Analysis Of The Returns.

£ 13 , 095 , the portion obtained from the Metropolis vvas £ 6742 iSs . 6 d . It vvill be seen from these figures that the average per Steward ' s list is considerably below what we have been accustomed to in past ordinary years . On the other hand , there is a fair number of three-figure list * , though the hi g hest amongst them are below the three-figure lists vvhich have been announced at previous Festivals both for this and our otlier Institutions . The honour of occupying the highest place belongs

to Bro . H . Magee , of Sincerity Lodge , No . 174 , who was able to compile the handsome total of £ 216 13 s ., while Rro . S . W . Timson , of the Merchant Navy Lodge , No . 7 81 , ' succeeded in getting into his third century , the amount of his list being £ 202 7 s . Then after a long interval we come to the list of Bro . James Terry , Secretary of the Institution , who , in spite of his heavy official duties and indisposition , vvas able to raise a total of £ 168 ios . Close up

with ' him vvas Bro . Sir G . D . Harris , Steward forthe Friends-in-Council Lodge , No . 1383 , with £ 166 18 s . ; and then follows Bro . Chas . Belton , who did his duty for the Mizpah Lodge , No . 1671 , well , and raised £ 130 . Bro . Prior , of St . John ' s Lodge , No . 90 , obtained £ 125 18 s ., and Bro . D . D . Mercer , of the Sphinx Lodge , No . 1329 , £ 122 6 s . 6 d . Bro . J . R . Brown , of the Doric Lodge , No . 933 , was at Bro . Prior ' s heels with £ 121 16 s ., and was in his turn closely pressed by Bro . J . L .

Anderson , of the Yarborough Lodge , No . 554 , with £ 120 15 s . Then came Bro . Larkin , Steward for the Lodge of Fidelity , No . 3 , with £ 117 12 s ., and Bro . A . B . Hudson , who acted for both Lodge and Chapter No . 165 7 ( the Aldersgate ) , and obtained £ 116 us . Bros . Asher Barfield ( unattached ) and J . Kilvington , of the Old England Lodge , No . 1790 , tied with £ 115 ios . ; Bro . Davies , Temperance Lodge , No . 16 9 made up a total of £ 101 9 s . ; Bros . John Darton , of the Capper

, Lodge , No . 1076 , and W . W . Westley , Kennington Lodge , No . 1381 , completing the list with £ 100 each . There are also several other good amounts included in the Returns , some of which only just missed the honour of being comprised among the three-figure totals . Among these vve note those of Bro . A . A . Marks , of Tranquillity Lodge , No . 185 , £ 80 6 s . 6 d . ; Bro . Richard Tilling , St . James ' s Lodge , No . 765 , £ 80 ; Bro . N . P . Vallentine , Montefiore Lodge , No . 1017 , £ 84 ;

Bro . Lieut .-Col . A . B . Cook , Studholme Lodge , No . 1591 , £ 94 ios . ; and Bro . W . J . Halford , Clerkenwell Lodge , No . 1964 , £ 92 7 s . 6 d . In fine , London has acquitted itself creditably , and the Lord Mayor has every reason to be satisfied with the support he received from this portion of the Craft . It should be added that his lordship himself compiled the very capital list of £ 117 ios ., in vvhich vvere comprised his own donations and those of many among his civic and Drury Lane friends .

THE PROVINCES acquitted themselves with their usual success , the number of Stewards being 153 , and the aggregate of the Donations and Subscriptions they raised £ 6341 13 s . In obtaining this result there were representatives sent up from 32 Provinces and the Channel Islands , while the following 12 Provinces , comprising amongst them some 164 lodges , sent no Stewards on this occasion , though , as vvill be seen from

the accompanying particulars , they have all of them more or less frequently borne their part in these annual celebrations . B EDFORDSHIRE ( five lodges ) sent up a Steward to the Boys' School Festival last year , and vvas represented at the Girls ' Centenary the year previous to the extent of close on £ 100 . BRISTOL ( nine lodges ) has done nothing since February of last year , when it was represented by the late Bro . W . Purnell . Possibly , however , the fact of its government having

passed from Bro . the Earl of Limerick into the hands of Bro . W . A . F . Powell may have diverted its attention to matters more immediately concerning itself , and when it has settled comfortably under its new chief , it will resume its interest in our Institutions . DORSETSHIRE ( 13 lodges ) sent up two Stewards in February , 1889 , whose lists together amounted to £ 156 10 s . HEREFORDSHIRE ( five lodges ) has not entered an appearance at these festivities since the Girls' Centenary , and therefore

we may hope that some of its brethren will undertake the office of Steward at an early date . MONMOUTHSHIRE ( IO lodges ) sent up no less than eight Stewards at the Boys' Festival in June last , the amount of their lists reaching to upwards of £ 300 , and in 1888 it raised over £ 530 , of which the bulk vvas given to this Institution , while in 188 7 the Benevolent received £ 300 and the Girls' School £ 62 ios . NORTHUMBERLAND ( 23 lodges ) raised £ 900 for this Institution in 1888 ,

and £ 52 ios . for the Girls' Centenary , but has not taken part in any of the Festivals vvhich have been held since . NOTTINGHAMSHIRE ( 14 lodges ) figured for a moderate amount at the Benevolent Festival in 188 9 , and at two out of the three Festivals in 1888 , while NORTH WALES ( 19 lodges ) sent Stewards to both the School Festivals in 188 9 , and vvas represented at all three the previous year , its total at the Girls' Centenary being within a fraction of £ 674 . SOUTH WALES

—EASTERN DIVISION—is able to give a very good account of itself for the last two years , the total of its subscriptions during that period being over ^ 1200 , of which £ 86 5 vvas received by this Institution in 1888 , when its Provincial Grand Master , Bro . Sir George Elliot , Bart ., M . P ., acted as Chairman . WILTSHIRF . ( II lodges ) raised £ 168 for this Institution in 1889 , and over £ 340 for the Girls ' Centenary the year previous ; while NORTH AND EAST YORKSHIRE ( 30 lodges ) did some heavy work in 1889 , the first festival in aid of its local Charitable

Association producing upwards of £ 1000 , in addition to vvhich it raised £ 105 for the R . M . B . I . in February , and £ 42 for the Girls' School in May . The remaining absentee is the ISLE OF MAN ( seven lodges ) , which , however , vvas represented at the Girls' Festivals both last year and the year before . Thus , as regards the majority of the Provinces we have just enumerated , their absence from this particular Festival may easily be accounted for , while the chances are in favour of our finding them worthily represented at one or other of the School Festivals which have yet to come .

We now turn our attention to the Provinces , whose assistance has so materially benefited the Benevolent Institution , and to which , therefore , the Craft is so deeply grateful . The first in order is

BERKS AND BUCKS , which is well to the fore , as usual , notwithstanding it has had the misfortune to lose its respected chief , Bro . Sir Daniel Gooch , Bart ., who had presided over its fortunes for so many years and so successfully . Seven of its 25 lodges , and the chapter attached to an eighth , vvere represented to very good purpose b y a more than usually numerous contingent of 13 Stewards , the aggregate of whose lists , amounts to £ 434 12 s . 6 d . The Buckingham Lodge , No . 591 , Aylesbury , vvas

represented by half a dozen of its members , who , amongst them , gave £ 90 6 s ., and Bro . J . Hattersley , representing the Dagmar Lodge , No . 2262 , Wraysbury , which was only warranted in 1888 , handed in the very capital list of £ 116 os . 6 d . This performance is the more creditable to the Province , seeing that last year it distributed £ 332 15 s . among the three Charities , the Boys' School obtaining over £ 207 , while in 188 7 it raised over £ 947 , and in 1888 £ 779 , the total for the three years being but a few shillings short of £ 2060 .

CAMBRIDGESHIRE , vvhich has but six lodges , gave a useful £ 52 ios ., by the hands of Bro . C . A . Vinter , who represented the Lodge of the Three Grand Principles , No . 441 , Cambridge , and who is no novice in this field of labour . In 188 9 , the sum of £ 315 was contributed by this Province , the Boys' School receiving £ 162 15 s ., this

Institution £ 94 ios ., and the Girls' School £ 57 15 s . In 1888 the last named School was favoured with the whole attention of the Province , the total raised for its use being £ 3 62 5 s . ; while in 188 7 and 1886 the contributions vvere £ 537 us . and £ 547 5 s . respectively , all three Institutions having a share in the proceeds of each year . Six out of the 40 lodges on the roll of

Analysis Of The Returns.

CHESHIRE had a part in the excellent work accomplished on Wednesday , the sum of their lists being £ 110 5 s . This Province , however , as we have been at tbe pains of pointing out in all our previous analytical articles , though from time to

time it shows up well , is rarely represented , as from the number of its lodges vve mig ht have reason to expect , owing to its having its own Educational Institution , vvhich does such excellent service in assisting the children of its indigent and deceased members . A better apology for an apparentl y small contribution from a strong Province could not be offered .

CORNWALL , with its array of 30 lodges , had an efficient representative for one of them—the Cornubian Lodge , No . 450 , Hayle—in Bro . F . W . Thomas , who , on Wednesday , handed in a list of £ tio 5 s ., while at the Boys' School , last June , he figured with a list compiled from , the Province generally amounting to too guineas . In May previous the Steward for the Province raised £ 99 15 s . for the Girls ' School , and in February the Old People received £ 157 ios - by the hands of Bro .

G . B . Pearce . In 1888 Cornwall gave £ 465 5 s ., of which the Girls' Centenary received £ 372 15 s . ; while in 188 7 its services vvere on a still greater scale , Bro . Pearce being ils representative at the three Festivals , and handing in lists amounting together to £ 704 us . These flattering attentions on the part of our Cornish brethren to the Masonic Institutions are indeed most gratifying to the latter , and in every way creditable to the former .

CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND seems to favour the idea of taking part only occasionall y in these celebrations and then playing its part well . Thus in 188 3 it gave £ 1050 to the Boys' School , and again in 1886 it contributed £ 500 to the funds of the same Charity . In 1888 , the sum of £ 210 figured in the Girls' School Centenary Returns , and doubtless the

amount would have been higher , only in the preceding February it had raised £ 1050 for the Benevolent . Last year its efforts vvere on a smaller scale , its subscriptions being just a fraction over £ 140 . On Wednesday Bro . G . Dalrymple , who has acted before as Steward , acted for Lodges Nos . 872 and 1660 , and compiled a total of £ 73 ios . Only two out of the 23 lodges on the roll of

DERBYSHIRE sent up Stewards on Wednesday , Bro . the Hon . C . W . Trollope , representing the Arkwright Lodge , No . 1495 , Matlock Bath , taking up a list of £ 32 7 s ., and Bro . John P . Fearfield , of the Fairfield Lodge , No . 2224 , Long Eaton , supplementing this with £ 10 ios ., making the total £ 42 17 s . We are tolerably certain to hear of this Province in connection with the coming Festivals of the Schools , so that the Returns for the whole year will doubtless compare well with the

total of 1889 , vvhich vvas over £ 414 , while in the previous four years it had averaged £ 810 per year . However , this high average is to be accounted for ( 1 ) by the presidency of Bro . the Marquisof Hartington , P . G . M ., at the Boys' School Festival in 1886 , and ( 2 ) by the large amount raised—upwards of £ 7 89—for the Girls' School Centenary in 1888 . Such special incentives as these are not always operating to produce large totals , but we shall find Derbyshire doing her duty in 1890 , as in previous years , generously and successfully .

Wednesday's Festival was not the first occasion on which the fortunes of DEVONSHIRE and its 52 lodges have been wholly or in part entrusted to Bro . the Rev . T . V , ' . Lemon , and it must be allowed that the confidence thus exhibited is well requited by that worthy brother . On this occasion Bro . Lemon represented Sincerity Lodge , No . 189 , Stonehouse , and his list vvas £ 207 is . Last year the same

brother was sole Steward at the Girls' Festival , his list comprising a personal donation of £ 94 ios ., while at the Boys' School Festival he figured with £ 93 9 s . to his credit , the total for the Province being £ 103 19 s . In 1888 , Bro . Viscount Ebrington , M . P ., presided at the Boys' School Festival , and was admirably supported by his Province to the extent of £ 840 , the Girls' Institution receiving £ 126 , and the R . M . B . I . £ 47 5 s ., making the total for the year over £ 1013 .

DURHAM , as the contributor of 75 guineas ( £ 7 8 15 s . ) , has been very properly included in the list , though , as a matter of fact , it vvas not represented by any Steward . Last year , including the sum it religiously votes year by year to each of the Charities , it gave £ 354 18 s ., of vvhich the Boys' School received £ 105 , the Girls' School ,

. £ 134 8 s ., and the Benevolent Institution £ 115 ios . In 1888 the Returns were more than double vvhat they vvere in 188 9 , this Institution obtaining support to the extent of £ 122 15 s ., while the Girls' School , at its Centenary , received £ 375 18 s ., and the Boys' School £ 262 ios ., the aggregate of the three being ^ 75 1 3 s-ESSEX ,

vvhich has been increasing and multiplying in the matter of its private lodges in the last year or two , vvas represented by 11 Stewards on Wednesday , who acted on behalf of nine out of its 30 lodges and the chapter attached to a tenth lodge , the sum total of their lists being £ 385 16 6 d . Among the items composing this total may be specified the list ot Bro . T . J . Railing , Prov . G . Sec , as representative of the Angel Lodge , No . 51 , Colchester—the premier lodge of the province

—vvhich amounted to £ 52 ios ., and Bro . Chamberlayne ' s £ 57 15 s . Last year the Province subscribed £ 331 5 s . 6 d . to the Boys' School , £ 23 2 s . to the Girls' School , and £ 29 1 18 s . to the R . M . B . I ., making together £ 646 5 s . 6 d . In 1888 the total was £ 1297 3 s . 6 d ., of which the Girls' School obtained rather more than two-thirds ; in 188 7 it vvas £ 873 4 s . ; in 1886 , £ 599 4 s . ; while in 1884 , when Bro . Lord Brooke , P . G . M ., acted as Chairman at the Girls' Festival , it reached the fine sum of £ 154 6 7 s . 6 d .

GLOUCESTERSHIRE , though it has but 14 lodges on its roll , is both a regular and a liberal contributor to our Institutions . On Wednesday , it sent up five Stewards , four of them being representatives of as many lodges , and the fifth—Bro . Sir Lionel E . Darell , Bart ., —unattached . The Returns from these brethren amounted to £ 133 17 s ., of which £ 74 us . vvas contained in Bro . E . Clare Sewell's list for the Cotteswold Lodge , No . 592 , Gloucester . Last year its total for the three Festivals reached

only to £ 199 ios ., but in i 883 it amounted to ^ 621 3 s . 6 d ., of vvhich £ 520 18 s . was subscribed for the Centenary of the Girls' School . In 188 7 , the sum was £ 221 ns ., but during the three years from 1884 to 1886 its contributions—in vvhich all three Charities shared—vvere £ 2240 9 s ., giving an average per year of nearly £ 747 . Thus , with the exception of the year 1888 , this Province has been doing less than its usual share of work , in consequence , no doubt , of having gone somewhat beyond its strength in 1884-5-6 . A somewhat similar remark may be applied to

HANTS AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT , which , though it has some 46 lodges on its roll , has done nothing commensurate with its strength since the Girls' Centenary . On Wednesday , four of its lodges vvere represented by as many brethren , whose lists totalled up £ 130 5 s . 3 d . Last year , the Old People received £ 164 8 s . 6 d ., the Girls' School £ 57 15 s ., and the Boys' School £ 144 18 s ., making together £ 3 6 7 is . 6 d . In 1888 , the Returns reached £ 1355 is . id ., including £ 1149 13 s . 6 d . to the Girls' School , while in Jubilee year , when Bro . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., P . G . M ., presided as Chairman at