United Grand Lodge Of England.

D . Child , P . M . 1719 ; Lieut .-Col . Alfred Durrant , P . M . 569 ; Constantine Doresa , P . M . 749 ; Leonard Potts , P . M . 1716 ; John Robertson Reep , P . M . 1260 ; George Graveley , P . M . 898 ; Alexr . C A . Higerty , P . M . 26 97 ; and James A . Shelton , W . M . 2579 . The following brethren were nominated by the Grand Master on the tame Committee : Bros . Thomas Jones , P . G . D . ; J . T . C . Winkfield , P . A . G . D . C ; John Read , P . G . Std . Br . ; Samuel Vallentine , P . G . P . ;

S . V . Abraham , P . G . P . , * C J . R . Tijou , P . A . G . P . ; James Kew , P . A . G . P . ; H . A . Tobias , P . G . Std . Br . ; Frederick Mead , P . G . Std . Br . ; and Surgeon-Lieut .-Col . H . W . Kiallmark , P . G . D . On thy motion of Bro . J . H . MATTHEWS , President , seconded by Bro . D . D . MERCER , S . V . P ., the report of the Board of Benevolence for the past quarter was adopted and the following grants were confirmed : A brother of the Chorlton Lodge , No . 13 S 7

Chorlton-, cum-Hardy ... ... ... ... £ 50 o 0 A brother of the Wanderers Lodge , No . 1604 , London 50 o o A brother of the Lodge of Israel , No . 205 , London ... 50 o o A brother of the St . Cecilia Lodge , No . 1636 , Brighton 150 o 0 A brother of the Loyalty Lodge , No . 243 , Guernsey ... 60 o o The widow of a brother of the Highgate Lodge , No .

1366 , London ... ... ... ... 50 o o A brother of the Royal Union Lodge , No . 3 S 2 , Uxbridge 50 o 0 The report of the Board of General Purposes , as already published , was taken as read , and ordered to be received and entered on the minutes , on the motion of Bro . W . J . MASON ( Vice-President ) , seconded by Bro . Capt . KNIGHTLEY . Bro . J . A . FARNFIELD , P . A . G . D . C , moved :

That the sum of . £ 70 be given from the Fund of General Purposes for the purchase of coals for the residents in the Masonic Institution at Croydon during the winter season , and that the cheque be placed in the hands of the Secretary of the Institution .

He said it might seem strange that he moved this resolution in June ; but , as the brethren knew , the motion must be confirmed at the September meeting , for , if it was not , the benefit they wished to give the Old People in the autumn would be lost . The motion was seconded and carried .

Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , P . G . D ., moved : That Rule 137 of the Book of Constitutions , which requires the Master and Wardens of every lodge in the London district , after installation and investment , to sign their names in a book at the Grand Secretary ' s Office , be expunged .

He said he was quite satisfied that he need not detain the brethren more than a few very minutes in moving this resolution , because when they heard it—at all events the London brethren—they would be so satisfied of its justice , that they would unanimously vote for it , and he also felt that the provincial brethren were quite animated by the same feeling—that they would not wish the London brethren to be tied with a disability from which they bad

not suffered themselves . By the Book of Constitutions , Rule 137 provided that" the Master and Wardens of every Lodge in the London district , " i . e ., within a circuit of 10 miles round London , " shall , after installation and investment , respectively , sign their names in a book , at the office of the Grand Secretary , and no Master , -Past Master , or Warden of any London lodge shall be entitled to

enter the Grand Lodge unless he shall have previously signed his name in such book . " That applied to Masters , Past Masters , and Wardens , and the penalty of not doing so was that the brother could not attend Grand Lodge . That arrangement , he was informed , was made nearly a century ago , when none but Masons surrounding Freemasons' Hall , ever attended Grand Lodge , because brethren , even residing ten miles away , would be

afraid or deterred from coming up to town by fear of being captured by highwaymen —( laughter)—and , therefore , the rule had stood to this day . But a rule was passed that all lodges in the country should send in returns of the Masters and Wardens , and that had been carried out to the present day , - but this arrangement about the London brethren signing the book had never been expunged . Now it worked very unfairly indeed . The

brethren did not live in London now , but in the suburbs , and they came up to Londm in the morning by train , and had no leisure to go to the Grand Secretary ' s office in time ; and if they did comi to Grand Lodge on some important matter , and their names were not down , they were excluded . This came to his mind very forcibly the other day at the election of Grand Treasurer , when he was in

charge of the London room , and he had to disfranchise several brethren because there was a law , and the law must be obsyed . One of his disfranchisements was the Master and Wardens of his own lodge . ( Laughter . ) It came to his mind that the London brethren w-ire under a disability , and the country brethren were not . He put it to the Board of General Purposes ,

which was a ' rep esentative Board not onl y of London , but of the country ; they unanimously endorsed it at once . This was his reason for laying it before the brethren this evening , and he did it with very gr . 'it confidence . He therefore moved the resolution . Bro . J STRACHAN , Q . C , G . Reg ., seconded the motion .

Bro . D . D . MERCER , P . G . P ., moved that it be referred back to the Board of General Purposes . He believed it would lead to unqualified brethren gaining admission to Grand Lodge , and he said this after long experience as a Scrutineer . A BROTHER near the porch seconded .

Bro . W . J . MASON said the Board had carefully considered Bro . Richardson ' s motion . He could say that at the election of Grand Treasurer six or seven were disqual'fied . Bro . STRACHAN , Q . C , added that what had been said in favour of the amendment applied equally to the provincial brethren . The London brethren were at a disadvantage which the country brethren , were not , and the present motion was intended simply to do an act of justice . The Rule 137 had been , at least , 6 y years too long in the book .

Bro . RICHARD EVE , P . G . Treas ., agreed with the motion , but pointed out that disfranchisement took place because the Secretaries of lodges , who were bound to send in returns of who were installed as Masters and

appointed as Wardens , had neglected their duty . The amendment was lost by an enormous majority , and the original motion was all but unanimously carried . Bro . JOHN STRACHAN , Q . C , G . Reg ., next brought up an appeal by

Bro . Alexander Corrie , P . M . of General Gordon Lodge , 2110 , Brisbane , P . D . G . W . Queensland—Against the ruling ofthe R . W . District Grand Master of Queensland in declining to receive certain motions for proposed alterations in the by-laws of District Grand Lodge—

United Grand Lodge Of England.

and , after stating the circumstances of the case , advised that the appeal b allowed . This was seconded by Bro . T . L . WILKINSON , P . D . G . Reg ., and carried . Earl AMHERST said , as the Scrutineers had not yet made their report , he would take it in his private room . Grand Lodge was then closed in ample form .

Grand Lodge Of Mark Master Masons.

GRAND LODGE OF MARK MASTER MASONS .

The Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales , and the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Crown , was held on Tuesday evening last at Mark Masons' Hall , London . The Earl of Euston , M . W . Pro Grand Master , presided . Bro .

Viscount Dungarvan , R . W . Dep . G . M ., occupied his allotted seat . Bro . Sir Reginald Hanson , M . P ., P . G . W ., acted as Senior Grand Warden , ; Bro . Frank Richardson , G . Reg ., as Junior Grand Warden ; Bro . Charles Belton , as G . M . O . ; Bro . Richard Eve , as G . S . O . ; and among the other brethren present were—¦

Bros . Gordon Miller , Baron de Ferrieres , W . M . Stiles , Charles Hammerton , Richard Clowes , Dr . Clement Godson , Major C . W . Carrell , Henry Lovegrove , the Hon . Alan de Tatton Egerton , W . Goodacre , John Houlding , Thomas Fenn , Major J . Woodall Woodall , T . H . Gardiner , Sir Thomas Roe , C . F . Mitier ,

E . Brymer , •*> . ? ., R . Loveland-Loveland , Q . C ; John Strdcrun , Q . C ; H . C . Parkes , P . G . Treas . ; W . Stiles , P . G . Treas . ; A . Woodiwiss , Prov . G . Mister Derby ; Sir Richard Boileau , Bart , A . Cooper , F . Laurance , Rev . V . Wy itt , P . G . Chap . ; Rev . F . Cree , P . G . Chap . ; A . F . Church , R . Cieeves , A . Johns , Percy Wallis , and Rev . A . Hayman Cummings .

After the minutes of the Quarterly Communication of February 28 cn had been read and confirmed , the Report of the General Board wis tdK . cn as read , and ordered to be received and entered on the mi -uies , on tne motion of Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , G . Reg ., seconded by Bro . GORDON MILLER , P . G . Reg .

Bro . R . LOVELAND LOVELAND , Q . C , President of the General Board , in moving—That the Body styling itself " The Honourable United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Mark Mister Masons , Ashton District , " is a spurious and clandestine Body , and all members of the Grand Lodgeof Mark Master Masons of England , Wales , and the Colonies

and Dependencies of the British Crown , are hereby prohibited from visiting such Body , or from receiving any member thereof as a visitor in any lodge of Mark Master Masons under this jurisdiction , said : This matter , Most Wor . Grand Master , has been before the Board fof * some time . We have received information from time to time of this body styling itself " The Honourable United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free

and Accepted Mark Master Masons , Ashton District . " It has nothing to do with our Grand Mark Lodge , and , therefore , it is time that something should be done , inasmuch as we have sent various communications from this body asking them to correspond with us , and to show cause , if they can , as to their remaining and styling themselves a Grand Body of Mark Master Masons ; but they

have treated us more or less with silent contempt—we can get no answer from them . They meet on a Sunday under the warrant of a Craft lodge ; the Master , Wardens , and brethren meet together on Sunday—on a day not named in their by-laws ; they open in the Three Degrees , and then go through this Degree of Mark Master Mason . Besides the action we have taken , probably the attention of his Royal Highness ,

the Grand Master , may be drawn to the Craft lodges ; and possibly the Grand Master of the Craft may call upon the brethren of those Craft lodges to show cause why it is they have met on a day not named in their by-laws , viz ., on a Sunday , that they have gone against their constitution , and contrary to the law . I have no course , therefore , to take but to recommend that this lodge is spurious and all lodges

meeting under it are spurious , and that they receive a communication from the Grand Secretary to the effect that they are a spurious and clandestine body , and that all members of the Grand Lodge of Mark Masons of England , Wales , and the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Crown , are hereby prohibited from visiting such body , or from receiving any member thereof as a visitor in any lodge of Mark Master Masons under this jurisdiction . I therefore move the declaration which stands on the notice paper .

Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , G . Reg .: M . W . G . Master , I rise to second the resolution which has been so well explained by the President of the General Board that it requires very few words from me . In olden times when this Iodge worked under the style of "The Honourable United Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of the Ashton-under-L yne District" it

was not a matter of so much consequence , but now that they have assumed virtually our own title and are calling themselves " The Honourable United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Mark Master Masons , " I think it is time that something should be done to prevent all Masons joining in or having anything to do with such a lodge . Therefore , I have great pleasure in seconding the resolution .

Bro . JOHN STRACHAN , Q . C , suggested that after the word " visiting " should be added the words "or countenancing . " Bro . LOVELAND LOVELAND said he would accept that addition . Bro . Dr . C S . BREWER , Birkenhead , said he hailed with great satisfaction the action which the General Board and the Mark Grand Lod ge had taken . For some years in the neighbourhood of Cheshire this so-called Grand Ledge had done the work of the Mark Degree , and in 18 58 , when

the Lodge of Fidelity was founded , and holding warrant under the Grand Mastership of Lord Leigh , this Iodge set themselves against it , and it had to cease its meetings for many years . They had in Lancashire and Cheshire several brethren parading as Mark Masons under this so-called lodge , and that prevented the propagation of the Mark Degree in this special part of Cheshire . In this special part of Cheshire there were 10 Craft lodges , and in East Lancashire some seven or eight , and they had lent themselves to this action , which had been very detrimental to the Mark Degree in the Province of Cheshire .

Bro . RICHARD EVE , P . G . T ., quite approved of Bro . Strachan ' s suggestion , but thought it required a special notice . He would suggest , ho * v « ever , that it be put by way of amendment .