Reports Of Masonic Meetings.

punctuality . There were present Bros . E . Smith , W . M . ; W . Cowley , S . W . ; T . Grummant , j . W . ; E . H . Thiellay , P . G . S . B . Middx ., I . P . M ., and Treas . ; Walter Simmons , P . ? . ' ., Sec . ; Hiram Henton , S . D . ; E . Fry , I . G . ; F . W . Cash , D . C ; A . B . Church , Tyler . Bros .

Rev . T . S . Sturdee , J . Moss , J . Ross , R . P . Gloag , G . Whichelow , H . Hayes , J . H . Meyer , and G . F . Bertini ; also the following visitors : Bros . Govan Macdonald , P . M . 115 S ; H . Vickery , P . M . 1475 ; R . P . Emery , 167 ; J . R . Kirby , 1475 , and Treas . 1622 ; and A . G . Thiselton ,

1599-The lodge having been opened , the minutes of the installation and emergency meetings of February 5 th and March 5 th were read and confirmed . The ballot was then taken Messrs . Anandrao Sheshadri and F . Edmonds , who were unanimously elected members of 1559 . Bro . the Rev . James Sturdee was duly raised to the Sublime Degree of

a M . M ., the ceremony being performed in a very impressive manner . Bro $ . Harry Hayes , J . H . Meyer , and G . F . Bertini were passed by the W . M . to the E . A . Degree . Mr . Edmonds was then regularly initiated into the secrets and mysteries of Freemasonry , thc W . M . rendering the ceremony in his best form . At the installation meeting , the brother upon whom it was intended to confer the collar ot

J . D . was unavoidably absent , and since he has been unable to attend on the subsequent occasions , the W . M . now filled up the vacancy b y promoting the recently appointed I . G ., Bro . Fry , to this office . Bro . Cash was invested with the collar of LG ., Bro . Whichelow being appointed Director of Ceremonies ; and Bro . the Rev . James Sturdee was invested Chaplain of the New Cross Lodge , these appointments giving evident

satisfaction to the brethren , more especially in the case of the Chaplain . Thc W . M . then announced to the brethren that he was representing 1559 as Steward at the forthcoming festivals of the Boys' and Girls'Schools and invited their kind co-operation . Some business of a private nature having occupied the attention of the members , the lodge was closed in due form and after an unusually lengthy sitting , the W . M . having occupied the chair for over three hours .

An adjournment was then made to the banquet table , an excellent menu being set before the brethren , who , nothing loth , one and all paid diligent observance to the Fourth Degree . Upon the cloth being withdrawn , the W . M gave the toast of "The Oueen and the Craft , " and afterwards that of "H . R . H . the " Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M ., " observing that he ( the W . M . ) was assured that the brethren would

unite with him in the hope that it would be many years ere the M . W . G . M . was called upon to exchange the gavel for the sceptre . It is needless to add that the toast was received with the utmost enthusiasm and honoured with smart 1559 "fire . " "The Pro Grand Master , Deputy G . M ., the Grand Officers , Past and Present , " were duly honoured . Bro . E . H . Thiellay , P . M ., P . G . S . B . Middx ., Treasurer

155 6 , then proposed "The Health of the VV . AI ., remarking that it afforded him the greatest possible amount of pleasure to bear testimony to the energy and zeal that Bro . Smith had exhibited since his accession to the chair of the lodge . In the short time he had ruled over them a vast amount of Masonic business had been transacted , and he would draw their special attention to the labours of that afternoon . Ever since his initiation Bro . Smith had

devoted himself to the interest of the lodge with unflagging energy , and he trusted that Bro . Smith would enjoy good health so that he might be enabled to continue to do the same good service to the Craft throughout the remainder of his year of office . The toast was received with loud applause , and the W . M . briefly replied , taking occasion to thank his Wardens for their support up to the present time .

It was a source of gratification to know that they could always be depended upon , and also his S . D ., Bro . Heaton , while the younger officers , from the J . D . downward , having such excellent examples before them , had merely to take advantage of this fact in order to attain a similar decree of efficiency . He took the opportunity , being then on his legs , of giving the toast of "The Initiate , " who had paid marked

attention to the ceremony through which he had passed . Bro . Edmonds thanked the W . M . and brethren for the kind manner in which his health had been received . He was a member of only a few hours' standing , but he trusted that he would continue to be with them as long as the G . A . O . T . U . gave him health and life . " The Visitors" was then given and received with due honour . Bro . P . M .

Vickery ? ssured the brethren that he was delighted at the manner in which the work had been done in lodge by their W . M ., than whom it was impossible to find a more zealous occupant of the chair . Bros . Kirby , Emery , and Thiselton also responded , the latter , who was in his happiest vein , informing the brethren that he was their W . M . 's very enchanted guest , and like the little cherub who sits up aloft to look after poor Jack , so he could only assure all present

that he would , as far as was in his power as a non-member , look after the welfare of Bros . Smith , Hayes , Meyer , Bertini , and Cash . ( Loud applause . ) "'Ihe Past Masters and Officers " and the Tyler ' s were the concluding toasts . The enjoyment of the evening was materially enhanced by the invaluable assistance of Bro . Harry Hayes at the pianoforte , while the vocal efforts of Bros . Bertini , Meyer , Cowley , Hayes , and Thiellay were thoroughly appreciated ; indeed , 1 559 promises to become conspicuous in the future as a vocal lodge .

FARRINGDON-WITHOUT LODGE ( No . I 74 j >)'—This representative lodge met for the despatch of business at the Viaduct Hotel , Holborn , on Monday , the 28 th ultimo ., when there were present among others Bros . T . C Walls , P . P . G . S . B . Middx ., W . M . ; H . J . Lardner , S . W . ; M . Samuels , J . W . ; Ramsey , P . M ., Treas . ; XV . H . Jackson , jun ., P . M . and Sec ; Strugnell , J . D . : W .

Williams , I . G . ; Hart , Hon . Org . ; Simpson , D . C ; Wildash , A . W . S . Bro . Wiggins was a visitor . The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed , Bros . Young and Longley were passed tothe Degree of F . C . The bye-laws having been read the election of W . M . for the year ensuing resulted unanimously in favour

of Bro . Lardner , S . W . Bros . Ramsey and Parkinson were also unanimously elected to the respective offices of Treasurer and Tyler . The Audit Committee having been appointed , a Past Master ' s jewel was unanimously voted to Bro . Walls . Several communications having been read , the lodge was closed and the brethren separated . There was no banquet .

Reports Of Masonic Meetings.

CAXTON LODGE ( No . 1 S 53 ) . —Thc first installation meeting after the consecration of this lodge took place at Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen-street , on Monday evening last , when there were present , in addition to the members , the following : Visitors : Bros . W . Hanson , W . M . 59 ; J . L . W . Bertolle , M . M . 115 S ; J . W . Hiscox , P . M . 1420 ; W . T . Pink , M . M . 1641 ; G . Boulton , W . M . 1604 ; J . M .

Gibson , P . M . 1420 ; F . Marx , S . W . 957 ; W . Woodruff , M . M . 957 ; J . Fuller , M . M . 1257 ; C . Stuart Barker , P . M . 1632 ; C . S . Davis , M . M . i SS ; J . T . Pilditch , W . M . 1420 ; J . Diprose , P . M . 9 S 7 ; W . Stephens , G . D . of C . Middlesex ; G . Heath , M . M . 17 G 7 ; J . Simian , S . W . 1420 ; H . White , M . M . 1257 ; W . Pater , P . M . 1269 ; T . W . Murley , W . M . 1257 ; E . H . Thiellay , P . M . 145 ; C . A . Solbe , S . W . Ubique ; A . M . Broadley , Past Deputy District G . M . Malta ; and W . Lake , P . M .

131 , P . Prov . G . Reg . ( Freemason ) . The minutes of the previous regular meeting and of the emergency meeting ' on the 14 th March were read and confirmed , and the report of thc Audit Committee having been received and adopted , the lodge proceeded to the business of installing the W . M . for the ensuing year . The choice at the previous meeting had fallen on Bro . G . Dawson ; indeed it could hardly have been otherwise seeing that not only was

Bro . G . Dawson the next in succession , but it was primarily to his initiative , combined with that of the I . P . M ., Bro . Meredith , that the Caxton Lodge was formed , and the brethren in question , together with the whole lodge , are to be congratulated on the great success that has so quickly crowned their efforts . The ceremony of installation was ably performed by thc LP . M ., Bro . Meredith , and the following officers were appointed : Bros . George J . Dawson ,

VV . M . ; Woods , S . W . ; Butterworth , J . W . ; Cole , Treas . ; Meredith , P . M ., P . L . Sec . ; Oakman , S . C ; Beck , J . D . ; Richards , LG . ; Gilbert , D . C ; Diprose , Steward ; Henri de Solla , Org . ; and Lackland , Tyler . A banquet afterwards took place at the Freemasons ' Tavern , presided over by the W . M ., who was supported by nearly all the members of the lodge and a large number of visitors . "The Oueen and the Craft , " and " The M . W .

Grand Master , the Prince of Wales , " having been proposed and loyally received , the toast of ' ¦ ' The M . W . Pro Grand Master and the rest of the Grand Officers " was next given , the W . AI . coupling it with the name of Bro . Cottebrune , P . G . Purst ., who , in reply , said that they were all very good men , including himself . He was very pleased to meet them on the occasion of their first anniversary . The I . P . M . was

a scholar of his , and he was glad that he had been so successful . He especially thanked the brethren of the Caxton Lodge for the support they had given to thc Charities . The I . P . M ., Bro . Meredith , then proposed " The Health of the W . M . " He said that from his long knowledge of Bro . Dawson he had every reason to believe he would carry out his duties with credit to himself and for the benefit of the lodge . Bro . Dawson , in reply , warmly thanked thc

I . P . M . for his kind words . He said it would be vain for him to pretend that he did not feel proud of the position he then occupied . When the Caxton Lodge was first suggested , there was no doubt in his mind as to its proving a success , which was in a great measure due to the energy of the I . P . M . It would , perhaps , have been remembered by some present that the W . M . and Wardens had the good fortune to be present at the Grand Lodge , presided over by

H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , in December , 1 S 79 , on the occasion of the investiture of Bro . Col . Gierke as Grand Secretary , which took place directly after the consecration of their lodge , and he thought they mi g ht fairly consider the circumstance as a good augury of success . Their balance sheet , he believed , was one of which no lodge could complain . He felt the position to be a difficult one , and was reminded of the saying that on the oth of November

after the Lord Mayor ' s carriage came the dust cait . He feared he should hardly compare even with the proverbial dust cart after the example Ihey had had before them during the past year , butlhe should rely on the I . P . M . ' s support in all his difficulties . He would try to keep up the reputation of the Caxton Lodge , but he could not hope to improve it , and if he committed any errors he hoped they would consider them of the head , and not of the heart . The

next toast was that of " The Installing Master , " their worthy and highly esteemed I . P . M ., Bro . Meredith . During his year of office everything had gone on smoothly and amicably—the whole of his officers , with two exceptions , had never held office before , and he left it to the visitors to say whether they had not got through their work in a fairly creditable manner . He had another pleasing duty to

perform before he sat down , and that was to present to Bro . Meredith in the name of the lodge a Past Master's jewel in recognition of the very able manner in which he had filled the chair , and for the enviable position in which he had brought the Caxton Lodge . Bro . Meredith in reply thanked them most cordially and sincerely for thc reception the toast had met with . From the first he determined the lodge should be a success , had it not been so he should have

borne a large share of the blame , and he thought it was only fair he should claim a portion of the credit . The idea had . emanatcd from his own fraternity—old friends of the press . The lodge was consecrated under very auspicious circumstances : whether it was that His Royal Highness had selected that particular evening he could not say , but never perhaps in the history of Freemasonry had the members of a newly consecrated lodge been so soon

introduced to the Grand Master . He was proud of being the means of bringing together so many old friends of the profession . He thanked them heartily for the handsome jewel they had just presented to him , and he should wear it with pleasure . It was very well for a Master to pass through the chair after the lodge had been in existence for ten or twelve years , but a double degree of responsibility devolved on the Master

of ' a lodge during the first year of its existence . He hoped the press and Masonry would go hand in hand together to disseminate the virtues of Masonry throughout the fg lobe . The Worshipful Master then gave the toast of " The Initiate , " remarking that in all societies it was needful to fill up gaps in their

ranks , and in Masonry they were the more welcome as they must of necessity come voluntarily . He hoped the candidate had been properly impressed with the Masonic sentiments which had been expounded to him , and they offered him a hearty welcome . The initiate having replied in suitable terms , Bro . Dawson next proposed "The Health of the Visitors . " Their meeting

Reports Of Masonic Meetings.

he sard would be "flat , stale , and unprofitable " if it were not for the visitors . They had among them that evening many Past Masters , Preceptors , and ' brethren of rank , and they were all gladjto see them ; it was highly important that there should be frequent interchange of visits among lodges , as by that they observed difference in working and frequently found out their weak points and

their shortcomings . He called on Bro . Broadley , D . D . G . M . Malta , to respond . Bro . Broadley said he had experienced no ordinary pleasure in visiting the Caxton Lodge . They had selected an excellent name , and a very appropriate motto " The Press above all . " There was a time when Masons knew little of what passed outside the precincts of their own

lodge , and whim foreign Masons had no means whatever of acquiring information as to what was passing in the Alasonic world at home , but the Alasonic press had wrought great changes in this state of things , and he believed great changes for good . Although a stranger he had learned much of the Caxton Lodge through the press , and what he had learned interested him very greatly in its progress and

success . The knowledge diffused by the Masonic press tended to make the great confraternity more practically cosmopolitan , and had done as much for the Craft as the great art of Caxton had done for the world at large . He should never forget the kindness of his Alasonic brethren on the occasion of his present visit to England , and it was mainly this right hand of brotherly fellowship which they

had one and all extended to him which had enabled him to bear the worries and trials of his arduous and delicate mission in this country . Might he hope that some member of the Caxton Lodge would give him the opportunity of reciprocating that ' evening's hospitality on the sife of Carthage ? As W . AI . of " Lodge No . 1 S 35 he cordially greeted Lodge 1 S 53 . If anv London Alaon should cross

the Alediterranean and visit Tunis , ] his journey would be amply repaid . In Tunis , which , as Shakespeare had written , " once was Carthage , " not the least interesting sjght for him would be the banner of the Grand Lodge of England raised in that classic soil . In Lodges 1717 and 1835 he would see the Degrees worked in several languages ; he would meet with brethren of many different

nationalities , and would find Alasons of varied creed and faith . He felt sure that their visitor would be convinced that all these brethren had one thing in common with their fellow-Masons in the Caxton , and that was a hearty and honest determination to carry out in a foreign land the good , true , and time-honoured principles of English Alasonry . He again thanked the brethren for their reception , and

assured them the great interest he should ever take in the progress of their lodge would be yet another link between the Alasonic workers in London and those on the far distant shores of the Alediterranean . Several other visitors also returned thanks . The toasts of "The Officers , " and "The Masonic Charities" rapidly followed , and the Tyler ' s toast brought a very pleasant evening to a close .

BURY ST . EDMUNDS . —Royal St . Edmund ' s Lodge ( No . 100 S ) . —The seventeenth anniversary of this lodge and installation of the W . AL for the emuing year took place on Alonday , the 2 SU 1 ult ., in the Masonic Room at the Angel Hotel . The lodge was honoured by the presence of the V . W . Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Suffolk , Bro . the Rev . C . J . Alartyn , Past Grand

Chaplain of England , and several distinguished visitors . The lodge was opened by the W . AL , Bro . T . I . Huddleston , P . P . G . S . W . Suffolk , after which the V . W . D . P . G . M . entered in precession , and having been saluted , the minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed . A ballot was then taken for Air . C . Stebbing , who was unanimously elected , and initiated into the mysteries of ancient

I ' rec masonry , the ceremony being ably performed by Bro . J . Neal York , P . AL , P . P . G . S . W . Cambs ., the charge being delivered by the V . W . D . P . G . M . After the ceremony of initiation , the W . AI . elect , Bro . J . Robert Thompson , P . P . G . S . B . of Suffolk , was conducted to the pedestal , and the ceremony of installation was proceeded with . A Board of Installed Alasters ( numbering sixteen ) having

been formed , he was duly installed into the chair of K . S ., Bro . J . Neal York officiating as Installing Master . The newly-installed W . AI . then appointed and invested his officers as follows : Bros . J . G . Oliver , S . W . ; G . ] . Paine , J . W . ; Harry Thompson , S . D . ; W . Pead , J . D . ; W . H . 0 . Jones , I . G . ; T . J . Huddleston , I . P . M ., Treas . ; W . H . Lucia , Past G . S . B . England , Sec ; H . lvrans ,

Chap . ; J . Neal York , D . C . ; G . Cornish , Steward ; W . Nunn , Org . ; and C . Gooch ( re-elected ) Tyler . The V . W . D . P . G . AI . then in a most impressive manner delivered the ancient charges to the W . AL , Wardens , officers , and brethren . "Hearty good wishes" having been given to the W . AI . from the Prov . Grand Lodge of Cambs ., the Prov . Grand Lodge of Herts ., the Prov . Grand Lodge of Suffolk .

and from Lodges Nos . SS , 359 , 449 , 516 , 1592 , and 1 G 63 , the W . AI . proposed that a vote of thanks be recorded on the books to the V . W . D . P . G . AI . of Suffolk , for his assi ; t ance in the work of the evening , also to Bro . J . Neal York , P . M ., for his kindness in performing the ceremony of installation ; at the same time stating that he felt it a very great honour that the Worshipful brother who had initiated ,

passed , and raised him in the Three Degrees of Craft Alasonry , and had also exalted him in the Royal Arch Degree , had now placed him in the highest office that the brethren of the lodge had the power to confer upon him . The lodge was then closed , and the brethren retired to banquet , The W . AL presided , and was supported by the V . W . D . P . G . AI . of Suffolk , Past Grand Chaplain of

Emrland , Bro . Martyn ; Bros . W . H . Lucia , P . G . S . B . England ; \ V . Clarke , A . G . P . England ; J . N . York , P . P . G . S . W . Cambs . ; Groom , P . P . G . S . D . Herts ; Wright , P . P . G . S . W . Suffolk ; T . J . Huddleston , Prov . G . Treas . Suffolk ; and other brethren . The usual loyal and Masonic toasts having been proposed and honoured , thc brethren separated , after having spent a very pleasant evening .

MANCHESTER . — Strangeways Lodge ( No . 1219 ) . —The regular meeting of this lodge took place at the Empire Hotel , Strangeways , on Wednesday , the 30 th ult . The following brethren were present : Bros . W . W . Dawson , W . M . ; Robert Leech , I . P . M . ; Henry Metcalf , S . W . ; W . Brandon , P . AL Treas . ; VV . Appleby , Sec . ; C . Hargreaves , S . D . ; VV . Willis , J . D . ; James Kelly , I . G . ; J . Bull , VV . Schofield , P . AI . ; it H . Needham , P . AL ; J . Andrew , P . AL ; John Rogers , P . M . ; VV . Barnes Russell , D . of C . ; F . Levers , H . E . Millen , J . Percival , F . VV . Whittle , A . H . Battye , G . Hant , P . C . Moore , John