Scotland.

Comp . the Hon . C . MAULE RAMSAY , in replying , said that now that the Supreme Grand Chapter was established in its own home it was incumbent on them to follow the example they saw in the Grand Lodge of Scotland during the last 25 years , which had steadily but surely put itself in a state of complete solvency and wealth . He thought it was only fair that from time to time they should consider their position , and see how

they stood , not as compared with last year only , but as compared with a few years ago , and he had a statement that embriced at least 10 years , v hich showed that the funds of the Supreme Chapter had increased steadily from £ 5300 in 1 S 90 to over ^ 8000 in 1899 , so that the yearly increase during that time had averaged something like £ 300 . The number of companions had also shown a steady increase , though during the last

year the increase did not equal either of the two preceding years . In 1897 , for instance , 1237 were added , in 189 S 1244 , and in 1899 on'y 1086 . He trusted that was owing to some temporary circumstances or conditions , because for the last year the registrations , though the accounts were not altogether closed , amounted to no less than 1209 , which was in excess of any

other year during the last 10 years . ( Applause . ) That was certainly a matter of congratulation for them . It behoved those of them in Edinburgh and Glasgow , which were naturally , of course , the two greatest centres of Masonry in Scotland , to see that nothing was left undone that could continue to promote this steady increase , and to bring the provinces into closer and better working order .

Comp . D . GUTHRIE SHIELL , Provincial Grand Scribe , Angus and Mearns , proposed " Tbe Grand Offire-Bearers , " and in doing so referred to the result of the energy of the Honourable Charles Maule Ramsay in Forfar and Kincardineshire . He hoped that at the end of five years the Supreme Chapter would be as sorry to part with him as the chapters in these counties were at the present moment . If they backed him up , the Royal Arch Chapter would go on flourishing , perhaps as it had never flourished before . ( Applause . )

The Piincipals and the different chapters in attendance replied for the daughter chapters , including representatives from Dundee , Brechin , and other chapters in Forfar and Kincardine Province , and these spoke in high terms of their experience of Comp . Maule Ramsay as Superintendent of that province . The company separated about 10 o ' clock .

Devon Masonic Educational Fund.

DEVON MASONIC EDUCATIONAL FUND .

A meeting of the Committee of the Devon Masonic Educational Fund was held at the Freemasons' Hall , Plymouth , for the purpose of making the final arrangements for the meeting and election which takes place on Wednesday , the 3 rd prox . Bro . F . B . Westlake presided , and there were also present Bros . J . B . Gover , Hon . Sec ; J . R . Lord , Hon . Treas . j W . Allsford , E . H . Littleton , C . Mutten , W . Sweet , T . Payne , S . Broad , and T . S . Bailey .

At a previous meeting it was decided that at least one child should be p laced on the fund at the approaching election , but discretionary power was g iven to the Committee to add a second child if the number of applicants warranted it .

Bro . GOVER , however , now reported that only one application had been received , and it was decided to elect one candidate . There will thus be three candidates for one vacancy , two cases having been brought forward from the last election . Special attention was again called to the fact that the subscriptions during the past year had fallen off to a considerable extent , and that as there were 22 children on the fund , receiving in the aggregate £ 330 a year , the expenditure was now in excess of the income .

The CHAIRMAN pointed out that this was a very undesirable state of things , and that unless increased support was soon forthcoming the Committte might have to face the unpleasant necessity of reducing the number of children on the Fund so as to bring the expenditure within the income . He hoped that lodges , and brethren generally throughout the province ,

would recognise the absolute necessity of making a special effort on behalf of an Institution which was doing such valuable work , and he especially appealed to those lodges , of which there were , unfortunately , too many , that had never yet given any assistance to the Fund , notwithstanding that frequent appeals had , he understood , been made to them .

Bro . LORD heartily endorsed the Chairman ' s appeal . The Committee at all times did their best to bring the claims of the Institution before the whole of the lodges of the province , but there were still many lodges that contributed nothing to the Fund . As the election would take place in about n fortnight , he hoped the brethren of the various lodges , in the Three Towns especially , would send their subscriptions at once to their respective Charity Stewards .

Burns' Dumfries Lodge.

BURNS' DUMFRIES LODGE .

Bro . James Smith , P . M ., has just written another of his charming Masonic brochures , the latest beins a " Historical Sketch of Lodge St . Andrew , No . 179 , " and assuredly one of the most interesting ar . d valuable of the series . The Dumfriesshire Masonic Historian is always very happy in unearthing old Records , in which he has been wonderfully successful , and this time the History concerns the extinct Lodge of St . Andrew , Dumfries , which was

warranted nth October , 1774 , by the Grand Lodge of Scotland . The first minute is dated on the 22 nd of the same month and year ( 1774 ) , when some 11 Master Masons assembled "in the Coffee House , " Dumfries , and the lodge " wasopened i 1 due form . " The members began with a fair complement ot ofiicers , Bro . Thomas Halliday , " Preacher of the Gospel , " being invested as Chaplain .

On the 3 rd November , Bro . Charles Sharpe was elected a joining member from St . Luke ' s , Edinburgh ; the same brother being appointed Prov . G . M . of Dumfriesshire in IHJI . The bye-laws were agreed to at this meeting , and their first proxy to Grand l . odge w ; is also elected in the same month . At the Festival of St . John the Evangelist in 1774 two Lodges were

represented that are unknown to liro . Smith—the " St . John ' s " and the " Andelusui . " The latter is described sometimes as No . 3 . Neither are noted in the minutes of the 01 hi r Town Lodgi-s , so their origin is a mystery . Possibly they tvere of the " irngular Masonic boiies existing at that period . " Colonel Mikovmy , of the Russian Service , and Bro . Robert Miller , of Man-

Burns' Dumfries Lodge.

chester , who were present at the Lodge in 1781 , and appear to have captivated the members , as they were admitted as honorary members . On 27 th December , 1788 , the Immortal Burns was " unanimously assumed a member of the Lodge . " He had then been a member of " the Mystic Tie" over seven years , and on admission into " St . Andrew ' s " signed the Regulations . The Poet was frequently present at the meetings , duly described by Bro . Smith , and

filled the office of Senior Warden during the year 1793 . So late as 1794 Burns took part in the election of office-bearers , and in January , 179 6 , he was sponsor for a candidate from Liverpool . His last attendance was on 14 th April , 1 796 ; but , strange to say , his decease is not noted in the minutes . The Lodge ceased to meet in 1805 , the attempt to revive it in 1815 being a failure , and in the following year it was erased .

The Minute Book and other curios were purchased at a public sale by my dear old friend Lyon ( Past Grand Secretary ) in 1879 , and presented to the Grand Lodge by Sir Michael Shaw Stewart , Bart ., then the Grand Master . Bro . James Smith ' s appreciative friends are now waiting for the advent of the next of his series . W . J . HUGHAN .

Craft Masonry.

Craft Masonry .

Royal Athelstan Lodge , No . 19 . The above lodge held its installation banquet at the Cannon-street Hotel on Thursday , the 14 th instant , the W . M ., Bro . Martin Pulvermann , presiding . The installation ceremony took place some weeks ago , but the banquet was deferred owing to the national mourning . There were present the following officers of the lodge : Bros .

Money Marsland , LP . M . ; O . Marsland , S . W . ; M . Miroy , J . W . ; A . Digbv-Green , Treas . ; J . W . Barnes , Sec ; A . C . Burnley , S . D . ; T . E . Williams , J . D . ; W . M . Bywater , P . M ., P . G . S . B ., D . C . ; W . P . Campbell-Everden , LG . ; W . Pound , P . M ., and H . L . Pound , jun ., Stwds . ; J . Dix , P . M . ; D . Nicholson , P . M . ; Milton Smith , P . M . ; G . R . Carsberg , P . M . ; W . Stacey , P . M . ; - and J . H . Merrett , P . M . The Grand Officers present included Bros . H . Lovegrove , P . G . S . B . ; T . A . Bullock , P . G . S . B . ; Bywater , P . G . S . B . ; G . W . Speth , P . A . G . D . C ; and R . D . Voisey ,

P . G . Std . Br . The W . M ., in proposing "The King and the Craft , " alluded to the deep interest his Majesty had taken in Freemasonry , and mentioned incidentally the figures recently cited by the Deputy Grand Master , the EarJ of Warwick , as to the rapid stride ; made by the Order in this country , possessing , as it did , no fewer than 3000 lodges , with over 200 , 000 members .

The toast was loyally honoured . The W . M . next gave " The Grand Master , the Duke of Connaught , " who , he said , possessed all the attributes needed to make a great Grand Master . The toast was received with the utmost enthusiasm . In submitting "The Pro Grand Master , Earl Amherst ; the Deputy Grand Master , the Earl of Warwick ; and the rest of the Grand Ofiicers , Present and Past , "

the W . M . said they were honoured that evening with the presence of several Grand Ofiicers , who were very prominent men in Masonry , among them being Bros . Lovegrove , P . G . S . B . ; Bullock , P . G . S . B . ; Bywater , P . G . S . B . ; Speth , P . A . G . D . C ; and Voisey , P . G . S . B ., all of whom they were proud to welcome . They possessed two Grand Officers in the lodge—Bros . Speth and Bywater , the father of the lodge—and both had done great good , not only for the lodge in particular , but for Freemasonry in general .

Bro . Speth , the senior Grand Officer , acknowledged the toast . Bro . Money Marsland proposed / 'The Worshipful Mister , " expressing the fervent wish that he might have at least as good a year of office as he ( the speaker ) had had , in which case he would have nothing to complain of . The toast was most cordially received . The W . M ., in reply , said he would ever strive to uphold the dignity of the lodge , to maintain its harmony and old traditions , and to foster all the Charitable instincts that characterised the Craft . Bro . Bywater gave "The Visitors , " and Bros . Sorell , Ferguson , and Manuel acknowledged the compliment .

The W . M . next proposed " 1 he Immediate Past Master , Installing Master , and Past Masters , " referring in graceful terms to the excellency of the I . P . M . 's work in his year of office , and touchingly alluding to the able way in which Bro . Bywater had accomplished the exacting ceremony of installation despite his advanced years . The toast was heartily received , and acknowledged by the brethren associated with it .

Other toasts were "The Mount Sinai Chapter , " proposed by Bro . W . Pound , P . M ., and acknowledged by Bro . Corderoy ; "The Treasurer , Secretary , and Ofiicers ; " and the Tyler ' s toast , given by Bro . G . Gilbert , Prov . G . T . Middx . The musical programme was directed by Bro . Willie Wright , P . M .

Solway Lodge , No . 1220 . INSTALLATION OF BRO . J . R . THOMPSON . Thc annual meeting of the above lodge was held on the 13 th instant in the lodge room , Aspatria . Bro . J . R . Thompson was installed W . M . for the ensuing year , the ceremony being conducted by Bro . John Bouch , P . M ., P . P . G . D . C , and the tallowing

officers for the year were invested : Bros . J . Holliday , I . P . M . ; D . Ross , S . W . ; W . Newton , J . W . ; F . Richardson , Treas . ; F . L . H . Millard , Chap . ; W . W . Duckham , Sec . ; Joseph Robinson , S . D . ; J . Nichol , J . D . ; W . Tulley , P . M ., P . G . Std . Br ., D . C ; J . Cobb , Org . ; J . Carter , I . G . ; John Wilson , Stwd . ; Joseph Irving , Tyler ; and J . Wilson , Asst . Tyler .

A banquet was afterwards held in the lodge roam , catered for by Mrs . Cowen . Fitz-Roy Lodge , No . 569 . A meeting of this distinguished . lodge was held at the Head-quarters of the Honourable Artillery Company , Finsbury , E . C , on Friday , the 22 nd instant . There were present Bros . Henry Humphries , W . M . ; W . H . Hiilman , I . P . M . ; H . J . Adams , P . M ., Treas . ; Lieut .-Col . J . J . Stohwasser , P . M ., Sec . ; H . Jarrett , S . D . ; H . F . Adlard , J . D . ; C . Draycott , D . of C . ; F . Hal ) , LG . ; R . G . WebsterP . M . ; T . F .

, Harrington , H . M . B . Hardy , W . Bradley , P . J . Hopkinson , J . C Taylor , Matthews , A . P . Roe , J . C . Wood , ti . Muaday , E . T . Roberts , H . C . Duncan , B . T . Mills , H . C Simmonds , W . H . James , J . C Nelson , O . Thorn , and H . T . Greenwood . Visitors : Bros . H . White , J . W . 2422 ; A . C . Fisner , J . D . 2022 ; H . Williams , LG . 2022 ; F . W . Driver , P . M . 45 ; A , W . Laidlaw , 2424 ; and L . Walker , 286 , Canada . The lodge was opened by the W . M ., and the minutes of the lodge of the 22 nd February were read and confirmed . The Treasurer , Bro . Adams , proposed a

vote of thanks to thc Secretary , Bro . Lieut .-Col . Stohwasser , for his handsome gifts to the lodge that evening , consisting of tripod , with portrait of the late Queen in frame of silver leaves , with rough and perfect ashlar stones for S . W . and J . WTpedestals . This was seconded by Bro . Hiilman , I . P . M ., and carried unanimously , the vote of thanks to to be entered on the minutes . The Secretary returned thanks , after which the lodge was closed . ' After supper the W . M . gave the usual loyal and Masonic toasts . "The King and the Craft " having been given ,

" Ihe M . W . G . M ., H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught , " was proposed by the W . M ., who said that his appointment was most popular with the Craft . " The M . VV . Pro G . M ., the Earl Amherst ; the R . W . Dep . G . M ., the Earl of Warwick ; and the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and Past , " was replied to by Bro . H . 1 . Adams , P . A . G . D . C . The I . P . M . then gave " The Health of the Worshipful Master . " He said that he had been known for many years by the comrades ; he alluded tothe able manner ht had delivered the lecture on the Tracing Board . The W . M . replied , thanking the brethren for their magnificent contribution of no guineas to his list tor the recent Benevolent Festival .