United Grand Lodge Of England.

were several objections to their accepting this offer , and they subsequently received another one from the Committee of the Grand Lodge of Mark Masons of ^ 360 per annum ( the rent hitherto received ) for a lease of 49 years , together with an undertaking to expend about ^ 3000 on the Building , the plans to be subject to the approval of the Grand Superintendent of Works , and the nett amount received from Messrs Spiers and Pond for dilapidations to be handed over to them . The arrangement being subject to the approval of the Grand Lodge of Mark Masons .

The Board consider that this offer is in every respect a very desirable one ; they have , therefore , accepted it subject to the approval of Grand Lodge . ( Signed ) THOMAS FENN , President . Freemasons' Hall , London , W . C , igth February , 18 S 9 .

To the report is subjoined a statement of the Grand Lodge accounts , at the last meeting of the Finance Committee , held on Friday , the 15 th day of February last , showing a balance in the Bank of England ( Western Branch ) of £ 4659 195 . 9 d „ and in the hands of the Grand Secretary for petty cash £ 100 , and lor servants' wages £ 100 , and balance of annual allowance for library £ 23 16 s . 7 d . 6 . Report of Bro . John Smith , Auditor of the Grand Lodge accounts , of receipts and disbursements during the year 18 S 8 . List of brethren nominated for the office of Grand Treasurer : —

Edward O'Connor Terry , P . G . Stwd ., P . M . and 'lreas . of the Savage Club Lodge , No . 2190 , London . Nominated by Bro . Sir John R . Somers Vine , W . M . No . 2190 , London . George Everett , P . M . and Treas . of the Domatic Lodge , No . 177 , London . Nominated by Bro . William John Ferguson , P . M . No . 177 , London .

List of Lodges for which warrants have been granted by the M . W . Grand Master since the last Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge : Lodge 2291 , The West Ham Abbey , Stratford , Essex . ,, 22 9 , The Duke of Brunswick , Brunswick , Victoria . ,, 2293 , The Sandeford , Malmsbury , Victoria .

,, 2294 , The Wavertree , Wavertree , Lancashire ( W . D ) . „ 2295 , The Scarisbrick , Southport , Lancashire ( W . D . ) ,, 2296 , The United Service , Launceston , Tasmania . „ 2297 , The Harding , Roebourne , Western Australia .

„ 2298 , The Southern Cross , Palamcottah , Tinnevelly , Madras . ,, 2299 , The Mount Currie , Kokstad , Griqualand East , South Africa . „ 2 3 , Aorangi , Wellington , Wellington , N . Z . „ 2 3 , The Fortitude , Bluff , Otago , Southland , N . Z . ,, 2302 , The St . Mary ' s , Southwell , Nottinghamshire .

Grand Mark Lodge.

GRAND MARK LODGE .

A Speci al Meeting of Grand Mark Lodge was held on Monday afternoon at the Holborn Restaurant , for the purpose of authorising the taking of a . lease of Bacon ' s Hotel , Great Queen-street , from United Grand Lodge of'England , to be used as " the head-quarters of Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England'and Wales and the Colonies and Dependencies

ohthe British Crown . Lord Egerton of latton , M . W . ProG . M ., presided , BrovrBroadley acted as D . G . M . ; Bro . the Rev . Canon Porial , P . G . M . ; Bro . Lord John Taylour , as S . G . W . ; Bro . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , as J . G . W . ; and a large attendance of other brethren . Grand Lodge having been opened in ample form ,

Lord EGERTON of TATTON said this was a Special Grand Lodge , and he thought it would best further the dispatch of business if he were to call on the M . W . Bro . Canon Portal to communicate fully to the Grand Lodge the negotiation which had led to the notice which was on the paper . Canon PORTAL thereupon rose and said that some little time ago it came to the ears of the General Board that there was a probability of the

lease of Bacon ' s Hotel in Great Queen-street , with which , he supposed , they were all acquainted , next to Freemasons' Tavern , being to be had , and the General Board appointed a small Committee , consisting of Bros . Berridge , Driver , and Richardson , the Grand Registrar , to inspect the premises and see whether it would be possible to adapt it to the purposes of this Grand Lodge . Those brethren reported that the premises were

eminently suited for the purposes of Grand Mark Lodge , and they advised that overtures should be made to the Board of Genera ; Purposes of United Grand Lodge for taking a lease for as long a time as they would give . It appeared that there was no chance whatever of the Craft Grand Lodge being willing to sell the premises , though , of course , it would have been very far preferable to get the freehold ; but freeholds , as the brethren were

aware , were exceedingly difficult , if not impossible , to get in London , and all that they could do , therefore , was to ask for a lease as long as could be properly given to them . Then they had a special meeting of the General Board on the question , and they unanimously resolved that they were open to spend somewhere about ^ 3000 on this Bacon ' s Hotel if the Board of General Purposes of the Craft Grand Lodge would grant them a lease of

49 years , which was as good a term as they could reasonably expect . I hey were met in the kindest possible way by Col . Shadwell Clerke , the Grand Secretary of the Craft , and Bro . Thomas Fenn , the President of the Board , and he had to express his hearty thanks to those brethren for the truly Masonic and kind manner in which they had acted towards them throughout . The General Board then asked Bro . Berridge and Bro . Driver to

give them a rough idea of how the building could be turned into premises and offices and lodge rooms suited to the purposes of Grand Mark Lodge . The plans were drawn up , and were now in the room . They were simply a rough idea of what might be done , and it appeared from them that , besides the offices for their Secretaries and so forth , they could get a Grand Lodge room double the size of the room in which they were now assembled ,

and could get a dining hall which would hold 150 people comfortably . There were excellent kitchens if they were wanted , and they could have five excellent lodge rooms , with ante-rooms , either for private lodges of the Mark Degree or of other bodies that might choose to rent rooms there . Therefore , it was clear that these premises , at the cost of £ 3000 , could be adapted to the purposes of Grand Mark Lodge , and he need not say that

it would be an immense thing for their body to have a permanent habitation ; and of all permanent habitations he thought that none—and all would agree with him in this—would be so suitable as under the roof of the Craft Grand Lodge , to which they all owed allegiance . Then came the question of finance , and , as regarded that , the figures were very simple , and he hoped the brethren would be able to follow him in what he was now going to lay before them . The rent they proposed to pay—and he hoped G .

Grand Mark Lodge.

Lodge would agree to accept it—for Bacon s Hotel was £ 360 a year . To that must be added £ 60 , the interest of ^ 2000 of their own money , which they woufd have to spend on the necessary alterations in the building . The rest of the ^ 3000 would nearly all come from the money paid for dilapidations which the late tenants would hand over to them , so that they must take the rent

at ^ 420 per annum . I heir present rent ( Lion-square ) was ^ 200 , and they got as rent for it ^ 103 a year . What then was there to balance the £ 420 against the present £ 200 ' ? Wnat they might expect was this—if they had five Iodge rooms , with the appropriate and proper clothing rooms , they might , he thought , expect—as there was a very great want ot accommodation for lodges in that part of London , especially of

lodges which wanted to dine—if they would be able to offer them this accommodation—to increase their receipts by five . There was nothing unreasonable in that . Then they would have ^ 400 or ^ 500 for the reit of lodge rooms . Therefore it was clear it would not be a bad investment . £ 2000 they might say would be sunk . No doubt that was so ;* but they might faiily expect from the increased prestige this body would obtain from

having a house of its own , and also , as he said before , being almost under one roof with the great Craft Grand Lodge—they might look in the course of 50 } 'ears for .= uch an accession of members as would pay them that £ 2000 over and over again . He did not know that he had anything more to state . They had the whole matter before them . The plans when they were definitely agreed upon would have to be submitted to the Grand

Superintendent 01 Works of the Craft ; of course that was only right and fair , as the freehold of the building belonged to the Craft Grand Lodge . He should propo e . if they agreed , as he hoped they would unanimously , to their taking these premises , first of all that three brethren should be authorised to sign the lease ; that the Pro Grand Master , himself ( Canon Portal ) , and the Grand Registrar be those three brethren . He should also

propose that they ask Craft Grand Lodge , which meets on Wednesday , March 6 th , to be good enough to let them have these premises at a peppercorn rent from now until six months , when he was told the building could be altered for their purposes . It was customary , he believed , where a building was entirely re-arranged , or built , until the new tenant could take possession of it , to have it at a peppercorn rent . He supposed there would be no difficultv in getting Craft Grand Lodge to allow this , and he

should ask them to give them the benefit of that regular custom . He had nothing more to say , but should be happy to answer any questions the brethren might be pleased to ask , and he now proposed '' That the General Board be authorised to take a lease of the premises known as Bacon ' s Hotel , Great Queen-street , from the United Grand Lodge of England , for a period of 49 years , and to make such alterations in trio same as may be necessary to adapt them for the purposes , of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons . "

Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , Grand Reg ., seconded the motion . After the lucid manner in which this matter had been explained by the President of the General Board he thought he need say but very few words . They had gone most carefully into it and had come to the conclusion that it was the best thing that could possibly happen for this Order . If they could get good and suitable premises , which at present they had not , there would be a very large accession of strength . Canon Portal had mentioned that

they would get , no doubt , a large accession of lodge meetings at the new premises if they were successful in obtaining them , and he thought more than that . They knew there were numerous other bodies sucn as the Knight Templars and others seeking accommodation , which they were unable to have , nearly all meeting at hotels , and there was constantly heard the remark that they wished they had other more suitable premises . Therefore , instead of Canon Portal overdoing it he had rather underdone it ,, in saying the extra rent they would obtain would balance the cost .

Bro . J . S . CUMBERLAND wished to know first whether they intended to keep the licence ; secondly , was it intended to have cooking accomnodation at the hotel , because if not it was no use begging thequesuon whether dinnerscould be had . In the next place , under what terms had ihey the lease of Red Lion-square ? If it was a lease for a term of years of the present premises , they had got to get rid of them . He asked this because the

question had already been raised . In saying this he entirely coincided with what had been done , but he thought it right they should know as far as they possibly could what they were entering into , so that they might get , as Bro . Richardson had put it , other Degrees , and give them all the apartments and all the accommodation they might require . Of course , they clearly understood that if they were to have the licence continued they should have

to close at a certain time , unless they had special permission ; they would have to belike Freemasons' Tavern—they would have to keep a staff there , All these things naturally added to the expense ; but he believed the Mark Degree was sufficiently strong for that . Canon Portal said the rent would be ^ 420 a year , until they had got funds in hand to re-pay the ^ 2000 to make ( he alterations , so that in a short time it would be decreased by the

money they should pay back . He thought it would be in the interests of the Order to know whether it was intended to have cooking done there , if they were to keep the licence , or whether , as was done in small towns , make it a Masonic club , charge a minimum fee for each , and be a club among themselves . He knew it was usually done . If this motion was carried , a

Committee might be appointed to consider all these details . Canon PORTAL said as regarded the first question , it was not intended to keep on the licence . They could do so . About the cooking , there were admirable kitchens , but he supposed it would be more convenient to open communication with the Tavern , for ths Tavern to provide banquets .

Col , SHADWELL CLERKE was afraid that would not be practicable ; they would not be able to keep up an entrance to Freemasons' Tavern if they had a licence .

Canon PORTAL said there were kitchens in the base of the building , and they could provide banqnts ; there would be no difficulty on that

score . Bro . CUMBERLAND desired to know how long they would have the premises at Red Lion-square on their hands , because that would add to the rent of the new premises . Bro . F . RICHARDSON reDlied there were five more years to run , but he had no doubt they could give them up and get a tenant .

Canon PORTAL observed that there would not be the slightest difficulty in letting Red Lion-square . Lord EGERTON ol TATTON said the proposals had been submitted to the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M ., and they met with his unqualified approval . The motion was put and carried unanimously . Canon PORTAL ; Then I now propose , with the permission of the Grand Lodge : "That the Pro Grand Master , the President of the General