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INSTANCES of longevity are certain to attract to themselves a considerable amount of notice , especially if they happen to be associated with people who have been born great , have achieved greatness , or had greatness thrust upon them . A case in point is that of the late Bro . Sir MOSES MONTEFIORE , who died , some two months since , at the advanced age of

ioo years ; but of whom it may be said that such was the excellence of his life , and such and so many the good works he had accomplished , that had he passed away at 60 , instead of 100 years , there would have been exhibited the same universal regret for his loss . Three other cases have occurred within the last few weeks of prominent persons dying , who had

lono- since exceeded the ordinary span of human life , the most conspicuous being that of the Rev . GEORGE ELWES CORRIE , D . D ., Master of Jesus College , Cambridge , who died , on Sunday last , in the 93 rd year of his age . Dr . CORRIE ' grandfather was present at the battle of Culloden , fought in 1746 , and is said to have personally described to his grandson the details of

that ever-memorable engagement . Now , if we assume—and there is nothing unreasonable in the . assumption—that CORRIE ( grandfather ) was about 25 years of age at the time of the said battle , or , in other words , was born in , or about , the year 1721 , we shall find that the period intervening between his birth and the death of his grandson , during the current week ,

embraces pretty nearly the whole career of our Modern or Speculative system of Freemasonry , as established by the " Four Old Lodges , " in 1717 . Thus the reverend deceased of Sunday last conversed in his early youth with one who was not improbably an infant—who may have even already been promoted from petticoats to breeches—when Grand Master

PAYNE was issuing his Regulations , and ANDERSON was on the point of receiving his commission to compile our earliest Book of Constitutions ; when J Duke of M ONTAGU , the first nobleman elected to the office since 1717—was installed Grand Master—indeed , if in London he may have been taken to see Grand Lodge marching in procession from

the Queen ' s Arms Tavern , in St . Paul ' s Churchyard , to Stationers' Hall , where his grace was formally inducted into office by his immediate predecessor , PAYNE , and Past Grand Master , Dr . DESAGULIERS , delivered an eloquent oration in honour of the event . He may , too , have seen the funeral procession which accompanied the remains of Sir CHRISTOPHER

WRENwho is claimed to have been Grand Master of Masons before 1717—to their last resting-place in the crypt of St . Paul's Cathedral , while if we suppose that he had any inclination to hear the preaching and teaching celebrities of our Metropolis , it needs no stretch of the imagination to suppose that Dr . C ORRIE ' S grandfather may have heard ANDERSON discoursing

theology from his presbyterian pulpit in London , or Dr . DESAGULIERS delivering one of his popular lectures on physics . All these things are reasonably possible in the case of the gallant soldier of Culloden , who in his old age described the incidents of the battle to his youthful grandson , deceased only on Sunday last , as Master of one of our Cambridge Colleges . We

are not aware that Dr . CORRIE was a Freemason , and we have not , therefore , been led into this train of thought by any incident in his career that is likely to be of exceptional interest to our Fraternity ; but the course of our reflections is the more natural if it is borne in mind—as we have already

been at the pains of pointing out—that the period comprised between the death of Dr . CORRIE and the birth of his grandfather is as nearly as possible conterminous with that which has seen the birth and progress of our present system of Freemasonry .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cornwall.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF CORNWALL .

The annual meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Cornwall was held on Monday at the Elementary School , Lostwithiel , and was very largely attended—the schoolroom proving , in fact , to be totally inadequate to accommodate the brethren . The meeting was held under the banner of the Restormel Lodge , No . S 56 , which was formed in 1861 , and now meets in the old " Duchy Palace . " As there had not been a Provincial Grand

Lodge held at Lostwithiel since the installation of the former Prov . Grand Master ( R . W . Bro . Augustus Smith ) , the brethren of the Restormel Lodge made every arrangement for the reception of the Provincial Grand Lodge ; but they unfortunately underestimated the number which would attend . The schoolroom was decorated for the occasion , and , so far as circumstances would permit , it was fitted up as completely as possible as a lodge room . At

the gate was erected a small arch of evergreens , & c , with the Cornish arms and motto— " One and All . " The Prov . Grand Master , the Right Hon . the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , was supported by Bros . W . J . Hughan , P . G . S . D . of England ; Sir Charles Graves-Sawle , Bart ., Dep . Prov . Grand Master ; Wm . E . Michell , P . M . 1528 , P . P . G . S . W ., as G . S . W ., in the absence of Bro . the Hon . and the Rev . G . T . Boscawen , P . M . 6 99 ; Henry Martin Harvey , P . M . 789 , G . I . W . ; and others .

The roll of lodges having been called , the PROV . GRAND SECRETARY said he was glad to report that every lodge was represented . ( Applause . ) The Prov . G . S . then presented his annual report , which stated that there was again a decrease in the total number of subscribing members caused by a large number being returned as in arrear . The number returned up to the 31 st December last was 1473 , as against 1507 the previous year ,

although the initiations last year were 92 . There were 107 names in arrear , and he must impress upon Masters of lodges the illegality of appointing brethren to office who were in arrear . ( Applause . ) Since the last Provincial Lodge the foundation-stone of a new hall for Love and Honour , No . 75 , Falmouth , had been laid by V . W . Bro . Sir Charles Brune Graves-Sawle , D . P . G . M . He regretted to say that there had been some delay in sending in the returns of the lodges , one lodge being especially late , and thus the

publication of the Directory was delayed . The province was again indebted to Bro . Hughan for editing the Directory , which was so full of valuable information . He was astonished to hear that a W . M . had , within a few weeks of his installation , resigned the membership of his lodge for no apparent reason whatever , because it was most un-Masonic , and the brother had not kept his obligation , ( Applause . ) The P . G . MASTER expressed a hope that the Masters of lodges would see that their returns were sent in more regularly . He was glad to see

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cornwall.

Bro . Hughan with them that day . ( Cheers . ) It certainly seemed most unaccountable that a brother . should accept the office of W . M ., and then in so short a time give up the management of the lodge , and he hoped such a thing would never occur again . ( Cheers . ) The Secretary ' s report was received and adopted .

In the absence of the P . G . Treas ., Bro . Francis Boase , through indisposition , the SECRETARY read the statement of accounts . The year was commenced with a balance of £ 19 8 , which with £ 162 fees received from 29 lodges in the province , £ 20 as fees of honour and sundry other items , brought the total receipts up to £ 393 16 s . 2 d . Fifty guineas had been grained to the Benevolent Institution for Aged Widows ; 50 guineas to the

Girls' Masonic School , and Cornwall Masonic Annuity Fund ; £ 20 to relieve two distressed brothers , and after paying the expenses of the province there was a balance in hand of about £ 171 . ( Applause . ) The P . G . MASTER thought the report of a very gratifying character . ( Applause . ) The report was received and adopted .

W . Bro . T . CHIRGWTN , Treasurer of the Cornwall Masonic Annuity and Benevolent Fund , reported that the subscriptions for the year amounted to £ 164 15 s ., being a decrease of over £ 18 over the amount received last year . There was a balance at the bank of £ 297 9 s . 7 d ., and they had , with the sum in the bank , an invested capital of , £ 3887 15 s ., being an increase in the capital of £ 125 12 s . 2 d . since last year .

( Applause . ) There were four male annuitants , each receiving £ 20 per annum , and there were three female annuitants , two were in receipt of £ 20 , and the other £ 10 a year . Two of the educational grants expired this year . There were three others of £ 15 a year , each one of them expiring in 1886 . No petition had been received for any fresh educational grant .

In answer to the PROV . GRAND MASTER , W . Bro . CHIRGWIN said they would be in a position next year to make four educational grants out of the fund . ( Applause , ) The PROV . G . SECRETARY read the report of the Committee of Relief , which stated that £ 2 , temporary relief , had been granted to a brother at Falmouth . They recommended a grant of £ 20 to a brother of the Phoenix Lodge of Honour and Prudence , and that £ 10 be given to the widow of a

brother at St . Ives . Another sad appeal came too late for Prov . G . Lodge from a brother at Tywardreath , but a grant of £ 2 temporary relief was made . Since then the brother had died . The widow and children were quite destitute , and , although contrary to bye-laws , the Committee , under the circumstances , recommended a grant of £ 10 . The Committee further recommended that in future £ 5 be granted instead of £ 2 to relieve necessitous cases . The report was agreed to .

W . Bro . C . TRUSCOTT , P . P . G . J . W ., the Manager of the votes in the Central Masonic Charities , presented his annual report . He was pleased to report that they had succeeded in carrying all the candidates that they had brought forward , and , thanks to the liberal response of the lodges and brethren to the appeal made to them on behalf ot the Charities , a considerable increase had been made to their voting list . The Festival of the

Royal Masonic . Benevolent Institution was held in February last , when London , represented by 164 Stewards , contributed £ 9675 7 s ., and the provinces , represented by 186 Stewards , contributed £ 7825 10 s ., making a total by 350 Stewards ot £ 17 , 500 17 s . 8 d . The 97 th Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls was held in May , when London , through 131 Stewards , contributed £ 6226 14 s . 6 d ., and the provinces , through 142

Stewards , £ 79 60 17 s . ; a total , through 273 Stewards , of £ 14 , 18 7 us . 6 d . The 87 th Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys was held in June , when London , with 119 Stewards , contributed £ 5092 , and the provinces , with 156 Stewards , £ 6655 , making a total , through 275 Stewards , of £ 11 , 748 . The grand totals for the above Institutions were—London , £ 20 , 944 18 s . 6 d ., and the provinces , £ 22 , 441 iqs . 8 d . ; total , £ 43 , 436 18 s ., 2 d .,

being a decrease on last year from London of £ 1440 6 s ., and increase from the provinces of £ 3135 . ( Applause . ) His appeal to the various lodges and brethren had been liberally responded to , and had presented from Cornwall to the Benevolent Institution , £ 226 18 s ., and to Girls' School , £ 210 ; total £ 436 18 s . He took that opportunity of tendering his best thanks to those lodges and brethren for their kind support , which had

materially strengthened the list of votes . At the Boys' Election they had a candidate , the son of a late brother at Helston , and he was happy to report his election with 1780 votes , being fifteenth on the list of the 26 successful . They had two candidates for the Benevolent Institution , and he was pleased to report that they were successful in both cases , getting them twentieth and twenty-first on the list . They had , until recently , on the

respective Institutions two girls , one boy , five old Masons receiving £ 40 per annum , and five Widows receiving £ 32 per annum . Owing to the death of a Fowey brother , the number of old Masons had been reduced to four . Bro . G . B . Pearce , P . M . 450 , would introduce that day a Charity organisation scheme , to which he trusted they would give the best consideration . Some seemed to think it would injure the present organisation ; but instead of so doing , it would greatly assist it , and he trusted that Bro . Pearce ' s

scheme might be carried unanimously , as it deserved to be . He regretted that the voting papers had not been sent to him so promptly as he should wish , and he should feel extremely obliged if for the future the brethren would send to him immediately they received them . In conclusion , he tendered his thanks to the lodges and brethren for their kind support in both votes and contributions during the past year , which he trusted they would continue to accord , as it was only by combined efforts that they could obtain satisfactory results . ( Applause . )

In reply to the PROV . GRAND MASTER , Bro . TRUSCOTT said they would not be able to present any candidates this year , as they had to pay back something like 1508 votes . Controller BAKE said Bro . Truscott was entitled to the thanks of the province for the way in which he had managed the votes . ( Applause . ) The report was adopted .

Bro . GILBERT B . PEARCE , P . M . 450 , P . P . G . S . of Works , moved . — " That it is desirable to establish in this province a Charity Association , to be named the 'Cornwall Masonic Charity Association . ' That a preliminary Committee , consisting of five or more brethren , kindly nominated by the Prov . Grand Master , be appointed to bring the objects of the association before the different lodges of the province , and to obtain subscribers . That

the working expenses be defrayed out of the funds of the Provincial Grand . Lodge , and that it be an understanding that the votes so obtained for the * Central Masonic Charities' be utalised on behalf of the province , in accordance with the present custom . " Bro . Pearce entered into lengthy details of this scheme . The object of the resolution was to increase subscribers to central Masonic Charities , and thus increase the voting power of