The Mark Benevolent Fund Festival.

itself unable to realise . However , this vs hardly thc occasion on which to argue a question of this kind . What immediately concerns us is that thc Mark Benevolent Festival on the ioth July should prove a great success , and whether thc present prospects

are sli g htl y more or slig htly less encouraging than they have been in past years , we have every confidence that nothing will be left unattended b y the noble Chairman or his Board ot Stewards which is calculated to ensure a satisfactory result .

The Craft In Bombay And Its Territories.

THE CRAFT IN BOMBAY AND ITS TERRITORIES .

We gather from the printed Proceedings—for which we arc indebted to thc courtesy of P . ro . W . H . HuSSEY , District Grand Secretary—of the half-yearly Communication of thc District Grand Lodge of Bombay , which vvas held in Freemasons' Hall ,

Byculla , Bombay , on the 30 th March last , that Freemasonry in this District is in a hig hl y prosperous condition , both financially and numerically . W . Bro . I . M . SHIELDS , Deputy District Grand Master , who presided as District Grand Master , in the course of

a long and careful review of the events ol the preceding halfyear , mentioned that he had visited , in company with sundry of his District Grand Officers , a considerable number of the lodges in Bombay and at the outlying stations ; that wherever he had been ,

his reception had been most kind and cordial ; and that he bad invariabl y found the books and records in excellent order , and more especiall y in Bombay itself , a hi g h standard of efficiency in lodge working . Onl y in the case of one lodge iiad there

occurred any unpleasant incident , but thanks to the exertions of . the W . M . and I . P . M ., its affairs had becn restored to a position of soundness , and the confidence of the brethren renewed in the wisdom and ability of its rulers . As regards the finances ,

they vvere shown to be in a most flourishing state , the Fund of General Purposes having a balance in hand of nearl y 1100 Rupees , and an excess of assets over liabilities of close on 3700 Rupees , while the Fund of Benevolence , after liberall y meeting

all cases of relief , is possessed of investments in approved securities amounting to 7000 Rupees , and a cash balance at bank of upwards of 1600 Rupees . The Bombay Masonic Association vvas also stated to have an invested capital of thc

nominal value of 52 , 000 Rupees , ancl to be rendering valuable service in the education of the children of deceased or indigent brethren , thc number so provided for at the date of the meeting being seven , which has since been increased to ten . But

notwithstanding these numerous evidences of the prosperity of the Craft under his charge , Iiro . SHIELDS rightl y considered it to be his duty to impress upon his audience the necessity for extreme care and caution in certain matters . Especially earnest was he

in pointing out , as leading brethren at home are continuall y doing , that it is impossible for the members of lodges to exercise too much caution in accepting candidates for initiation and membership . " It is often the fact , " said Bro . SHIELDS , " that a

lodge manifests too great anxiety to swell its numbers , forgetting that the character of the lodge depends not so much on the number , as on the respectability , of its members . Quality , not quantity , should be your motto ; each candidate brought before

a ludge is , as it were , a stone to be built into the edifice of Masonry , and unless the lodges carefull y and thoroughl y test the material , rejecting all in which there i . s the faintest flaw , tbe whole superstructure must suffer injury . " We trust our Bombay

biethren will take this advice to heart , as well as their Deputy District ( irand Master ' s remarks on the necessity for punctuality in opening the lodge , the conferring of the obligation onl y on one candidate at a time , and the importance of instructing

candidates " in a knowledge of each Degree they receive . " There was one olher subject to which Bro . SHIELDS conceived it to be his duty to direct attention , namely , the unauthorised communication of lod'i'c proceedings to the daily or other local press , not , as lu :

was careful to point out , from anv an } ' personal objecfion he had to suchcoininunicationsbeingmade . oi- because he had the slightest intention of relusing consent lo ils being done when permission was " properly asked for . " On the contrary , lie spoke

in commendation of our worthy contemporaries , Ihe Indian Masonic Review and the Indian /' ' rcemason , which are published by authority and contain many such reports . What he insisted upon was ( 1 ) that Article 205 , IK . ' ., as regards publication with-

The Craft In Bombay And Its Territories.

out the consent of the . authorities having been first obtained should be duly observed ; and ( 2 ) that all such reports should be discreetl y written . A proposal to vote 500 Rupees towards the establishment of a library ancl reading room , conditionally that

an equal amount was contributed by the Grand Lodge of the Scottish Constitution , vvas negatived by an overwhelming majority , not from any serious objection to thc proposal itself , but because District Grand Lodge considered its first duty was

to secure premises of its own , in which its various bodies might hold their meetings . As a consequence of this rejection , the scheme for the conduct and maintenance of a library of necessity fell through , ancl the consideration of the regulations proposed

b y the District Board of General Purposes was deferred till the next half-yearl y communication . After the appointment and investiture of the District Grand Ofiicers for the ensuing twelve months , the Deputy District Grand Master in charge presented

Bros . BARROW and HuSSEY , Past Deputy District Grand Masters , with the insignia pertaining to that rank , which had been voted them b y District Grand Lodge at its preceding communication in recognition of the many important services vvhich

each of those distinguished brethren had rendered to Freemasonry in Bombay ; and the gifts having been gracefully acknowledged by the reci p ients , the remaining business of the meeting vvas disposed of , and District Grand Lodge was closed vvith the customary formalities .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Buckinghamshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE .

INSTALLATION OF BRO . LORD ADDINGTON AS R . W . PROV . GRAND MASTER .

The annual meeting of the above Provincial Grand Lodge was held at the County HaU , Aylesbury , on Thursday , the 20 th inst ., when there was a large attendance of brethren to witness the installation of Bro . Lord Addington as Prov . Grand Master , the ceremony being performed by the Deputy Prov . Grand Master , Bro . the Rev . J . S . Brownrigg , P . G , Chap . The brethren present included

Bros . Lord Addington , Prov . G . M . designate ; Rev . J . S . Brownrigg , Dep . Prov . G . M . ; Rev . O . ] . Grace , P . G . Chap . ; J . E . Bowen , Prov . G . Sec . ; Col . Brown , rigg , P . G . S . B . ; 1 . Hattersley , P . P . G . D . ; W . G . Cannon , P . G . Stwd . ; T . T , Coles , P . G . S . ; H . Martin , P . P . J . G . W . ; J . Williams , P . P . G . Treas . ; J . R . H . Fowler , P . A . G . Sec ; James Stephens , P . P . S . G . D . ; G . A . Sims , P . P . G . Stwd . ; W . Weston , P . P . G . W . ; J . Simcox , P . G . Org . ; W . Woollett , P . P . G . W . ; j . Bliss ,

P . P . G . Reg . ; T . Harwood , P . P . G . Reg . ; J . W . Burgess , P . P . G . D . ; C . Rose , P . P . A . G . D . C ; A . McDowall , P . P . G . D . C ; E . Mackrill , P . P . G . S . of W . j Will E . Chapman , P . S . G . W . ; J . C . E . Tower , P . S . G . D . ; W . Bowdler Sharpe , Prov . G , Stwd . ; W . B . Pendicle , P . P . G . S . B . ; G . 1 . Jenner , P . P . G . S . B . ; j . T . de Fraine , P . P . G . D . C ; F . D . Bull , P . P . G . P . ; T . Taylor , P . P . G . W . ; W . H . Robinson , P . P . S . G . W . ; H . King , P . P . S . G . W . ; J . W . Sharpe , P . P . G . S . of W . ; J . King P . M ., P . P . A . G . D . C . Kent ; Hibbs , P . M . 1600 ; and many others .

Provincial Grand Lodge was opened by the Deputy Prov . Grand Master , and the minutes were confirmed , The DEPUTY PROV . GRAND MASTER then said he had to apologise for the unavoidable absence of Lord Carrington , who would have installed his successor had it been possible , and other active Prov . Grand Masters had also disappointed . Lord Addington was so well known in Bucks , not merely as a Mason , but as a neighbour , that the brethren were unanimous in their gratitude to the M . W . Grand Master for appointing him .

The Prov . Grand Master designate entered Prov . Grand Lodge , escorted by a deputation of seven Past Masters , and his patent having been read by the P . G . SECRETARY , he was obligated , invested with the collar of office , and installed in the chair . The Prov . Grand Master was then proclaimed and saluted . Bto . the Rev . J . S . Brownrigg , P . G . Chap ., was re-appointed Deputy Prov . Grand Master , and , having been installed , was proclaimed and saluted .

Bto . J . WILLIAMS , Prov . G . Treas ., said he had been elected as Prov . Grand Treasurer for many years , but it had been suggested to him that the province should follow the custom of Grand Lodge , and have a brother elected every year . It was with great pleasure , therefore , he proposed the election of Bvo . J . J . Thomas , I . P . M . 2421 , a P . M . of many lodges , and a member of the Board of General Purposes .

Bro . J . W . BURGESS , P . P . S . G . D ., seconded the proposition , which was unanimously agreed to . The Prov . Grand Officers were invested as follows :

Bro . Bliss , Wycombe Lodge ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . „ Mackrill , Buckingham Lodge ... ... Prov . J . G . W . „ Rev . Wyatt , St . Peter and Paul Lodge ... 7 Pm „ r / -L „„ - „ Rev . Briscoe , Runnymede Lodge ... ... j Prov- G ' P „ Bevan , Eton Lodge ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg .

„ J . J . Thomas , Carrington Lodge ... ... Prov . G . Treas . „ Bowen , Herschel Looge ... ... Prov . G . Sec . ,, Gough , Grenville Lodge ... ... Prov . S . G . D . „ Burgess , Concordia Lodge ... ... Prov . J . G . D . ,, Bowdler Sharpe , Runnymede Lodge ... Prov . G . D . C .

„ Sims , I <\ de Rothschild Lodge ... ... Prov . G . S . of W . „ Wagstaffe , St . Barnabas Lodge ... ... Prov . A . G . D . C . i . J King , Wineslai Lodge ... ... Prov . G . S . B . „ Cannon , Dagmar Lodge ... ... In ,.,, ctfl Brs . „ T . T . Coles , Cowper and Newton Lodge ... j Prov - ' Std > U