At The Sign Of The Perfect Ashlar.

At the Sign of the Perfect Ashlar .

His Royal Highness the Duke ol" Connaught , Most Worshipful Grand Master , has been pleased to appoint the Right . Hon . T . F . Halsey , M . P ., to the office of Deputy Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England , in the room of the Earl of Warwick , who has resigned the appointment . Bro . Halsey is one of the oldest Provincial

HHt > . TUB HK 11 IT UO . V T . I ' . I 1 A 1 . SKY , AI . l ' . Grand Masters , having lilled the of / ice of Provincial Grand Master of Hertfordshire for upwards of 30 years . The announcement , we believe , will be received with much

satisfaction by the Craft . It will be remembered that Bro . Halsey was appointed as Grand J . in Supreme Grand Chapter in succession to the late Bro . W . B . Beach .

«• ¦ . <¦> < * » The quarterly meeting of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons was held at Mark Masons' Hall on Tuesday , September 1 st , and was presided over by the M . W . Pro Grand Master , the Earl of Euston . The Report of the

General Board presented no special features of interest . Members of the Order have become so familiar with the announcement of the steady advance of the Mark Degree during the preceding quarter , that the figures showing that 43 8 new certificates of membership had been issued , bringing the total membership to 4 6 , 674 , created no surprise .

< S > © ( S > Further , three lodges at Hull had sought and obtained permission to join the Province of North and East Yorkshire , and a lodge at Christchurch , Xew Zealand , which had been in abeyance , petitioned for and was granted leave to revive .

The last festival of the Mark Benevolent Fund realised ^" 2276 16 s ., and the Chairman , Bro . Richard Yassar-Smith , and the Board of Stewards were congratulated on the great success of the meeting . An interesting ceremony took place in Grand Lodge . Bro . C . Dillworth Fox having been appointed by the Duke of Connaught to be Grand Master of South Island , New Zealand , was obligated and invested

here . Bros . Colonel H . Le Roy Lewis , D . S . O ., and \\ . Briggs , LL . D ., were invested respectively as Sword Bearer and Standard Bearer . s > «> ¦ " *» The decision of Lord Xorthcole to retire from the

position of Provincial Grand Master for Devon has been received bv the brethren of that province with universal regret . When his lordship was appointed Governor of Bombay he consented to retain the office , his anticipations being that he would return to England at the end of live

years , but he has now intimated that in consequence of his appointment as Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia , he feels it his imperative duty to retire , and he has placed his resignation in the hands of the Most Worshipful Grand Master .

K " , * < 3 » S > In a letter written on the voyage home and addressed to Bro . John Stocker , Provincial Grand Secretary , Lord Northcote says : — " My appointment as Governor-General of the Australian Commonwealth necessitates my being absent from

England for a further term of live years . After very serious consideration I have determined that , in the interests of the province , it is my duty to retire from the office of Provincial Grand Master , and my resignation is now in the hands of his Royal Highness the Most Worshipful Grand Master . I regret

to be obliged to sever this connection with the Devonshire brethren , for I had been looking forward to renew my happy relationship with them . In taking official leave of the province , I desire to express my appreciation and heartfelt thanks for the loyal and cordial support so invariably given

to me , and to ask the brethren to accept my very best wishes for their prosperity and the welfare of ( he Craft . —Believe me to be , ever yours faithfully and fraternally , Xorthcote . "

His lordship was installed as Prov . Grand Master by his predecessor , Lord Ebrington , at a meeting at Exeter on August 12 th , 18 9 6 , and during his rule nine new lodges have been instituted , and the number of members in the province has been largely increased . Since Lord Xorthcote ' s departure for India the province has been very ably ruled by the Deputy

Provincial Grand Master , W . Bro . G . C . Davie , P . G . D . Lord Northcote from the first has entered very thoroughly into Masonic work , and has been officially connected with the Province of Devon for more than 13 years , having been installed Provincial Grand Master of Mark Master Masons on May 28 th , 1890 . <*> « s » *

Throughout Devonshire a desire has been expressed by all the brethren that on Lord Xorthcote ' s home-coming an opportunity should be given to meet him either in Provincial Grand Lodge or at a banquet . No doubt effect will be given to this desire , but the precise form cannot , of course , be determined until there has been an opportunity of

communicating with his Excellency . «> ¦ ¦& ' 2 > At a meeting of the Grand Committee of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , held in Edinburgh on September 17 th—Past

Grand Master , Lord Saltoun , presiding—it was proposed by the noble Chairman that the Hon . Charles Ramsay , Grand Master Depute , be nominated as Grand Master Mason of Scotland in room of the Hon . James Ho / . ier , M . P ., who had expressed his desire to retire after being four years in office .

This was unanimously adopted ; and , Brother Ramsay being present , intimated his consent to accept the high office . This nomination will no doubt be received with much gratification by all members of the Scottish Craft . < s > < i-. # ,

We understand that an addition is contemplated to the county lodges meeting in London , to be formed of brethren connected with the county of Lincolnshire . The second largest county in England ought to be able to show a large