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figurine with / 107 2 s . ; Bros . A . R . Carter of the Temple Bar , 1728 , and Bro . E . Y . Joliffee of No . 2118 , being equal with £ 106 is . to their respective ' credits ; G . L . Eyles of the Jerusalem , No . 197 , and W . G . Fenn , La Tolerance , No . 538 , bracketed together , contributing £ 105 each , and Bro . Charles Hammerton , bringing up the rear with the excellent sum of . 6 101 . Turning to

THE PROVINCES , we find there is a slig ht increase in the number of Stewards as compared with last year ' s Festival of this Institution , while , as regards the number of represented Provinces , we must go back a long time in order to cite an Anniversary at which the proportion is so small . Of the 44 provinces and the Channel Islands , only about two-thirds sent up Stewards , the number of

absentees on Wednesday being 14 as against 12 at the Benevolent Festival in February , and nine at those of the two Schools last year . The absentees are as follow : B EDFORDSHIRE ( five lodges ) , which raised close on ^ 200 at the Benevolent and Girls' School Festivals in 1886 ; CHESHIRE ( 40 lodges ) , whose absence can only be accounted for by its having been closely occupied with its change of government . But for this circumstance we should no

doubt have found it in its usual place in the list . CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORELAND ( 20 lodges ) , having determined upon raising 1000 guineas ( , £ 1050 ) for the Benevolent Institution , must have its hands too full to allow of its devoting much attention to the Schools . DEVONSHIRE ( 51 lodges ) has done good work in its time , and figured on a moderate scale at two of last year ' s Festivals , and at the Benevolent Festival in February . D ORSETSHIRE ( 13

lodges ) sent up a Steward with a goodly list in February , and took part in two out of the three Festivals in 1886 . LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND ( 12 lodges ) raised £ 250 for the Old People in February , and a somewhat larger amount for the Boys' last year . In 1885 this Institution was enriched to the extent of £ 405 , while the Benevolent received ^ 330 in 1884 , and the Boys' School X 405 in 1883 . Thus , each Institution has its turn , and the Girls' School

will , no doubt , be the object of attention in 1888 . That LINCOLNSHIRE ( 23 lodges ) should be among the absentees is by no means remarkable , but why it should hold aloof so persistently from these celebrations is not equally clear . It does not scruple to send up applicants for the benefits of our Charities , and unless it holds that reciprocity must be invariably on one side only , we might imagine the province would occasionally recognise its

duty towards our Institutions . NORTHANTS AND HUNTS ( IO lodges ) has done nothing since 1884 , when it raised £ 215 for the Boys' School , but it need not hesitate about making its re-appearance in these Returns . N ORTHUMBERLAND ( 21 lodges ) did so splendidly for this Institution last year , when it raised over £ 900 by the hands of its worthy Prov . G . Sec , Bro . B . J . Thompson , that it may justly claim an interval of rest ; while

SOUTH WALES ( WESTERN DIVISION ) with its 10 lodges , has figured as recently as the Boys' Festival of 1886 , when its total reached £ 210 . WILTSHIRE ( IO lodges ) entered an appearance at both ^ the School Festivals last year , its contribution at that of the Girls' School being a very substantial one . Indeed , its presence at these celebrations is the rule rather than the exception . As to the other absentees—the CHANNEL

ISLANDS ( five lodges ) , J ERSEY ( seven lodges ) , and the ISLE or MAN ( SIX lodges)—the first tuo enter an appearance from time to time , and always when they do so , to good purpose ; while the ISLE OF MAN has yet to settle down under its new organisation . But even if the three did not take part in our Festivals , we should have no right to be surprised , as they are , in fact , outside the limits of the country ; or , at all events , they are so far removed from head-quarters as to claim the indulgence of the Craft .

We will now run through the represented Provinces in their alphabetical order , beginning with

BERKS AND BUCKS , which , albeit a regular and liberal contributor to our Institutions , has returned a heavier amount than usual on this occasion . Its annual total for the three Charities averaged £ 550 during the last three years , but in February six ol its members representing five lodges and a chapter , compiled £ 218 6 s . 6 d ., and on Wednesday , 11 brethren representing nine lodges and two chapters ,

raised among them £ 407 us . 6 d ., so that the two Festivals already held during 1887 , yielded more than the above cited annual average . We congratulate our Berks and Bucks friends on their achievement , and trust the total of the current year may be looked upon as the standard to be maintained in the future . We are also glad to find that three of the Stewards

hail from lodges in Buckinghamshire . Where two or more counties are joined together as one Province , it is always desirable that the responsibility of supporting our Festivals should be distributed as impartially as possible amongst them all . For the Province of

BRISTOL , with its compact array of eight lodges , Bro . Purnell does duty as an unattached Steward , his list being a modest £ 15 15 s . However , at the Benevolent Festival in February Bro . Pierrepont Harris made a more effective display , and one more in accordance with the antecedents of the great Western port , his list being £ 115 ios ., while last year Bros . Harris and Purnell ,

sharing the Stewardships between them , raised £ 490 15 s . —viz ., for the Benevolent Institution £ 318 ios . ; for the Girls' School £ 145 19 s . ; for the Boys' School £ 26 5 s . In 1885 , the Benevolent received £ 59 us ., and the Boys' School ^ 115 ios ., the Stewards being Bro . Purnell on both occasions , and Bro . Price on one ; while in 1884 Bro . Purnell handed in a total of £ 2 9 Z 1 is . This is a capital series of Returns , of which the province has great reason to be proud .

CAMBRIDGESHIRE , with six lodges , has entered an appearance in good style , the amount of Bro Geldard ' s list as Steward for the province in general , and the Isaac Newton University Lodge in particular , being ^ 200 ; and as the Deputy Grand Master of the province—Bro . Andrew H . Moyes—figured for ^ 200 in February , it is clear that Cambridgeshire must have been exerting itself to some purpose in order to make a serviceable return in the year of Jubilee .

Last year , the total distributed among the three Institutions was £ 547 5 s ., ° ' which the Girls' School received almost exactly one half— £ 273 , while the Benevolent was benefited to the extent of ^ 143 , and the Boys' School with «* 3 t 5 s . In 1885 this Institution was honoured with the contributions of Jhe province , and in 1884 the Boys' School was the fortunate reci pient , so that all receive a due , and , if we take into account the narrow limits of the province , a most generous snare of support . There are good reasons for anticipating that

CORNWALL will make a brilliant show during the current year . It has a pretty good muster roll of 29 lodges , and these are being plied most assiduously by Bro .

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Gilbert B . Pearce , who , we understand , has charged himself with the duty of representing the province at all three Festivals . That the work has prospered in his hands will be evident when we point out that his list of ^ 368 us . for the Old People in February was supplemented on VVednesday with £ 141 15 s . for this Institution , so that Bro . Pearce has succeeded in realising this year upwards of ^ 500 , which represents a substantial advance

on the totals of contributions in 1886 and the year preceding . The brethren who have had the chief hand in raising these moneys—Bros . C . Truscott , Controller Bake , and Pearce—must be gratified , while the province must be proud of having such indefatigable workers among its members . We trust these brethren may have many further opportunities of distinguishing themselves , and that others among our Cornish friends will seek to emulate their grand example .

DERBYSHIRE , with a roll of some 21 lodges , began the year so well , that we are not surprised at its total being of modest dimensions in this instance . In February a band of eight Stewards raised amongst them £ 387 14 s . On Wednesday half that number , of whom , however , only one represented a lodge and one a chapter , while the others were unattached , made up a total ot ^ 78 15 s . But , even if the Boys' School obtain no subscriptions , a sum of over ^ 466 is

pretty substantial evidence of the goodwill experienced b y Derbyshire towards our Charities , especially after it had apportioned ^ 17 6 15 s . amongst them in 1886 , and given £ 1546 17 s . to the Boys' School at its Festival the year previous , when Bro . the Marquis of Hartington , M . P ., occupied the chair . And lest it should be imagined that the claims of this Institution are overlooked by comparison with those of the other two Charities , we would point out that in 1884 , out of a total divided between the Schools of £ 450 14 s ., the Girls received £ ' 35 ( 5 4 s . The 30 lodges in the Province of

DURHAM were unrepresented by any Steward at the Benevolent Festival in February , though it figured for a sum of 50 guineas ( £ 52 ios . ) contributed from the funds of Provincial Grand Lod ge . On Wednesday , there were two Stewards , the aggregate of whose lists reached a total of £ 73 ios . But even the two Returns together will appear small when we bear in mind that

Durham is a fairly strong province , with some old and influential lodges on its roll . We should certainly like to see it both more numerously and more effectively represented , as it was , ior instance , in 1881 , when it raised £ 1024 or thereabouts . We have no doubt thebrethren will contribute handsomely , if only a few of the more active members will undertake to act as Stewards .

Seven of the 25 lodges in ESSEX were represented on Wednesday , and , though he sum of their lists—£ 222 2 S . —is less than half the total which n of the 12 brethren then acting as Stewards returned , the present result is by no means to be slighted , especially as one of the lodges—the Joshua Nunn , No . 2154 ,

Halsteadwas only consecrated last year , and a large contribution could not in reason be expected from it . However , it we add Wednesday ' s Returns to those of February , we find that Essex has raised during the present year within a few shillings of £ 723 , and the Boys' Festival has yet to come , so that there is a fair prospect of the average of 1884 , 1885 , and 1886—^ 980 6 s . per yearbeing maintained . Having regard to the fact that

GLOUCESTERSHIRE , though having only 14 lodges on its roll , raised £ 2240 93 . in the years 1884 , 5-6—namely , in 1884 , £ 597 9 s . ; in 1885 , ^ 1247 8 s . 6 d . ; and in 1886 ^ 395 i - 6 d . —we must not be taken aback at the comparative modesty of its contributions during the current year , the £ 84 raised in February for the Benevolent Institution having been supplemented by ^ 53 lis . on VVednesday . It is quite on the cards that the Province may be reserving its strength for the Boys' Festival next month , or it may have resolved on remaining

comparatively quiet for the present , so that it may be in a position to work energetically in 1888 . Be this as it may , no one will grudge Gloucestershire the present exercise of its just privilege of resting awhile , especially as we are all aware that its more active members—and tnere is a strong contingent of them in the county—will never think of allowing a mere state of rest to degenerate into a settled condition of indifference . It is vastly to the credit of

HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT that it should have been in a position to send up Stewards , after the grand efforts it made in Frebruary in support of its Prov . G . Master , when the sum total of its lists was ^ 1785 9 s . 6 d . Happily , there are many of our Provinces that would feel they had overlooked an important duty if a Festival went by without their participating in the good work , and this with

its 44 lodges is one of them . Thus , notwithstanding the formidable inroad into its spare cash at the late Benevolent Festival , three of its lodges sent up Stewards , its oldest ( No . 35 ) and youngest ( No . 2169 ) lodges being under the Stewardship of Bro . George A . Mursell , while the Portsmouth Temperance Lodge , No . 2068 , was represented b y Bro . Bevis , the aggregate of their two lists being £ 76 ios . Last year it raised £ 826 15 s . 6 d . ; in 1885 , £ 1062 is . 6 d . ; and in 1884 , £ 1180 ios . 6 d ., giving an average of

£ 1023 2 s . fid . per annum during the three years . Moreover , in 1883 , when Bro . Beach was Chairman at the Girls' Festival , its total for the three Festivals was in round figures £ 1832 , so that , when the Boys' School Anniversary for this year has passed , there is little doubt that Hampshire and the Isle of Wight , in the five years from 1883 to 1887 , will have distributed not far short of ^ 7000 among our Charities , if , indeed , it does not exceed that figure .

HEREFORDSHIRE has but four lodges on its roll , but we always accord it a hearty welcome when it figures among the contributing Provinces , even though the amount of its subscriptions is rarely formidable . On VVednesday , Bro . John Bodenham , who appears to have been three Stewards rolled into one—at least , he is entered as having done Steward ' s work for Herefordshire , Shropshire ,

and Staffordshire , and has furnished a list for each—handed in a total of ^ 26 5 s . Las t year , with Bro , the Rev . R . Evans as representative , the Province gave £ 74 us . to this Institution , and in 1883 li ls entered lor £ 53 lis ., per Bro . the Rev . John Buckle . These are not large amounts , but tliey serve to show that there is the will to lend a hel ping hand at these Anniversaries , and it is possible that by and bye we may find Herefordshire a more frequent as well as a more considerable donor ,