Veteran Grand Officers.

. Prov . G . Master of Lincolnshire from 18 49 till his death in 1862 , and whose grandson , the present Earl , has been Grand Master of the same Province since 18 95 . The Grand Treasurer was Bro . RICHARD PERCIVAL , who died in 1851 , and the following year

was succeeded by the late Bro . SAMUEL TOMKINS , and the Grand Registrar , the late Bro . ALEXANDER DOBIE , who died in 1 S 7 6 , while the Grand Secretary was Bro . W . H . WHITE , who was Grand Secretary of the Regular Grand Lodge before the

Union of 1813 , and on the accomplishment of that most auspicious event was appointed joint Grand Secretary with Bro . EDWARDS HARPER ; on the retirement of the latter , in 18 3 8 , he became sole Grand Secretary .

Bro . WHITE resigned full of years and honours in 1857 , and was succeeded by Bro . WILLIAM GRAY CLARKE . On his death in 1868 , the late Bro . JOHN HERVEY was appointed , and on his resignalion in 1880 , the late Bro . Col . SHADWELL H . CLERKE

became Grand Secretary , and continued in office till his death in December , 1891 . The mere mention of some of the names and especially of Bro . W . H . WHITE , who was a Grand Officer of one of the two Societies into which English Masonry was divided

in the early years of last century seems , as we have said , to g ive an amount of antiquity to our venerable brother . We may even go further back still in linking the remote past with the living present in the person of Sir FRANCIS . As a clerk

in the Foreign Office , one of the highest and most distinguished departments of the Civil Service , he must have frequently met in society the great Duke of WELLINGTON , who was initiated in

a lodge under the Grand Lodge of Ireland about the year 1790 , and who did not die till September , 1852 . We trust that these and others of our " Veteran Grand Officers " may be spared for many years in the enjoyment of that rare distinction .

Proceedings Grand Lodge Of New York

PROCEEDINGS GRAND LODGE OF NEW YORK

[ SECOND ARTICLE ] . The Report on Foreign Correspondence , published with the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of New York , covers nearly 200 pages of closely-printed matter , and is signed by the M . W . Bro . Jesse B . Anthony , as Chairman , the remainder of the trio

forming the Committee being Bros . William J . Duncan and Emil Frenkcl . Nearly 50 Grand Lodges in the United States are reviewed , seven in the Dominion of Canada , besides fully 30 more , including England , Ireland , Scotland , the European Grand Lodges , and others .

' 1 he information afforded as to many of these bodies is simply invaluable , and rarely met with elsewhere , and the tables generally are both exhaustive and most interesting . For the U . S . A . and Canada several tables are printed , the arrangement and particulars being all that could possibly be desired in such a

Report , embracing , as they do , the total membership of each Grand Lodge , numbers of the subordinate lodges , those raised and joined , died , restored , resigned and suspended , with the net gain under each body . There are no reductions . Another

table exhibits , according to size , the Grand Lodges with their subordinates , maximum , minimum , and average membership of the lodges , and other particulars , under a statistical comparison , & c .

The 57 Grand Lodges in North America ( U . S . A . and Canada ) have 12 , 391 lodges , with a total membership of 8 73 , 075 , being an advance of 205 lodges , and 58 , 0 . 57 brethren in four years . New York is first in size with 74 8 and 101 , 54 s respectively . The average membership of lodges is the

greatest in the District of Columbia , viz ., 22 3 , Massachusetts making a good second with 173 . The Grand Lodges in Canada muster 626 lodges and 40 , 244 members , thus leaving the enormous net total for the United States of America of 11 , 765 lodges and 832 , 831 members . Surely these figures are almost startling in their magnitude !

Bro . Anthony reviews , at more or less length , the Proceedings of the other Grand Lodges , many of his remarks thereon being most appropriate and valuable , and his opinions arc always worth noting and are entitled to careful consideration

by all concerned therein . A feature of the Report by this distinguished brother is that , so far as convenient and needful , lie Ms ( he other Chairmen speak for themselves through their own Reports , the extracts being judiciously selected and most suggestive . Many of the decisions noted are most useful as guides for Grand Masters and Grand Secretaries , and together afford an

Proceedings Grand Lodge Of New York

insight into the kind of Masonic Jurisprudence favoured in North America . Bro . Anthony is very cautious in expressing his own views on subjects of a debateable . character , notably so as to "the claim of the Pennsylvania brethren that Philadelphia is the mother city of Freemasonry in America . " He says : "We

leave the controversy to our brethren with the conviction that it will always be a subject of d sagreement hetween the adherents of the Grand Lodge of Mass . and Penn ' a . " M y belief is that two points are not duly not id and kept distinct in the controversy , namely , Freemasonry as worked by lodges before and after the formation of Grand Lodges , but not connected therewith , and as worked by authority of such Bodies .

Bro . Anthony , however , can and does speak and write most emphatically when the interests of his own Grand Lodge are concerned , and in relation to the invasion of New York

territory by the Gra d Lodge of Hamburg , he gives his views of the regretted action most unreservedly , and , I think , quite lucidl y and reasonably . The information afforded as to the Continental Grand Lodges is of an important character , and makes the' massive volume of great utility to many of us who iind a difficulty in obtaining such facts from other sources . The Statistical Table as to these

Bodies must have involved considerable labour to produce , and gives in a nutshell the salient features of all these organisations . I append a few of the figures , feeling assured they will be a welcome sight to many in this country . Master Masons . Total .

Grand Lodge of the 3 Globes ... ... 10 , 620 ... 14 . 272 Grand National Lodge ... ... 9815 ... 11 764 Grand Lodge of Prussia { R . York ) ... 4 501 ... 6 , 455 ,, of Hamburg ... ... 2 , 365 ... 3 . 162

„ of Saxony ... ... 3 . 007 ... 4 , 259 „ ol Zur Sonne ( Biyrenth ) ... 2 , 087 ... 2 . 842 „ of the Eclectic Union ... 2 , 147 2 . 832 „ of Darmstadt ... ... 441 ... 739 Five Independent Lodges ... ... 1 , 0 50 ... 1 , 385

36 , 033 47 , 710 These Returns show an increase on the whole of 539 members on the previous year . To these active members ( of the Three Degrees ) may be added a total of 4394 honorary

members , 3756 " Permanent Visitors , and 18 79 Serving Brethren . The number of " Benevolent Institutions " is returned at 971 . Time and space forbid any reference being made to the numerous particulars afforded as to these very active Grand Lodges . Other Grand Lodges are also duly noticed , and the following figures relate thereto :

Lodges . Members . Grand Lodge of Hungary ... ... 45 ... 3 , 073 ,, of Swiizerland ... ... 32 ... 3 , 287 ,, of Denmark ... ... 1 3 ... 4 , 216 of Sweden ... ... 33 (?) ... 10 , 985 (?) „ of Norway ... ... 7 (?) ... 2 , 836 (?) ,, of Belgium ... ... ,, of the Netherlands ... 93 ... 4 , 269 ., of Italy ... ... 18 s

„ of Mexico ... ... 225 ... 22 , 000 ,, of Peru ... ... 16 ,, of Porto Rico ... ... ... 396 „ of Cuba ... . „ 37 ... 1 , 200 „ of Argentine ... ... 23

,, of Roumama ... ... „ of Egjpt ... ... 19 ... 200 ,, of Greece ... ... 9 ... 2 , 000 „ of Luxemburg ... ... 1 ... 71 „ of Spain ... ... 95 „ of Portugal ,, of Venezuela „ of Chili ... ... 10 ... 478

Others also are noted , but mostly small and some uncertain as to organisation , numbers , & c . I have written enough , however , to prove our indebtedness to this fine volume published by the Grand Lodge of New York , for much valuable information . W . J . HUGHAN .

Secret Monitor.

Secret Monitor .

GRAND FESTIVAL . The annual festival in connexion with this Order was held at the Ho ' . el Cecil , S rand , on the 23 rd ultimo , under the presidency of M . W . Bro . the Earl of Warwick , G . S . R . A'nongst those present were Bros . J . Lewis Thomas , J . Tickle , J . M . Bastone , W . J . Sonyhursf , P . E . Lemon , M . A ; i

Lieut .-Col . H . W . KUllmark , C . E . Keyser . J . P ., his Honour Judge J . C . Mojle , W . J . Spratling , G Re order ; J . Read , C . F . Roundell , Arthur W . Chapman , E . N . Glaeser , F . H . Brght , A . H . Tester , C . J . R . Tijou , Dr . A . E . Sansom , J . Lusty , R . C Levirsedge , Frank Adams , N . Brokenshire , H . Tipper , H . Pearce , P . W . Moses , and many others . Grand Conclave was opened , the roll of conclaves cdied , and the minutes read .