Mark Masonry.

He felt very proud of being a member of Grand Lodge , more especially as Mark Masonry was making rapid strides , and becoming a power in thc land . At thc Grand Mark Lodge , a little while ago , a motion was introduced for the recognition of what he termed eiulsidc degrees , but

it was not carried , because it was felt that if they once admitted these elcgree , Mark Masonry woulel become so strong and powerful that it would swamp Craft Masonry . It was so progressing that it would take before long a high position , and certainly only secontl to Craft Masonry in its power and alllueoce . Then * . fore he had great pride in occupying thc position of a Grand Officer of thc Granel Mark

Ledge . He attributed thc fact of his occupying that position to tbe office he held in tlie Excelsior Lodge , anil to the influence that lodge hatl in the Oreler , for the Grand Masler was so satisfied with it , and its position in the Order , that he said he e-ould neit pass by such a lodge in the selection of liis officers . The next toast was that of " The P . G . M ., thc Rev . G . W . Sicklcmorc , M . A ., " and in

giving it the W . M . saiel they had hael the Grand Master present that day last year at the consecration eif thc lodge , and his prcscnccadelcdaluslrc to thc procectlings that to those who had thc honour and the pleasure of being present would not soon be forgotten . Bro . Ritchie , in response to the toast , said that they of the Excelsior Lodge occupied this position , that the Granel Lotlge dues paid by the

Excelsior Lodge nearly equalled the whole of the dues paid by thc rest of the [ Mark lodges in the district , and it was upon this that they had par excellence a claim upon the proiince fe > r its Grand Ollicciships , and he expected to see at the ncxt meeting more of the Excelsior Lodge gain honours at the bauds of their esteemed Grand Master , Bro . Sicklemore-. He eliel not believe in expecting nothing .

From his knowledge of Bro . Sicklemore he could assure them , that while he desired above all things the success of Mark Masonry in the province of Kent , yet he wished to do anil carry out the onorous duties attached to his exalted office to the satisfaction of every oue . Thc W . M . then gave thc toast eif "Thc D . P . G . M ., anel thc rest of thc Granel Officers , Present and Past , " which was received anil

responded to with enthusiasm . Bro . Ritchie then rose to propose "Tiie Health of the W . M ., " and in so doing , said bc must confess that he found himself in the position of I . P . M . with some degree of regret . But since he was in that position he knew of no greater pleasure than could befall him than in proposing " The Health of their Ncwlyinslalletl W . M . " No panegyric that he could pass on him

would , he felt sure , he- equal to bis merits , because the in . ist of those present knew thc Masonic career of liro . CoUpland as well as he did . lie could only speak of Iii in us bis S . W ., and during the time that he had the pleasure of his service as his S . W ., he had found that his characteristics were of so high an order , that he felt to a certain decree that there was a bctler officer to

follow liiiM in thc chair then he hatl been himself . He could however safely say that in placing the- power of the Worshipful Mastership in his hantle , he was not only securing the position eif the Excelsior , but placing in position one who would be ,-in honour to it , ami to fll . uk M isonpy at large , liro . Coupland , in reply , said , he was fully sensible of the praise bestowed upon him by the W . M .

so eloquently , anti so generously ; but he fell that he had no claim to their praises except by their brotherly suffrages . He was very much obliged to the W . M . for the kind and able manner in which he had spoken ot him , but he was more then all obliged to Bro . Western for his kindness in giving way to him in office at the formation of the lodge , when he mi ^ ht have , anti fairly , taken thc

position he , the W . M ., now held . That kindness he now acknowledged with gratitude . He had not only received that kindness from Bro . Weston , but many a one that he could not now especially name . So long as bc was W . M . uf thc lodge , anil so long as he was able to wink in the cause of Mark Masonry , so long would he t ! o all that laid in his power to prove thnt thc suffrages of the brethren hat !

not been misplaced , in seating him in thc proud position he occupied that elay . The next toast was that of " The In'talling Officer . " Bro . Ritchie , in the course of a lengthy , pointed , atiet eloejueut speech , revieweel the course : of the bilge timing the past twelve mouths , regretted that his many duties hail not allotted i f his being with them oftener than he had , ami in allusion to the handsome jewel they

liatl that day presented him , declared that he should prize it while he lived , and at his death hand it to his children as an heirloom iu the famil y fir ever . The newly-advance ! brethren evere then toasted and suitably replied . " The Halth of Bro . De Gray , " as one of thc oldest Mark Masons , was coupletl with lhat of " Tne Visitors , " and Bro . De Grey responded , saiing , lhat he and the W . M . ,-intl Bro . Smythe ,

were advanced in tbe Florence Nightingale Mark Lodge twenty years ago . The lotlge was held in Woolwich , but since that lime he had not known much about Mark Masonry , but was glael of the opportunity of once mote making an acquaintance with it , through the Excelsior Lodge . The toast of " The Officers of the Lodge " was coupled with the name of Bro . Smythe , S . W ., who returned

thanks in an eloquent anel at the same time spirited manner ; and then , after a cordial vote of thanks tn thc Freemason tor its efforts in the cause of Freemasonry generally , and tlie assistance it had been to the Ex-elsior in its re-ports eif their meetings , which reports , the W . M . said , went all over thc world , and were read by their military brethren in Afg hanistan , at Natal , and in fact wherever the English

language was spoken , hatl been given , and our representative had replied , the Tyler ' s loastc included the business and pleasures ofthe meeting . The musical arrangements were under the tlirection eif liro . C . BueklaiiiV , who was assisted by Bros . G . Smith and Taylor , and Messrs . Horton anel Smith . The party sang a series of glees and pait songs excellently , and Mr . Horton ' s pianoforte recitals were much admired ami applauded .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cornwall.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF CORNWALL .

Wc have receiveel the following additional particulars from an esteemed correspondent : A small Committee-, consisting of the W . M ., Bio . Percy DJvis- , and Bros . F . B . Williams P . M . ; H . W . Durant , I . P . M . ; and Emra Holmes , D . C ; undertook thc tcccplion

of Prov . Granel Lodge , anti worked wilh a will to make it worthy thc occasion . In this they were ably seconded by the inhabitants generally , and were greatly indebted to the Divisional Officer of CoastguartI , Lieut . Shuckburgh , R . N ., for the loan of the wheilc of the flags in the division ; to Miss Cornish , ami the young ladies of Usbornc Villa School , who prepared thc mottoes and tlcviccs which decorated thc

three or four triumphal arches , under which the Masonic procession had to pass in its circuit of thc town , and which were very much admired by the brethren and visitors ; to the vicar , the Rev . II . M . Purcell , who lent thc church feu * the interesting aud most impressive service , and , though not a Mason , kindly co-opcratcd in every way to make the

meeting a success ; and to the Rev . Dr . Treffry , of Place House . Thc arrangements generally gave great satisfaction , the reception of Prov . Grand Lotlge was considcictl a very great success , and il would have been very satisfactory to thc brethren of Fowey Lodge if thc Prov . Grand Master hatl seen lil to confer office upon thc W . M ., as wc believe is the usual custom iu other provinces .

Passing out of the great westei n door of the church the procession re-formcil , anil the brethren entering the olel doorway into the grounds surrounding Place , a grand battlcmcnted castle ofthe end of the 14 th or 13 th centuries , the exterior of which is covered with beautiful carving , armorial bearings , the badgeof thc King-maker , Warwick , and curious old heads covering the stonework , thc towers '

and turrets , heavy mullioned windows , and other interesting features eif this most interesting palace ( place is only another word for palace- ) , ami passing slowly through the lovely grounds ami castle , which dominates thc town , the brethren were afforded an excellent opportunity of admiring thc scenery , which is lure very pretty , affording many picturesque glimpses of the winding river , the noble

harbour , ant . the quaint 1 ( tie town nestling under the shelter of Place at the foat eif the hill . The day being glorious ami sunny added much to the piclurcsejiicnrss of the si-cue , ant ! the long procession , headed by its two band * , with the banners of the : bulges , the pale blue colliis and aprons ol the Craftsmen , the garter blue and gold ofthe Piovincia ! Officers , the crimson of the Stewards ,

looked icrj well as it wound its way through the green Lines leading from Place grounds and passed under the triumphal arch at the entrance of Uic town , decorated with greenery in abundance-, ami having a large panel of scat let surmounting it with the word welcome in white letters upon it . Another triumphal arch had the Arms of Cornwall anil Feiwey on white , shields 011 a red ground

em tint : side , and the square and compasses and double triangle or . the other in white anil red . Another arch had the words "Audi ridi lace , " the motto of Ihe Order , in 1 irgc Idlers of white on a scarlet ground , which looked very effective half hidden amongst the green boughs aud laburnum , which covered the wooden frani . woik of thc arch . Thc streets were decorated profusely with bunting , trees were planted iu the streets , which arc exceedingly

narrow and tortuous , ancient , aud somewhat picturcsejucj anel the crowds eif people thronging them all day to sec the procession testified to the popularity of the meeting , and , it must be owned , to the liberality of the Great Western Railway authorities , whose arrangements as to tickets and trains were eminently satisfactory , and might be imitated with advantage on like occasions by either complines which shall be nameless .

Bro . Emra Holmes rose , and sail ! that , pursuant to notice given last year , he proposeel— " That in view of the erection of a Cathedral at Truro , for the diocese of Cornwall , a Committee bc appointed to solicit subscriptions , and that the province of Devon be invited to assist , so that a lasting maii'iiia ! i > f thc Freemasons of Devon and Cornwall maybe- erected in the new edifice . " He said that ,

bearing in mind Ins lordship ' s hint as to the amount ol biisinc-s that hail to bc gone through , he should neit tremble the brethren with a long speech on the subject , but he proposed to treat them to a few facts , which woultl bs more to the point . He bad been told that , as there were a large number of Dissenters amongst the Cornish Freemasons , his motion would mt-et with a good ileal of

opposition , but he fail ed to see why they should oppose it , since Un * end and aim of his motion wis simply to collect subscriptions from those who were willing to give , so that a memorial of the Freemasons might appear iu the new Cathedral . No one need subscribe who did not wish to do so . As 11 precedents , there were many , of which , no eloubt , they were fully aware . The west front of Bath Abbey

was restored by the Freemasons at a cost of jC . ^ ooo . They restored the Lady Chapel of St . Mary , Redcliffe Church , Bristol . They put a beautiful window into Worcester Cathedral , and another into Durham Cathedral . At the present moment a movement was on foot to rcstoie the west front of St . Alban ' s C * ilhedial by the Fre- masons , and the Prince of Walts , Grand Master , Prince Leopold , the Duke of Connaught , Lord Sl-elmcrslale , Deputy Grand Master ,

and many other leading Freemasons were on the Committee , lie ( the speaker ) thought it would be a noble thing for the Freemasons of Cornwall and Devon to put in , say a migriificent east window , wilh such a subject as the building e > f tiie Temple of King Solomon , or in any other way to identify their Order with the building of the first Cathedral in England since the Reformation . Bro . Tonkin , P . G . Supt . of Works , warmly seconded the resolution .

Ar00402

Bro . John Thomas , of Redruth , rose to oppose it , speak ing , as he saiel , on behalf of a large number of the breth " ren , and was proceeding to expound his views when tlie Prov . Grand Master rose , anel said that he hael previously talked the matter over with Bio . Holmes , who , at his surrgestion , had agreed , if there was any likelihood of a stormy opposition , to withdraw his motion for the present until a

more suitable opportunity occurred of bringing u forward His Lordship saiel he must observe , however , with reference to Bro . Thomas ' s remarks , that Bro . Holmes was amply justified in bringing thc matter forward , and that he hac [ plenty of precedents for the course he adopted . Bro . Thomas remarked that , as the Prov . Grand Master had said the motion was to be withdrawn , he was very glad of it , and he had no more to say on the subject .

Bro . Emra Holmes then asked leave to withdraw the motion for a Committee for this meeting , which , 011 being put to the lodije , was allowed , nem . con ., when Bro . Holmes gave notice that he shoulel bring forward the same motion next meeting , and at every future meeting , if necessary , until it was carried . He hoped , for the credit of the Masons of Cornwall , that they would not refuse l 0 assist in so noble an undertaking as the builiiing of the new Cathcelral at Truro .

The subject then droppctl . The banquet , which was a colt ! collation , was excellent , but the paucity of waiters was very much felt , and the dinner was more or less of a scramble , or , as a friend of ours calleel it , an amiable pandemonium . The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe was suppoitcel on his right by Bro . Sir Charles Sawle , Bart ., P . P . G . S . W . ; Bro

the Rev . Dr . Treffry , P . P . G . Chap . ; on his left by Bro . the Hon . and Rev . J . T . Boscawen , P . G . Chap . ; Colonel Peard , D . P . G . M . ; E . T . Carlyon , P . G . Sec , and others . About 120 brethren sat down , the rest of thc large num . bers who attenelcd lodge finding accommodation at the various hotels and eating houses iu the town . On thc removal of the cloth , thc P . G . M . proposed " The

Queen anel the Crafl , " which was duly honoured . In proposing " H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , Granel Master , " thc noble Chairman took occasion to dilate upon the genial kindness ami urbanity the Prince displaycel on every occasion , a charm of manner which not only maele bim beloved in this country , but which , he felt assured , was not without happy results iu our dealings wilh forci gii

countries . Bro . Sir Charles Siwle , in a few well-chosen v . 'oitls , proposed " Thc Health of their noble Chairman , " and Uic applause was so great anti long continued al the mention of the most popular Provincial Grand Master Cornwall ( and , probably , any other province in Englanil ) ever bat ! , that il was some little time before Lord Mount Edgcumbe

could reply . His Lordship , in thc course of his remarks , briefly noticed the fact of his appointment to the office eif Lord Chamberlain , lo which allu-ion had been made by Sir Charles , anil sail ! lhat he felt lhat Her Majesty hatl done him great honour in appointing biin to that office . He had that elay maele Col . i'c . ird his Deputy Prov . Grand Master , and he

hoped the brethren woultl understand that his own engagements were so many that , although he should always du his utmost to be present when it win absolutely necessary , he hoped tbey would excuse him tome-times if he instructed his Deputy to represent him , especially when he was so excellent a substitute as Bro . Col . Peard , whose health he woulel ask them to drink .

The gallant Colonel , who was received with a lurore ol applause , modestl y disclaimed any wish to take his lordship's place . Bro . Emra Holmes , by desire of the Prov . Granel Master , proposed " Thc Masonic Charities , " and , in doing so , urged thc brethren to remember that there was great danger eif their forgetting in thctc tlays lhat Masonry was

rot a her ch ' . society . The Otltl Fellows , Druids , Foresters , anel other kindred lioelies were very excellent institutions in their way , but Masonry was something higher than a benefit club , such as they - . vere , but he was afraie ! many people joined for what they ceiuld get out of it . At the same time , there was no doubt that the : Masonic Charities everc excellent institution : - , anti well deserving of their

support . He supposed that no other Charities iu the world could show such magnificent results ;> s the Masonic Charities . Certainly , at no public dinners in London were such large sums collected , amounting , as they did , to £ 10 , 000 , £ 1 2 , ooo , and even £ 13 , , as at the Masonic festival ? . Other toasts followed , anti the Tyler's toast brought the proceedings to a close . It has not yet been decided where the next Prov . Grand

Lodge will . be held , but it is thought Hayle will ° - selected . There is a great desire , we believe , em ihe part of tlie Lone , brethren , to have thc Prov . Graud Lodge there , ami as they have a beautiful and commodious new Town Halli in which th- ? . lodge might he held , anel Looe itself is a lovely plice and well wonh visiting , no eloubt the selection would be very popular .

The building in which the Freemasons of LostwithicI have located themselves is of some historic interest , and concerning which a m-mibrr has supplied the following notes : An interesting set of engravings was published by Same 6 ' and Nathaniel lia : k in 1734 , of views of L-istwithielji ' '' neighbourhood , ancl dedicatetl to the Hon . Richard Kiigcombc . One of the plates shows the Bridge ami I " ' ''

Fowey in the foreground , with the Duchy Palace standing in a small park extending from the building to the water s edge ; iu the bick ground stands the grand old Chute ' spire , anel Church , and several houses . Messrs . Buck a \ s ° ingeniously introduced Restormel Castle in the distanc . How they could conscientiously bring it in I do not kiio *' but perhaps men had greater powers for leioking i " u"