The Close Of The Year.

THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR .

ON this , the last week of the year , we gladly avail ourselves of the opportunity of tendering Hearty Good Wishes to our readers , and 'wishing them a bright and prosperous future . Freemasonry has witnessed much in the year just closing to refer back to with pleasure and pride , and we can but hope the

time to come will be quite as successful as the past has been . There is much to do in the near future , but we will not look beyond the next few days at present , contenting ourselves , for the time being , by wishing the member of the Craft around us , one and all ,

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Leyton Lodge.

LEYTON LODGE .

ON Wednesday afternoon , 16 th inst ., the consecration of a new Lodge , to be called the Ley ton , No . 2626 , took place at the National Schools , Leyfcon , in the presence of over sixty Brethren .

Bro . John Dipple having been installed into the chair , appointed and invested the following Officers : —Bros . Holmes S . W ., W . G . Shadrake J . W ., Potts P . M . S . D ., Thornton J . D ., Young I . G ., Hunter D . O ., Lamb and Keif Stewards . There were thirteen founders , two Brethren as joining members , and seventeen gentlemen proposed for initiation .

Afterwards the company assembled at the banquet held at the Three Blackbirds . Bro . W . Clark catered in splendid style . The usual Masonic toasts were pledged , and a capital musical programme was gone through , the whole affair proving a thorough success . — " Leytonstone Express . "

Church Service.

CHURCH SERVICE .

THE Brethren of the Hundred of Elloe Lodge attended a special Masonic service at St . Paul ' s Church , Fulney , on Sunday , 13 th inst . There was a good attendance of Brethren . The Masons clothed in the schoolroom adjoining , and afterwards formed a procession , which was augumented by the churchwardens , surpliced choir , - and officiating clergy . The Brethren

were in full regalia , and carried the emblems of the Order . The service was conducted by the Eev . W . M . Benson Chaplain of the-Lodge , Eev . E . G . Ash W . M ., and Bro . Elmit Ashwell . Bro . T . P . Holland presided at the organ . The Eev . W . M . Benson preached a very appropriate sermon from I John , 5 , in

the course of which he spoke of the objects of Freemasonry , and the bonds which knit them together as Freemasons . Their object , he said , was to promote brotherhood among men . It was not good for men to exist in solitude and selfishness , and against this the Order militated , promoting instead " the eternal

brotherhood of man . " Their fraternal spirit exercised itself in works of charity , in soothing sorrow , and in helping the fatherless and widowed . It helped to bind citizens together , to help the brother in his sorrow and trial , to strengthen him in his afflictions ; and to teach him that the forces which tended to

bring men together were mightier than those which tended to separate them . Alluding to the secrecy practiced by the Order , he said that if a Brother were in need , it was well that charity should be secret ; if a Brother was disgraced charity was kind .

After detailing the good deeds of the Order in the matter of providing schools for the education of ophans—there being now 278 boys and 279 girls in the schools—he went on to 3 peak of what Lincolnshire was doing to forward the ' work . — "Spalding Guardian . "

Gloucestershire.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE .

THE annual meeting of Provincial Grand Chapter was held at the Masonic Hall , Bell Hotel , Gloucester , on Friday , 11 th inst ., under the presidency of the Eight Hon . Sir Michael Hicks Beach , Bart ., Grand Superintendent . After formal and routine matters had been disposed of , Comp . Vassar-Smith proposed a grant of fifteen guineas from

the funds of Prov . G . Chapter towards the " operative work " undertaken by the Masons of the Province in the north cloister of the Cathedral . In doing so , he stated that he had that day learned from the Cathedral architect ( Bro . Waller ) that the exact cost of the restoration ( not including the stained glass windows , which are the personal gift of the Baron de Ferrieres ) , had been £ 526 , of which £ 510 had been already subscribed . The

present vote , would practically complete the work , except the cost of a brass plate , to be placed on the inner wall of the cloister , as a record of the gift . The additional sum needed . for The vote was seconded by Comp . Hatton , and unanimously approved , the Grand Superintendent expressing his satisfaction at the readiness with which the necessary funds had been contributed by the Province .

Comp . J . Bruton having been re-elected Treasurer , the Officers of Prov . G . Chapter for the ensuing year were appointed and invested as follow :

Comp . R . V . Vassar-Smith 82 839 - - H . R . P . Sumner 839 - - J . r . Jamos B . Winterbotham 82 - - Scribe E . James David 702 - - - Scribe N . J . Bruton 839 - - - - Treasurer "' ' H . T . Jew 493 - - - - Registrar W . B . Wood 839 - - - - Principal Sojourner

R . J . Weston 493 - - - 1 st Assistant Sojourner J . Cotesworth Hill 839 - - - 2 nd Assistant Sojourner W . E . Hay ward 82 - - Sword Bearer Edwin Lea 493 - - - - Standard Bearer J . Waghorne 82 - - - - Director of Ceremonies F . Hannam-Clark 839 - - - Organist Llewellyn Evans 82 - - ,. Assistant Scribe E . M . Carroll 82 - - - '" - Janitor .

The members of the Chapter subsequently dined together . Sir M . Hicks-Beach , in proposing the toast of the Queen , with which the brief toast list as usual commenced , said that a week previously he had had the honour of dining with Her Majesty , and he was very glad to note that notwithstanding her age and some loss of bodily activity , she was in good health , and there

was every reason to hope that she would , be equal to the strain of the great anniversary they looked forward to next year , when she would have completed the sixtieth year of her glorious reign . Later , in acknowledging the toast of his own health , Sir Michael expressed the pleasure with which he again met his Companions in Provincial gathering . He feared at one time

that that pleasure might be denied him , by the calamity which threatened him in the illness of his mother , but happily that cloud had , for the present at least , passed away , and he was able still to say that he had not missed one of these annual gatherings since Provincial Grand Chapter was established . Eeference had been made by the proposer of the toast to the

rumour which had appeared in print that Sir Michael was about to accept a Colonial governorship , and the right hon . Baronet , laughingly contradicting the rumour , assured his hearers that it was the first he had heard of it . He thought he might even venture to say that they must not believe quite everything they

read in the newspapers . He hoped he had , in their opinion , done nothing to deserve the transportation with which he had been threatened , and that it was not essential for his country ' s good . He greatly appreciated the welcome he always received from his Brethren in Gloucestershire , and hoped it would be long before his connection with them was severed .

Sir Michael Hicks Beach , who had travelled from London to attend the meeting , went on to Cheltenham in the evening , * and spent the night as the guest of Comp . Vassar-Smith , at Charlton Park . — " Cheltenham Examiner . "