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he did not see the Vice-President of the Board / Bro . Peter De L . Long ) in his place , he would niove that the rest of the report be received an ( J entered in tlie minutes . He was sure it would be immediately adopted by . Grand Lodge , because all the brethren were aware how well

and ably the President of the Board of General purposes had discharged his duties . ( Hear , hear . ) The report was as follows : — At the meeting of the Board held on Tuesday , the 18 th instant , after the ordinary business had been disposed of , it was unanimously

resolved : — " That the thanks of the Board be g iven to the President , Brother John B . Monckton , for the urbanity and unvarying courtesy ¦ which he has displayed , aud the very able and satisfactory way in which lie has conducted tlie business of the Board during the past eventful year . " ( Signed ) Peter D . L . Long , Vice-President .

Amidst much laughter Bro . Long ( whom Bro . Mclntyre " did not see in his place . " ) rose and seconded the motion . The motion was put and adopted ncm . dis ., accompanied by loud cheers . The next business was

the—Appeal of Brother AVilliam F . H . Temple , W . Master of the Bulwer Lod ge , No . 8 91 , Constantinople , against the ruling of the Deputy District Grand Master , relative to the resignation and subsequent election of Bro . Taylor as Master of the lodge , and also against his ( Bro .

Temple ' s ) suspension from his Masonic privileges . Bro . Mclntyre , G . R ., stated the circumstances of the case , from which it appeared that a dispute had arisen between the two brethren , between the date of the election of Bro . Taylor and that when he should have been installed .

Charges had been made by Bro . Taylor against Bro . Temple on matters of business , and entirely outside Masonry ; and , moreover , the charges were not made in a Masonic Lodge , and had nothing to do . with Masonic conduct . Bro . Temple preferred a complaint to the District

Grand Lodge . The District Grand Master was away , and . a deputy was acting . The matter was brought before the Dist . Board of Gen . Purposes , who met . r . ind after having heard the statements of both parties , decided that Bro . Temple was not guilty of the charges brought

ajjainsir mm oyi . ro . iaylor , and that the latter should apologise . There was some little differ encc between the Dep . Dist . Grand Master and Uro . Temple as to the words used , but the result was , Bro . Taylor having been urged to make an apology , said , . "I regret I have made a

charge , and have not been able to substantiate it . " ( Laughter . ) . Bro . Temple , however , accepted this as an apology , according to the Dep . Dist . Grand Master , though Bro . Temple said he never did . Bro . Taylor then resigned his

membership of the Bulwer Lodge by letter , which was read in lodge , and a resolution was passed accepting the resi gnation . ( Bro . Mclntyre then repeated what he has frequentl y said before , and which is perfectly well known to Masons in

general , that ifa member of a lodge resigns , even though his dues are unpaid , he ceases to be a member of the lodge ; that no motion of the odgc is necessary upon that resignation ; and that no lodge can compel a resigning member to remain a member , incurring fresh liability for

ewes , until his dues in arrear are paid . Freemasonry is a voluntary society , and whenever a member wishes to resign he may resign . If dues arc unpaid , lie remains liable to the lodge llj r those dues . ) The lod ge accepted , which was not necessary , the resignation , and it was

umipiete and entered on the minutes . The Secretary of the lodge , who was clerk of the » •« . elect ( Bro . Taylor ) , sent in his resigna-» on as well , which was also accepted . Shortly wterwards the Deputy District Grand Master , 7 was a P -M- of the same lodge , and several

" ««* members , thought it would be good for freemasonry that the resignations should be alowed to be withdrawn , and at the next meeting , vnen Bro . Taylor was in the chair , a motion vas made that a resolution be come to , asking ^ ro . Taylor and the Secretary to withdraw their ^ nations . The W . M . said that the resolu'on could not be put . Bro . Taylor had ceased be a member , and he could only come

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in again in the ordinary way by proposition as a rejoining member , and ballot-The Deputy District Grand Master , _ whose decision was now appealed against , was in lodge but not clothed in the paraphernalia of his oilice . He seemed to have advised the W . M . that the

resolution could be put ; but the W . M . was firm , and refused to put it . Lodge was closed , and afterwards communications took place- between members of the lodge and the W . M ., and a great many were in favour of Bro . Taylor withdrawing his resignation . Still the W . M .

declined to accede to anything of the sort . At the next meeting of tlie lodge the Deputy District Grand Master again attended , and being then clothed in his official clothing , the gavel was presented to him , and he took the chair , and proceeded to rule the lodge . Among the

first tilings that were clone , a resolution was moved that Brother Taylor and Brother Secretary be requested to withdraw their resi gnations . The W . M . stated that as their resignations had been accepted , they could not withdraw them ; it was too late , and they had ceased to be

members of theTodge . The Deputy District Grand Master seeing that there were not eig ht members , under the English Constitution , present when the resignation was accepted , ruled that every proceeding at that lodge was annulled , and that there was no resignation sent in or

accepted . ( Laughter . ) Therefore , he ruled that this resolution would be put , the W . M . protesting against it in very energetic language , which the Dep . Dist . Grand Master saidwasof muchstronger expression Bro . Temple , W . M ., said he was responsible to the Dist . Grand Master and to Grand

Lodge of England for the observance of the rules and laws of Masonry within the lodge , and could not be superseded by the Deputy District Grand Master coming and taking the chair . In spite of all his opposition , the resolution to ask the W . M . elect , and the Secretary to withdraw

their resignations was put by the Deputy District Grand Master , and carried . That took place in February . The W . M . protested and wrote to the District Grand Master ; but the day after the meeting of the lodge , when the W . M . energetically , and perhaps rudely , protested

against the proceedings , the Deputy District Grand Master , without calling upon him or summoning him before him , acted on his own knowledge , and suspended Brother Temple from all his Masonic functions , not only from this lodge , but two other lodges in the province . So that

he was thenceforth entirely suspended . A District Grand Lodge had since been held , and this brother , in consequence of his suspension , had not been able to attend it , ancl could not be elected to grand office until the decision of Grand Lodge of England on the appeal was

known . He was not a Mason to all intents and purposes in the district . The Deputy District Grand Master did not stop there , but called a Lodge of Emergency , the summons for which was of a peculiar character ; it was , " to meet to receive the answer of Bro . Taylor , W . M .,

elect , and the brother who was the secretary of the lodge , " to the letter requesting them to withdraw their resignations , and if withdrawn , to instal Bro . Taylor in the to the chair . " Bro . Temple was more furious than before . The Lodge of Emergency was

held ; the brethren withdrew their resignations , and Bro . Taylor was installed ; he appointed the officers and reappointed the Secretary . Bro . Temple complained that the Deputy District Grand Master chose to suspend him from all his Masonic functions without ever having

summoned him before him to be heard ; the Deputy District Grand Master did not deny that , according to the accounts of both sides . It was a principle both of Freemasonry and of the law of every civilised country that a man should be heard before he was condemned . The Deputy District Grand Master said , " I had heard enough

of him before I suspended him . " ( Laughter . ) Under these circumstances he ( Grand Registrar ) would move " That Bro . Temple ' s appeal be allowed , and that he be restored to his Masonic rights and privileges . " Great powers and privileges were given to Provincial and District Grand Masters , and they ought to take very great care that those powers , rights , and privileges

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were exercised with due caution . If they found in any case that there was an arbitrary use of power Grand Lodge should mark its sense of it and admonish the District Grand Master . He would therefore add , " and that the Deputy District Grand Master be admonished not to act in

a similar way on another occasion . " Then there was another important point to be considered . Bro . Taylor had ceased to be a member of the lodge , and having so ceased two irregularities were committed by the Deputy District Grand Master ; first of all , he incited the lodge to pass

a vote asking a brother to withdraw his resignation after it had been formally sent in and accepted by the lodge ; secondly , he put it that the resignation when accepted by the lodge was not sufficient until the acceptance had been communicated to the resigning brother . He

( Grand Registrar ) held that the Deputy District Grand Master was wrong . If a member of a lodge in th ° . heat of the moment said . " I resign my membership of this lodge , " and other members said , " Don ' t do that ; pray don ' t resign , " he might withdraw what he said : for until the

resignation was recorded it was no resignation at all . But if he wrote a letter resigning his position , and so showed his intention of resigning , and , moreover , when that resignation was accepted , he could not withdraw it . A man might have sufficient friends in a lodge to out-vote the

Master . It was not for the Master of a lodge to be called upon to say that the resignation should be withdrawn . It was a thing accomplished . As to the other point , there not being eight Master Masons under the English Constitution present when the resignation was sent in ,

it was absurd . The requisite number of Masons were present to form a lodge , and the thing was perfect . He would also move , " That the installation of Bro . Taylor as W . M . of the Bulwer Lodge was , and is hereby declared to be , illegal . " ( Cheers ) Bro . James Mason seconded the (" proposition ,

which , after a few words from Dr . Hogg , were carried unanimously in the following form - . — " That the appeal of Bro . Temple be allowed , and that brother restored to his Masonic rights and privileges , and that the Deputy District Grand Master , not having summoned Bro .

Temple and heard him in his defence , be seriously admonished not to act in the saraa manner on a similar occasion , " and "That the installation of Bro . Taylor as W . M . of the Bulwer Lodge , was , and is hereby declared to be , null and void . "

The motion by Bro . J . H . Wynne , No . 101 and 554— " That this Grand Lodge recommend from the funds of Grand Lodge that five pounds be given to each unsuccessful candidate at the election for annuitants of old men and women , belonging to the Craft of Freemasons , held on

the 21 st May , 1 S 75 "—not finding a seconder , fell to the ground . Brother Benjamin Head , P . G . D ., moved " That the sum of £ to be given from the Fund of General Purposes . That the money be placed

in the hands of the Secretary of the ' Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons , " to supply the inmates at Croydon with coals during the

winter season . Bro . Monckton seconded the motion , which was then put and carried . Bro . Binckes , accordingto notice , moved "That the £ 200 awarded by the Board of Benevolence , and confirmed by Grand Lodge in March last ,

voted to a brother , be placed in the hands of certain brethren in trust for the said brother . " Bro . J ohn Constable , P . M . i 8 jj . seconded the motion ; but after opposition on the part of the Grand Registrar , and especially of Bro . J ohn

Havers , it was lost . Grand Lodge was then closed and adjourned , the Acting G . M . saying that as the scrutineers of votes had not completed their task , he would take the result of the election in his private room . Late at nig ht the following return was

mader—MASTERS . Bro . Betts , Daniel No . 1351 „ Forrester , James 222 „ Headon , Nathan Bryant 1426 „ Poynter , Samuel 149 1 „ Smith , Griffiths 5 60

„ Stephens , William 1489 „ Tomkins , Alfred Savill 822 „ Wood , Henry Trueman 1 159