Cornwall.

CORNWALL .

AT the annual Provincial Grand Lodge , at Falmouth , on the 13 th inst ., the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe Prov . Grand Master presided , and was supported by Sir Charles B . Graves-Sawle , Bart ., Deputy Prov . G . M . There was a very large attendance , every one of the thirty Lodges in the Province being represented .

The Treasurer Bro . R . L . Randall reported a balance in hand of £ 24 8 , against £ 252 last year , after contributing 180 guineas to the Charities . The Secretary Bro . E . D . Anderton reported that there

had been 159 initiations , against 147 last year ; 34 joining members , against 28 ; making a total of 1 , 925 members , against 1 , 868 last year . This was the largest number on record . The increase on the year was 57 .

Bro . Milford presented the report of the Cornwall Masonic Annuity and Benevolent Fund . The Lodge contributions amounted to £ 329 , against £ 307 last year , an increase of £ 22 . The total ten years ago was £ 170 . The invested capital and balance at bank amounted to £ 6 , 364 , and

produced an income of £ 247 . There were eleven annuitants receiving from £ 20 to £ 30 each , and six children being educated from the funds . Bro . Milford added that by the recommendation of the Committee ( afterwards confirmed by the voting of the Brethren ) four additional annuities and two educational grants would be added . The Provincial Committee of Relief recommended a

grant of £ 20 to a P . M . of 1272 , and £ 5 each to Brethren of 131 and 970 , and they were adopted . The following votes were passed : Twenty guineas to the R . M . Benevolent Institution , twenty guineas to the Girls School , and fifty guineas to the C . M . A . and B . Fund .

Bro . G . B . Pearce , presenting his thirteenth annual report of the Cornwall Masonic Charity Association , said that it was rather more cheerful than in previous years , the subscriptions showing an increase of 83 guineas , last year ' s total being 207 guineas , and this year ' s 290 guineas . The

largest contributions were from the following Lodges : — Liskeard , 50 guineas ; Helston , £ 29 ; Hayle , £ 24 ; Millbrook , £ 21 ; Redruth , £ 19 ; St . Ives , £ 19 . In the cases of Helston , Millbrook , and St . Ives the sums named included special donations to the Boys Centenary Fund , presented through the Association

, and had these been separated from the annual subscriptions derivable from membership the aspect of the list would have been changed—Liskeard , 50 guineas ; Hayle , 24 guineas ; Helston , 19 guineas ; and Redruth , 19 guineas . Taking the full list of 290 guineasthe east

, contributed 139 guineas and the west 151 guineas , but omitting the donations , which was the fairest comparison , the east won by 124 guineas , against west 116 guineas . There had been 31 new members , Redruth taking first place with eight new members and Liskeard next with six . He

wished to urge upon Lodges the importance of adopting the membership system , by which they could subscribe two or more guineas annually , and when the Lodge vote was taken let it fix the contribution yearly for the five years complete .

Bro . Pearce offered congratulations to Bro . McLeod , the Secretary of the Boys School , on the wonderful success of the Centenary Festival , which was one of the greatest feats in Masonic charity that had ever been accomplished .

The Provincial Grand Master wished to join in congratulations to Bro . McLeod , on the success of his great effort . The report was adopted . Bro . B . F . Edyvean presented his fifth annual report as Charity Representative for the Province . During the year

he received the following votes .- —Girls 1 , 224 , Boys 1 , 097 , Benevolent 2 , 201 , total 4 , 522 , an increase of 317 on the previous year . For the Province ' s adopted candidate he polled in May last 6 , 359 , which placed the candidate third on the successful list . These figures , though somewhat high

, would explain , themselves when he stated that there were no less than 60 candidates for only 12 vacancies . It was the most difficult and uncertain election he had yet experienced . So great was the demand for Benevolent votes that he was unable to exchange their Boys and Girls at an even reasonable

rate and , therefore , he lent them to other Provinces repayable on demand . They owed at present 3 , 412 Benevolent votes , and had owing to them 1 , 323 Boys and Girls , which , when exchanged at the usual rates of 1 for 2 , would reduce their

actual debt to 766 only . He hoped this would be considered a satisfactory state of affairs . For the election of a Truro Brother , 4 th on the successful list with 5 , 310 votes , they had to thank their ever generous Cornish Brethren in London . In conclusion , he desired to again thank the Brethren of the

Cornwall.

Province for their support during the past year , and to remind them that success was dependent on that support , which he trusted would ever be increasingly accorded to the grand cause of charity , Business was suspended , and the Lodge went in procession to the Parish Church , drizzling rain falling . The

town was gaily decorated with flags , and the procession , headed by the Falmouth Artillery Band , was watched by a large number of persons . The volume of the Sacred Law was , as usual , borne by four " Lewises" before the Prov . G . L . Officers . Prov . G . Chap . Rev . E . F . Nugent delivered an excellent discourse from Psalm cxviii , 22 , " The stone which the builders refused . "

On returning to Lodge , the Prov . G . M . presented each of the "Lewises" ( Tom Sylvester Holder , Samuel Lewis Tresidder , Leonard Moody Buckley , and Bruce Jory Gregg ) with a Bible . His lordship hoped the Bibles would not only

be a recollection to them of the Prov . Grand Lodge of Cornwall meeting at Falmouth , but that they would study the Bible , and so receive happiness for the life that was before them . The collection at the church amounted to £ 12 16 s 9 d . The following Brethren were invested as Officers for the

ensuing year : Bro . Sir C . B . Graves Sawle - - - Deputy E . W . Carus Wilson ... Senior Warden G . A . Jenkins .... Junior Warden Bev . E . E . Nugent - - - ) „ , , . Rev . C . F . Mermagen - - - | OhapIainB

J . M . Blarney - - - - Treasurer W . W . J . Sharp •- - - - Begistrar E . D . Anderton - Secretary E . p ; Couch ° - " . - ' . } Senior Deacons ' " ' " " / Junior Deacons

m-o . T . Burge - - - - - I ^<™* "" = A . Carkeek ----- Superintendent o £ Works G . B . Trevorton ... - Director of Ceremonies R . S . Rundle - Deputy Dir . of Cers . G . Davis ----- Assist . Dir . of Cers . R . S . Laneford .... Sword Bearer

Nicholas Pascoe - - - / r ,, . , •, „ John White .... \ Standard Bearers J . MoTurk - - - - - Organist E . Downing - - - - Assistant Secretary W . Coulter - - - - - Pursuivant John H . Chubb ... - Assistant Pursuivant

R . T . Peters - - - - \ N . Bray . -, W . Andrew - - - - 0 , , E . A . Broad . ... ^ Stewards Thomas Cundy .... W . F . Clarke - - - - / Martin Richards .... Tyler .

The' Prov . Grand Master asked , as the P . G . S . was not in the good health they would like him to be , that all communications on the : business of the Province might for the present be sent to Bro . J . C . R . Crewes ( Truro ) , Assistant to the Prov . Grand Secretary . The Brethren afterwards lunched together . — " Western Morning News . "

The Prince of Wales ' s great charm of manner is appreciated only by those who have the opportunity of meeting his Royal Highness . These are far more numerous than is usually supposed , says a writer in the " Ladies Home . " The few who use their meetings with the Prince for purposes

of self-advertisement are in a great minority compared to the many whom H . R . H . has honoured by privately and familiarly talking with them , and who carefully avoid all mention of this gratifyingfact except to their familiar friends . The Prince , for instance , is much interested in all the

possessors of real talent , and where he sees it is always anxious to make the acquaintance of its proprietor . The other day , adds the writer , I met a young actress , not an Englishwoman , who had been bidden at the Prince ' s express wish to a

luncheon party , and who , also at H . R . H . ' s wish , sat beside him at table . The lady in question , whose name , by her own request , I refrain from giving , is no admirer of Princes and dignitaries unless they have something beyond their rank to recommend them to her somewhat fastidious notice . The

Prince , however , riveted her attention from the first by his clever , sensible conversation on the great topics of the day . He talked with her as with an equal , and she got so absorbed in the subjects , and the masterly way he discussed them , that

she 'forgot not only to eat her lunch , but to call his Royal Highness , "Sir . " She said : " I forgot entirely that he was the Prince of Wales , the heir-apparent to the greatest empire in the world . I just thought him the most brilliant and charming gentleman I had ever talked with . "