Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Of East Anglia.

PROVINCIAL GRAND MARK LODGE OF EAST ANGLIA .

The annual meeting of the above Prov . Grand I . odge sv . as held atthe Cups Hotel , Colchester , on Monday , the 2 nd inst ., under the banner of the Constantine Lodge , No . 145 : Amongst ( hose present were—Bros , the Right Hon Lord Henniker , P . G . M . ; - the Rev . C . J . Martyn . D . P . G . M . ; Sir Francis C . M . Boileau , P . S . G . W . ; Geo . Graveley , P . J . G . W . ; W . Shurmur , P . S . G . O .: E . Sparks , P . J . G . O . ; Ven . Archdeacon Dunbar . P . G . Chap . ; 1 . M .

Harvey , P . G . Sec ; E . C . Wills , P . J . G . D . ; J . C . Yates , P . G . D . C ; S . D . Ablitt . P . A . G . D . C : W . Purchas , P . G . L of W . ; F . C . Atkinson , P . G . S . B . ; L . H . Blake , P . G . Org . ; W . F . Stratford , P . G . Stesvard ; j . Hesvett , P . G . Tyler ; C . N . Tracy , P . P . S . G . W . ; A . J . H . Ward , P . G . Reg . ¦ " j . P . Lesvin , P . P . G . Treas . ; T . J . Railing , P . G . D . England ; M . W . Meade , P . A . G . LG . England ; and others . After the reading of the minutes of the special Prov . Grand Lodge , held immediately after the drath of Lady Henniker ,

* The PROV . GRAND MASTER , referring to the vote of condolence then passed , expressed his gratitude for the sympathy extended lo him in what svas rightly described by Bro . Martyn as the greatest sorrow lhat could befall a man . Their express'on of sympathy touched him very much , and lo a great extent softenrd his sorrow . He bowed , he hoped , in all humility to ihe will of the G . A . O . T . U ., and prayed lhat He svould help him to bear his

trouble as a Christian and a Mason should do , with fortitude and resignation . Some discussion arose with reference to the fines imposed upon the lodges which were not represented at the last annual meeting of Prov . Grand Lodge . These , it appeared , had not been paid , and the PROV . GRAND SECRETARY explained that he had not pressed for payment because of the alteration svhich was made in the date of the holding of the meeting .

Ultimately , on the suggestion of the PROV . GRANII MASTER , it was agreed that last year ' s fines should be remitted , but that in refpect both to the lodges and the officers , the penalties for non-attendance would in future be strictly enforced . . . On the roll of the lodges being railed , it was found that all were represented except the Isa * ic Newton Lodge , No . 112 , which the Prov . Grand Master remarked would be fined as a matter of course .

The PROV . GRAND MASTER , departing from the business on the agenda , proposed that a letter of congratulation be forwarded on behalf of Prov . G . Lodge to the Queen , the Prince and Prircess of Wales , and the Duke and Duchess of Yoik on the occasion of the birth of a future heir to the Throne .

He only hoped that the Duke of York ' s son would follow the good example set him by the Royal Family , and might not onl y be spared to carry out his public duties with the same unremitting zeal as their Grand Master had done , but that he would add to the happiness and pride of our great country . The proposition was carried unanimously .

The , PROA . GR \ ND SECRETARY read the report of the Board of General Purposes , which showed that the present number of members on the books of the province was 358 , 3 ^ increase of 14 on the number-last-year . —The deaths ,. exclusions , and resignations exceeded tbe additions by 20 , and if it had not been for the addition of two nesv lodges , there would have been , aa small decrease in the rr embers . The financial state of the province was satisfactory .

On the motion of Bro . Sir FRANCIS BOILEAC , seconded by Bro . TRACY , ' the report was adopted . On the proposition of Bro . TRACY , seconded by Bro . LEWIN , Bro . T . J . Railing was-unanimously elected Prov . Grand Treasurer . ' The PROV ; GRAND MASTER said he had an announcement to ma , ke svhich he was sure Avoulcfbe receis * ed with great regret . At last he had been

compelled to give wa } ' to Bro . Martyn ' s importunities , and release him from the position of Deputy Prov . Grand Master . . He . was sure they were all very sorry for it , but he did not think it would be right for him to press Bro . Martyn any further , because living so far away from the province as he did , he felt that he could not discharge the duties of his office to his osvn

satisfaction . Personally , he ( Lord Henniker ) was ex'remely sorry , because Bro . Martyn was one of his oldest and greatest friends , but it Avas some satisfact tion to feel thai , although relieved from office , he was still a member of Provincial Grand Lodge of East Anglia , so that they might hope to see him amongst them at their annual meetings .

Bro . the Rev . C J . MARTYN said it was really with the most unfeigned regret that he felt compelled to ask the Prov . Grand Master to release him ir ' om the office he new held . For some time past he had felt that the duties of D . P . G . M . of East Anglia ' had been unavoidabl y neglected , not through any fault of his own , but because , living right asvay in Gloucestershire , it W 9 s utterly impossible for him to come amongst them as often as he could

wish . For this reason he last year asked the Prov . Grand Master to allosv him to resign the office , but with kindness which was so characteristic of him he said he could not possibly let him off , at least for a year , antl therefore he held on , but he felt he could not perform his duties to his osvn satisfaction , or to ' the satisfaction of the province , and therefore he again pressed Lord Henniker to be * j ; ood enough to allosv him lo retire , and to appoint in

his stead one who would be able to discharge the duties far belter than he had been able to do . He had been D P . G . M . ever since the province of East Anglia was formed , and had alsvays received the greatest kindness and consideration fiom everyone Avith Avhom he had come in contact . He thanked them all from the bottom of his heart for all their past kindness and

forbearance , and he assured thpm that he should look upon his connection with the province as one of the happiest remembrances in his not altogether unhappy life . The PROI . GR AMI MASTER said he ought to say that in his own mind he attributed svhalever success had attended his governance of the Province of East Anglia to the wise counsel he had alsvays received from Bro . Martyn .

The Prov . Grand Master ' then formally appointed as Deputy Prov . Grand Masier Bro . Sir Francis Boileau , Bart ., P . S . G . W ., whotook lheobligation , and was invested with thc collar ! and jesvel of thc office . Bro . Sir FRANCIS BOII . EAC briefly acknowledged the honour that had been conferred upon him , and expressed his dermina' ion to carry out the duties of the ollice to ihe best ol his ability . The Prov . G . M . then invested thc other Prov . Grand Officers as under : 5

, ro - J-J . C Turner ... ... ... Prov . S G . W . . 1 K . P . Suthery ... .... ... Prov . J . G . W . . 1 CD . Leach ... ; .. ... ... Prov . G . M . O 11 F . E . Bailey ... ... ... ... Prov . S . G . O . 11 Geo . Abbott ... ... ... ... Prov . j . G . O . .. Rev . W . Quennell „ . " ... ... \ Vm r ru , „ c •*. Rev . McJougal MundU j Prov . G . Chaps . 11 T . J . Railing ... . ... ... Prov . G . Treas .

Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Of East Anglia.

Bro . J . Moore Smith ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg . of M . „ J . M . Harvey ... ... ... Prov . G . Sec . „ C . F . Bond ... ... ... ... Prov . S . G . D .

„ F . H . Meggy ... ... ... Prov . J . G . D . „ Jos . Holland ... ... ... Prov . G . Insp . of W . „ ' W . F . Stratford ... ... ... Prov . G . D . of C ,, Hosvard Ives ... ... ... Prov . A . G . D . of C .

„ Jas . Reach ... ... ... ... Piov . G . S . B . „ M . O . Sanders ... ... Piov . D . G . S . B . „ G . H . L . Blake .... <¦ : ¦ ... Prov . G . Org . ,, E . Spaike ... ... ... ... Prov . Asst . G . Sec .

,, John Fuller ... ... ... Piov . G . I . G . „ " J . H . Salter ... ... ... ... ) „ SirW . Abdy , Bart . ... ... ... > Prov . G . Stewards . ,, R . Galpin ... ... ... ... ) ,. J . Hewitt ... ... Prov . ( I . Tyler . Bro . TRACY said they could not allosv that occasion to pass svithout a

formal recognition of the great services Bro . Martyn had long rendered lo the province . While he ( Bro . Tracy ) acted as Prov . Grand Secretar } ' he was brought into intimate connection with Bro . Mar ' yn , and knesv hosv thoroughly he considered the interests of the brethren in the province . He

Avas filled with an earnest determination to do hisduty , and the whole province had re * ceived the greatest possible benefit from his services . Bro . Tracy thrn formally proposed that a cordial vote of thanks be accorded to the late Deputy Provincial Grand Master for the services he has rendered to the province during the past 12 years .

Bm . GEORGE ABHOTT , as one of the lirst officers of the province , seconded the motion , which was carried unanimously . Bro . the Rev . C . J . MARTYN briefly replied .- He again thanked the brethren for all the kindness he had received at their hands , and assured Sir Francis Boileau that he should at all times be most happy to do all that he could 10 assist him in the discharge of his duties .

Lord HENNIKER , in his address to the brethren , said he thought they might congratulate themselves on the fact that during the 12 years the Province of East Anglia had been established they had been holding their own very well , and , considering that they were , to a A'ery large extent , in a purely agricultural district , he thought they might say that they were in a flourishing condition . In the name of the Provincial Grand Lodge , he

thanked Bro . Turner and the members of the Constantine Lodge for the handsome and liberal manner in which they had entertained them . Lord Henniker , in conclusion , asked the brethren to excuse his attendance at the banquet , over which he had asked the Deputy Prov . Grand Master , Bro . Sir Francis Boileau , to preside ; A banquet aftersvards took place at the Cups Hoiel .

Grand Chapter Of Pennsylvania.

GRAND CHAPTER OF PENNSYLVANIA .

At a Quarterl y Communication of the above Grand Chapter held at Philadelphia , on the ; th ult ., the Grand High Priest appointed Comp . William James Hughan Representative of the Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania near the Grand Mark Lodge of England . After the reports of Committees and theadoption of the resolutions thereto attached , the Grand Secretary read the following communication from Comp . William J . Hughan . *

" Dear Grand Secretary , —As the representative of the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Pennsylvania at the Grand Mark Lodge of England , I have been in the habit of reporting matlers of my Grand Chapter that seem worthy of special note . 1 do so nosv as to the Mark Degree in particular .

" Until the last few weeks the earliest knosvn reference to the esoteric Mark Degree was the year 1773 , viz ., in the records of the Craft Lodge , No . 124 , at Durham , England . " Bro . Alexander Hosvell , of Portsmouth , who is now complcling the publication of his history of the Phcenix Lodge of that tosvn , has just come across a cypher in one of the minute books of the Chapter of Friendship , No . 257 , which has supplied him with the key to the earliest volume of its records of 1761 ) , all of svhich is in cypher and never traced until nosv .

" The cypher is peculiar , and , so far as 1 know , only met with in this MS ., ancl not being of a regular kind ( lhat is , not running as usual ) was not made out previous ! )' . " It is most extraordinary for a whole volume of records to be in cypher , but this is , and begins in the year when the chapter was formed , viz ., 1760 , and ends in 178 C . When I wrote the history of the chapter in iSyo , the earliest records then traced were of the year 17 S 7 .

" The first entry is as follows ; ' Al a Royal Arch Chapter held at the George Tavern , in Portsmouth , on first Sept ' r , seveniecn hundred and sixl * ,-nine ; Present—Thomas Donkcrley , Esq ., William Cook , ' " / .., ' Samuel Palmer , ' H ., ' 'J homas Scanville , 'J , ' Henry Dean , Phili p Jones and Thomas Webb . The ' Pro . G . M ., ' Thomas Dunkeiley , bio ' t the Warrant

of the Chapter , and having lately ree'd the ' Mark ' he made the Bre ' n 'Mark Masons' and 'Mark Masters , ' and each chuse their Mark ( . Vc ) He also told us of this mann ' r of writing , whicii is to be used in the degree , svhich we may give to others , so they be F . C . for Mark * Masons and Master M . for Mark Masters .

" Like all the early records respecting the Mark Degree , this proves there were two ceremonies , the ' Mark Alan ' or Mason for Fellow Crafts , and the 'Mark Master ' for the Master Masons ; and as it is also the first and only time that Dunkerley ' s name is found in connection svith the Mark , thc minute is of great value and importance . " I still hope for earlier notices of the Degree , especially as in print and MS . we can now trace the Royal Arch back to the fifth decade ol the last century .

"Of course , the antiquity of the Mark as ? n opera * ive custom is virtually pre-histoiic . Marks were chosen by speculative as well as operative members of lodges back to the year i 6 < in by evidence , and doubtless much earlier . " The last Proceedings of Grand Chapter are most interesting , and the account of the difficulty between England and Ouebec , Masonically , is most

exactl y stated . I svish much that the lodges would join the Grand Lodge of Quebec , and thus settle the matter . But we cannoi compel them to do so "With compliments to thc M . E . Grand High Priest and the Grand Chapter , —Believe me , yours fraternally , "WILLIAM JAMES HUJIIAN . " ' Duntcore , ' Torquay , England , April 9 , 1894 . "