Grand Festival Of The United Grand Lodge Of England.

GRAND FESTIVAL OF THE UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND .

The annual Grand Festival of English Freemasons was held on Wednesday last at Freemasons' Tavern . United Grand Lodge met at Freemasons ' Hall fof the annual installation of Most Worshipful Grand Master , and the appointment and investiture of his Grand Officers for the year . There were about 500 brethren present , over whom the Earl of Lathom , M . W . Pro Grand Master , presided . His lordship was supported by Bros .

Major J . S . Goldie . Taubman , Prov . G . M . of the Isle of Man , who acted as Deputy Grand Master ; Col . G . Noel Money , C . B ., Prov . G . M . of Surrey , as Past Grand Master ; Lord George Hamilton , M . P ., P . G . W ., Prov . G . M . of Middlesex , as S . G . W . ; and Sir John B . Monckton , P . G . W ., as J . G . W . Grand Lodge having been opened in ample form , V . W . Bro . E . Letchworth , G . Sec , read that portion of the minutes which recorded the election of Grand Master and Grand Treasurer .

The Earl of LATHOM , after H . R . H . the Prince of Wales had been proclaimed by Sir Albert Woods as again duly installed M . W . G . M . for the ensuing year , said it was his duty now and his pleasure to inform the brethren that the M . W . G . M . had been pleased to confer on Prince Frederick Leopold of Prussia the rank and dignity of Past Grand Master .

The announcement was received with loud applause . The Karl of LATHOM next announced that thc M . W . G . M . had again been pleased to appoint him as Pro Grand Master . Sir ALBERT WOODS then proclaimed the Earl of Lathom M . W . Pro Grand Master , and the customary salute was given . The Earl of LATHOM next informed the brethren that the . M . W . G . M .

had been again pleased toappoint the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , Dep . G . M ., and his lordship was proclaimed as such by Sir AI . BKRT WOOUS . The remaining Grand Officers were : Bro . Marquess of Tweeddale ... ... ... S . G . W . „ Lord Skelmersdale ( West Lancashire ) ... J . G . W . ,, Venerable Archdeacon Sinclair ( London ) . . ") .-. ru . . „ Rev . Canon Kynaston , D . D . ( Durham ) ¦ ¦ ¦¦)'' ' " s-,, Alderman and Sheriff J . C . Dimsdale 1 London ) G . Treas . „ F . A . Philbrick , O . C . ( London ) . G . Reg . „ Thos . Lean Wills in son ( London ) Deputy G . Keg . ,, Ed . Letchworth ( London ) G . Sec . ¦

„ W . B . Coltman ( LondonI ... ) „ Lieut .-Gen . C . W . Randolph ( London ) . LS . G . Ds . ,, Alfred Cooper ( London ) ... ... J ,, Col . Alfred Mordaunt Egerton ( Equerry and Controller to H . R . H . the Dukeof Connaughi I . . P . S . G . D .

n John Thornhill Morland ( Berks ) ... ... } ., His Hononr Judge Masterman ( Notts ') ... M . G . Ds . ,, Lieut .-Col . J . Allen Bindley ( Stafford ) ... _) ,, Reginald St . A . Roumieu ( London ) ... G . S . of W . „ Sir Albert W . Woods ( Garter ) ... ... G . D . otC . „ Lennox Browne ( L . ndon ) ... ... D . G . D . C . 11 E . Wallaston Stanton ( London ) ... ... " )

1 , James Salmon ( Cheshire ) ... ... > A . G . D . Cs . . 1 j . Flower Jackson ( London ) ... ... J ,, Maj .-Gen . F . Gadsden ( London ) ... ... G . S . B . 11 Lieut .-Col . J . T . Ritchie , R . A . ( I . onde n ) Deputy G . S . B . » George Read ( London ) ... " > r c . M \

„ Capt . T . C . Walls ( London ) ... ... ' ^ " '" ' 11 W . S . Hoyte ( London ) ... ... ... G . Org . 11 A . Pendltbury ( London ) ... Asst . G . Sec . 11 Abraham Green ( Worcester ) ... ... G . Purst . 11 Frederick Hilton ( London ) ... ... Asst . G . P . o Henry Sadler ... ... ... G . Tyler .

Bro . Li-. Tt'invoRTii , afler the investiture of the new Grand Ollieers hael been completed , read thc following list of Grand Stewards for lhc year , which had been appointed by the ; M . W . G . M : Bros . Arthur Esrolt Voung , ' " ' . 14 ; William Henry Kempster , jun ., J . W . ( in ; Frederick M . Rr andon , 23 ; Richard Creed , S . D . 1 ; Frederic N . G . Proper ! , J . W . 2 ! Arthur Adams , 4 ; Aubrey B . Raymond-Barker , 5 ; Robert Alex . G 'bbons , M . D ., f >; William Palmer Fuller , S ; Robert Hovcnden , _ 'l ; * - James Arthur Beaumont , 26 ; David dc Lara Cohen , S . W . 29 ; II . Mwll Cockerell , J . W . 46 ; Roger William Wallace , 5 S ; John Henry *' "liams , 1 ) 1 ; Edward Forbes Lankester , 99 ; Stephenson Robert Clarke , ' 97 ; and Oliver Thomas Hodges , 259 . Grand Lodge was then closed in ample form , nnd the brethren adjourned 0 banquet , the Earl of Lathom presiding . On his immediate right was 0 r ( l Skelmersdale , and on his immediate left Gen . Laurie , Grand Master of Nova Scotia . Nie usual toasts followed the banquet .

Grand Festival Of The United Grand Lodge Of England.

After the toast of "The Queen and the Craft" had been proposed and honoured , The Earl of L \ THOM , in proposing " H . R . H . the Princeof Wales , M . W . G . M ., the Princess of Wales , and the other Members of the Royal Family , " said it had often been his lot to get up at Masonic banquets to propose the

health of the M . W . G . M ., and he had also done so with the greatest pleasure , because the Prince of Wales was a thorough Mason at heart . His Royal Highness would have been present that evening if he could have managed it . The announcement which he ( Lord Lathom ) made in Grand Lodge showed that the Prince of Wales , although away , had not forgotten

the Broherhood to which he belonged . Prince Frederick Leopold of Prussia was the head of all the Berlin lodges , and he was now a Past Grand Master of England . More than that , he had allowed himself to be made an honorary member of a lodge at Dover . The Prince of Wales was—he would not say always—but he was very often thinking about Masonry . This he

would say—he always took the deepest interest in all that went on in the Craft and in all its affairs , and in respect of the different appointments the brethren had reason lo be proud . The Craft could not have a better Grand Master . With respect to the rest of the Royal Family , he was happy to say there was the Duke of Connaught , who was another thorough Mason .

He wished he could add another member of the Royal Family to the roll , but that he hoped would soon come . He had very good ground for saying that event would shortly take place . Of the Princess of Wales it was not necessary to say much , for every one loved her . The toast having been honoured ,

Bro . Col . G . NOEL MONEY rose and said he felt it a very high honour to be allowed to propose the next toast—" The Health of the Chairman , thc M . W . the Pro Grand Master . " ( Applause . ) Lord Lathom had said that the M . W . Grand Master did all he could in Masonry , and that he had the interest of Masonry closely at heart . Those words applied equally well to

the M . W . Pro Grand Master , and his Royal Highness could not have appointed to the ollice a better man . It was needless to say anything in his praise , for his work for Masonry w as well known to every one in the room .

He was but echoing the feeling of everyone present when he expressed the hope that Lord Lathom might live long to reign over the Craft as the representative of the M . W . G . M ., and that the G . A . O . T . U . might give him health and strength to do so .

The Earl of LATHOM , in re ply , said he thanked Bro . Colonel Money for his kind remarks . He felt very deeply , as years rolled on and he came again and again before the brethren , the very cordial welcome they always gave him . He assured the brethren of what he hoped they all knew , that lie had Masonry at heart . He had it at heart because he saw how it brought

men of all classes in the country together—men who would not otherwise meet—and they met in good feeling and friendship . He was not going to make a speech , as the brethren were all anxious to join the ladies at the concert , but he thanked them most deeply—from his heart—for the kind way they had always received him , and also , if they would allow him to say

so , for the very kind reception they had given his son when he invested him that evening as Junior Grand Warden . He was happy to think that without any persuasion or word on hi _ part , Lord Skelmersdale had become a Mason , and , from what he hid scon of him so far , he took great interest in it . Lord Skelmersdale meant lo go on with the work , and to carry out what he ( Lord Lathom ) had tried to do in his time .

Bro . R . D . M . LITTLER , P . D . G . Registrar , who proposed " lhe Sister ( jrand Lodges , " said his responsibility was somewhat alarm ' n . ; , and it was the mo e so coming as his duty elid after the parent stem of Masonry had been proposed . His toast was the root and branch of Masonry all over the world . Where they would be without Grand Lodge they all knew . A good

many of them appreciated where ihey would be without the Provincial and District Grand Lodges . A consideration which was not unworthy of notice with regard to that toast was that not only had they the great universality of Masonry exhibited in it , but also thc enormous reach of the British Empire . In connect ion with the toast he had to mention a representative from

India , and a representative from Scotland , Ireland , and New Zealand . They often had present representatives from Scotland and Ireland , but they were not often honoured with thc prescrt - ; of a representative of the District Grand Lodge of New Zealand . Ii was always a pleasure to contemplate the extent

of the Empire , bul it was also a ple . isure to contemplate the extent of Freemasonry . He coupled with the toa ^ t ol the Sister Grand Lodges and th e District Grand Lodges , B . o . J . W . AlcCulloch , of New Zealand , and Bro . H . D . Sandeman , P . Dist . Grand Lodgeof Bengal . Bro . MiCti . i . ocii responded . He thought this was a great deal more than a formal toast . He had been but a limited time in England and