Analysis Of The Returns.

total was not so large , being only £ 1034 19 s ., the Benevolent receiving the highest contribution , £ 546 4 s . od . ; the Girls' School , £ ' 174 8 s . 6 d . ; and the Boys' School , £ 313 65 . In 1885 and 1884 , it raised for the former year £ 877 , and for the latter £ 725 , while in 1883 , it figured in the several Returns for £ 616 , and in ; i 882 , for £ 1212 , so that from the commencement made on Wednesday we may anticipate that 1888 will compare favourably with the best of its predecessors .

MONMOUTHSHIRE is but a small province with only 10 lodges , but on Wednesday it had more Stewards than lodges , and the result of their exertions was shown in the very generous aggregate of £ 438 3 *? . od . This is better than the best of its previous performances , and is , no doubt , to be accounted for by the fact of its neighbour South Wales East having furnished the Chairman . of'the day . In 1887 it benefited the Boys' School to the extent of

£ ^ 300 , and the Girls'School with a more modest £ 62 ios . ; in 18 S 6 the Benevolent , with £ 199 ios ., and the Boys' School , with £ 31 ios ., were the recipients of its kind attentions , while in 1885 the total was £ 261 8 s . 6 d ., of which the Benevolent received £ 200 , and the Girls' School the balance . The year previous the Boys' School had the field all to itself , and received per Bro . Capt . S . G . Homfray , D . P . G . M ., £ 307 13 s . This is a famous record .

The Lodge of Friendship , No . 100 , Great Yarmouth , does duty for NORFOLK with its roll of 16 lodges , the list of Bro . Diver , its representative , amounting to the very respectable sum of £ 63 . As an agricultural district , the worthy people of Norfolk may be said to have had more than their share of the recent depression , and therefore if more has not been forthcoming from its lodges , there is ample excuse for it . Last year Bro . Bridgman , as

Steward for Social Lodge , No . 93 , Norwich , raise £ 155 93 . for the Benevolent Institution , and Bro . Barwell , of Union Lodge , No . 52 , of Norwich , gave in a list of £ 52 ios . at the Girls' Festival , while at the Boys' Festival in 1886 , when Bro . Lord Suffield , P . G . M ., was chairman , the sum of its contributions reached £ 420 . These are by no means bad returns from a province , which , as we have said , has been recently passing through some very hard times . One of the 18 lodges in

NORTH WALES had a Steward in the person of Bro . Lieut .-Col . the Hon . Sackville-West , P . G . W ., his list amounting to 44 guineas ( . £ 4645 . ) . Last year it distributed over £ 410 among the three Charities , the Benevolent receiving £ 152 is ., the Girls' School , £ 155 8 s ., and the Boys' School , £ 102 iSs . In 1886 its contiibutions were—to the Benevolent , £ 29 us ,, to the Girls' School ,

£ 102 7 s . 6 d ., and to the Boys' School , £ 87 3 s ., making up a total of £ 219 is . 6 d . This is all it has had an opportunity of doing as a separate Province , but a reference lo the returns of previous years will show that before 1 S 86 North Wales and Shropshire often entered an appearance , and lo very pood purpose , at these annual gatherings . 4 The province of

NORTHANTS AND HUNTS , albeit of modest strength , showed what it can do on occasions , at the Boys ' Festival of last year , when lour brethren , acting for three out of its 10 lodges compiled the large total of £ 350 . On Wednesday another of its lodges—Fidelity , No . 4 . 1 k , of Towcester , with which Bro . the Earl of Euston is

connected—sent up as Steward Bro . the Rev . James Jenkins , who figures in the returns for . £ 10 ios . This may only be a modest total , but we take less account of this than of the agreeable fact that under its new Prov . G . Master , Northants and Hunts appears to have thrown off its lethargy and to be taking as active an interest in the general concerns of Masonry as in the affairs of its own lodges .

NORTHUMBERLAND , though having a goodly array of 21 lodges , is a rare participator in these annual celebrations , but when it does take part in them , its contribution is on a grand scale . At the Boys' Festival in 188 3 , Bro . B . J . Thompson , Prov . G . Secretary , compiled the handsome total of £ 1223 13 s . In 1 SS 6 , the same brother , again acting as representative of the entire province , raised £ 906 125 . forthe Girls' School ; and on Wednesday , for the third

time , Bro . Thompson demonstrated his ability as a Steward by handing in a list of £ 900 fot this Institution . These figures give a grand total of upwards of £ 3000 , raised by one brother , and pretty impartially distributed among the three Charities . Well done Bro . Thompson ! May you again act as representative of Northumbrian Freemasonry at many future gatherings of a like character ! The chapter attached to one of the 14 lodges in the province of

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE sent up a representative in the person of Comp . S . G . Gilbert , whose list is returned as £ 52 ios . At the Boys' Festival in June last , the two Nottinghamshire Stewards made up between them £ 231 ios . 6 d ., and there were two minor returns the previous May and February , of £ " 16 163 . in the former month , and £ 27 os . 6 d . in Ihe latter . In 1886 the Benevolent and Boys ' School received £ 176 iSs . 6 d ., and £ 102 2 s . respectively , and in 1885 all

three participated in the receipts which totalled up to £ 540 7 s ., while the year previous the Old People and Boys' School between them were favoured with £ 274 5 s . The agreeable feeler which the province put out on Wednesday is suggestive of some good work being accomplished during the presentyear , andwemaybe sure thetwo remaining Festivals will not pass without some good news at one or both from Nottinghamshire . There are 10 lodges in the Province of

OXFORDSHIRE , and two of them sent up Stewards , the Alfred Lodge , No . 340 , Oxford , which heads the roll , having two representatives , whose joint list amounted to 30 guineas ( £ 31 ios . ) , while the total for the Province was £ 47 5 s . In June , 1887 , the Returns from five Stewards amounted to £ 86 13 s . 6 d .,

whie in May the total from the same number was £ 101 14 s . 6 d ., and in February three Stewards compiled £ 72 18 s . 6 d ., the whole year producing £ 271 6 s . 6 d ., as compared wilh £ 279 in 1 S 86 , £ 208 in 1885 , and £ " 293 in 1884 . Here the contributions are regularly forthcoming , if they are not largein amount , and we doubt not the Province will acquit itself as honourably in 1888 as it has in preceding years .

SHROPSHIRE , uhich , like North Wales , has been a separate Province only since the aitumn of 1885 , has a roll of 11 lodges , of which the Lodge of the M irehes , No . 611 , Ludlow , figures for 25 guineas ( " £ 26 5 s . ) . But in May , iSS ; , Iho . SirO . Wakeman , Bart ., P . G . M ., presided as Chairman at the

Analysis Of The Returns.

Girls' School Festival , and Shropshire then achieved a brilliant thing by compiling the large total of £ 1022 17 s ., a su n almost unprecedented for so small a province in our Festival annals . We cannot in reason expect much for the present from a quarter which has put forth its utmost strength so recently , though we dare say we have not heard the last of Shropshire

during the current year in respect of its contributions to our Charities . In cases of this kind , the old French proverb about eating being provocative of appetite is conspicuously true , for the more our lodges and provinces raise for charitable purposes , the more they seem capable of raising . Two of Wednesday ' s Stewards hailed from

SOMERSETSHIRE , which , wilh 25 lodges on its roll , and tie Pro Grand Master and his Deputy , Bro . R . C . Else , P . G . D ., to regulate and direct its energies , may always be reckoned upon for contributions . On this occasion Bro . Baskett raised £ 137 5-., the list of the other Steward being still outstanding . In June last three Stewards compiled a total of £ 420 ; in the previous May two brethren were almost as successfu l , the sum of their lists being £ 400

6 s ., andjin rebruary a tingle Steward returned £ 132 Ss ., the total lor the year being £ 95 2 14 s . In iSS ' 6 it raided £ 609 us . ; in 18 S 5 , £ 517 1 S 3 . ; and in 1884 , £ 640 143 ., the total for the four years—from 1884 to 188 7 , both inclusive—being £ 2720 17 b , giving an average of £ 680 per year . We congratulate our Somersetshire brethren on so admirable a record , and we dare say we shall have reason to show that it has been well maintained during the current year . There can be no question that the CHAIRMAN ' Province of

SOUTH WALES , EASTERN DIVISION , has greatly dislinguUhed itself by the loyal and generous support it has given to its respected ruler , Bro . Sir George Elliot . Its roll of lodges musters 16 , and the total of its contributions on Wednesday was £ 854 103 . We fully expected that South Wales East would bestir itself on this occasion , The Chairmanship at one of our Masonic Festivals is a role not lightly to

be undertaken , for it entails a considerable amount of responsibility . But as it is a difficult part to play , so is it likewise an honourable one , and when the G . Matter of a Province occupies the position , a certain portion of the honour due to him is reflected on the lodges under his control . The lodges in . ' . his part of South Wales appear to have recognised this , and by the course they pursued on Wednesday have brought credit upon themselves

as well as upon their chief . As for the amount of their contributions , it is needless to say it eclipses all they have done in pist years . in 18 S 7 they raised neaily £ 262 , in 1886 , £ 265 , in 1 S 85 , £ 460 , and in 18 S 4 , £ 300 ; the total for the quadrennial period being within a fraction of £ 1228 . But if the amount was large , the contingent of Stewards was small , eightof the 111

lodges and a chapter being specially represented , and Bio . Marmaduke Tennant , D . P . G . M ., taking charge of the Province generally . Thus , as all had a part in the labour , so all have a share in the credit which has resulted , the CHAIRMAN ' S personal donation of £ 126 helping materially to swell the returns from the province .

SOUTH WALES , WESTERN DIVISION , with its small array of 10 lodges , played the part of a kindly neighbour , and gave its services likewise , Bro . J . Andrew Jenkins , who bravely upheld the fair fame of his province , returning the goodly total of £ 108 ios . This division of South Wales had no share in the Festivals of last year , but it figured at that of the Boys' School in June , 1 S 66 , with a list of 200 guineas

( £ 210 ); at lhat of the R . M . B . I . in 18 S 5 , with one of £ 90 ; at those of the Girls' School with £ 262 ios ., and Boys' School with £ 10 103 ., in 1884 ; at the Boys' Festival of 18 S 3 with £ 350 ; and at the Benevolent Festival in 1882 , when its then Prov . G . Master , the late Bro . Col . Lloyd-Philipps , was in the chair , with upwards of £ ' 350 . Thus , if the support given by this Province is only occasional , it is , generally speaking , substantial . As Bro . A . B . Jones , representing the Province of

STAFFORDSHIRE . has been unable to return his list , we are unable to say more as to the work done by its 29 lodges , than that it has invariably been most creditable to the brethren and most serviceable to our Institutions . Last year , for instance , it distributed nearly £ 700 among them , the Girls' School faring the best and receiving £ 320 5 s ., while the Boys' School obtained £ 245 14 s .,

and the Old People £ 132 6 s . In 1886 , th'i total was onl y £ 577 ios ., but in 1885 it was again but little short of £ 700-1112 exact figures being £ 6 95 2 s .--and in 1884 it reached £ 646 6 s . From the experience of these four years , we are justified in bjheviig tfut Staffordshire will continue its energetic support of our Institutions . Bro . Lord Henniker , Prov . G . Master of

SUFFOLK , must be very proud of the 21 lodges under his authority , and the brethren belonging to them " . The five Stewards , of Wednesday made up amongst them a total of £ 45 1 10 .=., or rather more than an average of £ 90 per Steward , the list of Bro . Oliver , who did duty forthe unrepresented portion of the Province , amounting to £ 162 15 s ., while Bro . Hunt , of No . 37 6 . handed in one of £ 84 , and Bro . Canova a like amount as representative of

Nos . 388 and 1983 . Last year the total for the three Festivals was close on ^ 795 '< in 1 S 86 it was £ 553 ; in 1 SS 5 over £ 691 ; and in iS 84 0 ver £ 627 ; so tnat Suffolk ' s aggregate for the last 13 Festivals is £ 3117 Ios . 6 d ., giving an average of very nearly £ ^ 240 per Festival , a well-sustained course of subscriptions , with which the whole of the Craft , as well as our Suffolk friend ? , have great reason to be gratified . It is possible that

SURREY , with its roll of 32 lodges , may be reserving itself for the Girls' Centenary , or for some heavy work in connection with the Boys'School Festival in June . If so , its small array of three Stewards for as many lodges , and the modest aggregate of £ 8 7 is ., is easily explained . Last year , the Province raised nearly £ 800 , of which the Benevolent received £ ^ 70 , the Girls' School

£ 269 , and the Boys' School £ 158 . The year pre / ious , the return just exceeded £ 1829 , this large amount being accounted for by Bro . General Brownrigg , P . G . M ., having been Chairman for the Girls' Institution , when his lodges raised amongst them nearly £ 1346 . The figures in previous years have been on a similar scale , so that Surrey is justified in having claimed for itself a little breathing time , and , indeed , must be congratulated on having preferred to figure for comparatively a small total rather than not at all .

The 27 lodges in SUSSEX , whether taken individually or collectively , do good work , and thoug h Bro