The Masonic Mirror.

The G . MASTER declared that they should form the Board of General Purposes for the ensuing year . COLONIAL BOARD . The following brethren wore declared to he the members of the Colonial Board for the ensuing year : —Bros . Hopwood , President ; Le Vcau and J . Smith . The following were elected : Bros . Lee , 9 ; Levinson , 19 ; J . Horton Smith ; Mason , 144 ; J . Hogg , 172 ; and Raynham Stewart , 780 .

ROTATJ BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION POR A & ED FREEMASONS AND THEIR WIDOWS . The G . MASTER declared that the following do form the Committee of Management of the Royal Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and their AVidows for tbe ensuing year : — Bros . F . Adlard , P . M . 7 ; H . Bridges , P . M . 33 ; A . H . Hewlett , P . M . 23 ; C . Lee , P . AL 9 ; M . Levinson , P . AI . 19 ; AV . S .

Masterman , AV . M . 410 ; J . R . Sheen , P . M . 201 ; R . W . Stewart , P . M . 108 j H . G . Warren , P . M . 172 ; AV . Young , P . M . 60 . The G . SECRETARY then read the report of the Board of Benevolence for the last quarter . Bro . JENNINGS , P . G . D . C ., moved the adoption of the report . The G . MASTER put the motion , and it was unanimously

agreed to . The following grants , on the recommendation of the Board , were then made -. — Bro . J . C , of the Royal Union Lodge ( No . 246 ) Cheltenham .-B 30

The widow of Bro . E . S . C , of the Royal Albert Edward Lodge ( No . 906 ) Tewkesbury 50 Bro . R . D ., of the Vitvuvian Lodge ( No . 87 ) , London 35 Bro . C . J . M ., of the Lodge of Prudent Brethren ( No . 145 ) , London 30 Bro . H . B ., of the Lodge of Benevolence ( No . 336 ) , Marple , near Stockport 30

Bro . H M ., of Saint Davids' Lodge ( No . 366 ) Milford . 30 , The widow of Bro . J . F . AV ., of St . Peters' Lodge ( No . 419 ) , Wolverhampton 50 To the repovfc was subjoined a statement of the Grand Lodge accounts at the last meeting of tho Finance Committee , held on the 13 fch instant , showing a balance in the hands of the Grand

Treasurer of £ 1 , 875 17 * . 7-1 ., ancl in the hands of the Grind Secretary for petty cash £ 50 . Of these sums there belongs to the Fund of Benevolence £ 1 , 291 10 s . Gd ., to the Fund of General Purposes £ 187 Is . 10 d ., and there is in the unappropriated account , £ 447 5 s . 3 d .

REPORT OE THE BOARD OE GENERAL PURPOSES . The report of the Board of General Purposes was taken as read , and Bro . Llewellyn Evans ( the President ) moved that it be received and entered on the minutes . The PRESIDENT OE THE BOARD or GENERAL PUEPOSES then drew the attention of Grand Lodge to the following paragraph in the report : — "Ithas been brought to the attention of the

. Board ¦ that great inconvenience arises from the manner in which Grand Lodge certificates are now obliged to be prepared for taking an impression of the Grand Lodge seal , occasioning great waste of time . The Board beg to recommend that they beauthorised to make such alteration in the mode of sealing the certificates as may to them seem advisable . " He suggested that power

should he given to the Board to make such arrangements as might be deemed requisite , and afterwards submitted a motion to that effect , which was agreed to .

GRAND LODG-S PROPERTY . This report was taken as read , on the motion of Bro . Havers , and lie afterwards moved that it be received and entered on the minutes .

Bro . HAVERS , P . G . W ., said the report which had just been read , concluded in the following words -. — " The committee feel that the time will shortly arrive when it will be necessary to decide upon the letting of the future tavern .. They have anxiously considered this subject , and taking intoconsideration the inconvenience , loss , and possible injusticewhich may occur through a delay of several months after

negociations are opened , and before any definite settlement can be come to , they are of opinion that it is essential to the interests , of the Craft , as well as of the tenant , that the Grand Lodge should authorise the committee to make the necessary arrangements in that respect , they therefore respectfully submit the following resolution for the adoption of Grand Lodge , viz .:

—"That the committee be , and are hereby empowered , to take the necessary steps on behalf of Grand Lodge , for the letting of the present and future tavern and the premises in Middleyard , upon such terms and conditions as may seem to them to be just and advantageous / " In moving . that resolution , he said it might appear at the first blush of it that the committee

had taken into their own hands a greater amount of responsibility than was entrusted to them , hut he could assure Grand-Lodge that the committee felt deeply the responsibility and the necessity why this subject should be left in their hands—Having fully considered that they would not shrink from that responsibility , as they believed that it was the only course that

they could consistently take , and the only one that was likely to promote the advantage and interest of the Craft . He felt , however , that statements had been made with regard to the Committee and himself which ought not to have been made , in a society where men knew him and knew his antecedents . He thought it his duty to give the reasons which had induced tho committee to make this recommendation , for ,

during the last week or fortnight rumours had been rife in more quarters than one that his desire was to advance theinterest of some person , and to make this resolution the ground for letting the premises to some favoured party to the exclusion of the present tenaut . Now , he knew that in every society , when charges were made , if not contradicted , men would shake their- heads and say— " See , he does not

disclaim the rumour , however , unfounded may be the charge . " He might state , however , that with the exception of Bro . Shrewsbury , he had had no communication with any one as regarded the future tenancy , or did he know a singleindividual whom he would desire to become their tenant . Having made that statement , he could only say that if he

could be guilty of conduct so unjust he should be unworthy to be Chairman of the Building Committee , and ought to be scouted from it . The Committe had , hitherto been guided hy principles of inflexible integrity , and he claimed for them confidence in the future . They had to ascertain , the marketable value of their property and to obtain

thebest price for it . Bro . Shrewsbury naturally desired to retainthe property , as a commercial man at as low a price aa possible , and he was right in doing so , and although he ( Bro . Havers ) then only spoke on his own behalf , yet he believed he might speak for the rest of the committee , when hesaid that if Bro . Shrewsbury , who had shown so much zeal to

improve their property and paid his rent so regularly , should make a fair and equitable offer , and should be ready to make such alterations in his arrangements as would carry on the business in the building to the satisfaction of Grand Lodge , that he ought to have the first offer of it , and even at aless price than they would take from a stranger . All landlords had the same feeling to deal fairly and liberally with an old tenant , that was the reason why he said they might allow the present