District Grand Lodge Of Bengal.

The minutes of the Quarterly Communication of the 28 th December , 1875 , were read and confirmed . The District Grand Master in the Chair reminded the brethren that since the last Quarterly Communication of District Grand Lodge , —that held on the 28 th December , the minutes of which had just been confirmed , —there had been , on the 7 th January , a Special Communication , for

the purpose of dealing with certain propositions relative to the support of the Bengal Masonic Association . The minutes of this Special Communication would now be put before District Grand Lodge for confirmation , but he wished the brethren to understand clearly that the confirmation which would now be asked for was a confirmation of the minutes only , not of the resolutions of which they

were the record . The confirmation of the resolutions by which ( with the final sanction of the Most Worshipful the Grand Master of England ) they would acquire the force of law , in and for the Province of Bengal , could only be voted at a meetingjheld after the lapse of a period of not less than three months from the Special Communication of the 7 th January . Summonses were about to be issued

immediately for such a meeting , and with each summons it was required by Art . 8 , page 59 of the Book of Constitutions , that a copy of the resolutions which had been agreed to at the first meeting should be sent to every lodge . All therefore that District Grand Lodge was now asked to do , by " confirming the minutes " of the Special Communication of the 7 th January , was to certify that the business which

these minutes declared had been transacted at the meeting in question , had taken place , and had been correctly recorded . Bro . Prosonno Coomar Dutt moved—That the minutes of the proceedings of District Grand Lodge , at a Special Communication held on the 7 th January , 1875 , having been printed and circulated , be tgken as read . Seconded by Bro .

W . H . Fitze , P . M . 218 , and Past D . S . G . D ., and carried . Bro . D . J . Zemin , P . M . 229 , and Past D . G . Registrar , then moved that the aforesaid minutes of the 7 th January , 1875 , be declared to be correctly recorded . Seconded by Bro . W . G . Amos , W . M . 229 , and Past D . G . Deacon , and carried . The District Grand Master in the Chair addressed the

District Grand Lodge as follows : — " It is customary for you to receive an address from this chair at our Quarterly Communications of District Grand Lodge , but my words to you this evening will be but few . I will not be guilty of the mock modesty of saying that I could not have prepared an address , but still , having only taken charge four days ago , you would scarcely expect me

to speak very glibly of the affairs of the Province . The Acting District Grand Secretary has , however , furnished me with a few notes , from which I find that at the close of the year 1874 there were 27 lodges working , and 675 subscribing members , as against 25 lodges and 581 members at the close of i 8 y . " Financially , our positien is also extremely satisfactory ,

as you will see from the Reports from our two Committees ( the Committee of General Purposes and the Committee of the Fund of Benevolence ) which will be put before you this evening ' . " The punctuality with which nearly all the lodges in the Province have submitted their returns is most marked , and it is also very gratifying to me that there is not one

single subject of a disagreeable nature to bring before you . No exclusions have been reported from any lodge in the Province since we last met . " It gives me much pleasure to announce to you that H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , our Most Worshipful Grand Master , has been pleased to appoint Captain Marmaduke Ramsay , of Meean Meer , to be District

Grand Master for the Punjab . Our R . W . brother was installed at Lahore on the 26 th of last month , and it will be , gratifying to you all to know that the Installing Officer was a Past Deputy District Grand Master of Bengal . In the Masonic periodical which I have in my hand ( the " Masonic Record of Western India , " for March , 1875 ) there is a very interesting account of the ceremony , and an

allusion to the great Masonic worth of our Bro . 11 . H . Locke , which greatly commends itself to me , written with a warmth of language exceedingly pleasant to read . I am sure that you will join me in congratulating both the District of the Punjab and our Bro . Ramsay on this appointment , and in sincere and most cordial good wishes for the prosperity of our sister Grand District under his rule .

" In conclusion I would say a word to you about our Bengal Freemasons' Almanac and Diary for 18 75 . It has been considerably enlarged this year , and now gives as much Masonic information concerning the sister Grand Districts of Madras , Bombay , British Burmah , and the Punjab as for Bengal itself . A very great amount of labour has been devoted to it by Bro . Locke and Bro . Dutt ,

and the expense which has been incurred in getting together the latest information from distant places and in producing the work in its present enlarged form , and in the best style in which it could be executed in Calcutta , has naturally been considerable ; unless therefore a proportionately larger sale is obtained , the amount which our Fund of Benevolence ( to which , as you know , all the profits upon our Diary

are devoted ) will derive from it will fail to be in any way commensurate with the pains which have been taken to please you . Our Bro . Locke says that he confidently expects a larger sale this year , and he has had , I know , a sufficient number of copies printed to enable every working Bengal Freemason ( according to the statistics which I gave you a little while since ) to possess himself of one . I hope ,

brethren , that you will all do your best to see that he is not disappointed in his expectation , which to me seems certainly a reasonable one , for I hardly know how any real working Mason could manage to get on without his Bengal Diary—I ; know , at any rate , that I could not . " The report of the Committee of General Purposes having been printed and circulated , was , on motion made by Bor .

District Grand Lodge Of Bengal.

Zemin , Past D . G . Reg ., seconded by Bro . Fitze , Past D . G . Deacon , taken as read . Bro . W . C . Bonnerjee , D . G . Reg ., moved , and Bro . P . ' C . Dutt , D . G . Assist . D . of C , seconded , that the accounts of the District Grand Lodge and Fund of Benevolence for the quarter ending 2 SU 1 February , 1875 , as presented in the abstracts furnished in the report of the

Committee of General Purposes , be accepted and passed as correct , which was carried . Bro . Fitze , Past D . G . Deacon , moved , and Bro . Mactavish , D . S . G . W ., seconded , that the remainder of the report of the Committee of General Purposes be also adopted and recorded , which was carried . It was proposed by Bro . Mactavish , D . S . G . W ., and

seconded by Bro . J . H . Turner , Past D . G . S . B ., that the report from the Committee of the Fund of Benevolence be adopted and recorded . Carried . Pursuant to notice , Bro . J . H . E . Beer moved that Worshipful Bro . John Blessington Roberts be the nominee of this District Grand Lodge for the vacant office of District Grand Master of Bengal .

The District Grand Master in the Chair said he must ask Bro . Beer not to move this resolution , at any rate in its present form as to wording . However desirable it might be to approach the M . W . the Grand Master with some representation upon the subject ( and he believed the wishes of the brethren in Bengal that some representation should be made were very strong ) , he did not think that

the mode of doing so , which the motion in question appeared to-contemplate , was the proper one . Bro . H . H . Locke likewise took exception to the course proposed by Bro . Beer ' s motion . It was , he thought , entirely out of the question that this District Grand Lodge should take any such step as that of " nomination ; " in fact , were such a resolution passed , it must prove wholly

infructuous , even if it did not subject us to censure from the Grand Lodge of England for encroaching , or at any rate seeming to encroach , upon the prerogative of the M . W . the Grand Master . At the same time he thought that the lodges in the Province . 'night , without impropriety , make known to the AI . W . the G . M . their desires upon a subject of such near concern to their prosperity ; and

although the Grand Master was in no way bound to adopt any recommendation that might be made , it was not , he thought , unlikely that , in the event of their being anything like a general concurrence in the wishes of the brethren , it would receive full consideration , and would doubtless much assist the M . W . the G . M . in determining his choice . He thought that if Bro . Beer would amend

his motion , so that it should simply invite the lodges in the Province to express any wishes they might have upon the subject , it would meet with full support from all present . He should himself be very happy to second the motion in such a shape , whereas in its present form , though in full sympathy with its object , he should feel compelled to vote against it .

Bro . Thomas Jones , Past D . G . Reg ., expressed his concurrence in the view taken by Bro . Locke as to the form which the motion should take . Bro . Beer declared his entire readiness to amend his motion as suggested . Bro . C . H . Compton , Past D . G . Org ., was of opinion that Bro . Beer could not alter the motion from the form in

which he had placed it upon the Agenda paper . Bro . Bonnerjee , D . G . Reg ., and Bro . Thomas Jones , Past D . G . Reg ., were of the same opinion . Bro . Locke thought that Bro . Beer could do so with the consent of the meeting , but of course not without this ; and , as objection had been made , he supposed Bro . Beer would be obliged to adhere to the motion as entered on the

Agenda paper . He much regretted , however , that Bro . Beer was not permitted to move an amended motion instead . Bro . Beer then said that , simply as a matter of form , and for the purpose of giving the opportunity of an amendment being proposed , of the kind suggested by the District

Grand Master in the Chair and by Bro . Locke , he would move his original resolution , as given above . The ' motion was seconded , pro forma , by Bro . F . Jennings , Past Dep . D . G . M ., in order that the resolution of Bro . Beer might not fall for want of a seconder , and so preclude the adoption of an amendment which it was intended should be put .

Bro . H . H . Locke , Past Dep . D . G . M ., then moved the following amendment : — " That the lodges in the Province be invited to send in , to the District Grand Secretary , the name of the brother whom they would wish to see appointed to the office of District Grand Master , with a view to the submission of the same to the M . W . the Grand Master for his gracious consideration . " This amendment was seconded by Bro . Thomas Jones ,

Past D . G . Reg ., who spoke very forcibly in support of it . On being put to the vote , the amendment was declared to be carried . After some other business had been transacted , the usual collection was made for the Fund of Benevolence . The amount was announced to be Rs . 122 , and was made over to the District Grand Treasurer . District Grand Lodge was then closed in form .

Arrest Of A Masonic Swindler.

ARREST OF A MASONIC SWINDLER .

It affords us a great deal of pleasure and gratification to be able to announce that a most consummate Masonic swindler has been arrested and brought to justice in

California , and at the present time he is serving a sentence of imprisonment in the county jail of Solano County , for obtaining money by false representations . At the last session of the Grand Lodge , the Grand Master called attention to the operations of this rascal ,

Arrest Of A Masonic Swindler.

who had been operating in the Western States , and cautioned the Craft to be on the look-out for him , as it was probable he would visit California . Shortly after the adjournment of the Grand Lodge the fellow made his appearance in San Francisco . He even had the audacity to visit the Temple , and interview the President of the Board of Relief . Brother Past Master Elias Rodccker

examined the swindler and found him to be an unusually bright Mason . He gave the name of Alexander Craig , said he had been a deputy lecturer , and told a story of distress which so aroused the sympathies of Brothers McCormick and Rodecker that they gave him quite a large sum of money . When Brother Alexander G . Abell , the Grand Secretary , was informed of the case , he immediately

recognized the description as that of the man who had been mentioned by the Grand Master , and for whom the brethren were notified to keep watch . Efforts were made to secure the arrest of the rascal in the city , but he succeeded in eluding those who were sent to look after him , and escaped into the country . Every few days the fellow would be heard from , but , like the Irishman ' s flea

he was always gone when you went to put your finger on him . After a time he turned up in Vallejo , where he " went for " some of the brethren , and succeeding in getting sums ranging from £ 10 to £ 50 . Immediately after obtaining the money he started for San Francisco , but had hardly taken his departure before it was discovered that he was a confidence operator . A telegram was forwarded

to Grand Secretary Abell , requesting him to cause the arrest of the fugitive on the arrival of the boat in San Francisco . Unfortunately the dispatch was forwarded to Oakland instead of San Francisco , and the opportunity to make the arrest was lost . On the boat , while coming from Vallejo , the plausible rascal succeeded in obtaining money from two of the passengers and the captain .

When informed of the miscarriage of the telegram , and the consequent failure to arrest the rascal , the Sheriff of Solano county visited San Francisco and began a search for the fugitive , whom he found in one of the theatres hob-nobbing with a police officer . He whispered to the officer to keep an eye on the fellow until the boat was ready to depart for Vallejo , when the arrest was made and

the prisoner conveyed to Solano county . A grand jury was immediately empanelled and the case submitted , and a true bill found against the prisoner , to which he pleaded guilty , anil was sentenced to one year's imprisonment in the county jail—the utmost penalty allowed by the law . This precious rascal is twenty-eight or thirty years of age ; about six feet high ; large dark eyes , with an

unusual amount of white in them , and with a restless expression—presenting a wild gaze , as though he momentarily expected to be seized by an officer of the law . His hair is a dark brown , with whiskers lighter in colour . His complexion is medium blonde , and his weight is , perhaps , 140 to 150 pounds . The fellow is a good billiard player , and was in the habit of loafing about billiard saloons , playing pool , etc .

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . J . HOLLAND . The High Cross Lodge has lost a valuable member by the death of Bro . J . Holland , of Northumberland Park . The deceased was much respected wherever he was known . He was always ready to perform an act of kindness ; and the very large attendance at Abney Park Cemetery when he was interred was an unmistakeable proof of the affection with which he was regarded .

BRO . C . T . WALMISLEY . We regret to have to record the death of Bro . Charles Thomas Walmisley , who was for nearly twenty years Deputy Grand Secretary of Grand Lodge of Ireland . He was in his 63 rd year , and died on the 13 th inst ., after a short illness , at the house of his brother , in Belsize-road , Hampstead , near London .

BRO . WILLIAM ROBERTSON , P . M . ^ 3 . The funeral of this lamented brother , whose death at the early age of forty-eight years was announced in our obituary on Monday , 10 th inst ., took place on Tuesday . It having been resolved that the funeral should be a public one , the brethren met at two o'clock in Edgin-street , U . P . Church Hall , where appropriate devotional exercises were

conducted by the Rev . Mr . M'Bride . Thereafter the procession of brethren was formed four abreast , headed by the R . W . M . and Past Masters of Lodge ^ 3 t a"d followed by the hearse , and two carriages containing the immediate relatives of the deceased , marched from the house of the latter in Pollokshaws-road to the Necropolis , where the remains of the departed brother were interred in a site

selected and acquired b y him only some eight months ago . By the removal of Bro . Robertson the province has untimely lost one of its most zealous and accomplished brethren . He joined the Craft in the year 1862 , being entered , passed , and raised in Lodge St . George , No . 3 ^ 3 , which at that time held its meetings in . Hutcheson-street . He speedily discovered himself to be one who had the good

of Freemasonry at heart , and both willing and able to work for the furthering of its interests . Accordingly , he was soon promoted to office , holding the Senior Warden ' s chair in 1863 and 1864 , and being installed in the year following . At the close of 1866 he resigned the R . W . M . chair , ¦ but up to the time of his fatal illness , about a month ago , he was a chief column at all meetings of the lodge where there was work to be done . Nor were his services confined

to his mother lodge alone , but freely given throughout the Province of Glasgow and adjoining provinces ; inasmuch so that , in acknowledgment of them , he had been affiliated as honorary member in no fewer than twenty-two lodges . Bro . Robertson leaves behind him a widow and eight children , four 50 ns and four daughters ,