Grand Lodge Of Mark Masons.

read the minutes of the March Communication and of the Special Grand Lodge of April 27 th , which were then put and confirmed . Bro . MATIER next read the following letter from the Grand Master acknowledging the vote of congratulation passed by the special Grand Lodge on H . R . H . the Prince of Wales ' s preservation from the hands of an assassin * .

Marlborough House , Pall Mall , S . W . Sir Francis Knollys is desired by the Prince of Wales to thank the Pre Grand Master , Grand Officers , and brethren of the Mark Degree for their Address ,

conveying the expression of their warm congratulations to his Royal Highness on his merciful preservation upon the occasion of the recent attempt upon his life . gth May , 1900 . C . F . Matier , Esq ., Grand Secretary .

Oji the motion of Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , G . Reg ., seconded by Bro . R . LOVELAND LOVELAND , Q . C , President of the General Board , it was resolved that this letter be entered on the minutes . The Report of the General Board , already published , was , on the motion of Bro . LOVELAND LOVELAND , Q . C , seconded by Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , taken as read , and ordered to be received and entered on the minutes , and its recommendations were agreed to .

The Earl of EUSTON , referring to a grant of £ 25 recommended by the Board , said all the brethren had that great confidence in the General Board to know that they administered the funds properly and carefully . The Report was then adopted . Bro . COUSANS , G . D . C , next proclaimed his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales duly installed as Most Worshipful Grand Master for the year ensuing .

The Earl of EUSTON next said he had to announce that his Royal Highness had been pleased to appoint him again as Pro Grand Master for the ensuing year , an honour he was thankful for , and as far as lay in his power he should do his duty to the best of his ability .

Bro . COUSANS thereupon proclaimed the Pro G . M ., and he was saluted accordingly . The Hon . Alan de Tatton Egerton , M . P ., who had been appointed by H . R . H . the Prince of Wales as his Deputy Grand Master , then took the obligation of the office , and was invested , proclaimed , and saluted . The following brethren were appointed the other Grand Officers for the year :

Bro . Viscount Doneraile ,.. ... ... S . G . W . „ G . C W . Fitzwilliam ... ... ... J . G . W . „ Gordon Miller ... ... ... G . M . O . „ J . A . Farnfield ... ... ... S . G . O . ,, John Haviland ... ... ... J . G . O . „ Rev . C . C . Atkinson , D . D . ... ... ) ' -. rhan i-: „ Rev . F . R . Harnett ... ... ... i ° * ctla P lal , ls-,, John Dimsdale ... ... ... G . Treasurer . ,, Frank Richardson , P . G . W . ... ... G . Registrar . ,, Richard Loveland Loveland , Q . C , P . G . W . ... Pres . Gen . Board . „ Charles FitzGerald Matier , P . G . W . ... G . Secretary . „ W . A . Scurrah ... ... I ¦< n n , „ J . H . Whadcoat ... ... ... 5 „ J . M . Sinclair ... ... ... 7 , r n „ F . S . Hanson ... ... ... ; J- - - „ H . A . Hunt ... ... ... G . I . of Works . „ H . E . Cousans , P . G . D . ... ... G . D . C ,. J . CF . Tower- ... ... - \ \ G D Cs „ James Irvine ... ... j A . u . u . U-. „ Capt . H . G . Giles , R . N . ... ... G . S . B . ,, Walter Newton ... ... ..- Ir * 0 , 1 u . wr \«* t- \ . l Li . old . Brs . ,, W . W . Clayton ... ... ... ) „ J . VV . Hinton , Mus . Doc . ... ... G . Org . ,, John Smith ... ... ... ... G . I . G . „ William Grifiin ... ... ... Asst . G . I . G . „ Edward J . Mills , P . A . G . LG . ... ... G . Tyler . These Grand Officers were then saluted . The following brethren were nominated by the G . Mister as members ofthe General Board : Bros . Abraham Woodiwiss , Prov . G . M . Derby ;

Major C VV . Carrell , P . G . O . ; Charles Belton , P . G . O . ; Richard Eve , P . G . O . ; Gordon Miller , G . M . O . ; antl John Strachan , Q . C , P . G . O . ; and the members elected were : Bros . Richard Clowes , P . G . O . ; Alfred F . Church , P . G . O . ; Col . Clifford Probyn , P . G . Treas . ; Frederick VVest , Dep . Prov . G . M . Surrey ; and T . P . Dorman , Dep . Prov . G . M . Norths , Hunts , and Beds .

The following Grand Stewards were approved of by the M . W . G . M . Bros . John Millard Bastone , Bon Accord Lodge ; John Skinner , Old Kent ; Albert James Thompson , No . 31 ; R . Boughton Smith , No . 6 3 ; diaries Henry Phillips , No . 139 ; Charles Frederick Liversedge , No . 172 ; Louis

Verdier , No . 176 ; S . B . Wilkinson , No . 245 ; Ihomas Hodgson , No . 315 ; George Morton Bond , No . 353 ; Herbert Jordan Adams , No . 365 ; Arthur Clifton Hansard , No . 411 ; Charles E . Ward , No . 427 ; and Albert C McLachlan , No . 528 . Grand Lodge was then closed in ample form .

The Earl of Euston , Pro G . M ., presided at the banquet given by the G . Stewards at Freemasons' Tavern , which was followed by the usual toasts . The music was under the direction of Bro . T . Westlake-Morgan , P . G . Org ., who was assisted by Bros . J . A . Brown , Ed » vard Branscombe , and Robert Hilton . The Earl of EUSTON , in proposing the toast of " The Queen and Mark Masonry , " said he was sure every Mark Mason would drink the toast with enthusiasm . Long might she reign over us , and continue the rule in which she had been second to none in the annals of the world .

The Earl of EUSTON , in proposing the toast of "The M . W . Grand Master , H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , " said he did not think any words of his were necessary , particularly on an evening like this , when news was good from abroad . Perhaps some people were enthusiastic , but he liked them to take success in a dignified way . We had a splendid officer in General Roberts , and the Prince of Wales was delighted to honour and respect him in every way .

The Earl of EUSTON , after a short pause , said lie had taken upon himself , at the instigation of several of the brethren to send a telegram to Lord Roberts to congratulate him on his entering Pretoria . ( Cluers ) , Bro . FRANK RICIIARDMIN , P . G . W ., G . Registrar , propose *! "Tne M . W . Pro G . Master , the Earl of Euston , " and in doing so said , he was

Grand Lodge Of Mark Masons.

satisfied the toast would be received by all present with the greatest pleasure . Of Past Grand Masters there was a good and most excellent list , and they had done good work in their time for Grand Mark Lod ge . They had been the means of establishing Grand Mark Lodge as the brethren now saw it . But for the success that had attended it for the last few years he thought he might safely say they were indebted to the Earl of

Euston . ( Cheers ) . No doubt the accession of the Prince of Wales to the Grand Mastership had a great deal to do with the elevation of the Order in the minds of Mark Masons , but although they had a most excellent Grand Master they wanted somebody ready and willing to carry out the work . In the Pro Grand Master they had the right man in the right place . ( Hear , hear * ) . Grand Mark Lodge never held a Quarterly Communication without it being presided over by the Eirl of Euston . If any

special meeting was held he was sure to be present , and those who had the honour of being on the General Board knew perfectly well it was anything but an unusual custom for the Pro Grand Master to be present . ( Cheers . ) Therefore , he thought that a Pro Grand Master who did his duty in such a way could claim the brethren ' s suffrages by their giving him a hearty welcome . He trusted that the Eirl of Euston would be for many years Pro Grand Master .

The Earl of ELSTON , who was received with loud applause on rising to respond , said the way his health had been received was a great encouragement to him to go on and do the work to the best of his power and ability . He did not deny that there was a certain amount of work to be done , and that the Mark Degree had many years past gone on increasing was no doubt the fact ; but he did not take credit to himself for that ; he took it

that those who came in to Mark Masonry , and felt an interest in it , had gradually formed it into the Grand Lodge that it was now . When he first dined at it there were only 37 or 3 8 brethren . But it was different now . They all worked in cohesion . He thanked the General Board for the work they did month after month . The funds were properly administered ; they ought not to have their money lying by . Although the present was a time when there were

great calls on people s purses , still Mark Masons would support charily . He was about to take the chair at the next festival of the Mark Benevolent Fund Festival ; it was the second , time he assumed that position . The first time he beat the record ; he wanted now to surpass that , for no doubt after the present war there would be great demands on their Benevolent Fund for the assistance of Mark Masons , for widows , and for the education of children . He asked the brethren to remember him on July 1 ith .

The Earl of EUSTON next proposed " The Deputy Grand Master and the Grand Officers , Present and Past . " As far as the Past Grand Officers were concerned , he could not conceive any one placed in his position during the past year could have received kinder support or more willing help than he had from those brethren . As far as the Present Grand Officers were

concerned , the Deputy Grand Master , Bro . de Tatton Egerton , as Prov . Grand Master for Cheshire , had shown good work in the north , and no doubt in the south he would show the keen metal he was made of . He hoped all the new Grand Officers would go on in the same way , and have the interest of Mark Masonry at heart .

Bro . ALAN DI : TATTON EGERTON , M . P ., D . G . M ., iu reply , said he felt a comparatively young Mason , and that he was following in a difficult path when he had undertaken to follow the past Dep . G . Master . But he felt that the glories of that Dep . G . Mastership had b ; en so great that he had a standard by which to go , and that by so doing , having accepted the office , he would be doing right . At the end of his year of office he should ask the

brethren if they could then drink his health as having done well for the cause of Masonry , especially in the M ark Degree , in which he had made very great progress in the last few years . He had seen it himself in his own division , for he was sure that throughout the rest of the United Kingdom and also abroad they had only to work hard and they would make this Degree as prosperous and as well filled with good men as the other Degrees in

Masonry . The Pro G . Master had referred to their charitable efforts . He could assure the Pro G . Master that , as his Deputy , he should hope to assist him in every way to make his Festival a record Festival in thc Mark Degree . They had had two years ago a great Centenary of the Boys ' School . They could not hope to emulate that ; but still they could hope to do a great deal towards making the Mark Charities in a healthy and

prosperous condition , and fit to meet the demands which assuredly would come upon them after this war . The Mark was comparatively young , but no branch of Masonry had made so great progress in the past few years ; and he could only hope that during the term that hc should occupy his position he would assist and do all that lay in his power lo advance it to the highest point .

Bro . T . P . DORMAN proposed " The Mark Benevolent Fund , " and asked the brethren to assist in making Lord Euston ' s year a great success . He hoped it would beat all records . Bro . li . LOVELAND LOVELAND , Q . C , responded , and said that , as there would be increased demands on the Tunds , so there must be increased sums subscribed to meet them . He hoped the brethren would rally round the Pro Grand Master .

Bros . AUCIIINLECK ( Representative of the Grand Lodge of Ireland ) and FRANK DAVIES ( Victoria ) replied to the toast of "The Visitors . " Bro . BRYMER ( Dorsetshire ) replied to the toast of "The Prov . Grand Masters . " Bro . PARKER , Secretary of the Board of Grand Stewards , responded to the toast of "The Grand Stewards , " after which the brethren separated .

In no way do nations , at different stages of civilisation , vary more than in the kind of mon ey which they elect to use . The Spartan iron coinage of ancient Greece is well known to all of us . Probably the most cumbersome in the world at th e present time is the millstone money , used by the men of the Pillan Islands , in Pol ) nesia . It consists of huge rounds of limestone or millstone , six feet in diameter ; but its clumsiness seems to be no bar to

commercial enterprise , for it has been lately discovered that this " simple " savage has a complicated system of exchange , for which he extorts a usurious rate of interest . The daintiest money known is that used in New Ireland , an island in the group called the Bismarck Archepelago , under the German protectorate ol the New Guinea Company . It consists of beautiful

little shells , no bigger than a pin ' s head , which are strung together in rows . Care is taken to group shells of the same species only , and the different stiingsare used to make different purchases—rows of a particular kind of shell buy a wife ; others will purchase a canoe , while the less valuable kinds are used in barter for provisions .