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A brother of the Fitz-Roy Lodge , No . 569 , London S ° o o A brother of the Polish National Lodge , No . 534 , London 50 o o A brother of the Neptune Lodge , No . 22 , London 15 ° ° O

The widow of a brother ofthe Welchpool Lodge , No . 998 , Welchpool 100 o o A brother of Nyanza Lodge , No . 1197 , Ilminster 75 o ° The widow of a brother of the British Kaffrarian Lodge , No . 863 , Port Elizabeth , Cape of Good

Hope 50 o o Bro . J . M . Clabon then rose and said that the moving of the confirmation of these recommendations gave him an opportunity of speaking on a subject which he had long thought of , and which had been presented to his mind by what

he had seen at several meetings of the Lodge of Benevolence . The brethren at those meetings made various grants , differing in amount , and at the meetings at which the above grants were recommended the proportion which some bore to others was rather anomalous , when the services

of the candidates were considered . In one case £ 100 was granted , where tho brother had been but four years a Mason , while in another £ 73 only was granted to the widow of a brother who had been 21 years a Mason . He was not saying , nor did he intend to say , that the £ 100 was too

much , or that the £ 75 was too little , but when , £ 10-3 was granted to a brother who had been four vears a Mason £ 75 appeared to be too little for the widow of a brother who had been twenty-one years a Mason . It seemed to him that justice was not meted

out equally- Now , whether it was popular or not , he thought he was but discharging a simple duty when he suggested to Grand Lodge that it should consider whether the constitution of the Board of Benevolence was as it ought to be . Every Grand Officer was a member of it ; there

were twelve nominated members , anu every Master and Past Master of private lodges was also a member . As there were now over 1600 lodges there were of course 1600 members of the Lodge of Benevolence . At every time he attended he saw numberless new faces , and it

mig ht be thought so many attending , for though it was not for him to say , that thev came for the support of particular objects ; but he thought that must sometimes be the case , though this , if it was so , was a direct violation of an express rule against the members of the Lodge

of Benevolence being canvassed in any way for a case . The members of the lodge were to go there free and unbiassed . They had to do their duty on the evidence that was produced before them . They all knew that they had just done their duty in electing members of the Board of General Purposes and ofthe

Colonial Board ; and he thought that when brethren came together , some on one evening and some on another , it could hardly be that they could do equal justice in all cases . He did not pronounce any judgment on the matter , but he thought the time had come when Grand Lodge must consider whether the Lodge of Benevolence should not consist of a smaller number of brethren ,

carefully selected , the Grand Master having the appointment of some and Grand Lodge having the appointment , of course , of the larger numbsr . He . thought if this were done , and there were got into the service good and able men , —changing them every year if they liked , but good and able men , —the Lodge of Benevolence as soconstituted would be better able to deal with the cases

coming before them duly and properly . He could say something about the Lodge of Benevolence , as he had known it for many years . On two occasions he had brought forward motions on the subject of dealing with the surplus funds of that lodge . On one occasion , when

the Fund of Benevolence was about £ 150 , 000 , he asked Grand Lodge to devote a certain portion of the surplus every year in helping forward the boys and girls on leaving the schools of the Order , by apprenticing them , or granting exhibitions for them . This subject had come before the brethren lately very prominently

when the two lifeboats were proposed to be founded , and the best thing which was on everybody ' s lips was that there should be exhibitions for schools in commemoration of the Prince of Wales ' s return . No doubt the Committee appointed by Grand Lodge to consider the matter had selected a very good object as

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a memorial , but when he brought before Grand Lodge the subject he had mentioned , the brethren thought the time had not come when they should devote a portion of their surplus funds towards the object which they had in view . Some years afterwards , when the funds

had amounted to £ 37 , , Grand Lodge still thought that the time had not come , and that the fund was not large enough when they could deduct from it to establish the object which he proposed . The funds now had reached to the amount of from £ 40 , 000 to £ 44 , 000 . They

had been saving on the average for the last seven years £ 1300 or £ 1400 every year , and beyond question when the increase went on in that proportion it did offer temptation to the Lodge of Benevolence to be a little extravagant when cases of distress came before them .

The brethren of that lodge might be tempted when such calls came , and a considerable sum of money was proposed to be given , to say " Oh ! give it another £ 50 , we have loads of money , and can afford it . " He had no idea of saving the money for a century or more , and he would

like to be encouraged to bring before the Grand Lodge once more the subject , and ask them whether they should not take a portion of their annual surplus for forwarding the boys and girls in life when they left the schools . It was a very sad thing , but there was no question about it ,

that many of the children when they left th ? schools , where they had been housed and clothed in comfort , were sent out to their parents to be , comparatively speaking , paupers again , and to live in squalor . Therefore , he would like tu

see this subji ct again considered , and he should bring it on again at no very distant time . He then proposed the confirmation of the recommendations of the Lodge or Benevolence . Bro . Joshua Nunn seconded the motion , and concurred in Bro . Clabon ' s remarks .

After a few observations from Bros . Brackstone Baker , Rev . R . J . Simpson , and S . Rawson , the different recommendations were adopted . The report of the Board of General Purposes , the discussion ot which was the next business on the paper , and on the motion of Grand Treasurer it was ordered to be received and entered on the minutes . The report was as follows : —

I . It having been reptesentcd to the Board thit a brothe r had been raised to the Third Degree in twenty-five days only alter having passed to the Second Degree , the circumstances were fully enquired into , and , in result , it was ordered that the brother be re-obligated , and the Lodge ( No . stio ) fined one guinea , and admonished to be more

careful 111 future . 2 . A complaint having been laid before the Board alleging that a candidate had been initiated into Masonry by the W . Master of Lodge No . 820 , whrse name and description had not previously appeared in the lodge summons , as enjoined by the Book of Constitutions , such

candidate being afterwards passed to the becond Degree , in the face of a protest , the lodge was . duly summoned to appear before the Board by its Master and Wardens with the lf ^ dge warrant and books , and after the complaining Past Masters had been heard , as also thc W . Master , LP . Master , and other members , the Board arrived unanimously

at the conclusion that not only was the Masonic offence fully proved , but so unsatisfactory a condition of things was found to exist in the lodge , that the Board suspended it from all its Masonic functions for the space of six months , and ' directed that the candidate in question should be regularly initiated and passed , before being entitled to

Masonic position and privileges . 3 . The Board of General Purposes further report that the number of the Trustees of the real properly of Grand Lodge , originally len , has become by death and resignation reduced to four , and the Board recommend that the original number be made up by Grand Lodge , and that it

be referred back to the Board to take the necessary steps for vesting in them the real property of Grand Lodge . ( Signed ) JOHN B . MONCKTON . President . At the meeting of the 16 th May , after the ordinary business was concluded , it was proposed , seconded , and carried unanimously , that the best thanks of the members

of the Board are eminently merited by the President for the great attention he has paid to the duties of the office , for the admirable manner in which he has discharged them , and the great courtesy and kindness he has on all occasions evinced to his colleagues , and they are therefore fraternally tendered to him . ( Signed ) PETER DE LANDE LONG , Vice-President .

The Grand Registrar said that the 3 rd paragraph of this report was the only portion which required a substantive motion to be made . The number of Trustees there referred to was

originally ten . By resignation and death this number had been reduced to four only , and it had been proposed by the Board that the brethren whose names he would now read should be elected as the Trustees of the real property of

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Grand Lodge . The names of the brethren proposed were—The Earl of Carnarvon , Pro . Grand Master ; Lord Skelmersdale , Deputy Grand Master ; Lord Tenterden , Past Grand Warden Sir Albert Woods ( Garter ) , Past Grand Warden \ the Earl of Donoughmore , Past Grand Warden

Bro . J . B . Monckton , President of the Board of General Purposes ; Bro . John A . Rucker , President of the Colonial Board ; and Bro . F . A . Philbrick , Q . C , Past Grand Deacon . Bro . Peter de L . Long seconded the motion , which was then put and carried unanimously .

The Grand Registrar then said it was customary at the Board of General Purposes at the conclusion of the year of office of the President of the Board to express their opinion of the way in which he had conducted the business . The very worshipful brother who presided over the

Board last year had presided over it for some years ; as year by year went by he had increased the confidence the Board had in him , and he had made himself a power in Grand Lodge , and one of the most useful members of the Craft . The Board , therefore , who had always f & und him

presiding over them with the greatest ability , and the greatest possible urbanity , were doing onl y right in recommending to Grand Lodge the resolution proposed by them , and which he ( Grand Registrar ) would now venture to submit to it . ITe then moved the resolution .

i . his having been seconded , was put and carried unanimously . On the motion of the Grand Registrar , seconded by Bro . Philbrick , Q . C , P . G . D ., Grand Lodge allowed the appeal of Bro . John Locke , W . M . of the Royal Prince of Wales Lodge ,

No . 867 , Trinidad , against a sentence of expulsion from the Craft , pronounced upon him , and the erasure of the lodge , by the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad ; and reversed the decision of the District Grand Lodge of Trinidad Grand Registrar gave a long and exhaustive .

recital of the complicated state of circumstances out of which the appeal arose , and caused great laughter among the brethren by showing the great ignorance of the Book of Constitutions on the part of the authorities in the district of Trinidad .

The annual report of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for A . ged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons , dated 17 th May , 1877 , was laid before Grand Lodge , and the following proposed alteration in the rules then agreed to was , in accordance with the laws of the

Institution , submitted for the approval of Grand Lodge , viz ., " to add to Law I ., p . 15 , after the words ' husband ' s petition , ' the following : — ' And in the event of a widow marrying again and being again left a widow , she shall still be eligible to be a candidate , ' " and it was formally approved by

Grand Lodge . Bro . Benjamin Head , P . G . D ., then proposed "That the sum of £ 70 be given from the Fund for General Purposes ; that the money be placed in the hands of the Secretary of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged

Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons , to supply the residents of the Institution at Croydon with coals during the winter season , '" and the motion being seconded was put and carried unanimousl y-Grand Lodge was then closed in due form .

Result Of Election.

RESULT OF ELECTION .

BOA -RD OF GENERAL PURPOSES . Masters . —Bros . Major Shadwell H . Gierke , 1383 ; Arthur B . Cook , 259 ; William G . Cusins , 1 97 j Frank Green , 156 7 ; Edwin March , 4 io ; James Muzio . n < 0 ; John Geeves

Stevens , 933 ; Alfred Strong , 1118 ; Arthur J . R . Trendell , 29 . Past Masters . —Bros . Daniel Betts , 13 . 51 J Henry Bishop , 66 j Henry A . Dubois , 1326 ; Charles F . Hogard , 20 . 5 ; Henry C . Levander , 632 .

COLONIAL BOARD . Bros . Brackstone Baker 21 ; Francis Bennoch , 1 ; James Brett , 1775 John Gibson , 259 ; R . &• Gould , 92 - , Griffiths Smith , 569 ; Erasmus Wilson , 2 . The undermentioned brethren were nominated at the General Committee on the 23 rd of May