United Grand Lodge.

buine , 2 ; Erasmus Wilson , 1464 . Past Masters ; Frederick George Finch , 33 : Standish Grove Grady , 14 ; Henry Ginning , 197 ; Samuel Mullins , 753 ; Samuel Poynter , 902 ; Griffiths Smith , 21 ; George John Theobald , 5 . Bros . Levander and Theobald , polled each 118

and the M . W . G . M ., gave his casting vote in favour of the latter brother , he belonging to the senior lodge . The Grand Master invested Bro . Monckton , as President . ( Received with loud cheers ) . Bro . Monckton said so much has been said

and so feelingly as to the sad cause of the vacancy that I am now called for to fill , that I will not further allude to it , but will simply say that I will endeavour to follow a gieat and an able Mason to the best of my poor ability . ( Cheers . )

List of brethren elected on the Colonial Board . —Bros . Brackstone Baker , No . 21 ; James Brett , No . 177 John M . Case , No . 1 Edwin March , No . 99 ; John G . Marsh , No . 28 ; William F . Nettleship , No . 14 ; Samuel Poynter , 902 .

The Grand Master appointed Bro . Rucker , President ; and Bro . Joseph Smith , Vice-President , and thanked the scrutineers on behalf of Grand Lodge for the manner in which they had discharged their duties . Committee of Management for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged

Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons , Bros . James Brett , 177 ; Charles A . Cottebrune , 733 ; Thomas Cubitt , 157 ; John A . Farnfield , 25 6 ; Samuel Gale , 19 ; Charles I ' . Hogard , 205 ; Frederick Kent , 177 ; Hyam M . Levy , r 88 ; John G . Stevens , 554 ; Wm . Thomas White , 21 . Grand Lodge was then closed .

Grand Mark Lodge.

GRAND MARK LODGE .

The usual half-yearly communication of Grand Lodge of Mark Masters of England and Wales , & c , was held on Tuesday evening at Freemasons' Tavern . The Rev . George Raymond Portal , Past Grand Master , presided , and a large number of Mark Masters attended to support him . Among the brethren present were * . —

M . W . Bro . Rev . G . R . Portal , P . G . M ., as M . W . G . M . W . W . B . Beach , M . W . P . G . M . R . W . Bros . Sir Edmnnd Lechmere , Bart ., P . Dep . G . M ., as Dep . G . M . ; James Stevens , P . G . J . O ., as G . S . W . Rev . T . F . Ravenshaw , P . G . Chaplain , as G . J . W .: Samuel Bryant ,

G . M . O . ; C . C . Whitney Griffiths , P . G . S . D ., as G . S . O . ; Thomas Hargreaves , P . G . J . D ., as G . J . O . ; Rev . D . J . Drakeford , Rev . J . Hordern Jukes , G . Chaplains ; Frederick Binckes , G . Secretary ; Frederic Davison , G . Registrar ; W . O . Walker , G . S . D . ; Morton Edwards ,

P . G . J . D ., as G . J . D . ; George Neale , P . G . S . W ., as G . S . of Works ; Thomas Cubitt , G . D . C . J- J . Wilkins , P . G . Standard Bearer as Grand Sword Bearer ; Edmund Worrall , G . Standard Bearer F . H . Cozens , G . Org . ; S . Funkenzstein , G . I . G .: Clement Stretton , W . A . Scott ,

Thos . R . Parker , Grd . Stewards , and the following Past Grand Officers : —R . W . Bros . W . E- Gumbleton , P . G . J . W .- S . C . Dibbin , P . G . J . O . ; W . Bros . Wm . Hudson , P . G . A . C . ; Richard Spencer , P . G . Sword Bearer ; S . M . Lazarus , P . G . Org . ; J . H . Wynne , P . G . LG . j

H . C . Levander , P . G . D . C ; J . Sabine , PG . A . D . C ; John Read , P . G . Organist ; W . Bros . Rev . C . R . Davy , H . Massey , Israel Abrahams , James W . Smith , D . M . Dewar , F . W . Kuch , P . G . Stewards ; with the following Provincial Grand Officers . R . W . Bros . Major

George Barlow , P . Prov . G . J . W ., Middlesex snd Surrey ; William Roebuck , P . Prov . G . W . Middlesex and Surrey ; Arthur Walton , Prov . G . S . O . Middlesex and Surrey ; W . Bros . Frederick Cozens , Prov . G . Organist , Middlesex and Surrey ; William Trevena , P . P . M . O . Devon ;

-R--W . Bros . George Mellor , P . P . G . W . East Lancashire ; Thomas Radley , P . P . G . Chap ., East Lancashire ; Thomas Schofield , P . P . G . J . W . West Yorkshire ; and the Masters , Past Masters , Wardens , Overseers , and brethren of many Pnvate lodges .

Grand Mark Lodge.

The Acting Grand Master , as soon as Grand Lodge had been opened , read a letter he had received from Earl Percy , M . W . G . M ., explaining his noH-attendance at this meeting for installation and regretting the same . Grand Secretary then read thc minutes of thc

last half-yearly communication of and Dec . 1873 , which were put by the Acting M . W . Grand Master , and unanimously confirmed . The following report of the General Board was afterwards read by Grand Secretary : — In the six months ending 31 st March , 1 S 74 ,

413 certificates have been issued , the total number of brethren on the register of this Grand Lodge to that date being 7645-During the same period the following warrants of Constitution have been granted : — No . 170 Keystone India .

„ i / i Union Oldham , Lancashire „ 172 John o'Gaunt Gainsborough . „ 173 Temple London „ 174 Athol Birmingham .

„ 175 St Michael Helston , Cornwall , ,, 176 Era London . The following warrants for working the degree of Royal Ark Mariner , have also been issued : —

St . John ' s Lodge , attached to Langley Lodge , of M . M . M ., No . 28 . Isaac Newton , University Lodge , attached to Isaac Newton University Lodge , No . 112 . The number nf certificates issued to same

date are 147 . The Board entered into possession of the new offices on the 25 th day of March last . The facilities for the transaction of business are greatly increased , and many advantages will be derived from the improved accommodation

afforded by a spacious suite of rooms on the ground floor . Not the least of these was the means provided for meetings of private lodges and lodges of Instruction , and for the fitting performance of the various ceremonies of the Order . The charge for the use of the rooms

will be cGi is ., which will include gas . The recom mendation of the Board for an increase from 8 s . 6 d . to ios . in the fee payable for registration and certificate for ajirother advanced in a private lodge , received the approval of Grand Lodge at the half-yearly communication in

December last . Before giving effect thereto it has been considered advisable to wait the confirmation of that approval by the present meeting of Grand Lodge . In the event of such confirmation the increased fee will be payable on certificates issued on and from the first day of

July , 1874 . The delay in thc reply from the Supreme Grand Chapter of Scotland to the request of this Grand Lodge for a recognition of certificates and of membership as regularly advanced Mark Master Masons , has been alluded to in former

reports of the Board . The reply under date 1 ath March , 1 S 74 , has at length been received and is of an unsatisfactory nature . The Supreme Grand Chapter of Scotland announces its decision against the request urged by this Grand Lodge " following the example of the Grand Chapter

of Ireland . " As however the latter body has expressed in writing under date July 30 , 1870 , March 29 th , 1873 , its consent to recognise the certificates of this Grand Lodge , and to admit its members as legally advanced Mark Master Masons , the Board instructed the Grand

Secretary to represent the fact to the Grand Chapter of Scotland and Ireland . This was done on 6 th April , 1874 , and the board still waits replies from the representatives of the respective bodies . The Grand Council of the 33 ° having brought before this Grand Lodge the name of a brother ,

a member cf the Fidelity Lodge , No . 3 1 , Hyde , Cheshire , as openly avowing himself an active member ofthe so called " Antient and Primitive Rite of Misraim" the Grand Secretary addressed a letter to the brother in question , inquiring as to the correctness of the charge . The replv was couched in language

so outrageous , that the brother was summoned to attend the next meeting of the board to shew cause why he should not be suspended . Thc answer to that summons exceeded the former in violence and impropriety , and the Board have therefore resolved to recommend that the name of the brother shall be erased from the

Grand Mark Lodge.

roll of members under the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge . The Board have again had under its notice the complaint by Bro . A ., against Bro . B ., for charges reflecting on his character as a Knight

Templar , published by the latter in the public press . The Boa' -d , while deeply regretting that any charge of an offensive nature should be made by one brother against another , and be neither

substantiated nor apologised for , feels itself unable to deal with a matter which has not arisen within the walls of a Mark Lodge . Bro . T . J . Sabine , P . G . A . D . C , having announced his intention to represent , for the third

year in succession , the Mark Degree generally as Steward for one of the great Masonic Charitable Festivals , selecting for 1875 tne Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , the Board recommend to Grand Lodge to vote from the General Fund the

sum of dlsp ., as a contribution to the said Institution , such sum to be placed on the list of Bro . Sabine , Steward . Grand Treasurer ' s accounts [ are presented herewith , showing ,

£ s . d . Balance from last account 33 ^ 15 2 Receipts , six months 103 rd March , 18 74 402 1 9

738 14 2 Expenditure , six months to same date ... 414 4 3 Balance in favour of Grand Lodge 324 9 11

FUND OF BENEVLENCE . Balance from last Account ... 135 11 1 Donations received to 31 st March

1874 26 o 6 Half-year ' s interest on £ 300 , 5 per cent . Canadian Bonds ... 781 „ a ^ ioo „ 298

171 9 S DISBURSEMENTS , 31 st March , 1874 . One Petitioner 100 Purchase of i £ soo Canadian 5 per Cent . Bond , at io 6 i 106 10 o Brokerage o < 3

171 9 1 Examined and found correct , 2 nd June , 1874 . I also hereby certify that I have visited Messrs . Ridgway and Sons , the bankers of this Grand Lodge , and have seen the Four ^' ioo

Bonds in Canadian 5 per Cent . Securities , and also examined their books . ( Signed ) THOMAS MEGGY , Auditor . Grand Secretary said he was sorry to inform

Grand Lodge that Bro . Stebbing , Grand Treasurer had been again taken ill and was unable to come to town to submit the above statement of accounts to the brethren . He had written to know how Grand Treasurer was , and the last

answer received was that he was very seriously ill . He had written again , hoping to have got another answer before Grand Lodge met , but it had not yet arrived . Bro . H . C . Levander moved the adoption of

thu second recommendation of the Board , that the special report . of the General Board with reference to Bro . * * * be received and adopted , and that the recommendation of the Board that his name be erased from the list of

members of the Mark Degree under the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge be and is hereby approved and confirmed . He was exceedinglysorry that such a case should have come before the General Board . It was lamentable that the

brother should so far have forgotten his Masonic duty as to use unbecoming language on the first occasion of his being written to . Still more did it increase and aggravate the offence , when on the second occasion he exceeded the violence of the

letter which he had written at first . The Board had considered the matter with special reference to section 101 ofthe Constitution ofthe Order ,

which said the Board has authority to hear and determine all subjects of complaint or irregularity respecting lodges or individuals , when regularly brought before it , and generally to take cogni-