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WE published last week some particulars of the first visit paid Secretary " ™ his by the GRAND SECRETARY , since his appointment ' to office , to Travels . ^ E tern Division of South Wales . The reception accorded to him both as one of the principal executive officers of Grand Lodge , and as the representative selected by H . R . H . the Grand Z . to instal M . E-

Comp . M ARMADUKE TENNANT as Grand Superintendent of Royal Arch Masons in the Province , must have been extremely flattering . During the journey irom Newport to Aberaman House , the residence of Bro . Sir GEO , ELLIOT , Bart ., M . P ., P . G . M ., the train vvas stopped at frequent intervals in order that the brethren in different localities might have the opportunity

of presenting congratulatory addresses to the distinguished visitor , the two points at vvhich this compliment was paid most ceremoniously being Pontypridd , where the brethren of the Merlin Lodge exchanged greetings with Bro . Col . SHADWELL H . CLERKE , and in the grounds of Aberaman House , when Bro . Sir GEO . ELLIOT himself took part in the interesting function

as Prov . Grand Master . We rejoice , and we are convinced the Craft generally will rejoice likewise , at the courtesies thus shown to the GRAND SECRETARY , whose duties and responsibilities are onerous enough , whose official abilities are everywhere known and appreciated , and whose attachment to Freemasonry is above question . An officer , as conscientious in the

discharge of . his duties as Bro . Col . SHADWELL H . CLERKE is , needs no encouragement to perform them faithfully ; but a hearty welcome spontaneously afforded is nevertheless an encouragement which few men receive

unwillingly , and vve trust the GRAND SECRETARY will always be able to bring back with him from visits to this and other parts of the country associations as pleasurable as those connected with his recent trip to South Wales East .

Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS .

The April Quarterly Court of the Subscribers and Governors of this Institution was held last Saturday , at Freemasons' Hall , Bro . Horace Brooks Marshall , Past G . Treas ., in the chair . There were also present Bros . H . G . E . Green , Rev . A . F . A . Woodford , H . Massey , W . Roebuck , H . Smith , J . H . Matthews , G . Cooper , C . H . Webb , J . C . Hopwood , C . F . Matier , S . ] . Parkhouse , J .

Terry , J . G . Stevens , W . Eastes , G . P . Brockbank , A . E . Gladwell , C . F . Hogard , E . Letchworth , P . de L . Long * , J . S . Cumberland , E . Bowyer , and J . Wordsworth . The minutes of the January Quarterly Court , and of the Special General Court of 21 st of March , were read and confirmed , and the summary of the minutes of the General Committee of January , February , and March were also read .

On tbe motion of Bro . EDGAR BOWYER , P . G . Std . Br ., seconded b y Bro . C . F . HOGARD , Bro . Horace Brooks Marshall vvas unanimously reelected Treasurer of the Institution . The CHAIRMAN , in acknowledging the compliment , said the duties of

Treasurer vvere neither onerous nor responsible , perhaps by the liberality of the brethren . It vvas always a very great pleasure to him to give what time and attention he could , with the assistance of other brethren , to the benefit of the Institution , and he considered being placed in the position of Treasurer a very great honour indeed .

The following 12 annual Subscribers were elected the General Committee :

Bros . Ed . Ayling * , W . Beavis , J . W . Berrie , J . J . Caney , J . F . Corben , Col . Wolsey Cox , T . A . Dickson , VVm . Dodd , J . French , T . ' G . C . Gambrill , Walter Martin , and Wm . Vincent . The following notices of motion formed the next business—By Bro . J . BIRCH , Chairman of the Charity Committee , East

Lancashire—( a ) That , in order to suit the better convenience of the brethren representing the provinces and to facilitate the business of the elections , it is desirable that the day of election be altered . ( b ) That the election of the Girls' Institution be held on the Wednesday before the fourth Friday in May , and that the rules be altered in accordance vvith this resolution . By Bro . ROBERT WYLIE , P . Prov . G . W . Lanes ., W .

Division—That it is desirable to have the elections of the three Masonic Institutions , vvhich occur in the early part of the year , held on three consecutive days in the same month , say , Wednesday , Thursday , and Fiiday , in the month of May , and that a Committee be appointed to consider the matter , and confer vvith the Committees of the two other Institutions , and to report to the next Quarterly General Court .

Bro . J . A . BIRCH said that in the ordinary course of business these notices of motion would have been proposed by himself and Bro . Wylie as they stood on the agenda paper ; but as soon as he heard there was to be no contested election , he , with the concurrence of Bro . Wylie , changed his proposal , and now suggested that a Committee should be appointed to consider the matter , and confer with the Committee of the other two

Institutions , and report to the meeting of the October Quarterly General Court . This course recommended itself to the Secretary , as well as to himself , and he hoped it would meet with the concurrence of this Quarterly General Court , because there was considerable feeling in the provinces that the days should be altered , and the present would be a good opportunity for effecting the alteration .

Bro . C . F . HOGARD , in seconding the motion , said he should suggest that the Committees be the House Committees of the Three Institutions , and that the report should be made earlier than October . If the report were to be to the Quarterly Court in October , it would be the April Quarterl y Court before it could be acted upon .

The CHAIRMAN then read the following motion : — That it being considered desirable by certain provincial brethren that the dates for the election of the three Masonic Institutions should be altered Committee , a be appointed to consider the matter and confer with the Committees of the other two Institutions , and report to a meeting of the October Quarterly General Court . The motion was carried .

Bro . BIRCH then thought that the Committees might consist of five members from each Institution , two provincial brethren to be included , as the provinces wished to be represented . That would make the Committee fifteen . Bro . W . F . SMITHSON , West Yorkshire , proposed that Bro . J . A . Birch

( East Lancashire ) , Bro . John Wordsworth ( West Yorkshire ) , Bro . Thomas Fenn , Bro . Robert Grey , and Bro . J . H . Matthews ( London ) , be the Committee to consider this resolution , and report to the Quarterly General Court , Bro . S . H . PARKHOUSE said there was a strong feeling in London that the days for the election should not be Wednesday , Thursday , and Friday ,

Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

He thought some consideration should be shown to the provincial breth ren certainly , but he also thought consideration should be shown to the London brethren , who were not organised as were the country brethren . It was a serious thing to London brethren to leave their business . Bro . HENRY SMITH , D . Prov . G . M . West Yorkshire , thought the days should be Friday , Saturday , and Monday .

Bro . BIRCH said as far as the provinces were concerned they desired to leave the matter entirely in the hands of the Committee . They wished however , to establish as a principle that there should be but one attendance in London instead of several . Bro . H . SMITH observed that the business men from the country required the same consideration as the London brethren .

Bro . BIRCH did not want to put il as a question between the country brethren and the London brethren . It was a matter of convenience , and they wished to study it . The motion having been seconded , vvas carried . The CHAIRMAN then proposed that the 28 girls on the list of candidates ( Norman , the 29 th girl , having been withdrawn ) be declared elected . The motion having been seconded bv Bro . PETER DE LANDE LOJIQ was carried .

The CHAIRMAN would like to say a few words on congratulating the friends of the candidates admitted to the benefits of this invaluable Institution without the trouble , expense , anxiety , and worry of a contested election . Although every case was thoroughly examined by the General Committee and was well worthy of being in the School , it vvas a fact that the child who had the support of a province or a wealthy patron of the Institution at her

back was the child who was invariably elected . It did sometimes occur that a child who was friendless and destitute was the one that went to the wall and was left out in the cold , Upon such an occasion as this it was that these children reaped the benefits of the Institution , and he was sure the beneficent act of the Governors , who took the whole number of candidates

in without election , would receive the approval of the whole body of subscribers . The Board of Management looked with confidence to an increased amount of support from the friends of the Institution at the Annual Festival on May nth , in consequence of the increased expense , trouble , and anxiety which vvere incurred by taking in so large a number of children .

Bro . J . S . CUMBERLAND ( North and East Yorkshire ) having enquired as to an item of £ 153 3 s . jd . for the funeral expenses of the late Matron of the Institution , and Bro . F . R . W . HEDGES ( Secretary ) having explained that the sum , which included mourning for the whole of the staff and the servants , had been passed with the rest of the accounts by the House Committee , but that , if desired , he would produce the particulars , a vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the proceedings .

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

The April Quarterly Court of the Governors and Subscribers of this Institution was held on Monday , at Freemasons' Tavern . Bro . W . Roebuck , G . Swd . Br ., Trustee and Vice-Patron , in the chair . There vvere also present , among others—Bros . A . H . Tattershall , F . Adlard , G . King , W . Roebuck , C . F . Hogard , H . Radcliffe , T . Mount Humphries , H . Smith , G . J . McKay , G . Kenning , W . A . Surrah , H . Stone , C . H . Haine , I . W . Burgess , W . F . Smithson , J . Clever , J . S . Cumberland , W . Morgan ,

J . L . Mather , W . A . Dawson , S . J . Parkhouse , E . Bowyer , H . Venn , J . Mason , S . G . Homfray , R . V . Vassar-Smith , A . T . Perkins , Rev . A . F . A . Woodford , D . D . Mercer , C . F . Matier , R . Wylie , C . H . Driver , W . Goodacre , P . Wallis , T . Wordsworth , W . Harrop , G . Fletcher , G . Dixon , G . P . Brockbank , W . H . Spaull , H . ' Dickey , H . Massey , W . H . Ferryman , A . C . Spaull , F . R . Spaull , R . G . Barton , C . L . Smiles , J . J . Berrie , J . G . Stevens , Robert Grey , H . Hacker , R . Roberts , W . C . Claridge , J . S . Pierce , G . Bolton , R . Barham , W . H . Saunders , E . Spooner , H . S . Goodall , G . P . Gillard , G . Gardner , E . Ayling , J . Drewett , J . E . Le Feuvre , and J . Pinder . After the reading and confirmation cf thc minutes ,

Bro . R . W . STEWART , P . G . D ., moved , and Bro . W . HOPEKIRK seconded , the re-election of Bro . George Plucknett as Treasurer , and , being put to the vote , the re-election was unanimous . On the motion of Bro . C . F . HOGARD , Vice-President , Clause 3 , 5 Law 25 was rescinded .

The following two motions were the next to be disposed of , notice having been previously given : — By Bro . J . A . BIRCH , L . G ., P . P . J . G . W . East Lancashire—That in order to suit the better convenience of the brethren representing the provinces , and to facilitate the business of the elections , it is desirable that the day of election should be altered—that the Spring Half-Yearly Election of the Boys' Institution be held on the Thursday immediately preceding the fourth Friday in May ; and that Law 29 be altered in accordance vvith this resolution .

By Bro . ROBERT WYLIE , L . G ., P . P . S . G . W . West Lancashire : — That it is desirable to have the elections of the three Masonic Institutions , which occur in the early part of the year , held on three consecutive days in the same month , say Wednesday , Thursday , and Friday in the month of May , and that a Committee be appointed to consider the matter , and confer vvith Committees of the two other Institutions , and to report to the next Quarterly General Court .

Bro . BIRCH said that in order to save the time of the Court , the notices of motion standing in the names of himself and Bro . Wylie would be moved in one resolution by himself , and that Bro . Wylie would second it as follows :

That in order to suit the better convenience of the brethren representing the provinces , and to facilitate the business of the elections , it is desirable that the day of election should be altered ; and that a Committee be appointed to consider the matter and conte with Committees of the two other Institutions , and to report to the Quarterly Genera Court in October

The CHAIRMAN said five brethren were appointed on Saturday as the Committee to act for the Girls' School—three London and two Provincial

brethren . , Bro . BIRCH , in moving the resolution , said it would be perceived by tn brethren that these two resolutions aimed at the same purpose , the sa ^ i ° of time and expense of two attendances in London where one would j . —at the Girls' and Boys' Courts in April and the Old People ' s in May . l { was principally in the interest of the provincial brethren , no doubt ; but , the same time , it was possible to show that it would meet with the co ' *¦

venience of the London brethren as well , and would tend to the benem welfare of the Institution . These three glorious Institutions were p lace d contiguity to the metropolis , and the fact of this location entailed on provincial brethren considerable disadvantages , for , whereas the k 0 I \ . brethren could jump into a cab or a train , and soon get homeafter atteno s these Courts , the brethren from the country had to spend one day in c ° ^\ to London and another day in returning home . Another point was tha of them vvere engaged in business , and they thought one break iti * 3 USI r ) iswas better than two . As to the expenses , there were 48 Provincial or