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CONTENTS . PAGE . LEADERSBritish Columbian Masonry ... ... ... ... ... 95 Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Pennsylvania ... ... ... 95 Consecration of the Royal Albert Edward Chapter , No . 1362 ... ... 97 Consecration of the Eccentric Chapter , No . 224 S ... ... ... 97 Consecration of St . Mary of the Harbour Lodge , No . 259 r ... ... 9 S General Committee of Grand Lodge and Board of Benevolence ... ... gS Bro . the late Dr . W . R . Woodman Memorial Fund ... ... ... 98 Annual Ball and Banquet of the Sir Walter Raleigh Lodge , No . 243 2 ... 99 First Ladies' Night of the Virtruvian Lodge , No . 87 ... ... ... 99 First Ball of the Fellowship Lodge , No . 2535 ... ... ... ... 99 Ladies' Night of the Emulation Lodge , No . 1505 ... ... ... 100 Presentation to Bro . G . Lainson Hart , P . M . 558 ... ... ... joo Masonic Ball by St . John ' s Lodge , No . 1343 ... ... ... ... 100 Presentation to Bro . James Lewis Thomas , F . S . A ., P . A . G . D . C . ... ... 100 Presentation to Bro . Rice , P . M . 1755 ... ... ... ... 101 Wedding cf Bro . T . C . Pratt , P . M . ... ... ... ... 101 Ooituary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 101 Masonic Notes ... ... ... ... ... ... 103 Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... 104 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 105 Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 10 9 Knights Templar ... _ ... .... ... ... ... 10 9 Lodges and Chapter of Instruction ... ... ... ... ... 109 Our Portrait Gallery ... ... ... ... ... ... 109 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... no

British Columbian Masonry.

BRITISH COLUMBIAN MASONRY .

Though Freemasonry in this distant portion of the British Empire is on a restricted scale , and , until the Colony has become more thickly populated , is likely to remain so , there can be no question that during the last few years considerable progress has been made . Thc Grand Lodp-e of British Columbia was formed

111 December , 1871 , but for some time the lodges do not appear to have increased in number ; in fact , sundry of the earlier lodges amalgamated , the Lodge Victoria-Columbia , vvhich ranks as No . 1 on the roll of the Grand Lodge , having been formed by

thc union of the Victoria and Columbia Lodges , both of English Constitution , which were numbered originally Nos . 1 and 5 , while the Vancouver-Quadra Lodge , No . 2 , vvas in like manner formed by lhe union of Vancouver Lodge , No . 2 , originally warranted by

tlie Grand Lodge of Scotland , and Quadra Lodge , No . 8 . However , about 10 years since the Craft appear to have bestirred themselves , and , from the published proceedings of the annual Communication , held at Nanaimo , in June , 1892 , it appears that

there were 13 lodges on the roll , of vvhich Nos . 1 and 2 , as already slated , had been formed by the union , in each case , of two lodges , the aggregate of subscribing members being 860 . Nos . 1 and 2 had 178 and 115 members respectively ; Nos . 3 and 4 , 9 6

'ind 24 members ; Nos . 7 and 9—there being no longer any Nos . 4 , 5 i and 8—8 9 and 101 members ; and the remaining seven lodges U-ss than 50 members each , with the exception of No . 12 , which ' ¦ ould boast of a total membership of 97 . As regards financial

position , the funds and property of the 13 lodges were estimated at 53 . 745 dollars , the belongings of No . 1 being set down - ' it 8650 dollars ; of No . 2 at 3322 dollars : of No . 3 at ! 1 , 709 dollars : of No . 4 at something short of 2000 ¦

dollars ; and No . 9 at 20 , 600 dollars ; the property of the remainder being returned at smaller amounts . According to the statements contained either in the Grand Master ' s address or in f » c reports of the different executive Grand Officers the work in

• ill cases is said to be carried out well : indeed , except on the score of the modest number of lodges on the roll—a fault , if it > e one , which time and a more numerous population will enable I le ,: ) re t « ren to rectify—the Masonic body as a whole would seem

, ° have been very favourably circumstanced at the date of this 2 ! st annual communication , with every promise of still further Lvelopment . That promise has been realised . Thc procecdof the Grand

^ gs Lodge at its 24 th communication in June of ¦ ^ S ycar . llavc not reached us , but from a review of them which contained in our respected contemporary , the Voice of

British Columbian Masonry.

Alasonry , for the current month , we gather that there are now 21 lodges on the roll with an aggregate subscribing membership of 1260 , which is an increase as compared with 18 94 of 193 members , and as compared with the returns for 18 92 already

referred to , of 409 . The receipts for the year amounted to 206 7 dollars , and the expenditure to 1888 dollars , the former showing an increase of 420 dollars as compared with 1892 . The total of the General Fund is set down at 3308 dollars , and of the Grand

Chanty Fund at 497 6 dollars , the amount disbursed in relief being 990 dollars , or about 30 per cent , more than in 1892 . The total of all the funds and propery belonging to the different lodges is given as 45 , 198 dollars , which , though it exhibits a

substantial falling off when compared with the figures for 1892 , is nevertheless a considerable sum for so small a number of lodges , The Grand Master in his address is reported to have " recommended the taking ol the first step towards establishing a Masonic

Home , " but it would seem to have been the opinion of G . Lodge that " the time was not yet ripe " for venturing upon such a step ; but " a Committee was appointed to consider the subject of such an undertaking , ' and to report at the next Annual

Communication . " As for the manner in which the well being of the lodges is looked after by the principal Officers of Grand Lodge , it is worth noting that the Grand Master reported having officially

visited 10 of the lodges , while the Deputy Grand Master visited 13 and the District Deputy Grand Masters 17 lodges " at least once , and some of them three times . "

These particulars relating to the Grand Lodge of British Columbia are small by comparison with thc similar particulars which could be furnished respecting some of the other Grand Lodges in British North America or some of those in the United

States , but the element of bigness , though it -can never be anything else than impressive , must not be taken as our sole guide in forming a judgment of what has been done b y any section of our Society in a specified period of time ; nor do we think there

are many Grand Lodges that can boast of having increased in numerical strength by close on 50 per cent , in the brief space of three years . Yet the figures we have quoted show that this has been done by this small and comparatively new Grand

Lodge between 18 92 and 18 95 . We congratulate our British Columbian brethren on the facts we have described , and we trust that three years hence we may be in a position to report as favourably of their stability and progress .

Grand Royal Arch Chapter Of Pennsylvania.

GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF PENNSYLVANIA .

In view of the fact that the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Pennsylvania would celebrate the centenary of its constitution on the 23 rd November , 18 95 , the Grand Secretary of that body addressed a circular letter , bearing date the 21 st of the preceding

month , to the Royal Arch chapters in the jurisdiction in which , under direction from the M . E . Grand High Priest , he recommended that as it would be impossible for all the chapters in Pennsylvania to participate in the celebration of the Grand

Chapter centenary , each private chapter should , either at its next regular convocation or at one specially appointed so as to fall as near the 23 rd November as possible , celebrate the auspicious

event in its own Hall . In the circular it was suggested that an address by some competent companion in commemoration of the centenary should be given , and accordingly Charter Chapter , No . 258 , met on the 25 th November , when " appro-