Provincial.

PROVINCIAL .

SUSSEX . " BRlGllTON . —Eoyal York Lodge ( No . 394 ) . —The monthly meeting of this Lodge was held on the 1 st hist ., at the Old Shi p Hotel , Bro . V . P . Freeman , AA . M ., presiding , supported by the whole of his officers . Bros . Lewis aud Reeds were raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason , the working being most ably performed by the AVorshipful Master . The votes of tbe Lodge were unanimously given to Bro . Penfold , of Lewes , ancl Mrs . Trubbington , candidates for the benefits of the Benevolent Institution . The stun of five guineas was voted to the "Poeock Testimonial Fund . "

Royal Arch.

ROYAL ARCH .

SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER . THE quarterly convocation of Grand Chapter was held in the Temple afc Freemasons' Hall , on AA ediiesday , May 2 nd , present E . Comps . Thos . H . Hall , G . Supt . for Cambridge , as G . Z . ; John Faweett , G . Supt . for Durham , as G . H . ; Rev . John Huyshe , G . Supt . for Devon , as G . J . ; AVm . Gray Clarke , G . S . E . ; J . LI . Evans , G . S . N . ; G . AV . K . Potter , G . P . S . ; J . Hervey and Gole , G . A . S . There were also Comps . the Hon . J . H . L . Dutton , G . Supt . for Gloucester ; John Havers , John Hervey , T . AVhite ,

AA ^ lmsley , E . G . Poeock , S . B . AVilson , A . Le Veau , S . Savage , J . Smith , AA . Farnfield , and other Principals and Past Principals of Chapters . As is usual at this meeting the rules were read , and also the minutes of fche last Grand Chapter , which were confirmed . The appointment of officers for the year ensuing , was as follows : — the three Grand Principals as before—the Earl of Zetlaud , M . E . G . Z . ; Lord Panmure , G . H . ; Thomas H . Hall , G . J . Tbe others appointed were AA'm . Gray ClarkeGSEJLIEvansGSNGAVKPotter

, ... ; . . , ... ; . . . , G . P . S . ; Algernon Perkins and Rev . A . R . AA'ard , G . Asst . S . ; F . Roxburgh , G . Reg . ; R . AV . AVheeler , G . S . B .. ; Br . Geo . Harcourt , G . S . B . ; H . Bridges , G . Dir . of Cers . ; Charles Payne , G . Janitor . Tbe report of the General Committee contained a statement of fche finances of the Grand Chapter : —Cash iu hand brought forward from last account £ 363 Os . 9 d , since received £ 230 14 s . Sd . ; amount invested £ 200 ; payments . £ 113 18 s . 7 cl . ; iu Treasurer's hands £ 280 5 s . S < 1 . The Committee also reported the following petitions for new Chapters

and removals . From nine registered Royal Arch Masons for a Chapter to be attached to the High Cross Lodge , No . 1056 , at Tottenham , to meet on the first Tuesday in every month , to be called " The High Cross Chapter , " nominating Comps . Edmund Guest , as M . E . Z . ; N . D . Frampton , as H . ; and D . S . Potts , as J . For a Chapter to be attached to the Athol Lodge , No . 88 , at Birmingham , to be called " The Athol Chapter , " of which Comps . J . Pearsall was nominated as M . E . Z . ; Samuel Pendletonas H . ; aucl Geo . Hudsonas JFor a Chapter to be

, , . attached to the South Saxon Lodge , No . 390 , at Lewes , to be called " The South Saxon Chapter , " naming Comps . Dalbiac , as M . E . Z . ; AV Verrall , as H . ; and E . G . Poeock , as J . The Thanet Chapter , at present attached to the Union Lodge , No . 149 , at Margate , applied for permission to remove to Ramsgate , and there be attached to the Royal Naval

Lodge . These petitions were all granted . There was also a petition for a warrant of constitution for a Chapter to be attached to the Dalhousie Lodge , holding under the Grand Lodge of England , at Ottawa , Canada AVest , on which a long discussion took place , but as only four of the applicants were found to be registered in the books of the Supreme Grancl Chapter , and there were other difficulties connected with the position of English and Canadian Masonry , the consideration ol it was postponed .

The report of the committee appointed to revise the laws of the Grand Chapter prior to a reprint was then considered , and after passing those laws , in which no alteration was proposed , Comp . HAVERS , as representing the committee , and begging the companions to understand that , without any personal feeling in the matter , he only acted in a ministerial capacity in bringing the proposed alterations before them , proved that the fee for a new warrant should be three guineas instead of five as heretofore . He urged the necessity

for the reduction on the ground that the various heavy charges hindered many brethren from joining the Royal Arch degree , and after a brother was once admitted , there was no reason why he should be subjected to heavy charges for that which , he was informed , was only the completion of a degree he had already taken . He was desirous of seeing all the charges reduced so as to afford every encouragement for brethren to enter the Royal Arch degree , and though it might be urged that two guineas in the price of a charter was but a small sum , yet be thought

they ought to consider it in connection with the proposition for reducing tho fee for exaltation which he should have to bring forward at a later period of the evening . The motion was seconded by Comp . EVANS . _ Comp . JOHN SAVAGE was decidedly opposed to the change ; he considered the difference could be no object to any one , ancl would only lead to a reduction of revenue . Comp . the RevJHUYSHEiu opposing the alterationstated that he

_ . . , , did so on the ground that it was unadvisable to multiply Chapters , as in distant provinces the working of Royal Arch Masonry was mixed up with all maimer of rites and degrees altogether foreign to it , ancl if there were more Chapters , speaking as a Prov . G . Superintendent , he was fearful that even greater irregularities would exist .

Royal Arch.

Comp . AVARREN supported the resolution , and stated thafc though ho did not look on the motion now before them as so important as that for altering the exaltation fee , he was of opiuien that every facility should be given to the brethren for entering the Royal Arch degree . They must recollect that they were not legislating for London only , but for the provinces , where the fees were unduly high in comparison to those charged for initiation , aud for the colonies , where the heavy fees under the English constitution , drove the companions into Scotch and Irish

Chapters . If he understood the observations of the M . E . companion who last spoke , they were rather in favour of the alteration than otherwise ; for they might depend upon it , that the greater the number of Chapters , the better would be the working , competition and emulation , securing that uniformity and good working which coulcl scarcely be expected whilst Chapters were so scattered that the companions of one could scarcely obtain any communication with those of another . He had always understood that Prov . G . Superintendents were appointed to

regulate the working of the Chapters within their jurisdiction , and prevent these irregularities just described . Certainly if they could not do so they were of little or no use , and they could not do better than try to cure them by popularizing the order—by making tbe admission to it as reasonable as possible . After some observations from other companions , in the course of which the M . E . Comp . Rev . J . Huyshe , alludiug to the remarks of Comp . AA arrenstated that his province ( Devonshire ) was seventy miles by sixty

, in extent , and it was impossible to visit all the Chapters in it , aucl it was in the absence of the Grand Superintendent that the irregularities complained of occurred . Comp . HAVERS briefly replied , and stated that even allowing the extent of the province of the M . E . companion , that certainly was no argument against the present measure , as he believed that any zealous and energetic Mason might visit all the Chapters once a year and set them right in their workingand that was certainly what he considered

, to be the duty of a Grand Superintendent . The motion was then put and lost . A clause requiring Chapters to make returns of their members eligible to sit in Grand Chapter was adopted ; also one to enable serving companions to , be exalted without fee . Comp . HAVERS , in bringing forward the next resolution , again

reminded the companions that he was only acting as the mouth piece of the committee , and that he had no personal feeling in the matter , though he certainly thought it most desirable that they should give every facility to the brethren to complete their Master Mason's degreeivhich he would emphatically add was their right—at the lowest possible charge ; always remembering that there was no reason for these high fees , Grand Chapter having uo pressing claims upon its funds to render them necessary . He , therefore , moved that the lowest

charge at which a brother might be exalted should be one guinea instead of three , which might include the registration for the Grand Chapter . Comp . AA ARiiEN seconded the resolution . He begged to remind them that the resolution was not that the guinea should include the registration fee , but that it might . Indeed he did not believe that in the London Chapters the law , as altered , would be acted upon to any extent ; but iu the provinces , where Masonic subscriptions were not so heavy as in Loudon , the fee of three guineas—and they must recollect that there

was not only that fee , but the clothing , & o ., which cost some three guineas more—was to a certain extent a prohibitive fee , and kept a very large portion of the brethren from entering the Royal Arch , as was shown by the fact that not one fifth of the brethren ever did so . Last year the number of certificates issued for Craft Masons , from Grand Lodge , was upwards of four thousand , whilst those for the Royal Arch scarcely reached eight hundred , and that was a much larger proportion than in any previous year . He maintained that in the provinces , and in the colonies—many of the provinces and colonies not containing a single

Chapter—the alteration would be regarded as a great boon , and that it was their duty to give to all Freemasons the opportunity of completing their degrees , they being told iu the Book of Constitutions thafc Masonry consisted of only three degrees , including the Royal Arch . He did not care bow high they made the entrance fee into Masonry , but once admitted there should be no second fee so high as to prevent the brethren completing their degrees . Comp . SMITH considered that , although a reduction was desirable ,

one guinea was too low a charge , and he moved , as an amendment , that the exaltation fee be two guineas . Comp . ADLARD seconded the amendment . Comp . SAVAGE opposed any reduction , and said it was not the amount of the fees , but other reasons , such as want of time , or attendance to their Craffc duties , ivhich hindered brethren from going beyoud the M . M . degree . He considered that if they lowered the fee , though perhaps it might not touch such Chapters as the St . James ' s , the Prince lead to

of AVales ' s or the St . George ' s , it would so much competition iu other Chapters for members , as materially to damage the reputation of the Order , and he could nofc conceive that the amount of the fee would keep a brother out ofthe Royal Arch . Comp . NELSON , Prov . G . S . E . for AVest Yorkshire , would support the amendment of Comp . Smith , believing that the charges were afc present too high . There were one hundred and seventeen Chapters in the province to whieh he belonged , in many of which they had not exalted a candidate for years , and he had frequently heard that the charge was too high . He could not , however , support the original motion as some