Knights Templar.

array , the two Heralds in their tabards and caps , and their batons , followed by all the Grand Officers , each holding his wand , staff , pennant , and other emblem of his office . The Grand Conclave was then opened in ample form . The Grand Registrar , having read the muster roll , announced that letters had been received from the following Grand Officers , regretting their necessary absence : —The Duke of NewcastleProv . G . Commander NottsCol . II . A . Bowyer ,

, ; Prov . G . Commander Oxford ; A . H . Royds , Prov . G . Commander Lancashire ; Rev . E . C . Ogle , Prov . G . Commander . Northumberland ; B . B . Cabbell , Prov . G . Commander Norfolk ; Lord Londesboro , Prov . G . Commander Yorkshire North and East ; Lord Carnarvon , P . G . Seneschal ; Lord Kenlis , P . G . Seneschal ; Lord Skelmersdale , the present Seneschal ; and some other Eminent Sir Knihts .

g The minutes of the last Grand Conclave having been read , The Grand Master , who had been elected for the third time to his high office at the Grand Conclave in December last , was duly enthroned according to the ancient form . The ceremony , very effective , with some clever evolutions of the knights , was most ably performed . Great praise is due to every one , from the two Grand Captains , who had evidently been well tutored ,

and have learnt their parts , down to the Grand Assistant of the Grand Dir . of Cers . . AVhen this ceremony was concluded , the Grand Chancellor read the report : —

REPORT OP THE CO ? I __ CITTEE OP GRAND CONCLAVE . Most Eminent and Supreme Grand Master : —Your committee has the honour to report that the general state of the Order is in all respects satisfactory , and steadily increases numerically . Six new warrants have been granted by yourself since the last meeting of Grand Conclave , of which three , viz ., the Royal Edward , at Brighton ; the Geofry de Bouillon , at Scarborough ,

and the Restormel , at Tywnrdreath , in Cornwall , are in England ; and three , viz ., the Southern Cross , of Cape Town ; the Plantagenet , of St . Catherine's Town , Africa ; and the Star of the East , at Singapore , are in British possessions abroad . The Plains of Mature , an olden camp in abeyance since 1797 , has been revived . On the other hand the Beauceant and William de la More are extinct . This raises the total number ef active encampments to 108 .

The Priories of Malta amount in number to about 100 , and are on the increase . It has pleased you , M . E . and S . Grand Master , to appoint Sir Knt . Thomas Clarke Marshall , Provincial Grand Commander for the AA est Indies ; vice P . II . Delainere , resigned on leaving the station . Cheshire is vacant by the death of the late Sir Knt . Cruttenden . Essex hy the resignation of Major Burney , from inability to , attend to the duties of the office . And Staffordshire and AVarwickshire by the A ery Eminent P . G . C . having quitted the jurisdiction . The increasing prosperity of the Order will enable you to supply these vacancies by officers

worthy of your confidence . The Percy Encampment of Adelaide , South Australia , has humbly petitioned you to appoint P . E . C . James Penn Boueant a Provincial Grand Commander , alleging the great distance of 500 miles from the provincial head quarters . Your committee is aware of the disinclination you feel to raise to the dignity of a province any district whicli does not contain at least two encampments .

Your committee regrets to learn from the officer named hy you , and who proceeded to Edinburgh in the autumn of last year , that tho negotiations for a convention with the sister kingdom of Scotland has met with a check , on account of certain difficulties which arose between the respective plenipotentiaries . The Grand Master of Scotland has , in the exercise of his discretionwithdrawn his mandate

, from his representative , and is about to substitute another , which has led to delay , for which this branch of the Order is in nowise responsible . Your committee trusts that you will use the means at your command for establishing amicable relations on the same basis with our Irish brethren . The Treasurer ' s accounts show a balance in favour of the

Order of £ 232 19 s . 7 d . The balance in hand would have been £ 100 more , but your committee ordered that amount to be repaid to two of its members , who had kindly and promptly advanced the sum between them under the following circumstances .-

—Sir Knts . Captain Boyle and Frederick Binckes , who were elected by the last Grand Conclave on the committee , were appointed by the "Bedford Club" ( tenants of some portion of the house of which the Grand Conclave are also tenants ) to realise the assets , and therewith to pay the debts of the club . In pursuance of this authority they executed a hill of sale , which contained not only the property of tho club , but also , most improperlythe furniture and property of the Grand

Con-, Conclave which was in the house . The money not being repaid when due , a distress was put in , and a sale of everything was alone prevented by the advance of £ 100 by two members of tho committee who happened to hear of the transaction , and thus the property of Grand Conclave was saved . The Grand Almoner's Fund amounts to £ 37 18 11 The Benevolent Fund amounts to 5 13 0

Making a total of £ 43 11 11 which will be increased ivhen the remaining camps shall have made their returns under the new statutes . In conclusion , your committee congratulates tho Order on your continuance in office , and feels convinced it expresses the unanimous feeling of the Order in wishing you health , strength , and the goodwill long to wield the baton of office . By Order of the Committee of Grand Conclave

, F . MAC . C . DE COLQUHOUN , Grand Chancellor . Sir Knt . W . H . Wright , P . G . Sword Bearer , moved , Sir Knt . C . J . Banister , P . G . Capt ., seconded , and it was resolved , that the report just read bo received and entered on the minutes . Tho same Sir Knights then respectively moved and seconded that the report be confirmed . Sir Knt . Binckes thereupon rose . He complained of the

report as condemning him and an absent member of Grand Conclave , and branding them with dishonesty . He entered into an elaborate statement , giving his view of the subject matter , using many very harsh and totally unnecessary expressions , and ended by moving an amendment to the effect that one sentence of the report be omitted , and a sentence that he handed up be substituted . This was objected to by two or three of the Sir Knights on

the ground of irregularity . The report of tho Committee could not be altered or amended by the body to whom the report was made ; if the report was objected to , for any sufficient reason , it should be referred back to the Committee . This view was taken by Sir Knts . AV . AV . B . Beach , 3 I . P ., Prov , G . Commander Hants , Lord Eliot , M . P ., and H . J . Spiers , who said ho would move that the report bo referred back to the

Committee . This he did for the purpose of having something more said about the matter , he , although on the Committee , having heard nothing more than t \ ie statement Sir Knt . Binckes now made . Tho amendment was seconded , as a matter of form , by Sir Knt . Thomas . Sir Knt . Meymott , as ono of tho Committee , said ho woidd rather , for tho sako of Sir Knt . Binckcs and for tho sake of every

ono , not reply to all tho statements of Sir Knt . Binckcs , nor ontor into tho matter . He much regretted that Sir Knt . Binckes had not shown his usual sense of what was wise and prudent , and had romainod silent on tho subject , thou nothing would havo boon said , now ho had risen to complain of being charged with dishonesty and of being ill treated . This was a groat error on his part . Ho had forgotten a very useful motto— "Quiota , non movove . " Tho committee had had a very delicate and

disagreeable duty imposed on thorn in investigating tho subject , and had , in his opinion , acted most kindly and judiciously in stating in tho Report that what tho two members of tho committee had done was douo " most improperly . " Theso words wore tho only expression on tho report that could bo objected to , tho committee woro bound to explain to the Grand Conclave how it was that £ 100 was expended out of the small amount at their command . If it were the desire of the Grand Conclave , he

would explain all about the matter , but he hoped this was not necessary . He should be obliged to make use of stronger expressions than most improper conduct , and he hoped Sir Knt . Spiers would , for tho sake of peace , at once consent to withdraw the amendment . For his own part , if re-elected on the Committee , and the report came for reconsideration , he should he at a loss to make it less disagreeable than it now was . Tho Grand Chancellor said : —Tho question was simple and plain and was stated with correctness in tho report . Sir Knt . Binckes admitted ho had joined in executing a mortgage of the