Provincial Lodges.

W . P _ G . O . ; Brs . John Hitchen , Pilchard , Henry Nicholson , Dickson , and Rowlands , W . P . G . Stewards . At four o'clock the brethren sat down to a banquet in the Assembly Room . The room was decorated with the masonic and other banners . The chair was occupied by the Noble P . G . M . Lord Combermere . The musical performance was under the direction of Br . Twiss , W . P . G ., Organist . On the removal of the cloth , the R . W . P . G . M . gave the health of * ' Her Majesty , " which was drunk with great enthusiasm , and followed by God Save the Queen ,

•. Other loyal and Masonic toasts having been drunk , Br . G . C . Anfrobus , in proposing the health of Lord Comberniere , said , whether they looked at him as a commander in the army , as a landlord , as the head of a family , or as P . G . M ., they always found him a leading star for admiration . "The health of Lord Combermere " was chunk with masonic honours . Lord Combermere on rising to respond was greeted with renewed cheers . He was

really at a loss to know how to express his gratitude to his excellent brother and friend for the very flattering manner in which he had proposed his health , ancl lie had to thank the brethren present for the very handsome , warm , fraternal , and friendly manner in which they had received it . They must be aware that having so often to address them on the same subject , it was very difficult to introduce any thing new , but there

was one subject he might always name , and that was the pleasure they all experienced in being enabled to have these opportunities of assembling together , and to have the opportunity , he trusted , of congratulating themselves on being better men than they ' were at the last meeting , and therefore better masons . Amidst all the conflicting interests which now disturb the world , their noble art , based as it was upon eternal ' principles , stood then undisturbed . It was gratifying to him to find that masonry was flourishingnot onlin Cheshirebut as he ( Lord Combermere ) learned from

, y , thc G . M . of England , throughout the world . His Lordship , after again thanking the brethren , proposed the health of " Sir Watkin W . Wynn , " P . G . M . of Shropshire and North Wales , and expressed a confident anticipation that under the auspices of that hon . bart , masonry would flourish in that province . His Lordship then gave the healths of the " Earl of Ellesmere and Le Gendre Nicholas Starkie , " the Provisional Grand Masters of Lancashire , which were drunk with masonic honours .

The Noble Lord then said he had the honour of presenting to Br . Brown a purse containing twenty sovereigns , and a masonic jewel , the contribution of the brethren of the Cestrian Lodge , for the valuable services he had afforded that lodge as Treasurer and Secretary during the last twenty years . He could say that as P . G . M ., he had the honour and pleasure of attending the Cestrian Lodge on many ocoasions , and had always found Br . Brown a good and excellent man and freemason , and an ornament to the craft . It therefore gave him great pleasure in conveying to him the good wishes of his brethren , as manifested in the substantial gift he had the honour of handing to Br . Brown .

The health of Br . Brown was drunk with masonic honours . Lord Combermere , in a complimentary address , invested ( at the request of the 31 . and brethren of the Cestrian , 615 ) , Br . Brown with an elegant gold chain and medal , at the same time presenting the worthy Secretary with a purse of gold . Br . Brown begged to thank his Lordship for the very flattering compliment just paid him by the R . W . Provincial Grand Master , and with some emotion said that the W . M . and his brethren of the Cestrian had laid him under a deep debt of gratitude

for this munificent mark of their approbation of his humble services as their honorary treasurer and secretary for the last twenty years . When intrusted with their confidence ' on the first night of meeting in lodge , by being appointed their treasurer and secretary , he was quite sensible of the trust reposed in him , and lie contemplated with great pleasure that from that moment he could say ( what few others could besides him ) , that upon no one occasion had he ever been absent . In season and out of sea - son he had had the real interests of his lodge at heart , and with feelings of pleasure lie