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the 21 st ult ., and the valuable services rendered by Bros . J . R . WHITE , Prov . G . Treas ., and W . H . | SPAULL , Prov . G . Sec , having been worthily and cordially recognised , the Provincial Grand Lodge of North Wales and Shropshire ceased to be , only , however , shortly to reappear among us again ,

as formerly , but in the separate and distinct Provincial Grand Lodges of North Wales with Bro . Lord HARLECH , as P . G . M . and Shropshire under Bro . Sir O . WAKEMAN , Bart ., P . G . M . May they flourish under the new arrangement as under the old .

* * * THE Province of West Lancashire has good reason to be proud of the position it occupies in English Freemasonry , and that it should have taken credit to itself in respect of this position is no more than we have right to expect . It may or may not be , speaking numerically , our strongest province ; but it

is undoubtedly among our strongest in its practical observance of the principles of the Craft . A retrospect at the figures given in the Treasurer's statement , as published in our columns last week , will show this . It commenced the year 1884-5 with the following balances in hand , namely : Charity Fund , £ 190 4 s . iod . ; Provincial Grand Lodge Fund , £ 637 os . id . ; Fund of

Benevolence , £ 18 4 6 19 s . 1 id ., giving a grand aggregate of balances in its favour of £ 2675 4 s . iod . Such a statement is immensely gratifying , and would have been creditable to the province had its numerical strength been twice , or even thrice , as great as it is . But the condition of things was vastly better at the close of the year in question , when the balances were as

follow : Charity Fund , £ 326 19 s . iod . ; Provincial Grand Lodge Fund , , £ 88 9 16 s . 7 d . ; Fund of Benevolence , , £ 2159 6 s . 3 d ., the aggregate of balances being £ 3356 2 S . iod ., or ^ 6 So 18 s . more than at starting . But this is only a part of the picture . Our West Lancashire friends are by no means satisfied even with these undoubted evidences of their prosperitv , nor are

their efforts in the cause of benevolence restricted to the ordinary provincial channels . They have an Educational Association , which last year expended ^ 1525 towards clothing , educating , and maintaining 161 children , and whose available assets fall not very far short of ^ 18 , 500 . Then there is the HAMER Benevolent Fund , which provides assistance for decayed West

Lancashire brethren , and quite recently there has been established the ALPASS Benevolent Fund , for the widows of brethren belonging to the province . Thus the province has a complete array of well-ordered and well-to-do Charitable Associations of its own , which must not only be locally beneficial , but must likewise be the means of lightening the demands on the resources

of our principal Masonic Institutions , J hat West Lancashire , which is one of our chief industrial centres , should be capable of achieving all this , and more in the event of more being found necessary , does not detract from the merit of what it has done . It has a popular chief in the person of that splendid ideal of a sound English Freemason—the Earl of LATHOM ; it has

capable Provincial Officers , and a sterling rank and file . Moreover , a large proportion of its members are men of substance . But it might have had all these many times repeated , and yet not have done in the way of true

benevolence what it has , had it not possessed the strong and determined will to do its duty loyally , and the ability on the part of the Executive officers to regulate and direct its efforts , so that they might be productive of the greatest good to the greatest number .

* * * MR . HEALY , M . P ., has evidently taken a leaf out of the book of the man who , as the story goes , once silenced a notoriously abusive fishwife by calling her a " parallelopipedon . " The hero of the story knew he would have no chance whatever against the virago if he fought her with the

ordinary weapons of abuse , so he flung at her an epithet of many syllables she had never heard of and could not repudiate . Similarly , Mr . HEALY knows he is no match for the Earl of CARNARVON , the present Viceroy of Ireland , in the use of courteous and conciliatory language . He knows , too , that even the most disloyal of Irishmen have no grievance against his

lordship , either personally or officially . So , having discovered that Lord CARNARVON is a distinguished Freemason , and being aware of the hatred felt by Romanists for the members of that Society , he roundly charges his lordship with having appointed men to offices of trust , not in consequence of their ability or experience , but on the sole ground of their being

Freemasons , so that he ( Lord CARNARVON ) might be in a better position to tackle successfully the so-called Nationalist League . This , after a certain fashion , is a kind of clencher in the way of argument , which it is difficult , if not impossible , to combat successfully . Lord CARNARVON , probably , had about as much idea of mixing up his Freemasonry with the

appointments he may have recently made , as he has of taking over the command of our forces in Egypt . But the new officials happen to be Freemasons , and his lordship is a Freemason likewise , ergo , blusters out Mr . HEALY , the former were appointed by the latter because they were Freemasons . Of course , it is no good attempting to meet this logic (!)

either with the " suaviter in modo or the " fortiter in re . Moreover , it is proverbially hard to prove a negative . Thus we have no choice but to leave to Mr . HEALY the palm of victory . He has routed the LORD LIEUTENANT of IRELAND , not in courtesies or in argument , but in the

invention of groundless charges , which it is well nigh impossible to disprove . However , we are quite content it should be so . Any stick will do to beat a dog with , and any mare's nest will serve to bamboozle the more ignorant Irish .

* * * WE give a full report of the Special Court of the Girls' School held at Freemasons' Hall on Tuesday . We referred at some length last week to the particular object with which the Court was summoned , and we are pleased beyond measure at finding that the proposal of Bro . ROBERT GREY , P . G . D ., to confirm the provisional contract entered into by the Secretary ,

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on behalf of the Institution , to purchase certain ground adjoining the School for the sum of £ 5700 , has been not only confirmed , but confirmed without a single dissentient voice . There was a full attendance on the occasion , and Bro . GREY , in moving the resolution of which he had given notice , entered into the fullest explanations possible , showing beyond the possibility of

question that it was most desirable , if , indeed , we might not almost venture to say it was indispensable , to the health and comfort of the . inmates , as well as most material to the financial interests of the Institution , that the purchase should be made . Bro . GREY admitted , as he had previously done , that the price agreed upon of £ 5700 was by no means a cheap

one ; but he placed it clearly before the meeting that the mere question of price sank into insignificance when placed side by side with the still more important questions of the present health of the children and the future value of the property , both of which would be largely affected , if the alternative idea of hemming in the school with small

houses were permitted to be carried into execution . So clear , indeed , were Bro . GREY ' S explanations that Bro . MATIER , who seconded the resolution , both felt and said that he could add nothing which would make their justice more apparent , and the brethren , after a few approving remarks from

Bro . BRACKSTONE BAKER , and others , voted the confirmation of the provisional contract with absolute unanimity . It now only remains for the Quarterly Court to-morrow ( Saturday ) to confirm the proceedings of Tuesday , and the purchase will be carried out . We congratulate the Executive and well-wishers and supporters of the Institution on what has taken place .

* * * OUR readers will learn with unfeigned sorrow that Bro . J MESSENT , P . G . S . B ., one of the most popular , as he was also one of the most zealous and capable members of our Society , died on Sunday last , the 4 th inst . Bro . MESSENT was a man of middle age , and in the ordinary course of nature it

might have been hoped that he would have remained yet many years among us , enlightening us with his knowledge , and encouraging us by his bright example to be brave and steadfast Masons . But it has been ordained otherwise , and there remains to us the one sorrowful duty of expressing

the grief which , in common with all his brethren , we must feel at his death . The funeral is arranged for to-day ( Friday ) , the earlier portion taking place at St . Thomas ' s , Portman-square , at the hour of eleven a . m ., and the burial at Kensal Green Cemetery . We shall give a fuller account of our late brother's Masonic career next week .

Consecration Of The Aire And Calder Chapter, No. 458, At Goole.

CONSECRATION OF THE AIRE AND CALDER CHAPTER , No . 458 , AT GOOLE .

On Monday , the Aire and Calder Chapter , No . 458 , was consecrated by Comp . C . Letch Mason , P . Z . 304 , 306 , and 3 80 , P . P . G . H ., there being a good attendance of companions , which included Comps . T . W . Tew , Prov . G . Supt . ; Henry Smith , P . G . S . E . ; W . B . Alderson , P . P . G . R . ;

G . Marshall , P . G . T . ; S . Slack , P . P . G . 1 st A . S . ; W . F . Tomlinson , P . G . Soj . ; W . Delanoy , P . G . S . ; R . Craig , P . P . G . A . Soj . ; H . G . E . Green , 154 ; and companions from Nos . 304 , 242 , 495 , 154 , 521 , and others .

I he chapter was duly constituted as follows : Comps . Mason , Z . ; W . B . Alderson , H . ; Tomlinson , J . ; H . Smith , Scribe E . ; Delanoy , Scribe N . ; Craig , C . S . ; and Slack , P . Z ., Director of Ceremonies . It having been duly opened , the Prov . Grand Superintendent , Comp . T . W . Tew , j . P ., P . G . Prin . Soj . England , was formally saluted , and , in making his

acknowledgments , referred to the pleasure he felt in so soon after his own investiture by Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , the Grand Scribe E ., as Provincial Grand Superintendent of West Yorkshire , being present at the consecration of a new chapter . He had had very great pleasure in inviting Comp . Mason to perform the ceremony on the present occasion , as he felt proud to preside

over a province which included Masons so experienced and able as to undertake duties of that character . It was far from his wish to monopolise the work of the province ; on the contrary , he held it to be his duty , looking at the fact that at some date he would either have to vacate by death or

resign his post , to do everything that he could to induce companions like their First Principal of that day to devote their attention to Freemasonry , so that the knowledge and teaching of their ritual might be preserved and spread .

Ihe petitioning companions having taken their seats , the Consecrating Principal , Comp . MASON delivered an oration , in which he referred to the traditional history of Arch Masonry , to the ritual observed by the ancients ,

as in contrast with that of the moderns , and to the highly intellectual tendency of the whole Degree . He urged the duty of all P . M . ' s to take the Degree , as completing the Third , and pointed out the moral and spiritual meanings of the several parts of the ceremony .

The address , which was attentively listened to , was full of interesting information , of which the above very brief notice gives no adequate idea . The ceremony was then proceeded with , the musical portion being rendered by Comps . Dayson , P . P . G . O . ; Gooderidge , and Foster . The whole

was very impressively done , the dedicatory prayer and scripture portions being given by the Third Principal . Corn , wine , oil , and salt were duly sprinkled in the East , and the chapter formally dedicated and consecrated by Comp . Mason .

The three Principals elect were then invested , viz .: Comps . E . T . Clark , P . Z ., Z . ; H . T . Gardiner , H . ; and E . Gooderidge , J . The officers appointed were Comps . E . T . Foster , Scribe E . ; G . P . Martin , Scribe N . ; Wm . Everatt , C . S . ; Dayson , Org . ; Martin , Treas . ; Hind , Asst . Soj . ; and Caurhorn ( absent ) .