Grand Lodge Of Mark Masters.

Grand Stewards for thc year : —Bros . Clement Skelton , Leicester ; Benjamin Cox , and ¦— Gillard , Somerset ; Greatorex , No . 3 ; W . A . Scott Carnarvon Lodge , Somerset ; G . Page ,

Holmesdale ; John Boyd , No . 1 ; — Parker , No . 144 . The AI . W . G . M . then presented each Grand Officer with the patent of his appointment . He then nominated thc following brethren to serve on the General Board .

The Rev . G . R . Portal , W . A . Gumbleton , T . Meggy , James Stevens , Cajit . Burgess , H . C . Levander , nnd S . Rosenthal . Grand Lodge nominated Bros . J . H . Wynne , T . J . Sabine , F . Davison , George Neall , and D . Al . Dewar . The AI . W . G . AI . then presented thc following

brethren who were last year ' s Stewards of the Benevolent Fund Festival with their jewels . The Rev . W . B . Church , George Neall , the Rev . P . H : Newnham , Major George Barlow , Capt . Burgess , and . the Rev . T . F . Ravenshaw .

Thc AI . W . G . M . —Brethren , I wish to inform Grand Lodge that b y virtue of the power vested in me , I have appointed Bro . Drummond , Grand Hi g h Priest of the Grand Royal Arch Chajiter in the United States of America , to be Past Grand Senior Warden in this Grand Alark

Lodge . Bro . James Stevens : —AI . W . Grand Alaster , the proper period has now arrived at which in discharge of my functions as Chairman of the Committee , ajijiointed on the 5 th of December , 1871 , when your Lordshiji was nominated as

Grand Alaster , I have to ask you on behalf ol that Committee , to perform what 1 am sure will be to you a most pleasing duty , and to the Committee and members of Grand Alark Lodge generally , will alford considerable satisfaction .

It was proposed 111 Grand Lodge ou the date to whicii I have referred , that to mark the ajijireciation of the eminent services rendered to the Order of Alark Alasonry , by our now Immediate Past Grand Alaster during his Grand Mastership , a distinctive memorial should lie oil ' ered to him

on his retirement . The jirojiosition was cordially received and it was intended that the presentation should be made at the ensuing communication nf Grand Alark Lodge . The serious illness of your lordship , whicii jiermit me most respectfully to say caused great regret and

sympathy amongst vonr brethren , only equalled by the joy and satisfaction wilh whicii they now again find you in their midst , jirevcntcd so speedy : a consummation of their wishes , and consequently a long jieriod of time has elatised since the project was lirst mooted . Bi . t

if anything had been wanting al any tune to strengthen the reasons for acknowledging the good services of our Bro . Portal , it hash , en supplied in consequence of your personal inability lo undertake the duties of your appointment uulil this evening , for during the jiroloiiged interval the

progress of the first three years ol our Brolher s Grand Alastership has been increased to the manifest advantage of the Order . My Lord , 1 will not further delay ( irand Lodge b y reiterating what has been already enlarged ujion and is so well known to all of us , bul shall now conk-til

myself by stating , as the nioulh-pk-ce of the Committee of whom I have had the honour to be a member , that they have beui su ] ipurled in tlieir endeavours to carry out the wishes ol Grand Alark Lodge , so as to enable them to

jilace before you this magnificent jewel and tankard , upon which are suitable inscriptions , and which I am to ask vou to make still more valuable to our Bro . Porta ! by ) -oiu .-. vlf presenting them to him .

The AI . AA ' . G . AI . then received i ' r . im Bro . Rosenthal a massive gold P . M . jewel and tankard , and read to ihe brethren the following inscription : — " Presented , together wilh a distinctive jewel , to Brother the Kev . George Raymond Portal , M . A ., on his retirement from the ollice

of Most AVorship ful Grantl Ala .-ter ol the Grand Lotlge of Mark Master Masons oi' F . ngland and AA ' ales , Mc , by lodges and members of the < It der . to mark their ajijireciation of eminent .--en ires , 1869-73 . — 3 rd June , 1 S 73 . "

7 'hc AI . AV . fi . AL , addicssiug Bro . Portal , :-a , d —Most Worshipful Sir , I do not know that I can add e . nything to the word- ; wli ' .- 'h !¦ - .. < already been used , in presenting ) o ' , i , on be ' iali of Grand Lodge , with these testimonials of thc-h

Grand Lodge Of Mark Masters.

sense of the services which you have rendered us . It would be superfluous , in the presence of so many who know what yon have done , to recapitulate all thc services you have rendered , or to point out how greatly the position of Alark Alasonry has imiiroved since you have ruled

over it . I have only one sentiment lo express . It is one which in one sense is personal ; but in another I am sure it is shared by every member present . It is that you may not onl y long be be sjiared , and long be willing to render that assistance both to myself and those who shall

succeed me in this office and generally , to all the Grand Lodge and brethren of our Order , that assistance which is so valuable , which has been so readily rendered in former limes , and without which I myself could not haye dared to sit here .

( Cheers . ) Bro . G . Raymond Portal , P . G . AI , in receiving the jiresent from the hands of the Grand AIaster , said r Alost Worshijiful Grand Alaster and Brethren , I can assure you that it is no platitude I use when I sav that I cannot find words to

express my deep sense of the kindness of the whole of the brethren who have jiresented me with this very magnificent present . I feel that it is owing to you that 1 should give a very brief account ofthe progress of our Order during the lime that f have had the honour of jiresiding over

you , because 1 think that , as a general rule , it is the duty of all those who are in hi g h ollice to do their duly to the best of their ability , and that , excejit in very exceptional cases indeed , any such testimonial ought scarcely to be given . In what I am now about to say , I hojie Grand Lodge will

distinctly understand that I claim nocredit whatever to myself . 1 have heen , all through , supjiorled by my Grand Ofiicers , by the General Board , and by ( irand Lodge itself , in the most cordial manner ; and if il hail not been for the conlidence ( irand I . odge had reposed in me , and for the

readiness with which they agreed to the several slips I proposed for the welfare of our Order , we shonld not have arrived at the satisfactory condition we are now in . Therefore , in what I am going lo say , 1 hope I shall not be suspected of egotism , bul shall be credited with merely

wishing to lay before you the progress of the last four years—a jirogress , owing very much to those who went before us , and owing still more , as I have said , to ihe kindness 1 have received from ( . irand Ollicers aud Grand Lodge Irom time to time . When 1 was first placed in

the chair of Grand Lodge ( hose who uricd wilh me found that the ( irand Mark Lodge was without one single ally in tlie whole Alasonic world , and not only that , bin there was a very power ! ul Alark organi sation existing in this i-ountrv excrcisin' * aulliorilv from lim . * lo

tune , which , though not lluoalening our exisleiice , threatened our supremacy—liie Alark degree as practised in this country under autlu rile from the ( irand Chajiter of Scotland . Xnw it was sseless to aitenipt by ourselus lo get ihe Grand Chapter of Scotland to wilhdrau' their warruuls ,

or even to jiromise to issue no more : their natural reply was , you are a sell ' -slyled bodv , not recognised bv anyone in the world . AVe , therefore , thought thai the next jioint was to ally ourselves with nihi-r nnn-recogni-ed bodies : and 1 make bold to sav , in opposition to our Bro .

Loewenstark and tiiose who voted with him . that the beginning oi ' our whole success was our alliance wilh the other non-recognised bodies in England . I laving got that , we weie able to approach the grand liodi ,-s working the . Mark degree—the ( irand Chajitcr of Ireland , the

Grand Chapter ot Canada , and the ( irand Chapters ofthe United Slates of America , and to sav Lo them lhat we , as Alark Master : ; and a ( irand I . odge of Mark Alasters , desired to be recognised liy Grand Lodge ol i ' . ngland . I n- 'cd si arcely

tell you that tho .-e bub . s have branches extending through the foiled Stales . run ! the lead , rs there in one body are k-. iiler ; : n ceir oilier bo . iv , and il they . , i- . ; utl lh . il their b : v ;!; -,. u we : c ivcii ! . lised h . : ¦ . ' ivoi . ld he IMU- ' ! I too :, like ' i lo

J \ eo'on-e re ' . 1 e Coil- ; -queuee v . as to it onr a ])|; lic .: Lio . i oir r , co ¦ ¦ , nl : o ; i be CA U ; ao , i Slats ' .,- ;; .. ie - . iu .-dia !' . l y acee . r d io , and vve are now , as you know , iv cognise ! bv and l . ; t \ e exchanged ivpre .-. enlaliv- ¦•; with t , ' au-. da and the United States . I have no iluub : that at liieir next meeiin-L thc other trrand

Grand Lodge Of Mark Masters.

bodies will recognize us also . Grand Chajitcr of Ireland have acknowledged our certificates as valid for admission into their lodges , that I attribute to the first step we took of getting recognised by the non-recognized Alasonic bodies . Then came the time when there was a great

rage for new degrees , one of which was the Ark Alariners . There was also a great rage for thc degree of Royal and Select Alasters , which , in America has extended very widely . We thought if these degrees werc worked in this country , at all , they should be worked in concert with

ourselves , knowing as we did that it was not prudent to have numerous supreme jurisdictions . Theiefore , Grand Lodge after some hesitancy had sufficient confidence in us to give us the power to confer on Alark Lodges under our jurisdiction

the privilege ot working the Ark Alariners degree . Then , brethren , there is no point in my administration of your alfairs which 1 look back to with greater satisfaction than the institution of our Alark Benevolent Festival . That has been

singularly successful . AVe have lately invested a large amount of money on that account , and the rejiort of the Treasurer , which has been read to you , must have been very satisfactory . We have moreover , while holding those annual festivals ,

adojitcd a p lan , which has been well received and strongly sujiportcd , that of admitting the ladies of our families and friends to our festival banquet . We have also felt—when 1 say we , I mean those who act with me—that it is unfair on

Colonial brethren that wc should be taking thenfees while they had no share whatever iu the honours of Grand Lodge , and therefore you were good enough to confer on me the jiower lo g ive past grand rank to brethren who had distinguished themselves in the colonies . AA ' e

have ajipointed upon the recommendation of their colonial brethren , and no steji could have been taken by us which could g ive greater happiness or satisfaction to the residents in our colonies . I have been fortunate enough to secure the services of no less than nine brethren of distinction to take

charge of the provinces in this country , South AVales , Northumberland and Durham , ( our W . M . in the chair ) Lancashire , Somersetshire , Aliddlesex and Surrey , AVest Yorkshire , Kent , Cumberland and Westmoreland , and Cheshire , and though it may seem invidious to single out

one brolher on this occason of the Installation ofthe Grand Masier for distinction above others I cannot refrain from saying we never should h .-ii ' e mviTOJlie the Scotch difficulty , whicii his been overcome b y Seotcli lodges , in the mini handsome manner , agreeing to wo"k under its

and throw ing in their lot with us , if it had mil been for our Bro . AV . Romaine Callander , of Lancashire , Lanes , ' tin . * Being one of the strong hohls of the Scotch jurisdiction . 1 feel that our best thanks are due to Bro . Callander , and tbat we are under a deeji debt of gratitude to him , lor

in so iiu |) orlanl a jirovince as lhat of Lancashire the Scotch , lodges would never have consented lo work under anv other broiher than our much esteemed brother Rom . iine Callander . I have now eome , 1 think , to an end of my history ol the trust you rcnoscd in me four years ago . 1 need

not say thai during thai lime 6 9 lodges have been warranted , and over 3 , 000 certificates have been issued . I believe that iu no ilegr . e has such jirogre .-s been made as in the Mark degree , and I am quite sure that in the hands of so worthy ; i brother as I have had the '' real iileasure of

installing to-nig ht in tins chair , not only will 0111 degree seller no Ios .., but it will go on and jirosper in a manner hitherto unseen . I beg once more lo thank vou for this most noble present , I assure you no words of mine can express th . great value I set upon it ; and I onl y hojie you will believe me when 1 say that any services

tha-1 can auy time render to tins degree will alway .-be as c ' icci fully rendered in the future as the ; , ' have been iu limes J . Lt . ( Great cheering . ) I . ell : rs of apology from absent brethren bavin ; been read by Grand Seen tary , ( irand Lodge wacio .-od in due form , and the brethren adjournal to banquet , a rejiort of which will ajijiear in oia ' next impression .

A l !; i : i > . Tu l-. vl . ltv 1 1 , > -. :-1- 11 C I -1 > . Dw . ls . Willi llic c -C-i \ n ; e . c \ wirc-i r ukcil :-o ! cs , Y , e ; nin ; . ; twice : \ , h : n : r asoiiUua lcat ' iic-r , lor all ' . ;•' ¦ . . eil c' . il . livn ' s Kiel- ; , \ it ' . i lTu-i . illicli /' wiiicli never wear i . ct . it tiie tecs , -nay be hail at nest sis deale : ; . Iti-ist on tiiitij ; ti . cse a trial , anrl judge cm the merits .