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Avith most enthusiastic cheers , which lasted for some time . When they had subsided , he said : Brethren , I beg most sincerely to thank you for the honour you have just been pleased to pay me , and yet more for the proof of your confidence , Avhich you conferred upon me during my

absence from this country on the public service , by re-electing me to fill for the present year the great office of your Grand Master . ( Hear , hear . ) Brethren , no one can be better aware than I am of how inadequately I have been able to discharge , during the year from Avhich we have

passed , the great duties of that office ; partly on account of domestic reasons—Avith Avhich you are all acquainted —( hear , hear)—and partly on the ground of the calls of public duty , which from time to time have interfered , I fear , too greatly for your convenience , Avith my power of

attending to the duties of my Masonic office . But , brethren , I feel very strongly how large a claim I was obliged to make upon your indulgence Avben the important duties with which our gracious sovereign was pleased to entrust me , and which took me across the Atlantic—when

those duties detained me for so lengthened a period at a great distance from this country . But I cannot doubt that one who was engaged in a mission of peace —( hear , hear)—in a mission the great object of which was to cement a friendship between the two great-ranches of the Anglo-Saxon

race —( hear , hear )—was engaged in a truly and most purely Masonic Avork —( hear , hear)—and therefore , brethren , I did count—though those Avere the sentiments by which you were animated —on a larger measure of your indulgence , because I felt that the claim I had upon that

indulgence Avas more than , under ordinary circumstances , any man was entitled to make . But I beg heartily and sincerely to return you my warmest thanks for having again placed me in this great position ; and I will only say now , that I trust I may be enabled to discharge its

duties more adequately and more perfectly during the year Avhich has now commenced than it has been possible for me do during that which was concluded a few weeks ago . Brethren , as I am addressing you on this occasion , I cannot help availing myself of the opportunity—and I gladly

seize the very first opportunity I have had since my return to tin ' s country—to convey to you from our Masonic brethren in the United States the Avarm expression of the truest Masonic feeling —( cheers)—which they charged me on their behalf to carry with me across the Atlantic

and to communicate to the Grand Lodge of England . They gave to me , brethren—not to me , the individual , but to me , the Grand Master of England , the representative of English Masonry —a magnificent reception . ( Hear , hear . ) A reception which proved the hearty Masonic

feeling by which they were united to all Masons of the old mother country . ( Hear , hear . ) As you are all probably aware , the Masons of the United States of America are not bound together by a single Grand Lodge * . they have Grand Lodges in all , or nearly all , I believe , of their

States and territories ; and , consequently , although the meeting 1 attended was in name but of one district—the district of Columbia , in which the city of Washington is situated—there were nevertheless present on that occasion Masons from every part of the vast continent

over which the dominion of the United States extends . They came from New England in the north , from Iowa on the Avest , and from Georgia and Louisiana on the south . The meeting was composed of men who came , I might have said , some thousands of miles to attend it , with the

view of showing that they felt themselves hound to the Masons of England by a warm tie of fraternal union . I was charged to express those feelings to you . It is to me a most gratifying task to have such a duty imposed upon me , and I think you will agree with me—I think you will support me—in that which I said to that great

meeting when I told them that I would insure to every American Freemason who might come to this country at any time the warmest , the heartiest , and most fraternal greeting by the Grand Lodge of England . ( His lordship resumed his seat amidst loud applause . ) The balloting papers were then distributed for

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the election of members of the Board of General Purposes , of the Colonial Board , and of the Committee of Management of the Benevolent Institutions . Bro . M'Intyre , G . R ., in reference to what his lordship had said of the mode and manner in

which he had been received by tlie American brethren , would Avith the permission of the Grand Master—a sit was out of order , and could not be done without permission—venture to put before Grand Lodge amotion to be embodied in a resolution which should express the

English Masons' sentiments towards their American brethren . It would be also a testimony of their extreme regard for his lordship , and show the satisfaction they felt at his return . The M . AV . G . M . : Brethren , There can be no doubt that , strictly speaking , the proposal which

has been made by the Grand Registrar is not within the rules and orders of Grand Lodge , and consequently , unless it is one which meets with perfect approval on the part of Grand Lodge , it is one which I should not feel justified in permitting to be put . At the same time it cannot be denied that the circumstances to which

our excellent brother has alluded are of an unique character , and I am bound to say myself that I do think it would be a very graceful and a very valuable step if this Grand Lodge were thus to take the earliest opportunity of embodying in a resolution the expression of its friendly and

fraternal sentiments towards our brother Masons in America . Bis dat qui cito dat . It is better to do a thing of that kind at once than wait three long months before you do it ; and , personally , I am 'bound to say , that I believe it

would be for the public benefit—I cannot doubt that it would be for the advantage of Masonry nnd the world , if the Grand Lodge were on this occasion , in the warmth of its fraternal sentiments , to shut its eyes to the irregularity . ( Hear , hear . }

Bro . JE . J . M'Intyre , G . R ., said that having now the permission of the Grand Master and Grand Lodge , he Avould venture to ask the brethren to prove by resolution their hearty feelings of gratitude to the Grand Lodge of America , and the Grand Lodge of Columbia

especially , and to all the Grand Bodies of America , and the American brethren Avho gathered together from all parts of that great continent to do honour to the Grand Master of English Freemasons . He had ventured to ask the Grand Master to permit this resolution to be

put before the brethren because he felt the conduct which had been evinced by the Freemasons of America towards the Grand Master of England would find reciprocity in the heart of _ every English Freemason , Avho would perceive that a new bond of brotherhood bound

together the Masons of the two countries by the rcceptior ! accorded to his lordship . It was a spontaneous ebullition of feeling on the part of the American Freemasons who came forward to do honour to English Masonry ; and it ought to be our spontaneous wish—a wish to be shown

by immediate action—to return thanks to them for the kind and brotherly feeling shown to us hy the entertainment of our Grantl Master . He ( Bro . M'Intyre ) felt that we must lay this to our hearts , that a new era had arisen in Masonry by the friendly feeling between the two peoples that

dwell on the two sides of the Atlantic ; that though a great sea rolled between them , their hearts , their feelings , and their aspirations Avere the same ; and that they were determined to be rivals only in their desire to inculcate the principles of Freemasonry . Let them take care that

their Masonic brethren in America should know that we were not devoid of gratitude for the kindnesss they had shown to us , and let that gratitude be expressed by taking the earliest opportunity of recording that sense of gratitude on the lodge minutes—the feelings Ave entertain for those brethren who , in a distant

clime , greeted our Grand Master as a brother . He ( Bro . M'Intyre ) would not detain Grand Lodge by putting the resolution in a particular form of words ; but he thought he should lie making the feelings of all the brethren best known by saying that this Grand Lodge begs to return its most sincere and hearty thanks to the Grand Lodge

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of Columbia and to the other Grand Bodies in America for the kind and fraternal love , affection , and esteem they showed to the Grand Master of England on the occasion of his recent visit so America . That Avas the substance of

the resolution , and he would ask them to pass it , from the affection they had for their Grand Master , and for those Avho so Ayarmly received him in America . He knew they would with one accord say that the American brethren were deserving of our regard , esteem , and thanks ,

and the more publicly that was made known the more it would be appreciated . ( Cheers . ) Bro . H . R . Lewis , Provincial Grand Master of Sumatra : I have great pleasure in seconding the motion , and in doing so let me tell you , when our late Grand Master visited France such a

compliment as was bestowed on Earl de Grey in America was not paid to him . The Americans honour and respect the Masons of this country ; I have seen them pay honours Avhich few have ever received before , and therefore I have much

pleasure in seconding the motion which our worthy brother , the Grand Registrar , has made . Bro . Bennoch suggested that in the formal drawing up of the resolution , the words "United States" should be used instead of the word

" America . The M . AV . G . M .: Brethren , you have heard the resolution which has been proposed by the Grand Registrar ,, and seconded by the acting Deputy Grand Master . I sincerely hope that that resolution will pass unanimously in Grand

Lodge . As I said before , the reception lhat was given to me was not given to me , the individual , but to me , the chosen representative of Masonry in this country for the time being ; it was a reception given to you all in my person ; it was a proof of the warm and fraternal feelings which are cherished by the Masons of the

United States for the Masons of England ; and I rejoice therefore that you should be able to take this opportunity of sending back a truly fraternal response to that greeting . I therefore put it . The M . AV . G . M . : Carried neminecontradicente ( Great cheering . )

The following report of the Board of Benevo lence for the last quarter was taken as read It recommended the following grants , viz : —

Thc -widow of a deceased brother of the Royal Somerset House and Invernesss Lodge , No . 4 , London . £ 100 The widow of a deceased brother of the St Paul's Lodge , No . 194 , London 50 A brother of the St . Matthew ' s Lodge , No .

539 , AA ' alsall 50 The widow of a deceased brother of the Shakespeare Lodge , No . 284 , Warwick 50 The widow of a deceased brother of the Restoration Lodge , No . 111 , Darlington 50

All these grants were , on the motion of Bro . J . M . Clabon , confirmed . Thc report of the Board of General Purposes was taken as read . Bro . Ll . Evans said that , in moving that the report be adopted and entered on the minutes , he would call the attention of the Grand Lodge

to the result of the deliberations of the Board . They had done their best in the interests of the brethren , and they trusted that from the report it would be found that they had studied the finances of Grand Lodge in providing the organ , which had cost far less than the vote of Grand Lodge authorised them to expend . ( Cheers . )

The report was then received , and ordered to be entered on the minutes . A statement of the Grand Lodge accounts at the last meeting of the Finance Committee , held on the 12 th May , 1870 , showed a balance in the hands of the Grand Treasurer of .- £ 3 , 723 is . 3 d .,

and in the hands of the Grand Secretary , for petty cash , ^ 75 . Bro . E . J . Fraser moved that the report of the Colonial Board be taken as read . This was agreed to , and the resolutions regarding Bro . Ooquillctte , commented upon in our article last week , were therefore adopted .

The annual report of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and the AVidows of Freemasons , dated the 19 th of May , 1871 , Avas then laid before the Grand Lodge .