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( Hear , hear . ) AA e have not built or provided for present requirements only ; and I think you will say that in doing what we have done , wo have done wisely and done well . AVe do ask you , then , to help us in this our hour of need , and to come to our support in this our great crisis . I have not , up to this moment , issued more than 25 , 000 circulars . AVe have met _ during the iveek , of which this is almost the end , and I have : fc . " -eivod 12 S names as Stewards on that occasionand I am

; ; peritev . x / " sanguine , from such a result , that I shall receive very shortly ih-i complement of 500 names of Stewards . What do I do by fcks . t-j ? I insure 500 earnest , zealous workers who rocosnise our 'ic . eS , and who will be bound to do do all they oan to relieve' the institution . of the responsibility ; they live in the full faith and sure hope that the Craft at large would " endorse what they have done , and relieve them from the

responsibility . Not for themselves , not for us ; we seek no aggrandisement , no glory for ourselves j ive are providing for our sons and your sons ; and I say advisedly , ivithout wishing to draw insidious distinctions , or make invidious comparisons , —for I hope success , and the greatest success , may at all times attend all our Masonic Institutions—that if there bo one Charity mose deserving of your support as JIasons than othersit is that one which takes your own

, lewises , your own sons , and educates them . It is for you to say whether by your means either they shall be qualified to maintain any position that may devolve upon them in after life , or hy your neglect bo driven into the cold shade of I will not now say what . I ask you now to come forward , because I do not often have , nor shall I have any other occasion , until that Festival occurs of asking you . I wish that this effort shall he so successful that it may relieve mo

personally , and every member of the Committee under whom , and with whom , it is my pleasure to act , from making any similar appeal for the future . I have laboured hard for tho last four or five years to elevate the Boys' School to a position equal to that possessed by our two other great Charities . I have no wish to see it flourish at the expense of our other Charities ; hut I never will remain satisfied until I have achieved it , the great object of my heart , and placed the Boys' School on an equality with the other Institutions . I do hope that the result

of the appeals that have been made for the last three or four years , ancl will now be made during the next two months , will result in such an accomplishment of my object , that I may be spared tho necessity of pressing the claims of tho Institution upon you in future years , as I have done since I have been in the position I now so unworthily occupy . What I have done , ns I said just now , has been not to elevate myself , but to provide means for tho due education and maintenance of those in

whom of necessity we must take interest . The Grand JIastor has most kindly intimated to the Committee his intention to hold on that occasion a special Grand Lodge , of which there will be a programme , mid 1 do hope on the Sth of July to see ourselves surrounded hy the brethren , so that wo may take our place among Charities free and unencumbered . I . want to see the Committee well supported who have tbe kindness to take the office on themselves ; I want to see one united effort made to

relieve the Charily of its responsibilities , and I hope to succeed . AVithont receiving a large accession to that number of Stewards I have already announced , it will bo impossible , and I shall , therefore , bo deeply grateful to any one ivho will give mo his name . In a meeting like this there is no necessity for urging the claims of a charitable institution , and what I have said has been drawn from me in replying to the toast . I am deeply grateful to the Chairman for proposing , and to you for the kind

manner in which you have responded to the toast ; and in conelusion let mo ask those who have not before been attracted to us to help us on . ( Hear , hear . ) Bro . JICIXTVUE . —I will not detain tho brethren long . I am quite sure that you must feel indebted to our Bro . Jennings , for his very great kindness in occupying the chair , that hacl been occupied by our Bro . Havers , who ho so well know was accustomed to preside over the meetings here , and whom it

was so difficult for any man to follow ; but I nmst say that my Bro . Jennings , in taking Bro . Havers' place has left us nothing to desire , nothing to wish for , because we havo had one true iu heart , good in spirit , an old and true JIason , known and believed by us all , and who has done his work here this evening in a manner that calls for the highest praise . I promised you I would not detain you long . I feel that no words that I could say would add to your feelings of admiration i ' oj- the manner in which Bro . Jennings has discharged his

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I duties . Long life to him , and may we often see him presiding over these assemblies . ( Cheers . ) Bro . JEUYKV- . 3 , —Brethren , a little man , with little powers to speak , and very little means to tell you all he feels , now rises . I beg to thank you most sincerely for the compliment you have paid _ me , and to assure yon that it was only under the earnes 6 solicitation of our excellent and esteemed Bro . Havers that I ventured to hold this position and I thought it was my duty when his domestic affliction

, was such that he could not remain any longer to comply with his request . Any short coming on my part I apologise for . Every satisfaction I have given I am much obliged to you for receiving ; and if any one has received pleasure from my presence I am exceedingly glad of it . AA e all , I know , have as JIasons , hearty and sincere feelings , and ivithout such feelings no society can exist . I beg leave to thank yon sincerely . The proceedings were then brought- to a close by Br . Muggeridge insisting on Bro . AVoolhams singing « The Arefchusa , "

Provincial.

PROVINCIAL .

DURHAM . IlAETU-rooii . —St . Helen ' s Lodge ( No . 531 ) . —A lodge of instruction , the first in connection with this lodge that has been held for sonic years , was holden in the JIasonie Hall on Thursday , the 20 th April . Among those present were Bros . Jas . Greaves , P . M ., Prov . G . S . B ., and Mayor A . JNathan , S . AV . ; AV . J . Sivcright , J . AA . ; Stonier Leigh , See . ; II . Sale , J . J .

Armstrong , Thos . Forbes , J . Mowbray , & c , and several visitors . The lodgo ivas opened by Bro . Leigh . The brethren wore then exorcised in tho first and second degrees , and in the openingand closing of tho three degrees . Bro . Leigh then delivered the lecture on the first tracing board , and the lodge was finally closed . At refreshment several brethren expressed their pleasure at having been present , and their sense of the great advantages to be derived from attending lodges of instruction , theonly regret being that so few see fit to avail themselves of thismeans of acquiring Masonic knowledge .

ESSEX . AmruAii FESTIVAL OP THE UNITED LODGE ( NO . 697 ) , COICIIESTEE ,, The annual festival of this , the Military Lodge of Colchester ,, was held on Friday , April 21 , at the Lodge Boom , George Hotel , when Bro . Captain WoodroiTe Boyco , 31 th Regiment , was installed Worshipful JIaster , the ceremony being most ably

performed by Bro . Peter Matthews , P . JI ., P . Prov . J . G . AV ., and Prov . G . Dir . of Cers . for Essex ; and the following officers were invested with their respective badges : —Bros . Lieut . Treffrey , S . W .,- W . Rule , J . W . ; Chas . Carnegie , P . JI . Treas . ; , . P . Cricher , Sec ; Conyards , S . D . ; Kilmurry , J . D . ; Jenkinson , I . G . ; AVitten , Tyler . At six o'clock the brethren sat down to an elegant "banquet served by host Quiver ; the newly-installed Worshiful JIaster

p presiding , supported by Bros . It . J . Bagshaw , Prov . G . M . for Essex ; John Jfann , Prov . G . Sec . ; Peter Matthews , Prov . G . Dir . of Cers . ; Col . Freoliug , P . JI . ; Hall , P . JI ., & c . There were also present all the officers of the lodge , with Bros . Anderson , H . Joslin , Alexander , AVolverson , Cohen , Pell , and Smith ;; Cappin P . JI . ; Darkin , Balling , Evans , S . Chaplin , Holland , ancl A . Coppin , representing the Angel Lodgo ( No . 51 ) ; G . Turner , AV . JI ., and J . Franks , Perfect Friendship Lodge , Ipswich ; and

Bishop , P . JI . ; Ames , P . JI . ; AVclham , Wymark , and York ,. Lodge of Hope , Brightlingsea . The health of the Queen having heen drank with loyal en- . thusiasm , the leading Masonic toasts wore given from the chair , viz ., " The Grand JIaster of England ( Earl Zetland ); " "The Deputy Grand JIaster ( Earl de Grey and Ripon ) and other-Grand Officers ; " and " The Provincial Grand JIaster for Esses ( Bro . Robt . Bagshaw ); " all ch-ank with JIasonie honours .

The PBOV . G . MASTEB , in acknowledging the compliment , said that one of the most gratify ing events of his Jlnstership had heen tho formation of this lodge , which he believed had been the means of spreading Jlasonry iu many lands , and especially in India , with which this lodge , and the garrison by which it was chiefly supported , were very intimately connected . They often heard Jlasonry spoken of as an institution scarcely worthy of consideration ; but any ono who , like himself , hacl