Analysis Of The Returns.

CORNWALL , like the two preceding Provinces , and the four that follow , had only a single representative , whose list was £ 26 5 s . In 1 S 97 the 30 lodges on the roll of the Province were represented at all three Festivals , the total subscribed amounting to £ 34 ' 9 - > ^ 0- Major Shanks being the Steward at the Old People ' s Festival ; n February , and Bro . Anderton , Prov . G . Sec , at those of the Schools , Mrs . Anderton being his colleague at the Boys ' celebration . In 1 S 96 the total ' was

roo 5 us ., of which this Institution received two-thirds and the Boys' School the other third . In 1 S 95 Bro . the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , Prov . G . M ., presided as Chairman at the Girls' School Festival , and the Province very handsomely supported his lordship to the extent of £ 750 , the year ' s total being £ 789 iSs . In 1894 £ 241 I 0 S - apportioned between the Schools , and in 1 S 93 the Boys' School had the field to itself , and obtained support to the extent of £ 225 15 s . In 1892 Lord Mount Edgcumbe presided at the Benevolent Jubilee , when Cornwall backed up its chief by raising £ 77 6 15 s . This is an excellent record .

Seeing that it is only as recently as June of last year that CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND with its roll of 21 lodges , raised £ 1260 for the Boys' School Festival , held under the presidency of its Prov . G . M ., Bro . Lord Henry Cavendish-Bentinck , M . P ., it is not surprising that on Tuesday only a single Steward , with a list of £ 21 , should have figured in the Returns . The Province is not regularly represented ; hut when it enters an appearance at these anniversary gatherings , it does so to

very good purpose . Thus at the Benevolent Jubilee in 1 S 92 it figured as the contributor of £ 420 ; at the Boys' School Festival the preceding year it raised £ 265 13 s . ; at the Girls'Centenary in iSSS it gave £ 210 ; and-at the Boys ' School Festival in 18 S 3 , when a supreme effort was made on behalf of the Preparatory School , it subscribed £ 1050 . We have no doubt , however , that , though the sum standing to its credit on this occasion is small , we shall have the privilege of recording something on a larger scale before the year 1898 has run its course .

The 56 lodges on the roll of DEVONSHIRE had a worthy representative in our respected Bro . F . B . Westlake , whose list of £ 10 ios . as no doubt the promise of those larger contributions awaiting us in connection with the remaining Festivals of the year , more especially as the Province has latterly been exhibiting a greater interest than formerly in our Charities . Last

year , for instance , it distributed £ 248 2 S . 6 d . among the Institutions ; in 1896 , £ 190 ios . between the Schools ; in 18 95 , £ 226 16 s . ; in 1 S 94 , £ 135 12 s . ; and in 1 S 93 , £ 181 2 S . ; while in 1 S 92 it raised in all £ 923 Ss . 6 d ., of which , £ 807 8 s . 6 d . was in respect of the Benevolent Jubilee . It has , moreover , certain Educational and Annuity Funds of its own , which , owing to the liberal support they receive , are in a position to do good service among our Devon brethren .

Bro . J . H . Whadcoat , whose name is frequently to be met with in these lists , represented the Lodge of Amity , No . 137 , Poole , as the contributor of £ 10 ios ., this being one of 14 lodges on the roll of

DORSETSHIRE . Last year the total of its subscriptions to our three Institutions was £ 585 , of which this Institution received £ 137 us . j the Girls' School £ 72 9 s . ; and the Boys' School £ 375 . In 1896 , the Province raised £ 160 ios . for this Institution , and £ 12 12 s . for the Girls School ; in 1895 , the sum raised was £ 3 151 is ., of which

£ 105 went to the Old People , and £ 246 is . to " Our Boys . " In 1894 , the sum of £ 192 ios . was shared between this Institution and the Girls' School ; and in 18 93 , the Schools were together benefited to the extent of £ 233 ; while in 1892 , the donations and subscriptions in respect of the Benevolent Jubilee amounted to £ 521 6 s . This , too , is a creditable record for so small a Province .

DURHAM , which musters 37 lodges , is , at present , Stewardless , but has contributed 50 guineas to this Festival , and it may be that the name of some brother will be forthcoming later as Steward with this amount for his list . The same thing

happened at the Girls' School in 1 S 97 , when the Province gave £ 52 ios ., but without furnishing a Steward , while in February it contributed £ 253 is . to this Institution . In 18 9 6 the total of its contributions was £ 566 ios . ; in 18 95 , i 5 ' 2 8 s . ; in 1 S 94 , £ 509 2 s . ; in 18 93 , £ 338 2 s . ; and in 1 S 92 , £ 1034 5 s ., of which £ 720 5 s . was raised for the Benevolent Jubilee .

Two of the 38 lodges in ESSEX sent up Stewards , and two brethren did duty on their own account , the sum of their lour lists amounting to £ 135 3 s . 6 d ., which is not a very formidable total for this energetic Province . In 1897 it raised in all £ 833 iSs . 6 d , this Institution being supported to the extent of £ 414 19 s . 6 d ., the Girl ' s' School with £ 303 9 s ., and the Boys School with ^ 115 ios . in June . In 1 S 96 , the total , including £ 950

subscribed to the Girls' School , reached £ 1433 us . 6 d . ; in 18 95 , £ 1272 ios . ; and in 18 94 , £ 1123 . In 1893 , when its Prov . G . Master—then Lord Brooke—was Chairman at the Boys' School Festival , the year ' s subscriptions amounted to < I 1 3 S ' 6 < 5- ' of which no less than ^ " 5 s 6 s > 6 d - found its wayitit 0 thc B ° y ' school coffers ; while in 18 92 , when this Institution celebrated its Jubilee , the total including £ 2318 2 s . 6 d . on that occasion , stood at £ 26 oS 5 s . But if the total on juesdaywason a modest scale , we dare say the year generally will be a productive one .

GLOUCESTERSHIRE with its 16 lodges has an Unattached representative in the person of Bro . Baron ae f errieres , who has figured many times as Steward at these gatherings now "b'ures for apparentl y a personal donation of 45 guineas . The Province is both a . onsistent and generous supporter of our Institutions . Last year it subscribed

it ' c \ , s Institution . £ 286 18 s . to the Girls' School , and £ 304 ios . to the andiR ^ « I " ' 896 the total was £ 544 19 s . ; in 18 95 £ 598 19 s . ; and in . 8 94 ever th 1 gUreS WCre ^ ' | 28 6 s- 6 dl < and ^ 3 ° 4 ' - respectively . In 1892 , howof it , D lar S ^ of £ 1729 us , was raised , of which £ 1645 us . was in support nL-iif f ° y School , at whose Festival Bro . Sir Michael Hicks-Beach , Bart ., M . P ., presided as Chairman . ' At the last moment it has devolved upon us to place

nnon * t , HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT It his is 1 ' P resented Provinces , the sum standing to its credit being £ 26 Ss . amo ' untYf $ ° " the ro 1 ' . and its support last year to the three Institutions receiver M 23 Jfs- Gd - In l 8 9 6 ! t raised £ * ' 49 12 s . 6 d ., of which this Institution In , 80 71 ?! , - -i the Girls'School , £ 256 12 s . ; and the Boys'School , £ 696 is . School- i ° ^ aS £ 84 ° S- 6 d- ' o £ whicn ^ S Ss - was subscribed to the Bovs ' exceeded jvf ^ " - " amo , lnteci to £ 95 i 9 s . 6 d . ; while in 1 893 it only slightly in all / ificn ° ? 1 ? bt t 0 the efforts of the Precedingl year , when it raised l * . 5 ° ' 7 s- | OI Which nO leSS than Allt in « nA wac onhu .-.-ihnrl tr . ll . »

tional Insult- £ add , tion . has been supporting all these years an Educa"uppotteJl ! ° " , ' , - which the lodges and brethren have very generously iea , ana which therefore has been able to do good service to the Province . Six of the 22 lodges 5 ent HERTFORDSHIRE , attached 'rafJ ^ fU ° " J occasion a " there were likewise three brethren un . •¦ * S we number of representatives to nine . Thesearnonglthem compiled

Analysis Of The Returns.

a total of £ 329 13 s . 6 d ., of which £ 115 ios . was returned by Bro . C . E . Keyser , as Steward for the Halsey Lodge . No . 1479 , St . Albans , while Bro . If . J . Tuck , of the Hertford Lodge , No . 403 , Hertford , is entered for £ 46 4 s . 6 d ., and Bro . J . S . Brunskill , of the St . Michael's Lodge , No . 2136 , for £ 45 2 s . < 5 d . Thus , Hertfordshire , or as it was familiarly described many years ago , " Little Herts , " is one of the few Provinces that have bestirred themselves to make anything

like a suitable Return on this occasion . This is not altogether surprising , firstly , because its record during the last 10 or a dozen years is , for so moderatesized a Province , a splendid one , and then because Bro . Terry , the Secretary to the Old People , has teen an officer of the Province for well nigh 30 years . Last year it raised £ 1431 7 s ., made up of £ 857 4 s . 6 d . to this Institution ; £ 399 7 s . to the Girls'School ; and £ 174 Ks . to the Boys' School . In 1896 , it distributed

£ ' 538 6 s . 6 d . among the three Chanties , the Benevolent receiving £ 744 Ss . 6 d . ; the Girls' School £ 295 3 s . ; and " Our Boys" 49 S' 15 s . In 1 S 95 , the three Institutions tor ether obtained £ 1120 9 s . 6 d ., and in 1 S 94 , £ 958 6 s . 4 d . ; but in 1 S 93 , when Bro . C . E . Keyser presided as Chairman at the Festival of this Institution , the Returns to the three Charities amouuted to £ 2106 14 s ., and 18 92 , the year of the Benevolent Jubilee , to £ 2135 6 s . 6 d . Only four out of 63 lodges on the roll of

. KENT were represented at Tuesday ' s gathering , the totil of their lists being £ 107 us . 6 d . In 1 S 97 and 18 9 6 , the Returns , though considerable in themselves , were below the average for this influential Province , the total last year reaching £ 852 2 s ., and in 1896 , £ 798 iSs . In 1 S 95 . including the sum paid for the Eastes Perpetual

Presentation to the Boys' School , the sum raised was £ 2399 91 . 61 . ; in 1 S 91 , £ 1225 ios . 6 d . ; and in 1893 , £ 2103 12 s . 6 d . In 1 S 92 , when this Institution held its Jubilee , the figures were £ 3003 13 s . 6 d ., and in iSgi , when Earl Amherst , Prov . G . M ., occupied the chair at the Benevolent Festival , the year ' s aggregate was £ 40 iS . Ss .

An Unattached Steward—Bro . C . D . Cheetham—whose name his often figured on these occasions , had the honour of representing the 111 lodges in

LANCASHIRE ( E . D . ) Last year the Province gave C 775 19 s ., made up of C 46 4 95 . to the Old People in February ; £ 250 15 s . to the Girls'School in May ; and C 60 15 s . to the Bays ' School the following month . In 18 9 6 the total was . U 912 93 ., and in 1895 , owing to the very successful Festival in aid of its own Educitional and Benevolent Institution , only C 265 15 s . In 1894 the Returns totalled up to C 772 7 s . 6 d ., and in 1 S 93 £ 389 18 s . ; but in 1 S 92 it distributed among the Central Charities JE 2 S 24 15 s ., and in 1891 £ 1278 . Bro . Cheetham's list on Tuesday was £ 194 5 s .

The representatives of two out of the 118 lodges in LANCASHIRE ( W . D . ) and an Unattached brother are entered in the lists of Tuesday , the amount they together contributed being £ 31 ios . Last year the Province raised £ 486123 ., of which ^ 209 8 s . was in respect of the Boys' School , while the balance was apportioned between the Girls' School and this Institution , but conspicuously to

the advantage of the latter . In 1896 , including £ 448 5 s . to the Boys' School , the amount raised was £ 530 13 s . 6 d ., and in 18 95 £ 510 15 s . Cd ., but in 18 94 the Earl of Lathom , Prov . G . M ., presided at the Girls' School Festival , and the Province supported him to the extent of £ 2500 , the year ' s total being £ 2768 2 s . 6 d ,, and in 18 93 only £ 792 18 s . In 1892 the year yielded a total of £ 1679 14 s . 6 j ., and in 1891 , when the Prov . Grand Master presided for the Boys' School , £ 6341 14 s . 6 d ., of which £ 6126 14 s . 6 d . was in support of the favoured Charity .

Another of the limited number of Provinces which have contributed on their usual scale is MIDDLESEX , eight of its 42 lodges having together compiled the excellent total of C 273 19 s ., the most important list being that of Bro . S . J . Mellin , of the Elliot Lodge , No . 1567 , Feltham , for . CSi 12 s . Last year the Province raised 1 * 352 us . for this

Institution j £ 260 Ss . for the Girls' School ; and £ 492 19 s . for the Boys' School ; or altogether £ 1105 iSs . In 18 9 6 the total was £ 3967 13 s . 6 d ., but of this immense sum £ 3705 15 s . 6 d . was subscribed to this Institution in loyal support of the Chairmanship of Bro . Lord George Hamilton , M . P ., Prov . G . M . In 18 95 only £ 493 Ss . was forthcoming ; but then in 18 94 it gave £ 1043 17 s . 6 d . In 1893 the total was . C 630 iSs ., while in 1892 it reached £ 1619 15 s . 6 d ., of which £ 1315 9 s . was in aid of the Benevolent Jubilee .

NORTH ANTS AND HUNTS sent up two representatives , of whom Bro . A . Cockerill did duty as Steward for the Pomfret Lodge , No . 3 60 , Northampton—one of 16 lodges on the roll of the Province—and did it well , too , by compiling a list of £ 70 , while Bro . H . Manfield , Unattached , supplemented this with £ 31 ios ., and so increasing the Return to the

£ 101 ios . Last year the Province distributed £ 76 3 12 s . amon ^ Charities , giving £ 141 iss . to this Institution , £ 7 8 ios . to the Girls'School , and £ 543 7 s , to the Boys' School . In 1 S 96 the total subscribed was £ 183 15 s . ; in 18 95 , £ 105 ; in 18 94 , £ 328 7 s . ; and in 1 S 93 , including £ 1050 for the Girls' School , when Bro . the Earl of Euston , Prov . G . M ., presided as Chairman , £ 1107 12 s . These totals are in every way creditable to a Province of such moderate size .

It is not often that NORTH WALES shows to such advantage as it did on Tuesday , when a brace of Stewards between them compiled the very handsome total of £ 294 , Bro . Tuxford's list as representing the Madoc Lodge , No . 1509 , Portmadoc , and the St . Trillo Lodge , No . 2360 , Colwyu Bay , being responsible tor £ 153 5 s ., and Bro . James Porter , Unattached , for

£ 141 13 s . Last year the Province , which musters 20 lodges , took part in all three Festivals , the sum of its contributions bein # C 147 . In 18 9 6 , the total stood at £ 307 15 s . 6 d ., the Boys' School receiving as its share C 17 S 12 s . 6 d . ; the Girls ' School £ 84 ; and this Institution £ 45 3 ; . In 18 93 , the Province raised £ 302 8 s ., in which was included £ 186 iSs . totbe Boys'School ; in 18 94 , £ 400 17 s . fid . ; in 1 ^ 93 , £ 474 18 s . ; and in 1 S 92 , £ 495 12 s . These are , generally speaking , capital Returns for a province , which is by no means strong numerically .

We now come to the " Chairman's Province '' of OXFORDSHIRE , which , though it numbers only a dozen lodges all told , has , as might have been expected from the reputation it has enjoyed for many years , acquitted itself with great credit . The total of its contributions , including a personal donation ot £ 52 ios . from the Chairman , reached £ 521 7 s . 6 . 1 ., the principal items being Uioi

raised by the three Stewards of the Attred Loige , No . 340 , Oxford ; ^ : > i by the live Stewards of Apollo University Lodge , No . 357 , OxforU ; £ 53 17 s . ( id ., obtained by Bro . E , R . T . Croxall , representing the Churchill Lodge , No . 47 8 , Oxford j , £ 62 Ss . 6 d . being the joint list of Bros . James Hastings and A . E . Hunt , of the Bertie Lodge , No . 1515 , Oxford ; and £ 52 ios . raised by Bro . Henry Birch , of

the St . Mary's Lodge , No . 176 3 , Thame . In 18 97 the Province gave £ 240 15 s . 6 d . to this Institution , £ 51 7 s . Gd . to " Our Girls , " and £ 18 3 18 s . In ) , to " Our Boys . " In 1896 the total was C 351 8 s . 6 d . ; in 18 93 , £ 3 8 . 1 18 s . 6 J . ; in 18 94 , £ 312 is . ; i » 1893 , £ 440 6 s . 6 d , ; and in 1892 , £ 661 ig- > . 6 d ., the Jubilee Festival of this Institution being supported to the extent ut £ 428 7 s . Thus the total obtained on Tuesday is the highest during the period we nave traversed from 1892 inclusive ;