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CONTENTS . PAGE . LEADERSFreemasonry in Bombay ... ... ... ... ... 37 The District Grand Lodge of Bengal ... ... ... ... 38 Consecration of the Guardian Lodge , No . 2625 ... ... ... 3 S Consecration of the Byfield Lodge , No . 2632 ... ... ... ... 3 g Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Wiltshire ... ... ... ... 40

Provincial Priory of Kent ... ... ... ... ... 40 Masonic Banquet and Ball ... ... ... ... ... 40 Old Masonians' Cricket Club ... ... ... ... ... 40 Opening of a New Masonic Hall at Lyme Regis _ ... ... ... 40 Annual Meeting of the Kiiby Lodge of Instruction , No . 263 ... ... 41 Board of Benevolence ... ... ... ... ... ... 41 Obituary ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 41 MASONIC

NOTESCelebration of 21 st Anniversary of the Studholme Lodge , No . 1591 ... 43 Consecration of the Guardian and Byfield Lodges ... ... ... 43 Annual General Meeting of the East Lancashire Systematic Masonic Educational and Benevclent Institution ... ... ... 43 Correspondence .,. ... ... ... ... ... 44

Masonic Notes and Queries ... ... ... ... ... 44 Reviews ... ... .,, ... .,. ... ... 44 Craft Masonry ... ... ,,, ... ... ... 4 s The Craft Abroad ... ... ... . „ ... ... 46 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 48

Freemasonry In Bombay.

FREEMASONRY IN BOMBAY .

The address delivered by Bro . GEO . 0 . W . DUNN , D . D . G . M ., as Dist . G . M ., at the half-yearly communication of the District Grand Lodge of Bombay on the 27 th November , 1896 , contains , as we hinted in one of our Notes of last week , several remarks

of more than usual interest not only to the local brethren , but to the whole English Craft . At the outset Bro . DUNN drew attention to the very small number of Hindu and Mahommedan brethren as compared with the European and Parsi , there being

as many as 708 of the latter out of a grand total of 797 for the whole District of Bombay . Said Bro . DUNN—and the very words he used are well worth quoting— " I am convinced that nothing but good can come of a larger admixture of our Hindu

and Mohammedan fellow subjects under the banner of Freemasonry . The free interchange of ideas , the social intercourse , the absence of religious and political differences—the airing of which is very particularly discouraged among us—and the

charitable objects which we have in common , all these work for good only , by showing to each race or sect the good qualities of the others , by teaching us that charitable hearts , noble thoughts , and kindly dispositions are not the exclusive property of any one

class among us , but that we are all the children of one common Father , endowed with the same human feelings , the same human weaknesses , the same human virtues . " And to this eloquent exposition of the purposes which Freemasonry is designed to

effect and does effect where it is rightly understood and practised , he added , " I have said before , and I repeat now , that in my opinion Freemasonry has peculiar duties in this country , and that it is doing and can do still more important work in

more closely knitting together the various classes , races , and creeds that go to make up this wonderful Empire of India . " The Acting District Grand Master then went on to recommend " the establishment of more native lodges , and more particularly of

mixed lodges , " as a means that would conduce most effectually towards knitting together the classes and races and creeds . He further pointed out that the District would be greatly strengthened in numbers if those who for various reasons had left the

Craft were to return to the lodges , and once again become active members of the Fraternity . But even the non-affiliate , of whom we read so much in American Masonic newspapers and their

reports of Masonic proceedings , has his uses , in Bro . DUNN ' opinion—that is , of course , if he adheres to his Masonic principles . In such case his influence " cannot be without good

Freemasonry In Bombay.

effect , playing , as it must , the part of the little leaven that leaveneth the whole lump . " The next point of interest will be found later where Bro . DUNN announces that on his first day of office as Deputy District

Grand Master he was present , by invitation , at the consecration of the Scots Lodge , No . 828 , Bombay , under the Scottish Constitution . With reference to this , he was content with remarking , but very pertinently and appropriately— " As we welcome

the extension of the Craft , whether under the English or Scottish Constitution , I am sure this new Scotch lodge has your very hearty good wishes . It has been my good fortune to have attended one of the ordinary meetings of the lodge since then

by invitation , and I hope it will not be my last visit . " On many previous occasions we have noted—and doubtless we shall have many future occasions of noting—with pleasure the exceeding harmony which prevails between these two sections of

the Craft . But we have invariably done this with the view of pointing out that relations of this kind which are not onl y possible but actually exist between two sections of brethren in the presidency of Bombay , must likewise be possible in other

colonies and dependencies of the British Crown . If the brethren of the English and Scottish Constitutions in Bombay can live together in complete harmony , exchanging visits to their respective lodges , conferring honorary rank in one constitution on distinguished

members of the other , and sharing between them the cost of erecting a Masonic Hall for their joint use , then wc say , what has been said or written in the past about the difficulty of

reconciling the conflicting—or at least , rival—interests of two or more bodies working side by side under different systems—which systems , however , are the same in essentials , though differing in details—is all moonshine . We used to hear such statements in

former days when the question of establishing some local Grand Lodge was being discussed , and in reply we invariably singled out this presidency of Bombay as our evidence to the contrary . We said in effect—It is all very well for you to make these

statements , but go to Bombay and there you will find that the difficulties you sp ^ ak of do not exist . There the most complete harmony prevails between the members of the English and Scottish Constitutions .

One other part of Bro . DUNN S address must be referred to , namely , that in which he describes what has been , and is being , done in the matter of erecting a Masonic Hall in Bombay for the joint use of the English and Scottish Craft . It appears that

a site has been secured , and the plans and estimates for erecting the hall have been prepared by the Joint Hall Commiitee , but it is , first of all , necessary that these plans should be submitted for the approval of the Government , and when that has been obtained ,

the work of building will be commenced . Matters , however , were in such an advanced stage at the date when this address was delivered , that the Acting District Grand Master was able to announce that His Excellency , Bro . Lord SANDHURST , Pro

District Grand Master , had fixed upon Thursday , the 21 st January current , for the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of the edifice . It is estimated that a sum of between 53 , 000 and 54 , 000 rupees will be required to be raised in donations towards

defraying the cost of erection , and of this about 32 , 000 rupees hadbeenobtaineduptoabout the middleof last November . More , of course , has since been raised , and we can only express the

hope that the whole of the sum required will be obtained by this means . Otherwise , as the Acting District Grand Master was careful to point out , it will be necessary to raise it b y means of