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Address Of Bro. The Hon. H. T. Prinsep, D.G.M., To The District Grand Lodge Of Bengal.
ADDRESS OF BRO . THE HON . H . T . PRINSEP , D . G . M ., TO THE DISTRICT GRAND LODGE OF BENGAL .
We acknowledge with thanks a copy of " Report of Proceedings at a Quarterly Communication of the District Grand Lodge of Bengal , held on the 21 st March , 1 SS 1 . " To do iustice to it , we have embodied the whole of the
excellent address . BRETHREN , —In the discharge of my duties as District Grand Master of Bengal , I have found considerable difficulty in tracing the progress of Masonry in this district because wc have no periodical statements of the strength of the several lodges , or indeed oi their very existence . Our records contain only correspondence and returns submitted
as a rule with some irregularity , and therefore I have been obliged to abandon any attempt to trace the origin , decadence and extinction of some lodges whose names are no longer on our rolls , and the successful career or varying fortunes of those now working . Such a state of affairs has convinced me that it is my duty to endeavour to repair this deficiency of the past by transmitting to my successors
the results of my tenure of office . But , though I am unable to give you any detailed information of by-gone years , as has been correctly observed by one of my predecessors , Rt . Wor . Bro . Sandeman ( see proceedings 21 st March , 1 S 67 ) , " the progress of Masonry in the Province may always be tested in a measure by the sums received by the District Grand Lodge on account of fees . " I have
therefore prepared a statement of the receipts of District Grand Lodge for funds for the maintenance of establishment , & c , and on account of the fund of benevolence for the last twenty years , and my excellent Secretary has prepared a statement of the work done by each lodge within the district , and its strength at the commencement and at the end of the past year . I propose in future at each
succeeding March meeting to provide you with this information for permanent record for the use of our successors , and I have little doubt also that such information win incite lodges to a laudable emulation to maintain their position in the district , and to compete with other lodges in working strenuously for the furtherance of our Order ; but I must take this opportunity of expressing an earnest hope that
such zeal will be tempered with discretion , and that in the desire to excel , brethren will be mindful of the wholesome rules laid down in the Constitutions and traditions of our Order , that no person can be made a Freemason without due enquiry into his character and qualifications , and that it is not lawful for us to press our friends to become members of our Order .
From the statement prepared by the District Grand Secretary , which will be printed in our proceedings , it will be seen that at the end of 1 SS 0 , there were nine lodges on our roll . Since then , 1 have much satisfaction in announcing anew lodge , Faith , has been opened at Saharunpore , which raises our number to thirty . Of these , Beauchamp Lodge , No . 1422 , was in abeyance in consequence of the
departure of nearly all its members on service in Afghanistan , but as I announced to you at our last meeting on St . John ' s Day , it has now resumed work . Lodge Star of Orissa , No . 1106 , at Cuttack , which has for some time been in abeyance , has now re-opened , for which our best thanks are due to W . Bro . Col . C . T . Hitchins . On the subject of this lodge , 1 must mention to you , that I have
allowed its warrant to be returned , and the lodge to resume its work , though more than two years have passed since it first went into abeyance . It will , therefore , be necessary for me to ask you to confirm my proceedings in the matter , as there has been a transgression of the bye-laws by me in this respect . I must explain that this lodge went into abeyance because the last Master elect could not get a
Board of Installed Masters to put him into the chair . I expected him to come to Calcutta for the purpose , but there was some difficulty about it , and at last I had to look around me to make other arrangements , when luckily an opportunity was offered me of resuscitating the lodge through our W . Bro . Lieut .-Col . C . T . Hitchins , who is a Past Officer of this District Grand Lodge , and it has now
been re-opened and is working successfully . I mention this because it will be necessary for you to consider whether my action , and the steps 1 have taken , thus explained , are such as to induce you to confirm them , for they are really a transgression , and I am afraid a very great transgression , of the bye-law of District Grand Lodge , which requires the District Grand Secretary to return to England
the warrant of any lodge which had been in abeyance for more than two years . On the other hand , I regret to announce that Chota Nagpore Lodge , No . 1352 , has been placed in abeyance , and , as I have already stated , I doubt whether , from the reduced condition of Hazaribaugh , it will be possible to maintain a lodge in that station . The district , therefore , now consists of twenty-nine lodges , all in full work , and to the best of my belief , in excellent
order . 1 have , as 1 have already said , been unable to ascertain with accuracy the state of this district at any particular period for purposes of comparison . I learn , however , from the proceedings of this District Grand Lodge ( see proceedings of 21 st March , 1 SG 1 ) , that R . W . Bro . ' Hoff stated that the number of working lodges in 1 S 51 was twenty , and in
1 SG 0 , thirty . At that time , it must be remembered , the district included the territories which were formed in 1 S 68-Go into the separate districts of British Burmah and the Punjab . But on a careful examination of the lists of these lodges , I find that several of them were not then working . 1 his is clear from the fact that in later proceedings of District Grand Lodge it has been reported
that some of these lodges had submitted no returns for 1850 , and that they were at that time reported to be in abeyance , and that their names do not afterwards appear as working lodges . Bro . Hoff ' s statement is , therefore , somewhat incorrect , and this is likely owing to the irregularity with which returns used to be submitted in those days , and the delay and difficulty in communicating with distant lod ges . At present , thanks to the excellent system
or accounts introduced by W . Bro . Locke , in 1 S 73 , and the improvement in our communications by means of railways and the telegraph , every thing is well up to date . In proof of this I have only to point to the fact that at the present moment we have received the returns and dues of every lod ge in this district for the year 18 S 0 , except one , mount Lvcrcst , No . 1525 , and the delay in that case is o « mg to the incapacity of the Treasurer through illness of » wry distressing nature .
Address Of Bro. The Hon. H. T. Prinsep, D.G.M., To The District Grand Lodge Of Bengal.
I next find that in 1 S 63 ( see Proceedings , 21 st March , 1 S 63 ) R . W . Bro . Sandeman announced that there were twenty-seven lodges working under the District Grand Lodge of Bengal . The further statement made by R . W . Bro . Sandeman regarding the strength of these lodges unfortunately affords us tittle reliable information . He states that the number of subscribing members at the end of 1 S 62 , was 544 , and he adds to this that " as only
onehalf of the lodges have submitted their returns for 1 S 62 , these returns may be deemed satisfactory . " The accounts , however , show that at that time sixteen lodges had submitted their returns for 1 S 62 , so that the statement I have quoted is not altogether correct . I have also reason to believe that the figures themselves are not free from error . At all events this is beyond doubt , that at the end of 1 S 62 there were twenty-seven ( more or less ) working lodges in
Bengal . I make the number to be twenty-five , two lodges having ceased to work , and therefore having returned their warrants as was afterwards announced by R . W . Bro . Sandeman . I have taken some pains to verify these figures on careful examination of the accounts up to 1 S 6 7 . In 1 S 6 S the District of British Burmah was formed , by which six lodges were lost to this district , and in the following year by the formation of the District of Punjab , six
more lodges were lost to us . From 1 S 6 9 to 1 S 73 , the Bengal Freemasons' Diary affords us some guide for tracing the number of the lodges of this district , and from 1 S 73 to the present day , the new system of accounts gaye the requisite information . It appears then that in 1 S 69 there were 20 lodges ; 1 S 70 , 21 j 1 S 7 J , 22 ; 1 S 72 , 23 ; 1 S 73 , 24 ; 1 S 74 , 26 ; 1 S 75 , 2 S ; 1 S 76 , 27 ; 1 S 77 , 26 ; 1 S 7 S , 25 ; 1 S 79 , 25 ; iSSo ,
27 ; and 1 SS 1 , 29 . This is all the information that is readily available regarding the state of this district up to the present time . A careful examination of a large mass of records would no doubt give further details of much interest , but neither I nor my laborious Secretary can devote sufficient time for this purpose , i shall , however , be most glad to afford the means of collecting this information to any brother who may have
the inclination and leisure to devote to this labour . We have at the present time 29 working lodges and one lodge in abeyance . At the commencement of last year we had 612 subscribing members on our roll , and at the end we have 701 . During that time 199 brethren have been initiated , 17 S passed , and 1 G 9 raised , making in all 54 G Degrees conferred . Of individual lodges , St . John , N 0 . 4 S 6 , a Calcutta lodge ,
is our foremost lodge in the number , both of its members and of the Degrees conferred . The other lodges come in the following order as regards their strength : Morning Star , No . 552 , Lucknow ; True Friendship , No . 21 S , Calcutta ; Humility with Fortitude , No . 229 , Calcutta ; Independence with Philanthropy , No . 391 , Allahabad ; and Dalhousie , No . G 39 , Mussoorie . But all these are eclipsed in work by True Freemasonry , No . 1 SG 5 , Saidpore ;
Courage with Humanity , No . 392 , Calcutta ; Kumaon , No . 1 S 70 , Naini Tal ; Light in Ajoodha , No . S 36 , Fyzabad ; and Rohilla Star , No . 1843 , Bareilly ; three out of these five last named being our youngest lodges . It will also be seen from the statement that in the course of the year our lodges have had 107 S members , 377 having left us , owing to resignation , exclusion , death , or being transferred to the absent list . Under ordinary circumstances this loss
would be exceedingly unsatisfactory , as it would seem to show that our operations have been unsuccessful in retaining amongst us those who have joined our lodges or become members of our Order ; but those losses can almost entirely be otherwise explained . Vcry many of our brethren must every year leave us in India , owing to sickness , to transfer in the service of Government to other parts of the country , and to departure from India altogether . It must
always be remembered that we are nearly all of us not colonists , but temporary residents of India—visitors , all looking to return to Europe at some future time . Of the 701 subscribing members belonging to 27 lodges ot this district 280 belong to 10 metropolitan lodges and 421 to 17 country lodges . I will now turn to the financial figures of this district . I must , first of all , repeat emphatically what has often
been said from this Chair , that not one piece of these funds has been spent on any kind of refreshment , on eating and drinking . To the minutes of the proceedings of 27 th December , 1 S 73 , a statement was appended showing the receipt of fees to District Grand Lodge and to the Fund of Benevolence since 1 S 50 . I have completed this statement up to the end of 1 SS 0 , and I have corrected in some respects the former
statement . I have had some difficulty in excluding mere items of account , loans from one fund and repayments , and items such as subscriptions to memorials collected through the District Grand Treasurer which should obviously not appear in our Masonic accounts ; but I think I may safely say that my figures are very nearly correct . These will also show that Masonry in this district has by no means retrogressed . The figures in recent years exhibit
more correctly the state of the district , because , as I have already pointed out , in former days collection of dues were made with some irregularity , and , therefore , the amount of one year never showed the working of that year or of any particular period . In all these calculations the receipts during each year have been entered .
To represent the operations of the past year I have taken the figures from 1 st March , 1 SS 0 , to 2 Sth February , 1 SS 1 , from the actual returns and payments of the several lodges for 1 S 80 , so as to show accurately the result of the work of that year . I have excluded all minor funds from these calculations . We have thus the following general results :
DISTRICT GRAND LODGE GENERAL FUND . Receipts Rs . 5852 211 Disbursements 4 gSo 12 G FREEMASONS' HALL SUSTENTATION FUND . Receipts Rs . 6 970 7 o Disbursements 76 7 S 1 4 BENGAL MASONIC FUND OK BENEVOLENCE . Receipts Rs . 4814 10 3 Disbursements Atm iuauurscincws
, A - ... ... ... ... 4494 4 4 to which I would add that in the same period we have paid into the Bengal Masonic Association for the Education o f Children of Indigent Freemasons Rs . 8801-0-1 , of which we have expended in the education of fifteen children Rs - 59 23-6-y , and | have invested the sum of Rs . 3994-5-4 , making our invested capital amount to Rs . 37 , 300 . 1
Address Of Bro. The Hon. H. T. Prinsep, D.G.M., To The District Grand Lodge Of Bengal.
During the year 18 S 0 our working Masonic Funds have realised Rs . 12 , 822-9-u and our Charity Funds have realised Rs . 13 , 615-10-4 , making collections amount to Rs . 25 , 9 go-4-3 . _ I do not desire to make these statements with any wish to claim credit to myself as your local ruler , but to place on record the progress made during the past year , and to satisfy ; those who do not belong to our Order that we are
not idle in furthering the principal object of Freemasonry —Chanty—though we must all of us admit that much still remains to be done to meet the calls made on us . I am afraid I have too long trespassed on your patience . I have to express my sincere thanks for the attention you have bestowed on my lengthened address . If I have interested you , and if I have furnished vou ^ vith information regarding the state of this district wh ' ich will stimulate you in
your exertions on behalf of our Order , I shall feel that the labour that has been bestowed in placing these facts before you has been well expended , and that I need no apology for the time I have to-day occupied in addressing you . I have next to draw your attention to the tablet which has been placed outside the lodge to the memory of our late W . Bro . J . B . Roberts . There , is a surplus left after providing for the cost of that tablet , and
it is proposed to devote that surplus to procuring a portrait of our late lamented brother , which may remind us in future of one who for so long laboutedwith us tor the good of Freemasonry in this district . The sum which we have left is almost adequate for the purpose , but not quite so . We shall therefore be glad to receive subscriptions from any of the brethren who have not already subscribed . W . Bro . J . B . KNIGHT , CLE ., P . D . D . G . M ., then
addressed the lod ge as follows : Brethren—I think no one here present can have listened to the exhaustive and interesting statement which our R . W . District Grand Master has read to us regarding the state of Freemasonry in this district without being struck with the great earnestness he has thrown into the working and ruling of Freemasonry in Bengal , or with the remarkable way with which that earnestness has communicated itself to all the lodges
working under his Hiram in Bengal . I remember well when W . Bro . Prinsep was elected District Grand Master we expected great things from his known ability and his known thoroughness ; but . we are more than gratified with the results of that appointment . We have seen lodges heretofore in a state of disorder brought into order , and we have seen accounts hitherto neglected kept in a satisfactory way . The account as to the state of Freemasonry in
Bengal , which has now been placed before you , with respect to the present is thorough and complete ; and as to the past as complete as the great industry of a man occupied in many other ways can make it . I think that we should not let such a statement as the one we have had placed before us this evening pass without acknowledging in most cordial terms the gratification it has given us , and the indebtedness under which we stand to our R . W . Bro . Prinsep
for the work which he has done for Freemasonry in this district . If we all think that Masonry is a good institution , it is right and fitting that it should be conducted in the best way possible . We must all feel that , under the kindly and strong rule of Right Worshipful Bro . Prinsep , Freemasonry will flourish and p rogress in Bengal , and will still more extend its beneficial influence throughout the district .
I , therefore , propose that the cordial thanks of the District Grand Lodge be formally voted to Right Worshipful Bro . the Hon . II . T . Prinsep for the efforts he has made for the good working of Masonry and of this District Grand Lodge . This resolution having been seconded by Wor . Bro . J . W . BROWNE , District Grand Senior Warden , was carried by acclamation .
The RIGHT WOR . DISTRICT GRAND MASTER replied as follows : Brethren , 1 am very grateful for the kindness which you have always shown to me , and the assistance I have received from those of you who have influence among the younger brethren , for without such influence and such interest it would be quite impossible for me to discharge the duties of my present office . I have done little to deserve the high terms of praise bestowed on me by Wor . Bro .
Knight . I am barely through the half of the five years of ofiice which every District Grand Master is expected to fill , and I trust that in the remaining half you will have no cause for being dissatisfied with my work . I take this opportunity of expressing my great obligation to Wor . Bro . Rustomjee , for the care and labour he has always bestowed in carrying on the duties of his office . I am sure his excellent work has been fully recognised by you in all your dealings with the District Grand Secretary ' s office .
Mr . Arthur Chappell has arranged the next series of Popular Concerts as early as the latter part of October . The committee of the '• National Eisteddfod of Wales , " to be held at Merthyr Tydvil at the end of the present month , have published an extensive programme of their proceedings , which include competitions for prizes of poetry , prose , musical composition , instrumental and vocal
proficiency , painting , sculpture , and carving . The " chair subject" is an " Ode on Love , " for which a prize of twenty guineas is offered . A Welsh operatic libretto also figures in this department . Altogether sixty-four prizes , ranging from two to twenty guineas , are to be awarded by the adjudicators . The German papers state , we know not whether on good authority , that the Queen , on the suggestion ' of the
Crown Princess , has presented to the Museum of Berlin a p icture by Rembrandt of " The Money Changer , " formerly in the Royal galleries at Windsor . Special interest attaches to this picture from the fact that it is dated 1627 , when the painter was only nineteen years old . The only other picture by Rembrandt known to be of the same early date is the " Paul" at Stuttgart . Hiii . Low . iv ' 8 OINTMENT AND PIUS . —For bad legs , gathered
breasts , and scrofulous sores these are genuine specific ? . The grateful and earnest gratitude of thousands who have experienced their unrivalled power over these complaiuts . and whohave been raised from prostrate helplessness and a condition loathsome to themselves and others , renders it unite unnecessary to enlarge in this place upon their extraordinary virtues . The parts allected should
be bathed with lukewarm water , and when the pores are thereby opened the Ointment should be well rubbed in at least twice a day . It is always advisable to take Hollowaj's Pills in these disorders , as they greatly assist the Ointment ' s action . The Pills check the fever and inllammation , purity the blood , and ej «; t all morbid matter from the system , —[ Anvr . ]
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Address Of Bro. The Hon. H. T. Prinsep, D.G.M., To The District Grand Lodge Of Bengal.
ADDRESS OF BRO . THE HON . H . T . PRINSEP , D . G . M ., TO THE DISTRICT GRAND LODGE OF BENGAL .
We acknowledge with thanks a copy of " Report of Proceedings at a Quarterly Communication of the District Grand Lodge of Bengal , held on the 21 st March , 1 SS 1 . " To do iustice to it , we have embodied the whole of the
excellent address . BRETHREN , —In the discharge of my duties as District Grand Master of Bengal , I have found considerable difficulty in tracing the progress of Masonry in this district because wc have no periodical statements of the strength of the several lodges , or indeed oi their very existence . Our records contain only correspondence and returns submitted
as a rule with some irregularity , and therefore I have been obliged to abandon any attempt to trace the origin , decadence and extinction of some lodges whose names are no longer on our rolls , and the successful career or varying fortunes of those now working . Such a state of affairs has convinced me that it is my duty to endeavour to repair this deficiency of the past by transmitting to my successors
the results of my tenure of office . But , though I am unable to give you any detailed information of by-gone years , as has been correctly observed by one of my predecessors , Rt . Wor . Bro . Sandeman ( see proceedings 21 st March , 1 S 67 ) , " the progress of Masonry in the Province may always be tested in a measure by the sums received by the District Grand Lodge on account of fees . " I have
therefore prepared a statement of the receipts of District Grand Lodge for funds for the maintenance of establishment , & c , and on account of the fund of benevolence for the last twenty years , and my excellent Secretary has prepared a statement of the work done by each lodge within the district , and its strength at the commencement and at the end of the past year . I propose in future at each
succeeding March meeting to provide you with this information for permanent record for the use of our successors , and I have little doubt also that such information win incite lodges to a laudable emulation to maintain their position in the district , and to compete with other lodges in working strenuously for the furtherance of our Order ; but I must take this opportunity of expressing an earnest hope that
such zeal will be tempered with discretion , and that in the desire to excel , brethren will be mindful of the wholesome rules laid down in the Constitutions and traditions of our Order , that no person can be made a Freemason without due enquiry into his character and qualifications , and that it is not lawful for us to press our friends to become members of our Order .
From the statement prepared by the District Grand Secretary , which will be printed in our proceedings , it will be seen that at the end of 1 SS 0 , there were nine lodges on our roll . Since then , 1 have much satisfaction in announcing anew lodge , Faith , has been opened at Saharunpore , which raises our number to thirty . Of these , Beauchamp Lodge , No . 1422 , was in abeyance in consequence of the
departure of nearly all its members on service in Afghanistan , but as I announced to you at our last meeting on St . John ' s Day , it has now resumed work . Lodge Star of Orissa , No . 1106 , at Cuttack , which has for some time been in abeyance , has now re-opened , for which our best thanks are due to W . Bro . Col . C . T . Hitchins . On the subject of this lodge , 1 must mention to you , that I have
allowed its warrant to be returned , and the lodge to resume its work , though more than two years have passed since it first went into abeyance . It will , therefore , be necessary for me to ask you to confirm my proceedings in the matter , as there has been a transgression of the bye-laws by me in this respect . I must explain that this lodge went into abeyance because the last Master elect could not get a
Board of Installed Masters to put him into the chair . I expected him to come to Calcutta for the purpose , but there was some difficulty about it , and at last I had to look around me to make other arrangements , when luckily an opportunity was offered me of resuscitating the lodge through our W . Bro . Lieut .-Col . C . T . Hitchins , who is a Past Officer of this District Grand Lodge , and it has now
been re-opened and is working successfully . I mention this because it will be necessary for you to consider whether my action , and the steps 1 have taken , thus explained , are such as to induce you to confirm them , for they are really a transgression , and I am afraid a very great transgression , of the bye-law of District Grand Lodge , which requires the District Grand Secretary to return to England
the warrant of any lodge which had been in abeyance for more than two years . On the other hand , I regret to announce that Chota Nagpore Lodge , No . 1352 , has been placed in abeyance , and , as I have already stated , I doubt whether , from the reduced condition of Hazaribaugh , it will be possible to maintain a lodge in that station . The district , therefore , now consists of twenty-nine lodges , all in full work , and to the best of my belief , in excellent
order . 1 have , as 1 have already said , been unable to ascertain with accuracy the state of this district at any particular period for purposes of comparison . I learn , however , from the proceedings of this District Grand Lodge ( see proceedings of 21 st March , 1 SG 1 ) , that R . W . Bro . ' Hoff stated that the number of working lodges in 1 S 51 was twenty , and in
1 SG 0 , thirty . At that time , it must be remembered , the district included the territories which were formed in 1 S 68-Go into the separate districts of British Burmah and the Punjab . But on a careful examination of the lists of these lodges , I find that several of them were not then working . 1 his is clear from the fact that in later proceedings of District Grand Lodge it has been reported
that some of these lodges had submitted no returns for 1850 , and that they were at that time reported to be in abeyance , and that their names do not afterwards appear as working lodges . Bro . Hoff ' s statement is , therefore , somewhat incorrect , and this is likely owing to the irregularity with which returns used to be submitted in those days , and the delay and difficulty in communicating with distant lod ges . At present , thanks to the excellent system
or accounts introduced by W . Bro . Locke , in 1 S 73 , and the improvement in our communications by means of railways and the telegraph , every thing is well up to date . In proof of this I have only to point to the fact that at the present moment we have received the returns and dues of every lod ge in this district for the year 18 S 0 , except one , mount Lvcrcst , No . 1525 , and the delay in that case is o « mg to the incapacity of the Treasurer through illness of » wry distressing nature .
Address Of Bro. The Hon. H. T. Prinsep, D.G.M., To The District Grand Lodge Of Bengal.
I next find that in 1 S 63 ( see Proceedings , 21 st March , 1 S 63 ) R . W . Bro . Sandeman announced that there were twenty-seven lodges working under the District Grand Lodge of Bengal . The further statement made by R . W . Bro . Sandeman regarding the strength of these lodges unfortunately affords us tittle reliable information . He states that the number of subscribing members at the end of 1 S 62 , was 544 , and he adds to this that " as only
onehalf of the lodges have submitted their returns for 1 S 62 , these returns may be deemed satisfactory . " The accounts , however , show that at that time sixteen lodges had submitted their returns for 1 S 62 , so that the statement I have quoted is not altogether correct . I have also reason to believe that the figures themselves are not free from error . At all events this is beyond doubt , that at the end of 1 S 62 there were twenty-seven ( more or less ) working lodges in
Bengal . I make the number to be twenty-five , two lodges having ceased to work , and therefore having returned their warrants as was afterwards announced by R . W . Bro . Sandeman . I have taken some pains to verify these figures on careful examination of the accounts up to 1 S 6 7 . In 1 S 6 S the District of British Burmah was formed , by which six lodges were lost to this district , and in the following year by the formation of the District of Punjab , six
more lodges were lost to us . From 1 S 6 9 to 1 S 73 , the Bengal Freemasons' Diary affords us some guide for tracing the number of the lodges of this district , and from 1 S 73 to the present day , the new system of accounts gaye the requisite information . It appears then that in 1 S 69 there were 20 lodges ; 1 S 70 , 21 j 1 S 7 J , 22 ; 1 S 72 , 23 ; 1 S 73 , 24 ; 1 S 74 , 26 ; 1 S 75 , 2 S ; 1 S 76 , 27 ; 1 S 77 , 26 ; 1 S 7 S , 25 ; 1 S 79 , 25 ; iSSo ,
27 ; and 1 SS 1 , 29 . This is all the information that is readily available regarding the state of this district up to the present time . A careful examination of a large mass of records would no doubt give further details of much interest , but neither I nor my laborious Secretary can devote sufficient time for this purpose , i shall , however , be most glad to afford the means of collecting this information to any brother who may have
the inclination and leisure to devote to this labour . We have at the present time 29 working lodges and one lodge in abeyance . At the commencement of last year we had 612 subscribing members on our roll , and at the end we have 701 . During that time 199 brethren have been initiated , 17 S passed , and 1 G 9 raised , making in all 54 G Degrees conferred . Of individual lodges , St . John , N 0 . 4 S 6 , a Calcutta lodge ,
is our foremost lodge in the number , both of its members and of the Degrees conferred . The other lodges come in the following order as regards their strength : Morning Star , No . 552 , Lucknow ; True Friendship , No . 21 S , Calcutta ; Humility with Fortitude , No . 229 , Calcutta ; Independence with Philanthropy , No . 391 , Allahabad ; and Dalhousie , No . G 39 , Mussoorie . But all these are eclipsed in work by True Freemasonry , No . 1 SG 5 , Saidpore ;
Courage with Humanity , No . 392 , Calcutta ; Kumaon , No . 1 S 70 , Naini Tal ; Light in Ajoodha , No . S 36 , Fyzabad ; and Rohilla Star , No . 1843 , Bareilly ; three out of these five last named being our youngest lodges . It will also be seen from the statement that in the course of the year our lodges have had 107 S members , 377 having left us , owing to resignation , exclusion , death , or being transferred to the absent list . Under ordinary circumstances this loss
would be exceedingly unsatisfactory , as it would seem to show that our operations have been unsuccessful in retaining amongst us those who have joined our lodges or become members of our Order ; but those losses can almost entirely be otherwise explained . Vcry many of our brethren must every year leave us in India , owing to sickness , to transfer in the service of Government to other parts of the country , and to departure from India altogether . It must
always be remembered that we are nearly all of us not colonists , but temporary residents of India—visitors , all looking to return to Europe at some future time . Of the 701 subscribing members belonging to 27 lodges ot this district 280 belong to 10 metropolitan lodges and 421 to 17 country lodges . I will now turn to the financial figures of this district . I must , first of all , repeat emphatically what has often
been said from this Chair , that not one piece of these funds has been spent on any kind of refreshment , on eating and drinking . To the minutes of the proceedings of 27 th December , 1 S 73 , a statement was appended showing the receipt of fees to District Grand Lodge and to the Fund of Benevolence since 1 S 50 . I have completed this statement up to the end of 1 SS 0 , and I have corrected in some respects the former
statement . I have had some difficulty in excluding mere items of account , loans from one fund and repayments , and items such as subscriptions to memorials collected through the District Grand Treasurer which should obviously not appear in our Masonic accounts ; but I think I may safely say that my figures are very nearly correct . These will also show that Masonry in this district has by no means retrogressed . The figures in recent years exhibit
more correctly the state of the district , because , as I have already pointed out , in former days collection of dues were made with some irregularity , and , therefore , the amount of one year never showed the working of that year or of any particular period . In all these calculations the receipts during each year have been entered .
To represent the operations of the past year I have taken the figures from 1 st March , 1 SS 0 , to 2 Sth February , 1 SS 1 , from the actual returns and payments of the several lodges for 1 S 80 , so as to show accurately the result of the work of that year . I have excluded all minor funds from these calculations . We have thus the following general results :
DISTRICT GRAND LODGE GENERAL FUND . Receipts Rs . 5852 211 Disbursements 4 gSo 12 G FREEMASONS' HALL SUSTENTATION FUND . Receipts Rs . 6 970 7 o Disbursements 76 7 S 1 4 BENGAL MASONIC FUND OK BENEVOLENCE . Receipts Rs . 4814 10 3 Disbursements Atm iuauurscincws
, A - ... ... ... ... 4494 4 4 to which I would add that in the same period we have paid into the Bengal Masonic Association for the Education o f Children of Indigent Freemasons Rs . 8801-0-1 , of which we have expended in the education of fifteen children Rs - 59 23-6-y , and | have invested the sum of Rs . 3994-5-4 , making our invested capital amount to Rs . 37 , 300 . 1
Address Of Bro. The Hon. H. T. Prinsep, D.G.M., To The District Grand Lodge Of Bengal.
During the year 18 S 0 our working Masonic Funds have realised Rs . 12 , 822-9-u and our Charity Funds have realised Rs . 13 , 615-10-4 , making collections amount to Rs . 25 , 9 go-4-3 . _ I do not desire to make these statements with any wish to claim credit to myself as your local ruler , but to place on record the progress made during the past year , and to satisfy ; those who do not belong to our Order that we are
not idle in furthering the principal object of Freemasonry —Chanty—though we must all of us admit that much still remains to be done to meet the calls made on us . I am afraid I have too long trespassed on your patience . I have to express my sincere thanks for the attention you have bestowed on my lengthened address . If I have interested you , and if I have furnished vou ^ vith information regarding the state of this district wh ' ich will stimulate you in
your exertions on behalf of our Order , I shall feel that the labour that has been bestowed in placing these facts before you has been well expended , and that I need no apology for the time I have to-day occupied in addressing you . I have next to draw your attention to the tablet which has been placed outside the lodge to the memory of our late W . Bro . J . B . Roberts . There , is a surplus left after providing for the cost of that tablet , and
it is proposed to devote that surplus to procuring a portrait of our late lamented brother , which may remind us in future of one who for so long laboutedwith us tor the good of Freemasonry in this district . The sum which we have left is almost adequate for the purpose , but not quite so . We shall therefore be glad to receive subscriptions from any of the brethren who have not already subscribed . W . Bro . J . B . KNIGHT , CLE ., P . D . D . G . M ., then
addressed the lod ge as follows : Brethren—I think no one here present can have listened to the exhaustive and interesting statement which our R . W . District Grand Master has read to us regarding the state of Freemasonry in this district without being struck with the great earnestness he has thrown into the working and ruling of Freemasonry in Bengal , or with the remarkable way with which that earnestness has communicated itself to all the lodges
working under his Hiram in Bengal . I remember well when W . Bro . Prinsep was elected District Grand Master we expected great things from his known ability and his known thoroughness ; but . we are more than gratified with the results of that appointment . We have seen lodges heretofore in a state of disorder brought into order , and we have seen accounts hitherto neglected kept in a satisfactory way . The account as to the state of Freemasonry in
Bengal , which has now been placed before you , with respect to the present is thorough and complete ; and as to the past as complete as the great industry of a man occupied in many other ways can make it . I think that we should not let such a statement as the one we have had placed before us this evening pass without acknowledging in most cordial terms the gratification it has given us , and the indebtedness under which we stand to our R . W . Bro . Prinsep
for the work which he has done for Freemasonry in this district . If we all think that Masonry is a good institution , it is right and fitting that it should be conducted in the best way possible . We must all feel that , under the kindly and strong rule of Right Worshipful Bro . Prinsep , Freemasonry will flourish and p rogress in Bengal , and will still more extend its beneficial influence throughout the district .
I , therefore , propose that the cordial thanks of the District Grand Lodge be formally voted to Right Worshipful Bro . the Hon . II . T . Prinsep for the efforts he has made for the good working of Masonry and of this District Grand Lodge . This resolution having been seconded by Wor . Bro . J . W . BROWNE , District Grand Senior Warden , was carried by acclamation .
The RIGHT WOR . DISTRICT GRAND MASTER replied as follows : Brethren , 1 am very grateful for the kindness which you have always shown to me , and the assistance I have received from those of you who have influence among the younger brethren , for without such influence and such interest it would be quite impossible for me to discharge the duties of my present office . I have done little to deserve the high terms of praise bestowed on me by Wor . Bro .
Knight . I am barely through the half of the five years of ofiice which every District Grand Master is expected to fill , and I trust that in the remaining half you will have no cause for being dissatisfied with my work . I take this opportunity of expressing my great obligation to Wor . Bro . Rustomjee , for the care and labour he has always bestowed in carrying on the duties of his office . I am sure his excellent work has been fully recognised by you in all your dealings with the District Grand Secretary ' s office .
Mr . Arthur Chappell has arranged the next series of Popular Concerts as early as the latter part of October . The committee of the '• National Eisteddfod of Wales , " to be held at Merthyr Tydvil at the end of the present month , have published an extensive programme of their proceedings , which include competitions for prizes of poetry , prose , musical composition , instrumental and vocal
proficiency , painting , sculpture , and carving . The " chair subject" is an " Ode on Love , " for which a prize of twenty guineas is offered . A Welsh operatic libretto also figures in this department . Altogether sixty-four prizes , ranging from two to twenty guineas , are to be awarded by the adjudicators . The German papers state , we know not whether on good authority , that the Queen , on the suggestion ' of the
Crown Princess , has presented to the Museum of Berlin a p icture by Rembrandt of " The Money Changer , " formerly in the Royal galleries at Windsor . Special interest attaches to this picture from the fact that it is dated 1627 , when the painter was only nineteen years old . The only other picture by Rembrandt known to be of the same early date is the " Paul" at Stuttgart . Hiii . Low . iv ' 8 OINTMENT AND PIUS . —For bad legs , gathered
breasts , and scrofulous sores these are genuine specific ? . The grateful and earnest gratitude of thousands who have experienced their unrivalled power over these complaiuts . and whohave been raised from prostrate helplessness and a condition loathsome to themselves and others , renders it unite unnecessary to enlarge in this place upon their extraordinary virtues . The parts allected should
be bathed with lukewarm water , and when the pores are thereby opened the Ointment should be well rubbed in at least twice a day . It is always advisable to take Hollowaj's Pills in these disorders , as they greatly assist the Ointment ' s action . The Pills check the fever and inllammation , purity the blood , and ej «; t all morbid matter from the system , —[ Anvr . ]