Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cornwall.

on to animadvert upon selections that have already •C : a made , but the mere fact of Masonry being at the pret time so flourishing in the country , and the fact of the p ' iice of Wales having taken such a leading part in it to ¦ ke it popular and flourishing , renders it more necessary f . us to be especially careful ( hear , hear ) , for there can be doubt that there is a temptation when we are so

success-J j for men to join it simjdy from motives which are not ' . ' the least Masonic , perhaps not decidedly unworthy 1 l 0 tivcs , but still not motives that wc desire to encourage . They may wish to join it because it may be likely to assist them in their business or jirofessions , but that is not vactly one ' s idea of tbe spirit which should actuate men , ho desire to become Masons . Wc tlonot want a man to

•0 jn because he thinks that having the square and com-Lisses over his door will helj ) him in his business . ( Hear , hear . ) In the first instance I will address myself to thc Worshipful Masters , and ask them to be esjiecially careful not to sanction the admission of candidates of whom they cann ' personally ajiprove , but at the same time , I must imnress this upon you , that whilst I do not wish to

encourage factious black-balling , yet there is a great responsibility resting upon the members themselves , who should be vcry cautious not to vote for candidates without due and proper thought upon the subject . The test which I should recommend is this—it may be thought a very high one , jiut still I should , keep it in view—when a candidate is jitom-d for initiation , I should ask myself not only whether

he is a man whom I should mind having in the lodge , j , ut whether he is a man whomT should like to see as W . M . ( Hear , hear , antl ajiplause . ) If this were acted ujion I am quite sure you would not elect those who are unworthy of it . In concluding his remarks his lordship referred in liWily complimentary terms to the great exertions put forward by Bro . Hughan on behalf of local candidates for the

different Masonic chanties , and said he was ; quite sure the whole province felt deeply grateful to him for it . ( Hear , hear ) . He also read a letter which had been received from Bro . Metham , D . P . G . M . of Devon , thanking the different lodges for their contributions to the new wing of the Royal British Female Orphan Asylum atStoke , andstatingthatthe whole province had contributctl about £ 130 . ( Applause . )

The rcjiort of thc Provincial Grand Treasurer was then read , and from this it appeared that the balance in hand at the last provincial meeting was £ 64 13 s . 2 d . The expenditure during the year included the sums of £ 23 voted to the Cornwall Masonic Annuity and Benevolent Fund ; £ 20 on account of festival expenses at Bodmin ; and £ 47 17 s . 4 d ., a moiety of thc expenses of the United P . G .

Lodges of Devon and Cornwall on the occasion of the visit of thc Right Worshipful Bro . the Prince of Wales to Plymouth . The principal items on thc other side were £ 13 15 s ., the amount of the collection after last year ' s sermon ; £ 18 18 s . fees of honour , and £ 133 7 s . 6 d . lodge fees . The balance now in hand is £ 4 6 4 s . 1 id . The Provincial Grand Secretary , in his report , stated

that the number of lodges in the province at the present time was 27 , against 24 last year , the additional lodges being the Fort Lodge , 1528 , Newquay ; the Duke of Cornwall Lodge , 1529 , St . Columb -, and the Mount Edgcumbe Lodge , 1544 , Camborne . The initiations in the jiast year numbered 177 ; in the jirevious year , 176 ; the joining members were 54 , against 3 6 ; the members were 1009 ,

against 929 ; making a total of 1240 as comjiared with 1141 in the previous year . The total increase of members during the jiast year was 99 . The report respecting the Cornwall Masonic Annuity and Benevolent Fund was read by Bro . Chirgwin . It stated that the subscriptions and donations from various lodges in the province since the 1 st of January amounted

to £ 142 10 s . The credit balance at the last account was £ 290 5 s . 6 d ., and thc subscrijitions and donations for 1874 , together with interest on stocks , amounted to - £ ' 9 ° - 6 d ., making a total of £ 480 7 s . The cost of their various stock was £ 1999 is . 61 ! ., and this realised an annual income of £ 95 19 s . The balance at their banker's was £ 261 9 s ., and this made their total capital account £ 2260 10 s . 6 d ., against £ 2049 15 s . 3 d .

last year . ( Applause . ) The Committee of Relief reported that they had received two petitions from two subscribing members , and , as they hail ascertained that the cases were deserving unes , they recommended that £ 8 be given in the one case , a"tl £ 10 in the other . Other relief had been given during the year .

uro . Hughan , in his report respecting his management of the votes for the London Masonic Charities on behalf of the Province of Cornwall , said he collected the proxies in October , 1874 , and polled them on behalf of a little girl whose father had been a member of Lodge Fortitude , Truro . She was elected out of twenty-nine a |>]> lirants with 778 votes , only seventy-nine of which were

received from thc Provincial Grand Lotlge of Cornwall ami subordinate lodges . An old anil esteemed Master of " •Martin ' s Lodge , Liskeard , was amongst these elected to receive £ 36 per annum . He received 740 votes , antl Wis ninth on the list out of thirty-three candidates . ( Applause . ) Both the girl and the indigent Mason were elected on the first application , within about six months

™ each other , a fact hitherto unprecedented in the West . he total votes for the two candidates amounted to 1328 , "J « 'hich 179 were obtained directly from members in ornwall . The remainder he obtained by exchange , and > i' borrowing from other provinces . Without the large nuiiiber of votes which the Right Worthy Bro . Sir F . M . •¦ ills

•••' always placed 111 the hands ot the becretary ot " - < - ° rnwall Masonic Annuity and Benevolent Fund ( tl •, ' rnsclf i for the use of the jirovincc of Cornwall tiii- " d ind , ' t < -ct ' -y )» - ¦ - would be simply impossible to j ' -y tll ,: candidates who had been successful during the Iron S u ' en ycars - lnc tota - votes so obtained annually 'east S'r Fre ( ler-ck - "* - ¦•Williams have amounted to at 2 i > 4 . ( Apjilause . ) During thc last seven years

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cornwall.

about £ 2500 have been secured to the province , calulating the value of the annuities and the number of years that the children had been educated , fed , and clothed , and to secure this not one penny had been spent by the province , excepting the grants made to the institution , which had been small . These various reports were received and adopted ; the

Treasurer , Secretary , and Auditors of the Cornwall Masonic Annuity and Benevolent Fund , thc Relief Committee , and the Provincial Grand Treasurer , and two Auditors- were re-elected ; Bro . 'Matthew Doney , of Bodmin , secured an annuity of £ 20 a year for life by a majority of 508 votes to 40 for Bro . Lean , of Chacewater ; and a grant of £ io was voted to the widow of the late Bro . T . Vicarey , of

Falmouth . The Prov . Grand Master next [ appointed the following brethren as his officers for the coming year : —Sir F . M . Williams , Bart ., M . P ., D . P . G . M . ; Thomas Chirgwin , 131 , P . G . S . W . ; Bro . J . Peter , 557 , P . G . J . W . ; the Rev . Alfred Cummings , 131 , P . G . S . Chajilain ; Rev . J . Lethbridge 789 , P . G . J . Chajilain ; J . P . Lyne , 51 o , P . G . Registrar ;'

E . T . Carlyon , -j-ji , P . G . Sec ; W . Middleton , I- * , P . G . S . D . ; H . Cochrane , 1136 , P . G . J . D . ; W . H . Dunstan , 75 , P . G . S . Works ; Charles Trevitliick , 12 7 , P . G . D . C . ; J . Sims , 5 89 , P . G . A . D . C ; C . Truscott , 49 6 , P . G . S . B . ; W . VV . Dymond , 557 , P . G . Organist ; F . Dennis , 75 , P . C . Pursuivant ; Rookes , 331 , P . G . A . Pursuivant ; A . Grant , 318 , T . Gill , 9 67 ; J . H . Filmer ,

893 ; W . Polkinghorne , 1151 ; J . Hill , 970 ; J . Hawkins , 789 , Stewards ; R . Penwarden , 510 , Tyler . The sum of ^ 25 was voted to the Cornwall Masonic Annuity and Benevolent Fund ; £ 10 ios to the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys in London ; £ 10 10 s . to the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls ; and £ 10 ios . to the Institution for Aged Freemasons . This concluded the business of the Prov . Grand

Lodge . At noon the brethren , headed by the band of the Callington Volunteers , marched in procession to church , where an admirable sermon was preached by thc Rev . A . Cummings , P . G . Chaplain , from the words " Honour all men ; love the brotherhood ; fear God , and honour the King . " The collection amounted to £ 11 14 s ., of which one-fifth

will go to the rector , and the remainder to the Callington Dispensary . The sermon will be printed . The annual banquet was provided at Golding ' s Hotel , and was partaken of by more than a hundred brethren , under the presidency of the Rt . W . Bro . the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe . After dinner the usual loyal toasts were projiosed from

the chair . His lordship , in proposing "The Health of thc Prince of Wales , Grand Master of England , " said he was quite sure they would all wish his Royal Highness thc most hearty success in the great expedition he was now about to undertake in that great empire of which he would one day be the ruler . The next toast was that of "The Earl of Carnarvon , Pro

Grand Master , Lord Skelmersdale , Deputy Grand Master , and the Officers of the Grand Lodge . " The Prov . Grand Master remarked that both their lordships were personal friends of his own , and hejwas jierfectly certain that as long as they wore the collars which had been entrusted to them by the Grand Master of England they would do credit to the Grand Lodge , and maintain its authority . ( Hear

hear . ) Bro . the Rev . J . Sedgwick , P . G . Chaplain of England , responded . Bro . Col . Peard , amidst loud applause , proposed " The Health of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , Prov . Grand Master of Cornwall . " Over and over again his lordship had proved himself to be the right man in thc right place ,

and they had great reason to be proud that he presided over the province . ( Cheers . ) The Prov . G . M ., who was received with hearty chcering . said it must always be the greatest possible satisfaction to him to feel , as he sincerely believed he could feel , that he had the fraternal feeling of the province with him , to assist him in the work which he had to do . ( Hear , hear . )

He was glad indeed that there were such cordial relations established between himself and the Masons of the province , but it would be small satisfaction to him if he thought that this was intended as a jicrsonal compliment only . He hoped those relations would always enable them to work harmoniously and unanimously for the benefit of Masonry throughout the province . ( Ajiplause . ) That

was the object which they all should have in view , and if they heard anything from outsiders to the detriment of Freemasonry , or if they saw anything in the conduct of Mason to justify those remarks being made , he hoped they would remember the words in Serijiture which precetled the text from which such an admirable sermon was preached that morning by the Prov . Grand Chaplain , and always

take care by well-doing to put to silence thc ignorance of foolish men . ( Cheers . ) Bro . Carlyon gave "The Deputy Provincial Grand Master and Past Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Cornwall , " and Bros . Sir F . M . Williams and R . Rogers responded . Bro . Peters , P . G . J . W ., in returning thanks for " The P . G . Wardens , and thc other Provincial Grand Officers ,

past and present , " thanked Admiral Sir Henry Keppel for having lent so many flags for the decoration of the town , the lodge room , and the dining rooms . ( Applause . ) The Prov . G . M . proposed " The Visitors , " and coupled with the toast the name of Bro . Admiral Sir Henry Keppel , who , he said , was not only the very essence of all that was plucky antl brave , buthis heart was as warm , and his hand

as open to the assistance of a friend or brother . as any man in the country . ( Cheers . ) Bro . Admiral Keppel , who was vcry heartily greeted , said it was so far east as Singapore that he was initiated into Masonry thirty-five years ago , but it was not until he came into the West of England , and mixed with thc many noble fellows in Masonry in this jiart of the country ,

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cornwall.

that he began thoroughly to appreciate its advantages and its beauty . ( Cheers ) . The Past Grand Chajilain , in returning thanks for the toast of his health , said the more he saw of Masonry the more he admired and revered it , and he added that he had travelled two thousand miles to be present that day . The other toasts were " The Lodges of the Province , " coupled with the W . M . of Loyal Victoria Lodge , Callington , antl " The Masons' toast . "

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Suffolk.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF SUFFOLK .

Montlay , the 5 th inst ., was a gala day at Bury St . Edmund's , which , as all the world knows , is the capital ofWest Suffolk—a town full of interest to the Antiquarian and Archaeologist , and therefore to the Freemason . It is said by some to have been a Roman station , and to have been the Villa Faustini of Antoninus . By the Saxons it was

called Beodenc-weord , and a monkish writer , Abbo Floriacencis , states that Beoderic , the lord of the town , bequeathed it to St . Edmuntl the King and Martyr , from whom it acquired its present name . Siegbert , on his accession to the throne of the East Angles in 630 , founded a monastery and built a church here , and after a seven years ' reign he became a monk on his own foundation . King

Edmund was crowned and anointed King of East Anglia by Humbert , Bishop of Hulm , A . D . 856 , and was killed in a conflict with the Danes . who then mercilessly slaughtered the Saxons . On the death of this unfortunate Prince in 870 , in the 15 th year of his reign and the 29 th of his age , the Danes it is said cast his severed head and body into the thickest part of the woods of Eglesdene , where his body was

sought by an affectionate band of loyal subjects . After a sorrowful search the body was discovered very indecently interred ; it was conveyed to Hoxne and there entombed ; but the head could not be fountl . Dividing themselves therefore into small parlies , the mourners searched every quarter of the wood . Terrified by its thickness and obscurity , some of them cried out to their companions

" Where are you .- " A voice answered , "Here , here , here . " Hastening to the place from whence the sound proceeded , they found the long sought head in a thicket of thorns , guarded by a wolf , " an unkouth thyng , " says Lydgatc , and strange " ageyn nature . " The peojde , almost overpowered with joy , took the holy head , which the wolf gave up , and followed them to the place where the body rested ;

and after seeing the precious treasure which he had with so much care protected deposited near the bod y from whence it had been severed , with doleful mourning , and showing no fierceness , he returned to the woods . This was about forty days after the martyrdom of the saintly King . About the year 903 the remains of Edmund were

removed to Bury , when it was found on examination to be in a perfect state of preservation , with the head united to it , which was accounted a great miracle , but which was no doubt the result of embalment by some cunning monk . That the art of embalming was very well understood in the middle ages there can be no manner of doubt , and curiously enough in the same church which was built over

the remains of bt . Edmund was buried Thomas Beaufort , Duke of Exeter , son of the famous John of Gaunt , Duke of Lancaster , an ancestor , if we mistake not , of the present Duke of Beaufort . In the year 1772 , workmen digging on the north side of the ancient church , which is , alas , no more ( thanks to the dissolution of the monasteries , and the pious vandalism

of the immortal and ever to be blessed Henry VIIL ) , came ujion the leaden coffin containing the body of the Duke , which was in the most perfect state of preservation , though it had been buried 350 years . Canute rebuilt the church of St . Edmund , and the body of the Royal martyr was deposited in a splendid shrine enriched with jewels and other costly ornaments , like the

celebrated shrine of the Three Kings at Cologne . Edward the Confessor , under whom Masonry revived , for it had been in a languishing state , frequently honoured the town with his presence , and in 1132 Henry I . repaired to Bury to perform his devotions at the shrine of St . Edmund . A meeting of the barons was convoked here in the time

of King John , when each of the nobles present went to the high altar of the church of St . Edmund , in which the assembly was held , and there swore that if the King should refuse to abolish thearbitrary Norman laws and torestore those enacted by Edward the Confessor they would make war upon him till he should comply . At first he refused , but in the year 1214 he met his barons at Bury ,

and with the utmost solemnity confirmed the charter of Henry I . ( a copy of which had fallen into the hands of Stephen Langton , Archbishop of Canterbury ) , and bound himself hy an oath to regulate his administration by the great principles on which it was founded . So that , equally with Runnymede , Bury is entitled to claim the honour of that celebrated Magna Charta hy which the rights and

liberties of England are secured . Preston , in his illustrations of Masonry , says that when Henry VI . succeeded to the throne as a minor in 1422 , Parliament endeavoured to disturb the Freemasons b y jiassing the well-known and often quoted Act ( 3 Henry VL , cap . 1 , A . D . 1425 ) , " Masons shall not confederate in chapters or congregations . " The act , however , was never put in force . It is said it was passed in consequence of

the quarrels between Duke Humphrey of Gloucester and Henry Beaufort , then Bishop of Winchester , uncle of the Duke , who was Protector during the absence of the Duke of Bedford , then in France , Regent of the kingdom . Preston says—speaking of Duke Humphrey— " This Prince is said to have received a more learned education than was usual in his age , to have founded one of the first jiublic libraries in England , and to have been a great patron of learned men . " If thc records of the society may