Grand Festival Of United Grand Lodge.

M . W . G . M and Grand Treasurer , were read and confirmed . Bro . THOMAS FENN then proclaimed his Royal Hi ghness the Prince of Wales as installed Most Worshipful Grand Master . The Earl of LATHOM next announced that the M . W . G . M had been pleased to re-appoint him Pro Grand Master , an announcement which was received with general and sustained applause .

Bro . THOMAS FENN thereupon called the brethren to order and proclaimed the Earl of Lathom Pro Grand Master , and this was followed by the customary salute . The next announcement by the Earl of LATHOM was that the M . W . G . M . had again been pleased to appoint Earl Amherst Deputy Grand Master , and Bro . THOMAS FENN proclaimed him . The following is a list of the other Grand Officers :

Bro . Lord Portarhngton , ... ... ... S . G . W . „ Lord Stanley , M . P . ... J . G . W . „ Dean of Rochester ( Rev . S . Reynolds Hole ) ... ") r ph _ nc „ Rev . C . W . Childe ( Cheltenham ) ... ... j * unaps-„ Alderman Vaughan Morgan ... ... G . Treas . ,, His Honour Judge Philbrick , O . C . ... G . Reg . „ R . Horton Smith , Q . C ... ... ... Dep . G . Reg .

„ R . Lovland Loveland ... ... ... Pres . Bd . Gen . Prps . „ E . Letchworth , F . S . A .... ... ... G . Sec . „ James Hy . Matthews ... ... ... Pres . Bd . Benev . ,, Sir Augustus Webster , Bart . ... ... " ) ,, Sir Francis Boileau , Bart ... ... f S . G . Ds . „ S . B . Bancroft ... ... ... „ Malcolm Morris ... ... ... " ) „ Richd . Wilson ... ... ... W . G . Ds .

„ J . T . Firbank , M . P . ... ... ... J „ A . R . Stenning ... ... ... G . Supt . of Wks . „ SirA . W . Woods , K . C . M . G ., C . B ., Garter , F . S . A . G . D . of C . ,, Tames Stephens ... ... ... Dep . G . D . of C .

„ A . W . Orwin , M . D . ... ... ... „ W . Russell , Kent ... ... ... [ Asst . G . D . of Cs . ,, G . C . Kent , Longton ... ... ... J „ G . L . Eyles ... ... ... ... G . S . B . ,, Dep . Surgeon-Gen . Ringer ... ... Dep . G . S . B .

„ W . H . Cowper ... ... -la Std Brs „ W . Vincent ... ... ... j G . btd . Brs . i , G . F . Smith ... ... ... G . Organist . „ W . Lake ... ... ... ,., Asst . G . Sec .

,, Cesar Kupferschmidt ... ... ... A . G . Sec . Ger . Cor . ,, E . C . Mulvey ... ... ,., G . Purst . „ Walter Martin ... ... ... A . G . Purst . „ Henry Sadler ... ... ... G . Tyler .

The Earl of LATHOM , after he had announced the re-appointment of Sir Albert Woods as G . D . C , informed the brethren that the M . W . G . M . having appointed Monday , June 14 th , as the day for holding a special meeting of English Freemasons at the Royal Albert Hall in celebration of

her Majesty s completion of 60 years of her reign , and Sir Albert Woods not being in a good state of health , his Royal Highness had , at the express desire of Sir Albert Woods , appointed Bro . Thomas Fenn to wear the clothing of , and act as , Grand Director of Ceremonies for the ensuing year . This information was received with universal cheering .

GRAND SECRETARY next read the following list of the Grand Stewards for the next year , which had been approved by the M . W . G . M .: Bros . E . M . Morris , 1 ; W . H . C . Payne , 2 ; W . G . Fenn , 4 ; J . Chandler , 5 ; W . H . N . Goschen , 6 j J . H . Jinks , 8 ; the Rev . H . H . Lowe , M . A ., 14 ; H . L . Truman , 21 ; J . B . Verity , 23 ; W . H . Propert , 26 ; George Grant , 29 ; A . M . Hooper , 46 ; T . W . Noad , 58 ; A . H . Debenham , 60 ; L . C . Best , 91 ; Fred . G . Ivey , 99 ; C . B . O . Orme Clarke , 197 ; and Louis Mieville , 259 .

Grand Lodge was then closed in ample form , and the brethren adjourned to Freemasons' Tavern , where they were entertained at an elegant banquet , provided by the Grand Stewards , 1896-7 , of whom the following is a list : — . Bros . Alexander Stewart Brown , F . R . C . S ., President ; Thomas Dinwiddy , Treasurer j Edgar Morris Brandon , Hon . Sec . j Rev . Chas . J . Ridgway ,

M . A ., Edwin T . Hall , Fredk . W . Crookshank , Morris Bilbie Evans , Harold Burke , William Sutton , M . A ., C . M . Handfield Jones , John H . Stark , George Pitt Lewis , Q . C , Edwin Fox , John Thomas Cotton , Horace Arthur Lomer , Joseph Harrison , M . H . Mostyn , Turtle Pigott , M . A ., B . C . L ., and G . Stanhope Hanson .

At the conclusion of the banquet grace was sung , and the toasts were proposed . The Earl of LATHOM , who presided , in proposing " The Queen , " said : Brethren , as no doubt many of you here are aware it has usually been my custom in proposing the first toast of the evening to give it without a single word of preamble , but I feel that in this year it is impossible to do so . We are this year celebrating what has been called perhaps by a misnomer ,

a Diamond Jubilee ; it is not a Diamond Jubilee , but it is the 60 th anniversary of her Majesty ' s accession to the Throne . Brethren , I know how deeply we all were impressed 10 years ago when her Majesty reached her 50 th anniversary . How much greater our feelings on this occasion ! I have thought myself , and I have thought a great deal , what I could say to you on this occasion , and I was puzzled about it ; but reading a book which was

put in my hands only two nights ago I came upon the following , and I think it so apposite that with your permission I will read you two quotations from it : " The Queen has ever conspicuously maintained her high moral attitude of benevolence , of personal sympathy in sorrow , of tender gratitude for public service , of tender regard for misfortune , pain , or death , in the meanest of her subjects . To the English-speaking peoples all over the world she has

stood in the relation of a mother to her children . Queen Victoria has been , and is , the veritable mother of her people . " If you will allow me , brethren , I will quote one more paragraph from the same work . " Queen Victoria ' s rule has extended over a longer period , day for day , than that of any British Sovereign , and during the whole of that long reign she

has exhibited to her people qualities hitherto unassociated with the name of King or Queen—qualities which had endeared her not only to her own people , but to millions to whom her name stands for every womanly virtue , and qualities of mind which would not only have enabled her to guide and sustain a long series of the ablest Englishmen engaged in the tatk of ruling , but have set such a mark upon the history of her couutry , that constitutional monarchy must be forever associated

Grand Festival Of United Grand Lodge.

with her reign . " Brethren , it needs no words of mine to supplement what I have read to you . I think those words actually express the feeling we have for the Queen and what she has done for us . I ask you to drink "The Health of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen . " The Earl of LATHOM , after the toast had been drunk , and the National Anthem sung , proposed " The M . W . Grand Master . " He said he could

have wished that his Royal Highness had been present that day to hear the cheers and the way in which the health of his royal mother was greeted . He would have the opportunity very shortly , for , as he ( the Earl of Lathom ) told the brethren in Grand Lodge , there would be a great Masonic meeting , to be held in the Royal Albert Hall , on June 14 th . He hoped all the brethren would understand that it was not to be a Grand Lodge ; it was to be

simply a meeting of brethren generally to vote an address to the Queen . Whyhe said that was that he had had some intimations that at " Grand Lodge ceremonies some brethren could not get in . That was not so on that occasion ; if brethren would apply soon enough and would pay their money , they could go to the meeting . " He need not tell the brethren that his Royal Highness the Grand Master took a deep interest in Masonry , and that he

did so was shown by the fact that he constantly had communications from him on Masonic subjects , and again and again when _ he ( the Earl of Lathom ) had asked his advice , he readily replied . It was not the Prince of Wales ' s fault that he could not perform all the duties expected from him—he really could not help it . He was sure the

brethren would all join with him ( the Earl of Lathom ) in giving him all congratulations on the birth of his granddaughter . His son , unfortunately , did not belong to the Masonic Order , but that did not in the slightest degree lessen the brethren ' s pleasure with which they reflected that her Royal Highness the Duchess of York had gone through her time of trouble and difficulty so successfully ,

THE CHAIRMAN . The Earl of EUSTON , in proposing "The Health of the M . W . Pro Grand Master , " said the Earl of Lathom was always ready to assist the brethren in any way , and they looked up to him , respected , and loved him . The Earl of LATHOM , in reply , thanked the brethren and Lord Euston from the bottom of his heart . To Lord Euston he was greatly obliged for his

kind words . There was to his mind one very unpleasant part of a public dinner , and that was when one ' s own health was drunk . Occasionally one was , if he might use the expression , beslavered ; on other occasions the gentleman who proposed your health did not know you , and did not know what to say and { je put his foot in it . He ( the Earl of Lathom ) was happy to think he had won the brethren ' s esteem and that they thought he had done his duty . He again hoped that as long as it pleased the Great Architect of the Universe

to spare him and it p leased the Grand Master to continue him in the position he now held he might go on doing his duty to the satisfaction of the brethren . The duties of Masonry , he was happy to think , at this moment were not hard . Thank God the tone of Masonry had improved , it was good ; that tone which some years ago he had to warn brethren about—the tone degenerating and getting lower in grade had disappeared ; they were

now on the right way , the right men were initiated , the right men were coming forward ( he would not particularise ) , but whatever he saw in the provinces , wherever he went , there was really a keen sense of the duties of Masonry ; a keen sense to go on in the duties of Masonry ; and it rejoiced his heart to think that he belonged to such a brotherhood . It went on increasing not only in numbers , but it increased in its working :

it worked better and better . He would say this that , looking back as he did now on a long Masonic career , it was to him simply marvellous the way in which their great axiom—their great motto— " Charity " had borne fruit and increased . It was a thing to be noted throughout the world the way the brethren of England came forward , when called upon , with

money , no matter what for—Masonic Charity—well that was an annual occurrence—and other Qharities , and there was the Indian Famine the other day ; what Masons gave amounted to more than that of any other corporate body . It showed that , whatever might happen , as long as Masonry stood as it did now it would continue to flourish and be a great boon to this country .