Provincial Grand Lodge Of West Yorkshire.

harmony of the members of the Masonic body under their administration , and the true interests of the principles committed to their supervision . They earnestly desired to maintain in the lodges that spirit of peace which was so eminently characteristic of Freemasonry , and to show , in their quiet and unobtrusive manner , the veneration in which they held the rulers and patrons of the Order , their hatred of plots and conspiracies , and their

disfavour of a policy of disintegration as regarded religion and the State , and to uphold those three ties which fundamentally bound imperial communities together . Many events for the welfare and woe of the country and for the Craft had occurred since Provincial Grand Lodge met in that place in October , 1 S 84 . Not quite a 3 'ear had passed since they honoured Bro . Lord Lathom at Leeds , when he ( Bro . Tew ) was installed as P . G . M . in the

room of their late gallant and beloved commander-in-chief , Bro . Sir Henry Edwards , Bart ., C . B ., who , he regretted to say , was still invalided at Halifax . The opportunity so gracefully accorded to many of those present in July last by the ex-Mayor and Master Cutler of Sheffield ( both honoured members of the Britannia Lodge ) , to offer a welcome to Prince Albert Victor , was a brilliant occasion and heartily availed of , of expressing

devotion and attachment to the Royal Family of England , and also their appreciation of the exhibits of Sheffield industries . Also a little later they had the opportunity oi greeting the Prince and Princess of VVales at the opening of the Yorkshire College , Leeds . The worth of the Masonic charges had been singularly verified in that the autumnal electoral contests had left them no broken friendship and no differences of opinion unhealed .

( Cheers ) . The 42 towns in which the lodges were established could surely say that Masonry in their midst had exercised a wise and benign influence over the contentions which marked so prominently the closing months of last year . The province desired to acknowledge the generosity of the lodges for their support of the Masonic Charities which yearly required urgent support because of the many deaths and by the fact that 116 votes had been

lost in consequence . There were more candidates for their votes and it took about five times as many votes to elect a candidate now as was formerly the case , yet their voting power , in consequence of deaths , had not increased since 1875 . The contributions of that province to the five Masonic institutions , to the 31 st March , amounted to £ 17 60 , which sum might possibly be considerably augmented . The West Yorkshire

participants of these institutions were deriving benefits to the extent of £ 214 8 annually , therefore they received more in return than they provided for the education and maintenance of these participants . The whole body of the Craft on the 24 th February , gave to the Festival of the Benevolent Institution ^ 14 , 850 . ( Cheers . ) He trusted that the Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , in May next , might be equally successful .

The collections at Skipton Church in October , amounting to £ 16 ios ., had been handed over to the Boys' Institution , which gave to West Yorkshire six votes in perpetuity to that educational establishment . The contribution of the Provincial Grand Lodge and Chapter of £ 68 5 s ., added to the balance from the presentation fund , had been the means of endowing the Chairman of the P . G . Lodge as a Patron to the Girls' School Institution .

The whole body of Freemasons rejoiced that the Prince of VVales was reelected Grand Master of the Order in March . ( Cheers . ) His goodness of heart was displayed by the motion which he delegated to a brother that 200 guineas be granted to the Mansion House Fund for the relief of the Unemployed , whilst a further sum of £ 2300 was awarded from the funds at the disposal of the Board of Benevolence to the relief of Masonic petitioners .

( Cheers . ) It was his privilege in October to present to the Probity Lodge ) ( Halifax ) a centenary warrant . On the 17 th December , Excelsior Lodge ( Leeds ) completed the 21 st year of its existence , and in celebration of the event £ 126 had been collected and handed over to the Benevolent Institution . On the ist of March Goderich Lodge ( Leeds ) admitted on to the roll of its members Mr . G , VV . Balfour , M . P ., for Central Leeds . They had to

deplore the death on the 17 th of February of Bro . Geo . R . Mossman , Clerk to the Bradford Justices . Bro . Widdop and 64 other members of the Craft had also passed away . Another noble-minded man had passed away . Bradford and England had sustained a severe loss by the death of the Right Hon . VV . E . Forster , one of whose most prominent characteristics was his immense sympathies for the sufferings of humanity—a trait every Mason strove to

cultivate . In May , 1837 , Bro . Charles Lee , of Leeds , was appointed D . P , G . M . of West Yorkshire . He retired from that responsible office in October , 1856 , and was presented with a testimonial of silver in recognition of his valuable Masonic services . He passed away in November of the same year , and was buried in Adel Churchyard . His widow died at close of last year . She had upon trust left two legacies for the time being , one of £ 100 to

the Royal Benevolent Institution , and the other of £$ 0 for the Royal Free * masons' School for Female Children . She further bequeathed the two silver vases and stands which were presented to her husband to the Right Worshipful P . G . M . for the time being for the use of the Provincial Grand Lodge . It appeared from Bro . Mason's researches that they cost upwards of £ 170 . As occupant of the chair , he had pleasure in handing over this

beautiful and appropriate gift to the care of the Provincial Grand Lodge . ( Cheers . ) The Assistant Provincial Grand Secretary having found the old banner under whicii Bro . Charles Lee served , he had had had it restored and presented it to the lodge . The brethren would thank the Assistant Provincial Grand Secretary for this beautiful gift . ( Cheers . ) Bro . Wordsworth , to his great regret , retired from the chairmanship of the Charity Committee , a position in which he had been signally successful .

The roll of lodges having been called , it was found that out of the 6 9 lodges in this province only five were unrepresented at that meeting . Bro . HERBERT G . E . GREEN , the Provincial Grand Secretary , read letters of apology from Bro . VV . L . Jackson , M . P ., and ' other brethren , after which

Bro . THOMAS RUDDOCK , the Provincial Grand Treasurer , presented the statement of accounts , which showed that there was a balance in iavour of the province of over ^ 1000 , after meeting all charges . Bro . W . F . SMITHSON , P . P . G . D ., Chairman of the Charity Committee of the province , presented a most satisfactory report on behalf of the Charity Committee , which was unanimously adopted . It was also decided that the next meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge should be held at Bradford in October .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of West Yorkshire.

The R . VV . Prov . Grand Master then invested his officers as follows : Bros . Thomas William Embleton , M . E ., P . M . 1513 ... Prov . G . S . W . ,, Edwin Woodhouse , P . M . 304 , 206 9 ... ... Prov . G . J . W . „ Rev . T . C Smyth , D . D ., LL . D ., VV . M . 20 G 9 Prov . G . Chap . Rev . VVilliam S . Turnbull . M . A .. I . W . TA 6- > P ,-n . r n Pl . nr ,

„ F . M . Tindall , P . M . 1239 ... ... p . G . Treas . „ Joseph Binney , P . M . 139 ... ... Prov . G . Reg . „ Herbert G . E . Green , P . M . 1019 ... ... Prov . G . Sec . „ James Ambler , P . M . 302 ... ... Prov . G . S . D . „ VVilliam Henry Steward , P . M . 3 S 0 ... ... Prov . G . S . D . ,, Henry VVilliam Maleham , P . M . 296 ... ... Prov . G . J . D . ,, George Marshall , P . M . 521 ... ... Prov . G . ' f . D .

„ Thomas William Roome , P . M . 904 ... ... Prov . G . S . of VV . „ George Buckley , jun ., P . M . 61 ... ... Prov . G . D . of C . „ Samuel Talentyre Oates , P . M . 304 ... ... Prov . D . G . D . C . „ Henry Trevor Gardiner , P . M . 45 8 ... ... Prov . G . A . D . C . ,, fames Bourne Hargreaves , P . M . 1311 ... Prov . G . Swd . B . „ Thomas Woodhead , P . M . 1522 ... ... Prov . G . Std . Br .

„ VVilliam Laycock , P . M . 110 S ... ... Prov . G . Std . Br . „ William Brereton Townsend , P . M . 1211 ... Prov . G . Org . „ William Brewin Alderson , P . M . 495 ... Prov . G . A . S . „ William Thomas Sugg , P . M . 149 ... ... Prov . G . Purst . „ John Tinker , P . M . 652 ... ... ... Prov . G . A . Purst . „ John William Fourness , P . M . 1211 ... „ Edwin Lee , P . M . 265

„ Thomas Denby , P . M . 387 ... ... D „ „ . , „ Thomas Michael Holmes , P . M . 1542 ... f Prov ' ' btwds - „ Samuel Sugden , P . M . 1 645 „ Job Harling . P . M . 1542 ... „ Joshua Lee , P . M . 290 ... ... ... Prov . G . Tyler „ Jim Sheard , P . M . 971 ... ... ... Prov . G . A . Tyler

From this list it will be seen that Leeds has received a very large share of the honours it is in the power of Bro . Tew to bestow . Lodge Prudence , No . 2069 , heads the list , its W . M . having been made P . G . Chaplain , and its I . P . M ., P . G . W . Bro . Townsend and Fourness , of Goderich , have been appointed P . G . Organist and P . G . Steward respectively . Bro . Oates , of the Philantrophic , 304 , has been made Prov . Dep . D . of C , and Bro . J . B . Hargreaves , of Zetland , No . 1311 , has been made Prov . G . Swd . Br . The lodge having been closed , the brethren adjourned to a banquet , which was served at the Masonic Hall , Surrey-street .

Freemasonry In The Soudan.

FREEMASONRY IN THE SOUDAN .

BY DR . JOSIAH WILLIAMS , F . R . G . S ., Author of Life in the Soudan , & c . In November , 1 S 81 , I left England as medical officer in charge of an expedition to Egypt , the Soudan , and Kunama , or Base Country , our object being sport and exploration . A full account of the expedition and our strange experiences has already been related in my work ; it would ,

therefore , be superfluous to enlarge upon them more than to give just an outline of our journey to Kassala . VVe leftShepheard ' s Hotel , Cairo , one morning about the end of November , and arrived in Suez in the evening . On account of a block in the Suez Canal , we were compelled to remain in this most uninteresting place for about a week . At the end of that time we were so

fortunate as to obtain a steamer , which , after a three days' voyage on the Red Sea , landed us at Suakin , in the Soudan . About three days were occupied here in engaging camels to carry us and our baggage across the desert , and in sorting out boxes , & c . All this having been accomplished , and the camels ( about 80 in number ) having been brought into the large

square on the quay to be laden , there ensued such a row as would have completely driven Mr . Babbage out of all his calculations ; no organgrinder could have upset any one more than the camels and camel-men . The camels roar and bellow , without any apparent cause , before the loads are adjusted on their hameias ; the bushy-haired camel-men jabber away like

a parcel of chattering baboons , and quarrel with one another in a womanish kind of way as to the respective loads of the respective camels . The bush y hair , being mop-like in appearance , is most convenient as leverage , so that one angry Arab frequently takes a savage delight in seizing this appendage , and without too much care produces an extremely rapid side-to-side

movement of the head from which this springs , whilst Suleiman , our head-man and manager of the caravan , appears to feel the responsibilities of his office acutely ; but not so acutely as the noisy Arabs . Suleiman is a philosopher and a very impartial man ; he knows well the requirements of the Hadendowah Arabs , and , being a just man , he docs not allow their

requirements to go unsatisfied . He walks round with a coorbatch ( a whip made of hippopotamus hide ) using the most convincing arguments with very little expenditure of breath ; for by the judicious and frequent application of the aforesaid coorbatch , he rapidly instils into the minds of the chattering Arabs that his theory is " more work and less talk . " I may mention " en

passant" that the chief characteristics of the Hadendowah Arabs are laziness and lying . By continual practice they have achieved great proficiency in these arts , and I should say few could excel them . VVhen fully three hours had been consumed in wrangling and loading , our caravan moved on for a march of nearly 300 miles across the desert to Kassala , and it was at

such an out-of-the-way place as this part of Central Africa that I met with my Masonic experience , which I should think was unique in its way . In consequence of illness in the camp , we were over three weeks in crossing the dessert . Arrived at Kassala , our camp was pitched about a quarter of a mile outside the town .

In England we are accustomed , in the stilly hour of night , when the little stars are twinkling , and the moon sheds its soft radiance on all around , to the somewhat distracting music of our domestic pets—called cats ; and because they usually select the garden wall for their concert , I presume that this species of amusement has been denominated by the vulgar , cat-erwauling . In Kassala matters were differently arranged . How shall I describe the picturesque scene ?