Consecration Of The Benevolentia Lodge, No. 2540.

brethren in whom he felt he had perfect fi lends . There was no greater pleasure to him that night than to have Bro . Letchworth there . He had heard Bro . Letchworth consecrate lodges before , and had had opportunities of assisting him , but his feelings that night when Bro . Letchworth was

consecrating the lodge were very different to what they were when he was consecrating other lodges . There was now a bond of friendship between Bro . Letchworth and the brethren of the lodge which there was not before . Mro . Letchworth , he hoped , would feel that the Benevolentia Ledge was one of his lodges .

Bro . I . ETCH WORTH , in acknowledging the toast , said he could not refrain from expressing his warmest thanks to the W . M . for the more than kind manner in which he had been pleased to couple his name with the toast , and the brethren for the kind reception they had been pleased to give to it . He knew he was only expressing the feeling of all those who had been associated with him in the ceremony of the day when he expressed the hope

that the lodge might have before it a most successful future . He confidently believed that it would , because he knew it contained all those elements which could not but secure success . That that might be so was the wish of everyone in the room . It now became his most agreeable duty to propose " The Health of the W . M ., " whom he had had the great pleasure of installing , and he m-st heartily congratulated the members of the Iodge on having as their first Master one so able to rule over them in that their first , and certainly the

most critical , year of their existence . It had been his good fortune to be asscciated with Bro . Tijou in various ways , and it was a very great pleasure two jears ago to convey to him the news that the M . W . G . M . had been pleased to appoint him to Grand office . He ventured to think that the fact of Bro . Tijou being designated the first Master of the Benevolentia Lodge might have had some influence with his Royal Highness in granting a warrant for that Iodge .

Bro . TIJOU , in replying , said he should very , very shortly thank the brethren for the reception they had given him as the Master of that lodge . Properly to thank them could not possibly be done in less than a quarter of an hour . He should therefore simply thank them . he then proposed " The Visitors , " and took occasion to thank the Clapton Lodge for its handsome gift .

Bro . F . URCI . ' HK ; I ! , in reply , said it had been a great treat to him to witness the installation ceremony , but as to the gift mentioned by the W . M . it was only what brethren should do . There ought to be in brethren that feeling which would prompt them , whether individuals or lodges , to assist one another .

Bros . BUCK , GREEK , and HOOI ' also responded . Bro . HENRY GARROD , P . G . P ., proposed " The Masonic Charities . " Bro . TIJOU , W . M ., in replying , said he was very gratified at the way in which the brethren had received the toast , but he should be better gratified that time next year when he saw how the lists of the three festivals between now and then had been made up . He was fond of the Charities , and did

the best he could for all of them . He worked as well as he could for the Old People . He should be pleased to be on the Committee of the Girls ; he would put aside a lot of work for that . But it mattered very little on what brethren worked as long as they did their best for their Masonic Charities , no matter what they might be . They had plenty of opportunities

before them . He did not plead the cause of the Benevolent Institution because he was one of the Committee ; but he did that of the Girls' and the Boys ' . He was on the Board of Benevolence . He loved all the Charities . He was sure the brethren would not let him go up empty-handed next February . The toast of " The Officers " followed , and was responded to , and the Tyler ' s toast closed the proceedings of a very happy and successful day .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Staffordshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF STAFFORDSHIRE .

The annual meeting of the above Provincial Grand Lodge was held on the Sth instant ., at the Drill hall , Walsall , under the presidency of Bro . the Earl of Dartmouth , P . G . M . There was a large assemblage of members of Grand Lodge and brethren of the province ; amon ? those present being—Bros . Col . J . A . Bindley , D . P . G . M . ; W . H . Bailey , P . S . G . W . ; J . Gilbert P . J . G . W . ; the Rev . L . C . A . Edgworth , P . G . Chap . the Rev . W . McGregor , P . G . Chap . ; C . A . Newnham , Treas . j Maj . Walker , P . G . Sec . ; W . HamptonP . J .

, G . D . ; J . Hackett , P . G . S . of W . ; J . Woolridge , P . G . D . C ; J . Stone , P . G . D . G . D . C . ; W . Burton , P . A . G . D . C ; S . B . Wheway , P . G . S . B . ; J . Dunbar Steen , P . A . G . Sec . ; W . H . Smith , P . G . Purst . ; J . Moseley , E . Martin Scott , and E . T . Beck . P . G . Stwds . ; W . Tyler , P . G . Tyler ; Frank James , P . D . P . G . M . ; J . Bodenham , P . A . G . D . C . Eng . ; T . Ryder , P . P . S . G . D . ; Capt . Burrough , P . P . G . D . C . ; H . Payton , P . G . R . ; J acobs , and others . Grand Lodge having been opened in due form , the minutes of the last

annual meeting weie read bv the PROV . GRAND SECRETARY , and confirmed on the motion of Bro . Col . BINIH . EY , seconded b y Bro . FRANK J \ MES . Before proceeding with the investiture of officers , the PROV . GRAND MASTER thanked the members of the province for the consideration they had extended to him during the year , and congratulated them on the position of Freemasonry in Staffordshire . He thought he might congratulate them on the fact , as far as he knew , that evarything connected with the

province was most harmonious and satisfactory , and he hoped that state of affairs would continue . He referred to the proposal of Provincial Grand Lodge to vote a sum of 50 guineas towards an amount being raised to provide a foundation at the Orphan Asylum , Wolverhampton , for the children of Masons in the province . Speaking on his own behalf , he said that he had great pleasure in being associated with that work as his first official ceremony in connection with the province . He was gratified with the rethe various

sponse lodges had made to the circular sent round , and desired to make it clear that there was no idea on the part of the ori ginators of the scheme to unduly press upon any lodge . It might be thought that it was too much to sink ^ 755 , in order to secure a return of something less than £ 20 annually , but in that case he considered the value could not be actually gauged by the financial return . His lordship then invested the officers for the ensuing year as follows : Bro . E . V . Greatbach ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W .

» C Taylor ... ... ... ... Prov . J . G . W . Rev . O . M . Holden ... ... ... Prov . G . Chap . . 1 C H . Newnham ... ... ... Prov . G . Treas . » George Bennion ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg . .. Major G . W . Walker ... ... ... Prov . G . Sec . J . Moseley ... ... ... ... ** .- W . H . Bamber ... ... . I Prov . G . S . Ds .

. 1 Captain Longden ... ... ... *) ,-, , ,-. r-. ¦ i . Major T . C . Bird ... ,,. > f > } Prov . J . G . Ds ,

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Staffordshire.

Bro . Samuel Jenkins ... ... ... Prov . G . S . of W . ,, J . Wooldridge ... ... ... Prov . G . D . C . „ F . T . Beck ... ... ... ... Prov . D . G . D . C . ,, G . H . Tortoiseshell ... ... ... Prov . A . G . D . C . „ D . Mould ... ... ... ... Prov . G . S . H . ,, E . Martin Scott ... ... ... *) ,, , - , r . . ,. 1 ui

„ T . M . Heape ... ... j rov . u . - ,. ms . ,, W . Edwards , A . R . C . O . ... ... Prov . G . Org . „ J . Dunbar Steen ... ... ... Prov . A . G . S . „ G . W . Bradford ... ... ... Prov . G . Purst . „ J . White ... ... ... ... 1 „ josiah Wedgwood ... ... j Prov . A . G . Pursts . ,, E . Jones ... ... ... ,.. - * ¦ „ W . H . Newby ... ... ... / ,, ^ „ , '' ' ''' Stwds

;; W . . . Heath ;;; ... ... f Prov- G ' ' ,, J . Mason ... ... ... ... ) The members subsequently formed into procession , and proceeded to St . Paul ' s Chuich , where Divine service was held . The sermon was preached by Bro . the Rev . W . MCGREGOR . The lodge afterwards re-assembled at the Drill Hall , when it was announced that the collection made had realised ^ 13 6 s . 7 d ., which amount was di \ ided between the Blue Coat Schools and St . Paul ' s Organ Fund .

A resolution was carried pledging the Provincial Grand Lodge to support the candidature of Bro . W . H . Bailey for the office of Grand Treasurer of England . A banquet was held later in the evening , under the presidency of Bro . the Earl of Dartmouth .

The toast of " The Queen " was proposed by the CHAIRMAN , who also submitted " The Grand Master of England , H . R . H . the Prince of Wales . " "The M . W . Pro Grand Master , the Earl of Lathom , G . C . B ., the R . W . the Deputy Grand Master , the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , and the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and Past ; " "The Worthy Deputy P . G . M . of Staffordshire , Lieut .-Col . Bindley ; " "The Staffordshire Masonic Charitable Association * " " The Worthy Masters and Officers of the St . Matthew ' s and Hatherton Lodges ; " and " The P . G . Stewards . " The health of the Prov . G . M . was also drunk most cordially .

Cæmentaria Hibernica.*

C ? MENTARIA HIBERNICA . *

We have read with the deepest interest the Letter-Press Introductions to the work generally and to its several constituent parts , for which we are indebted to the courtesy of Bro . Chetwode Crawley . We have in this country but few opportunities of learning anything about the proceedings of the Craft on the other side of St . George's Channel , and still fewer of hearing about its past history . The lack of trustworthy particu ' ars is no

doubt due primarily to the loss of the early records of tne Grand Lodge of Ireland and the consequent difficulties in which any brother would find himself involved who should adventure upon the laborious task of obtaining from the records of privatelodges and other and widely-scattered sources of information the details which are necessary to the compilation ofa history of Freemason ry in the sister kingdom . Bros . Hughan , Gould , Sadler , and others have

rendered valuable service to the cause of Masonic history by the occasional insight they have afforded us into the doings of the Cralt in Ireland , but what they have written has been , as in the case of Bro . Gould , a part only of a general history of the whole Craft , or , as in the case of Bro . Sadler , has had reference only to a particular period in the career of Irish Masonry . Bro . Chetwode Crawley , in his " G'ementaria Hibernica , " is attempting the

more serious task of compiling a record which shall serve , so far as it can possibly be made to serve , as material for some future complete and connected history of Masonry in Ireland from its earliest developments down to the present time . It is , indeed , a most serious undertaking upon which he has embarked , but he has made an admirable beginning , and we sincerely hope that he will be able to carry it to a successful issue in the manner he has

proposed to himself . For the present we must content ourselves with giving a brief description of the section of the work with which we have been favoured . There is , firstly , the Preface , in which Bro . Crawley sets forth the plan he has marked out . The first paragraph discloses this plan . " In undertaking this series , " writes Bro . Crawley , " I do not propose to write a History of Freemasonry in Ireland , but I hope to render such a History possible .

With this object I have prefixed to each division an introduction , which will enable the ordinary reader to take an intelligent interest in the reproductions . " There is , however , a general or " Editor ' s Introduction " to the whole collection , in which the subject of English-speaking Freemasonry is treated at some length , in order , as the author says , that we may be in a position to " appreciate the value of the services rendered to Freemasonry

by our Grand Lodge . We Irish Freemasons believe that through our Colonial Lodges , through our Military Lodges , and through our sister Grand Lodge of the ' Antients' —to all intents and purposes an offshoot of our ownwe can claim a large share in the remarkable spread of Freemasonry among English-speaking men of the last century . We believe , too , that our Irisn forefathers of the Craft can claim to have held to the Old Way when the

Ancient Landmarks ran some risk of being shifted by the premier Grand Lodge . " Of the value of these claims in behalf of Irish Masonry we shall take an early opportunity of writing more in detail on some future occasion . The other Introductions are prefixed to the three Parts into which the work is sub-divided , namely : ( 1 ) "The Grand Lodge of Munster , " ( 2 ) " The First Warrant , " ( 3 ) " The Irish Constitutions , " and in each case

the Introduction furnishes a clear insight into the contents of its proper part or section . On these , too , it will be our duty to offer such comments as may occur to us when we have had leisure to make ourselves more fully acquainted with the facts which Bro . Crawley has been at such pains to accumulate , and the running commentary with which his description of these facts is

accompanied . But whatever form our comments may assume , we make bold to affirm that Bro . Chetwode Crawley ' s " Cxmentaria Hibernica" will constitute not the least meritorious among the many contributions that have been made during these later years to our very limited store of what he very fittingly describes somewhere in his " Editor ' s Introduction " as " authentic " Masonic history .