Mark Grand Lodge.

To which the following reply has been received : — "Burghclere Rectory , Newbury , May i , 1889 . ! ' My dear Sir , " I am exceedingly grateful for the kindness shown to me and to my poor children by the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons . Illness has prevented my saying this sooner .

" May I ask you to be so good as to express for me to Lord Euston , Mr . Frank Richardson , and the other Members of the Board , how touched we are by their kindly remembrance of us in a time of trial so great , that only God who saw fit to send it , knows the sorrow and weight of it . " Please to say how deeply grateful we are , not only for the sympathy now given us , but for the kindly appreciation so generously expressed of any work done by Canon

Portal in the service of Masonry . It was always a pleasure to him to be so employed , and he felt very vividly the great value and blessing of the bond of brotherhood , and I never remember his coming home from any Masonic Meeting in Town , without his expressing in his own energetic , hearty way , his sense of the great kindness invariably shown him by all the brethren whom he met or worked with . "I value the kind letter you sent me , and my children will do so as strongly after me .

" I like them to know how their dear , good father was thought of by a body of friends he esteemed so highly , —I am , my dear Sir , Yours very sincerely , " HELEN PORTAL . "

By command of his Royal Highness the M . W . G . M . all brethren of the Mark Degree under this jurisdiction were enjoined to wear Masonic mourning for three months in accordance with instructions contained in a circular letter . During the six months ending 31 st March last , there have been issued : Mark certificates , 702 ; total number registered , 25 , 339 . Warrants for new lodges , seven , viz . No . 39 s , Combermere , Albany , N . S . W . „ 396 , De Tabley , Frodsham , Cheshire . » 397 ) Cumberland County , Paramatta , N . S . W . „ 39 S , Danum , Doncaster . j , 399 . Huston , London . „ 400 , Egerton of Tatton , London . „ 401 , Swindon Keystone , Swindon .

Royal Ark Mariners certificates , 96 ; total number registered , 2733 . Two warrants for new Ark Mariner loig > -s , viz . : •—Henniker , attached to the Albert Victor Lodge , No . 70 , Ipswich . Ararat , attatched to the Eothen Lodge , No . 264 , Hong Kong . The following re-appointments as Provincial Grand Masters have been made for a further term of three years : Col . G . Singleton Tudor , Staffordshire ; Rev . Canon Tristram , Northumberland and Durham ; Capt . S . G . Homfray , Monmouthshire ; the Right Hon . the Earl of Lathom , Lancashire ; and Rev . W . Mortimer Heath , Dorset .

The Board recommend that in the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Crown the title of " Provincial Grand Lodge " should be changed to " District Grand Lodge , " and that powers be given to such District Grand Lodges to regulate the fees payable to their own funds , subject to the approval of the Board . The Adelaide Lodge , No . 41 , Adelaide , South Australia , have informed the Board

that the M . W . Bro . Chief Justice Way , the Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons of South Australia , has become a member of the lodge , and the Board recommend that , as a compliment to this distinguished brother , the rank of Past Master should be conferred on him , and that the Adelaide Lodge should be authorised to take the necessary steps to carry this resolution into effect .

The Board have been informed of the death of Bro . John Watson , R . W . Prov . G . M . Notts , and desire to express their sorrow and regret . A Special Grand Lodge was held at the Holborn Restaurant , on the 5 th March last , for the purpose of authorising a lease of Bacon ' s Hotel , Great Queen-street , for a term of 49 years being taken up , and making such alterations as might be necessary to adapt the premises for the purposes of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons . The

resolutions were unanimously carried , and at the Quarterly Communication of the United Grand Lodge of England , held on the 6 th March , the lease was authorised to be granted , and a peppercorn rent for six months was conceded . The plans for the alterations have been prepared by Bros . Berridge and Driver , and approved and signed by M . W . Pro G . M . Bro . Lord Egerton of Tatton , on behalf of this Grand Lodge , and by W . Bro . Robert W . Edis ( G . Supt . of Works ) , on behalf of United Grand Lodge of England .

The work of alteration is now in progress , and the Board confidently hope that the December Meeting of Grand Lodge will be held in the permanent home of the Mark Degree . Bro . George Clark , jun ,, F . C . A ., has been appointed the Auditor of Grand Lodge , in succession to Bro . C . E . Soppet , to whom the thanks of Grand Lodge are due for his gratuitous services . The invested capital of the General Fund is £ 2600 .

FUND OF BENEVOLENCE . The twenty-first Anniversary Festiva of the Mark Benevolent Fund will be held at the Freemasons' Tavern , Great Queen-street , on the 24 th July , 18 S 9 , and Bro . Sir Lionel E . Darell , Bart ., has most kindly consented to preside . It is confidently hoped that the untiring exertions of the Board of Stewards , and the generous liberality of the members of the Mark Degree , will enable the General Board , not only to maintain the efficiency of this useful and most deserving Charity , but to still further increase its benefits by the admission of those accepted Candidates whom , at present , the Board do not feel justified in placing on the Fund .

Over 100 Brethren have already volunteered their services as Stewards , and it is sincerely hoped that this number may be largely increased before the day of the Festival .

ANNUITY BRANCH . A brother , aged 72 , who had been a subscribing member of Fortitude Lodge , No . 7 S , for over 21 years , has been added to the number of Annuitants , making a total of Five Brethren now enjoying the advantages of this Branch , the Annual Income of which is only . Coo 12 s . id ., while the Expenditure is XiS 1 ? .

EDUCATIONAL BRANCH . There are now 14 Boys and 13 Girls being educated and clothed , which entails an annual outlay of ^ 400 4 s . 8 d ., the income being £ 89 12 s . 2 d . Arthur P . Morris , aged eight years ; Edith Taylor , aged nine years ; Annie L . M . White , aged n years seven months ; -Harold Miller , aged 10 years three months ; Edward G . Jarmain , aged eight years ; and Stephen Wellington , aged 10 years , have

been accepted as candidates , subject to the declaration of vacancies , the number of which must in a large measure depend on the success of the coming Festival . The sum of £ 1750 9 s . gd . was received on account of the Benevolent Festival of 1888 , and after payment of the necessary expenditure . £ 54 6 has been paid to Benevolent Branch , £ 546 to Educational Branch , and £ 545 4 S . 6 d . to Annuity Branch . The total invested funds

are—Benevolent Branch ... ... ,,, „ , £ 2500 Educational „ ... ... ... ... 2400 Annuity „ ... ... ,,. .,, 3200 The Board have relieved the following cases : Mrs . E Y .... ... ... ... ... £ 1 Cl 0 o Bro . M . E . S . ... ... ... ... 20 o o Mrs . J . J . ... ... ... ... 5 0 0 „ C . A . J . ... ... ... ... 15 o o „ H . C . ... ... ... ... ... 15 o o Bro . M . B .... ... ... ... ... 20 o o „ B W .... ... ... ... ... 20 0 0 „ E . M .... ... ... ... ... 10 o o And recommended to Grand

Lodge—M . A . G ., widow of Bro . L . G . ... ... ... 20 0 o ( Signed ) FRANK RICHARDSON , Grand Registrar , Vice-President . The Marquis of HERTFORD then rose and said ; Before we pass to the

Mark Grand Lodge.

next business , I think that as this is the first regular Grand Lod ge that has been held since the very great loss that Mark Masonry has sustained it would be hardly decent if I did not say a word with respect to that loss ' Of course , I refer to the death of Canon Portal . I am sure you all agree with me—that by the death of Canon Porta ! Mark Masonry has lost a

brother whom we could ill afford to lose . I believe that there was no brother in Mark Masonry who took more trouble for the good of Mark Masonry and all Masonry I may say , than Canon Portal did . ( Hear , hear . ) Many of you brethren , Mark Masons of much older standing than myself , kno w better than I do all that Canon Portal has done , and the way he worked as

President of the General Board , and in every way he possibly could for the good of Mark Masonry . I think when you heard the minutes of the 25 th February read , you must have noticed that he was then working hard to try to get our Mark Grand Lodge settled in the new building—Bacon ' s Hotel—and put in proper form , and was doing all he could to arrange that

Mark Masonry should have a proper home there ; and when we go , as I hope we shall before no very long period , into the new Grand Lod ge room at what was Bacon's Hotel , I am sure we shall all feel that it is owing in a

great measure to Canon Portal that we go in to what , I hope , will be a proper abode for Grand Mark Lodge . I have no resolution to move , but you will agree with me that we could not pass over the death of Canon Portal in absolute silence on this occasion . ( Hear , hear . )

Bro . W . KELLY , Prov . G . M . of Leicestershire : Perhaps a few words from me will not be inappropriate on this occasion , as I represent the second province on the roll of Mark Grand Lodge which was constituted after the formation of Grand Lodge , the first province being Devonshire . I had the honour and pleasure of knowing Canon Portal for many years . He was

in our Grand Lodge of Leicestershire , and during the whole time I have been Grand Master of that province , which is 31 years , I have been in correspondence with him . With the Most Worshipful Grand Master in the chair I think that no one could have Mark Masonry more at heart than had Canon Portal .

Bro . FRANK . RICHARDSON , G . Reg ., next moved the adoption of the following recommendation arising out of the Report of the General Board : That in the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Crown the title of "Provincial Grand Lodge " should be changed to " District Grand Lodge , " and that powers be given to such District Grand Lodges to regulate the fees payable to their own Funds , to the of the Board

subject approval . He said this matter had been taken into consideration b y the General Board in consequence of various applications from the Colonies , and it had been considered by the Board a fit matter to submit to Grand Lodge so as to bring the Constitutions of Mark Masonry

into accord with the Constitutions of the Craft . Years ago the Craft changed the title of Provincial to District . It made no difference in the rank or status , because Provincial and District Grand Masters took rank from the date of their appointment _ but in the Colonies they seemed to think it was a higher title , and that being the case , the

General Board thought it would be a very nice thing to cede to the Colonies this point . They also felt that the brethren generally would fall in with the views of the Colonial brethren that they should regulate their own fees . In some cases they wanted to raise their fees a little more than they were in this country . In other cases—in New South Wales , for instance—they wanted to

raise their fees , so as to form a Fund of Benevolence . The General Board thought that was a very desirable object , and that brethren so far away from us , and so difficult for us to get at , should have a voice in their own affairs That being the advice of the General Board , he begged to move the adoption of the recommendation .

Bro . Deputy Controller BAKE , in seconding the motion , wished to say that the Colonies were rising in importance , and , though they were members of this great country , still they were an independent race . Although they acknowledged that they owed everything in Masonry to this great country , yet there were many things which they considered could be best

managed by themselves . If Grand Lodge gave them a separate Board to manage matters , so that their funds might be appropriated to any purpose for which they wished to use them it could not matter to Grand Lodge . They

would be distributing them according to their own intelligence , to the best of their knowledge and belief . Having passed a large portion of his life in the Colonies , he had much pleasure in seconding the motion . The motion was carried .

Bro . FRANK . RICHARDSON next moved—That the rank of Past Master be conferred on the Most Worshipful Bro . Chief Justice Way , Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons of South Australia , and that the Adelaide Lodge , No . 41 , be authorised to carry this resolution into effect . He ( Bro . F . Richardson ) had the honour of knowing Bro . Way

personally-When he went out to Australia three years ago , he had heard of him , and he could say his reputation extended far and wide . At the installation a few weeks ago of Sir Wm . Clarke as Grand Master of the Province of Victoria , Chief Justice Way made the most beautiful speech he ( Bro . Richardson ) ever read . He had the newspapers from the Colonies , in

which the speech was reported , sent to him , and he must say it was a treat to read it . From the position Chief Justice Way held in South Australia , the General Board thought it would be a pleasant thing to confer the rank of Past Master upon Chief Justice Way , because , having only lately taken this Degree of Mark Mason , it would be some years before he would take

that rank . He ( Bro . Richardson ) could speak personally of Chief Justice Way ' s Masonic qualifications . Three years ago , when he was in Australia he had hardly been in Adelaide three hours when he received a visit fro "

the Grand Secretary with a message from the Chief Justice that he hoped he would pay him a visit . Chief Justice Way had heard from some one i " Melbourne that he ( Bro . Richardson ) was going to Adelaide , and he said when he found there was a member of Grand Lodge of England going