Grand Lodge Of Mark Masters.

Gertrude Mary Brown and Dora Jensen have been placed on the Educational Fund , being the only candidates , in lieu of proceeding to formal election , which in due course would have taken place on 7 th October inst . The Board acknowledge , with grateful thanks , the gift to the Library by W . Bro . Percy Wallis , P . G . D ., of 24 volumes of the Freemasons' Magazine and Masonic Mirror —years 1 S 34 to 1 S 57 . The B > ard hav ; purchased a complete set of the Freemason , dating from 1 S 69 to 18 S 5 , inclusive .

( Signed ) G . R . PORTAL , Past G . M . M . M ., President . The Grand . Treasurer ' s accounts for Ihe half-year ending 30 th September , iSSQ , are as follows : — DR . GENERAL FUND . To balance , 31 st March , 1 SS 6 ... ... ... £ 374 lS 6 „ Half year's receipts ... ... ... S 70 11 6 ,, Interest on investments ... ... ... 62 16 S „ Overdrawn ... ... ... ... 371 9 " '

£ 16 79 16 7 CR . r GENERAL FUND . By Ordinary Expenditure ... ... ... £ 900 9 2 „ Holborn Restaurant ... ... £ 179 n o ,, Freemasons' Tavern ... ... 6 9 2 o „ Simmonds Bros . ... ... ... 2 lS o „ Wills and Segar ... ... ... S S o

,, Kenning ... ... ... 210 1 o „ Messrs . Brocot ... ... ... 10 10 o „ Messrs . Gillow & Co . ... ... 2 S 0 7 5 „ G . J . French ... ... ... iS 10 o 779 7 5

£ ' 679 ' 6 7 DR . BENEVOLENT FUND . To balance , 31 st March , 1 SS 6 ... ... ... £ Sg 4 3 Malt 900 5

,, -year s receipts ... ... ... ... o „ Interest on investments ... ... ... 27 15 10 „ New Zealand Four and Half per Cent . Bonds called in 202 10 o „ Cheque returned paid ... ... ... 1 1 o

; £ l 22 S 16 1 CR . BENEVOLENT FUND . By Grants in relief ... ... ... ¦¦¦ £ ' 3 ' ° „ Pewtress ... ... ... ... iS 5 o ,. Kenning ... ... ... ... ' 4 " o

„ Postages , Sic . ... ... ... ... 1000 ,, Cheque returned ... ... ... ... I I o „ Purchase of £ 200 Canadian Bonds ... ... " o „ Balance ... ... ... ... ... 842 7 1

, £ 1228 16 1 DR . EDUCATION FUND . To interest on investments ... ... ... £ 39 7 la „ New Zealand Four and Half , per Cent . Bonds called in 101 5 o „ Overdrawn ... ... ... ... 100 9 9

£ 241 2 7 CR . EDUCATION FUND . By Overdrawn 31 st March , 1 SS 6 ... ... ... JC 3 *> ' 7 7 „ Education Fees ... ... ... ... 9 5 ° „ Purchase of Canadian Bond ... ... ... 105 10 o

£ 241 37 t > R . ANNUITY FUND . To Balance 31 st March , 1 SS 6 ... ... ... £ 306 iS 8 „ Interest on investments ... ... ... 27 6 2

£ 334 4 10 CR . ANNUITY FUND . By Purchase of Canadian Bond ... ... ... £ 31610 o „ Balance ... ... ••• > 7 ' 4 » o

£ 3344 10 Audited and approved this 12 th day of November , 18 S 6 . ( Signed ) CHARLES EDWARD SOPPET , Auditor . Canon PORTAL , before the minutes of the ist June were confirmed , said : I beg to express my very grateful thanks for the kind vote which the brethren on the 1 st of June passed to me .

Canon PORTAL , in proposing " That Bro . James Lose be confirmed in the rank and privileges of Past Master on fine of £ 1 is ., " said this was a most remarkable case . This brother was both elected and installed at a lodge of emergency , which , he need not say , was as irregular an act as anything could possibly be . At the same time he was in possession of the

secrets of the chair , and he had ruled the lodge for twelve months . Therefore , he thought that while they confirmed him in his rank of Past Master they would properly express their feeling of the irregularity that had happened by a fine of one guinea on Bro . Lose . The motion wes seconded and carried .

Canon PORTAL , in moving ' * That a sum of £ 5 be paid on behalf of each pupil on the Educational Branch , for the purpose of clothing , " said this sum would come out ol the Education Fund of Grand Lodge , and he believed it would be a most popular measure if it was approved of by Grand Lodge , The funds of Grand Lodge were in a very satisfactory condition , and it was quite evident they could g ive this grant to every child , both male and female , who was being educated by the Educational Fund of Grand Lodge . It would be a very great assistance to the parents of the children .

Bro . DRIVER seconded the motion , which was then put and carried . Grants of ^ 30 to a brother of Lodge No . 70 , and of ^ 20 to the widow of a brother forrnei ly under the Scottish Constitution , were then made from the Benevolent Fund . In moving the last grant Canon PORTAL said this was really a Scotch case , but he thought this Grand Lodge would be glad to evince the universality of Mark Masonry , and to show their appreciation of the kindness they had received from the Grand Chapter of Scotland in exchanging representatives with them .

R . W . Bro . A . M . BROADLEY , P . D . G . M . M . of the Mediterranean , then said : M . W . Grand Master in the chair , —I have the honour ol nominating H . R . H . the Prince of Wales as M . W . G . M . of Mark Master Masons

for the ensuing year . ( Loud cheers . ) Bro . J AMES MOON , Grand Treas . : I have the honour to nominate as Treasurer lor the ensuing year Bro . John Lawrence Mather , Past Master of the Old Kent Lodge , and a member of the General Board ,

Grand Lodge Of Mark Masters.

Bro . J . E . DAWSON , Dep . Prov . G . M . Herts : I rise for the purpose of nominating a well known brother for the office of Treasurer , Bro . Edgar Bowyer . It is unnecessary to dilate on the merits of Bro . Bowyer . Jewels were presented to—Bros . Major Aspland , T . Atkinson , J . Aillud , VV . Brackenbury , Col . Bramble , Binstead , Birkin , Bradley , Bateman , Briggs , Brittain , Bauke , Crouch , J . M . Collins . W . Corder , D . Davis , H . F . Dale , J . E . Dawson , Lilley Ellis , J . W . Edwards , F . J .

Ferguson , l'letcher , Freer , Glynes , Grosvenor , Goodall , Goldschnudt , Heard , Hard , man , Dr . Heane , Sir Burford Hancock , T . Mount Humphries , Holliday , C . A . C . Jones , Jaffrey , S . Knight , Kenyon , Letchworth , Lewin , Lott , MacDowall , Rev . Dr . Morris , Mole , Maple , Moyes , Col . Newtnn , Pargeter , Quennell , VV . Roberts , H . Roberts , Rickwrod , Roy , Scratchley , Rev . Dr . Smyth , Col 7 Smith , Brook-Smith , Vassar-Smith , Simmonds , Spinks , Shilcock , Scurrah , C . Stephens , Thorburn , Col . Lord John Taylour-G . P . Festa , W . J . Thomson , Col . Tuckey , VV . Whittaker , Woodiwiss , Willing , jun ., Wyldc , E . Whittaker , Webster , and V . 'heeler .

Bars were presented to the following—Bros . Berridge , Bennett , Ball , Belton , Cummings , Cooper , Cama , Church , Driver , Graveley , George , Godson , Harrison , JefCeris , Kenning , Kelly , Lardner , Lane , Matier , Murray , Mattison , Mickley , Mason , Moon , F . Powell , Ramsey , Stewart , Sutcliffe , Selfe , Stone , Spice , Tweedale , Terry , Tisley , Toplis , A . Williams , Wallis , Williamson , and Walls .

Bro . F . BINCKES , G . Sec , read a letter from Sir F . Knollys on behalf of the Prince of Wales , regretting that his Royal Highness ' s " absence from London prevented him from being present at this meeting . He also read a letter from the Earl of Kintore to the effect that as this was the third jubilee of the Grand Lodge of Scotland it had determined him to go to Edinburgh to take part in the proceedings . A letter was also read from the District Grand Lodge of Malta congratulating the Prince of Wales on his being elected and installed as Grand Master of the

Degree-A long list of brethren sent letters regretting their inability to attend this meeting , and Grand Lodge was then closed . An excellent banquet followed , at which Lord Egerton of Tatton presided , and proposed the toasts of " The Queen " and * ' The Prince of Wales . "

Canon PORTAL , P . G . M ., proposed " Lord Egerton of Tatton , Deputy Grand Master , " to whom the Order owed so much . Lord Egerton , he said , had done a great deal for the Mark Degree . He had been most diligent in attending its meetings ; he had taken the lead in the foundation of what he hoped would be one of its most successful Institutions—that for the assistance of aged and decayed Mark Masons and their widows . He had

contributed a munificent sum of , £ 100 to it . That gave it a very great start , which , he was sure , the brethren would do their best to improve upon . They might congratulate Lord Egerton on being Provincial Grand Master of Cheshire in the Craft , and they might be sure that the additional influence he would gain by that exalted position would , so far as it legitimately might , be used for the promotion of Mark Masonry . He could not but feel that

in the necessary course of events the triennial system , which was the great glory of the Mark Degree in England , and one of the causes of its great success , would now very shortly place Lord Egerton of Tatton in the proud position of Pro Grand Master of that great Order . . But , whatever his position in the future might be , nothing could add to the kind feelings that they entertained towards him , or to the gratitude which they all felt to be his due .

Lord EGERTON of IATTON , in reply , thanked the brethren for the very kind reception they had given to the words which had fallen from Canon Portal . It was very much to the kind influence of the Past Grand Master , who was a veteran in Masonry and in Mark Masonry , that he stood there that day . He believed it was due to a letter which the late Bro . Romaine Callender , who was a most enthusiastic Mason—a man whom he should

always remember as one of the leading spirits in Masonry in his own districts of Lancashire and Cheshire—wrote to him , and on the recommendation of that brother he joined Mark Masonry , and he never had regretted the step he then took . It had been a pleasure to him to see another province constituted out of Cheshire and North VVales . He hoped Masonry would

flourish under his rule . Although he had not taken for the last few years an active part in Mark Masonry in the South of England , yet , as he had been honoured by being placed in the responsible position of Deputy Grand Master , he trusted he should do his best for Mark Masonry , and endeavour to promote its interests and the principles it advocated by placing his assistance at the disposal of the brethren . He was greatly pleased to preside over so large a number of brethren as those he saw before him that

evening . Lord Egerton then left , and his place was occupied by Major WOODALL , who proposed *• The Grand Officers . " Bro . F . BINCKES , G . Sec , P . G . W ., in responding , said he had replied to the toast so olten that it appeared to him to be utterly impossible to indulge in any observations that would commend themselves to the good

friends he saw around him . He was prepared to admit that the Grand Officers were imbued , in the first place , with a sense of their responsibilities , and in the next place they were thoroughly able to realise those responsibilities , and therefore to act up to the discharge of those duties in every shape and way . When , as one of those Grand Officers , he looked back on this Decree , r umbering in his few years of life something like 29 in

connection with the Order , he need hardly say it was to him a source of intense gratification to find the Order in the prosperous condition it was now in , He had no doubt from the attendance they had had that day , with no business of any importance to induce the attendance ol any individual Grand Officer or brother , they might extract a proof of how highly the Grand Officers felt the position they held . The attendance of brethren

who were not Grand Officers was small in Grand Lodge , but the Grand Officers made the meeting large , and they had come from all parts of the jurisdiction to do honour to the assembly . If that were the case surely they might argue that those who held these distinctive positions were thoroughly imbued with a sense of their responsibilities . He , as a hard worker of 20 years , was only pleased to find that they had been so

supported . After some remarks as to the convivial part of the entertainment , to which less than 18 had secured places , but to which above 40 sat down , he pointed out that they had nevertheless had all their wants provided for . If the brethren had enjoyed themselves that was enough ; they had at least shown , or done something to show , their sincerity by being present , and in

doing what they could to promote the interest of that glorious Order to which they belonged . He was delighted that the table was so thoroughly well attended , and he augured from this that there was a large amount of deepseated interest in doing what could be done for the success of the Degree , Several other toasts followed .