The Mayor Of Liverpool And West Lancashire Freemasons.

THE MAYOR OF LIVERPOOL AND WEST LANCASHIRE FREEMASONS .

M ASONIC BANQUET TO BRO . THE EARL OF LATHOM , An assembly , quite unique in its character , took place on Wednesday of last week in the Liverpool Town Hall , when upwards of 300 of the most prominent Freemasons of the Province of West Lancashire , tos ? ether with Grand Lodge Officers and representatives

of the Provinces of East Lancashire and Cheshire , assembled at the invitation of the Mayor to meet Bro . the Rig ht Hon . the Earl of Lathom , Pro G . M ., Prov . G . M . His Worship , the Mayor ( Bro . James De Bels Adam ) , terminated a month ago his year of office as Prov . Senior Grand Warden , and the banquet to Bro . the Earl of Lathom in the civic mansion , while signally

celebrating his simultaneous occupancy of these two high offices , added one more to the many acts ol munificence and hospitality which have occurred with such frequency during his most successful year as chief magistrate of the first port and second city of the Empire . The 350 brethren invited to meet the Pro Grand Master included Grand and Prov . Grand

Officers , members of Mark lodges , the Worshipful Masters and Wardens of the whole of the lodges in the province , representatives of other provinces , and most of the members of the Prince ' s , 2316 ; Sefton , 6 S 0 ; and Wavertree , 2294 , with which his Worship is more closely associated , being I . P . M . of the firstnamed , one of the leading Liverpool lodges .

At the conclusion of a superb repast , his WORSHIP gave the toast of " The Queen . " They all knew , he said , that her Majesty extended her sympathy to every member of the community , whether Englishman , Scotchman , Irishman , or Welshman : but they also knew that she had an especial sympathy for the Masonic Craft , and that she personally gave her

sanction by her patronage to the various institutions of the Order . They all as Masons believed that in her Majesty they had indeed a true and appreciative friend . The MAYOR next proposed the toast of " H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M ., the Princess of Wales , and other Members of the Royal Family . " He said , while the Prince of Wales was highly esteemed

throughout the country , he was particularly loved by the Masonic Craft . He was their leader in the Craft , and they felt to him that brotherly love and affection which he believed was in return extended to them . His Royal Highness only a few days ago graciously consented to become an honorary member of a new Liverpool Mark lodge . Such an honour from the

highest in the land was one that would never be forgotten by the citizens ot Liverpool , and more especially by the Masonic brethren of the province . They felt proud of the honour conferred upon them in the lodge , and they intended by their conduct , and by their care as to the brethren they advanced , to show how they appreciated an honour such as he believed had

never before been conferred on any lodge in the province . Long might His Royal Highness be spared to the Craft . He also hoped that the brethren would so act in the principles and tenets of Freemasonry that they would so walk as he would have them . With regard to the Princess of Wales he felt sure that no words of his were necessary to recommend

her to their notice . She came among them an utter stranger , but her truly kind and loveable manner entirely won their hearts , and they altogether forgot that she was not an English-born Princess . He could quite imagine what a comfort she had been to her husband in his recent great trial . He hoped she would long be spared to be the partner of her husband , their

Most Worshipful Grand Master . The other day Earl Lathom informed the members of the new Mark lodge that he hoped the Duke of York would shortly become a member of the Craft . His Royal Highness would indeed be heartily welcomed . Proceeding to refer to other members of the Royal Family , and to their frequent visits to Liverpool , the last of which was that

of the Duke of Connaught to inaugurate the Vymwy water supply , his lordship said that they had a Royal Family which was the envy of all their neighbours on the Continent . They were all upright men and women who took an interest in the welfare of the country in which they lived , and so long as England had a Royal Famil y , our country would never look behind .

The toast of the evening was that of " The Right Hon . the Earl of Lathom , G . C . B ., M . W . Pro Grand Master , R . W . Provincial Grand Master . " In submitting this toast , his WORSHIP said that he felt highly honoured in having his lordship as the principal guest that evening , for it fell to the lot of very few mayors to have the privilege of entertaining such a

nobleman . Lord Lathom was well known throughout the country , but he was better known and more beloved in the province . It was an especial pleasure to have his lordship there , because he was a member of a Liverpool lodge—the St . George's Lodge ° f Harmony , No . 32 , of which he had been W . M . Lord Lathom ' s career in Masonry was very well known .

; md the more he saw of it , and the longer he remained a Mason , the more he loved Masonry . With such a Provincial Grand Master as Earl Lathom , how could 'hey hel p being the premier province V His lordship had " also occupied the chair in the sister Skelmersdale Lod

ge , of which he was the first W . M . He was also an honorary member of the Merchant ' s Lodge , No . 241 . . "is lordship was installed as Provincial Grand Master ln the Town Hall , on Februrary 27 th , 1873 . That Ce ''emony was performed by a brother whose services tll ey all appreciated , and who was also a member of

The Mayor Of Liverpool And West Lancashire Freemasons.

No . 32 , Col . Le Gendre Starkie , Prov . Grand Master of East Lancashire . Col . Starkie had accepted the invitation to meet Earl Lathom that evening , but he had written at the last moment regretting that indisposition would prevent him being present . He was sure they would all regret the absence of so worthy a brother , and so dear a friend of his own .

The Earl of Lathom was now the Pro Grand Master , and he was sure that the choice of the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M . of England , could not have fallen on better shoulders . He felt sure that in having his lordship there that evening he was conferring an honour upon

the whole of the Masons of the province , and upon the Masons of Liverpool in particular . His lordship had always displayed the most active sympathy with their Masonic Charities , as exemplified last year at the Boys' Festival , when the Province of West Lancashire came to the fore with a list that had never been

excelled . This was the outcome of the love and affection they had of their Prov . G . M ., and he thought he might promise that if ever his lordship was good enough to undertake the same office for one of the other Charities he would be supported in a similar manner . It was

very gratifying to his lordship to see the fine results of the Festival , and it was especially very gratifying to him as a Liverpool Mason to have seen such a handsome list from that city . The toast having been heartily drunk ,

Lord LATHOM said that the brethren had quite overwhelmed him with their cordiality . He must especially thank the Mayor for the kind words he had been good enough to use of him and his Masonic career . His career as a Mason had now certainl y been a long one , dating back to 1856 , and when in that year he held the humble office of Inner Guard in the Apollo Lodge

at Oxford , he little thought that he was to rise to be Pro Grand Master of England . He was sorry to say that there was an inter-regnum in his Masonic career , partly taken up by travel , which no doubt did him a great deal of good , and partly by marriage . He did not know at the time whether he should have come back to England to take an active

part in Masonry had it not been for his dear friend and their Prov . Grand Master , Sir Thomas Hesketh , who brought him back and he thanked him for having done so . He did the best thing he could possibly have done for him , and left him a good legacy in West Lancashire . His immediate predecessor , who made him D . P . G . M ., was Bro . Townley Parker , who was one

of the finest specimens of a real old English gentleman that ever lived . Unfortunatel y he was not spared to the province long , and he ( Lord Lathom ) took his place . Since that time , 19 years ago , he had had the pleasure of meeting and being supported by the brethren of the province on many occasions . He had hardly ever had to find the slightest fault , and had always found

the brethren most willing to help him in anything connected with Masonry . His lordship proceeded to refer to his connection with Liverpool lodges , positions in which he had , he said , accepted , thinking that he might thereby benefit Masonry . His duties had not been wholly confined to Craft Masonry . He was in rather a singular position , for he believed he was the only

brother in England who had held the same hi gh offices he had held and now held . He had been Grand Mark Master and he was also the head of the Thirty-third Degree . He was proud to be at the head of these Orders , for he believed that no man thoroughly knew Masonry until he had gone into these higher Orders . If there was one incentive more than another

that had made him go on and work hard in Masonry it was the way he had been supported by the brethren of West Lancashire . What the Mayor had said was perfectly true , for whenever he had had to take the chair at any of the Masonic Charities—and he had taken the chair of each Charity once , if not twice—he had always been well supported by the Lancashire

brethren . They had always come to the front whenever he had asked them . He had had the pleasure on several occasions of explaining in other provinces how they in West Lancashire managed their educational institutions , and he was happy to say that certainly in four instances his observations had borne good fruit and brought forth similar institutions in those

provinces . Without disparaging the London Charitiesall honour to them for what they had done and were doing—he must say that Charity began at home , and he must say that they were doing a really good work with their own Charities . Their method contrasted favourably with the method in the London Institutions , for in West Lancashire they trained a child to be fitted

for his own station in life . This was true Charity , because those children need not know they were charity children . On the other hand , a boy or girl going to a London School was stamped for ever as the recipient of Charity , but in West Lancashire the child never need know that he had been educated in a charity school . They were in this matter on tbe ri ght lack . They

might help the London Charities with what they [ could spare , but they must go on doing their good work there in West Lancashire . He must now refer to the warm expression of feeling towards him at the Festival at Brighton , when the brethren of the province presented him with his collar and regalia , when he was made Pro Grand Master . He felt quite unable to say how he

appreciated that great compliment , but he must take that opportunity of saying how deeply he felt their kindness . In conclusion , his lordship thanked the brethren most sincerely for the way in which they had drunk the toast of his health so kindly proposed by the Mayor . He must say that he had seen a great many Masonic assemblies , but he had never before seen one to equal that , and he defied any brother to bring to-

The Mayor Of Liverpool And West Lancashire Freemasons.

gether such a Masonic gathering as that now assembled on the invitation of their worth y brother , the Mayor of Liverpool . ' The MAYOR next gave the toast of " The Brethren of other Provinces , " expressing deep regret that Bro . Col . Le Gendre Starkie was not there to respond . The gallant colonel , as well as his father before himwas a

, member of No . 32 , and he was also Provincial Grand Master of Lancashire before it was divided into the East and West Provinces . He was informed a few months ago by Bro . Col . Starkie , whom he held as a dear brother and a friend , that he hoped to see his son initiated in No . 32 . They were proud to welcome them as representatives of ' East Lancashireand Bro .

, Chadwick , the Prov . Grand Sec . of Mark Masons , and Bro . C . F . Matier , who also held high office in Mark Masonry . He would ask these brethren to respond . Bros . CHADWICK and MATIER accordingly responded , the former remarking that if East Lancashire was not the premier province it was the next to it . Lord LATHOM then said that he would take the

liberty of proposing the toast of " Our Host . " The Mayor of Liverpool was a young Mason , but he had indeed made rapid strides in Masonry , and was , he had no hesitation in saying , a stronghold of Masonry in their midst . It was a good thing to see the Mayor of such a great city taking the interest he had done in the Craft . He must thank his Worship on behalf of

the brethren for the magnificent entertainment he had given them . It was an entertainment such as he had himself never seen before in the annals of Freemasonry . The Mayor was following a good precedent , for 40 years ago the then Mayor of Liverpool , Bro . Littledale , by entertaining the brethren , he believed , on the very same day . This was a happy coincidence , as was

also the fact that Bro . Littledale was a member of No . 32 . With regard to the present entertainment he must say that he thanked the Mayor from the bottom of his heart for having given him the opportunity of meeting so many brethren of the province . He ( Lord Lathom ) was not well versed in the intricacies of municipal affairs , but he would say this—that

Liverpool would go back if they did not re-elect the present Mayor . He was a liberal Mayor , might they always have such liberal Mayors , and might they always have such truly Masonic Liberals . The MAYOR , in briefly responding , said that it was a great honour to him to have his health proposed by such a nobleman and in such words . He had just

finished his year of office as Prov . S . G . W ., and to know that during that period he had met with the approbation of his lordship and of the brethren of the province was indeed gratifying to him . He had endeavoured to make that gathering a success , and he was deli ghted to know that

they thought he had done so . Many brethren must have been disappointed at not being present ; but he had done his best , and had accommodated as many as possible of the 7000 Masons in the Province of West Lancashire . The proceedings then terminated .

Presentation To Bro. J. T. Thorp , P.M. 523, P.Z. 279 , &C.

PRESENTATION TO BRO . J . T . THORP , P . M . 523 , P . Z . 279 , & c .

On Friday , the 14 th inst , a regular meeting of the Union Lodge of Instruction was held at Freemasons ' Hall , Leicester , of a peculiarly interesting nature . The special business was the presenting of a testimonial to Bro . J . T . Thorp , P . M . 523 , P . Z . 279 , & c , and who is the Senior Preceptor of the lodge . About

120 brethren assembled on the occasion to testify their esteem and regard to the worthy brother . The presentation was made by the Deputy Prov . Grand Master , Bro . S . S . PARTRIDGE , P . A . G . D . C . England , who in a brief , | but feeling , speech enumerated the eminent services of Bro . Thorp to Freemasonry generally , and to the lodgeof instruction in particular .

desired his acceptance of the testimonial , which consisted of a cheque for a substantial sum and an illuminated address , on behalf of a large number of the brethren of the town and province , who were gratified to be able to give tangible evidence of the brotherly regard in which he was held . Bro . THORP , in accepting the gifts and expressing nis inanKS

, assurea the brethren that he would ever bear in mind the kind exprission of their feelings towards him , and , whilst gratefully accepting this acknowledgment of his services , which had always been a labour of love , assured the brethren that it would but act as an incentive to further efforts on his

part for the furtherance of Freemasonry , and to the helping of the brethren so far as in his power lay to an increase of interest in the tenets of Masonry , and an enlargement of knowledge of its history and mysteries . Bro . Thorp also gave some interesting particulars of the growth of the lodge , which now numbers some 200 members .

After the completion of the work of the evening the brethren partook of supper , and a pleasant evening was spent under the presidency of Bro . Thomas Paget , 1391 ,

Messrs . Rothschild have contributed £ 100 towards the Jubilee Fund of the Church of England Voung Mens ' Society , the Council of which is anxious to raise a sum of & , 000 . The Earl of Rosebery opened a Free Library and Museum for the district of Whitechapel on Tuesday , the building of which has been erected at a cost oi Ld 450 , which has been generously defrayed by Mr . Passmore Edwards .