro . Westlake for the admirable manner in which he conducted the business . There

had been of late years a large increase m the voting power of the Province . Some years ago it was only about 700 ; the votes last year were 5 , 022 . But in the former days an election could be carried with 700 votes ; now it required 5 , 000 ; and , without neglecting their local Institutions , a

strenuous effort should be made to support more largely the grand Masonic Charities . Last year their contributions had been exceptionally good , amounting to £ 1 , 100 , and approaching more nearly to the amount the Province received annually .

Bro . S . Jones proposed the election as Treasurer of Bro . R . D . Renwick 338 , Torquay . Bro . J . R . Lord seconded , observing that no one was better entitled to the Office , and no one would fulfil its duties more worthily . Bro . Renwick , who was unable to attend , was unanimously

elected-Bros . Henry Stocker and Frederick Sanders were elected Auditors .

The Acting Prov . Grand Master then proceeded to invest the Officers for the ensuing year , as follow : Bro . R . Peck 39 ... Senior Warden H . Bulteel 1255 ... Junior Warden Rev . T . H . T . Child 2 S 06 ... Chaplain

Rev . T . Ward Brown 1753 ... Ditto R . D . Renwick 328 ... Treasurer W . Forward 494 ... Registrar John Stocker 39 ... Secretary F . W . Harding 444 ... Senior Deacon

W . H . Evans 11 S 1 ... Ditto E . W . Hellier S 47 ... Junior Deacon C . J . Jeffery 2 x 89 Ditt 0 J . C . Revell 1 S 55 ... Supt . of Works T . R . Lord 1247 ... Dir . of Ceremonies

H . Banncld S 47 ... Dep . Dir . of Cers . W . Sweet 1212 ... Asst . Dir . of Cers . H . Skinner 282 ... Ditto C . Barrett 2595 ... Ditto W . A . Staton 1099 ... Sword Bearer

W . H . Puddicombe 48 9 ... Standard Bearer Wm . Farrant 164 ... Ditto T . H . Griffin 373 ... Organist Wm . Winget 1402 ... Assistant Secretary H . Warren 159 ... Pursuivant

C . F . Matthison 2025 ... - Assistant Pursuivant J . R . Gibbard 1254 ... Steward F . Hubber 1284 ... Ditto G . Leiach 70 ... Ditt 0 T . G . Taylor 2725 ... Ditto

Robert Chase 14 S 6 ... Ditto E . Andrews 303 ... Ditto H . Shooter 112 ... Tyler . The Acting Prov . G . Master said that among the many who had recently received the honour of Office in the Grand

Lodge of England , no one had better deserved it than their Secretary Bro . John Stocker . He knew something of the work of the Province and of the duty that devolved upon the Brother who filled the Office of Secretary . But they knew how Bro . Stocker loved the work , and a very high authority in England said to him that he looked upon Bro ' Stocker as .