Provincial.

should desire that all 1113- exertions should flow ; and a more powerful stimulant could hardly have been presented to anyone who desired to carry out that most useful course of life . Each of you could recall to his mind the eloquent description to which we have listened , and which aroused in my mind the wish that I could he such a person as was described by the proposer of the toast . Your kind reception of the toast , however , fills ine with true encouragement—with hope that it may be my lot to come before you one

day , and claim the words which now I could repudiate when I heard them , but which were in some way conformed to my feelings by the kind plaudits of my kind friends . I beg to thank you briefly for the great kindness that I have received at all hands to-day , and wMch I shall never forget to the end of my life . ( Hear , hear . ) Perhaps I may be allowed to make an addendum , in the shape of a toast . It is the health of a gentleman who , I think , in this county ields to none in deserved popularity—a brother Mason , second in

y rank to my friend Dr . Bowles . It is " The Health of the Rev . Archdeacon Lane Freer , D . G . M . " ( Cheers . ) I foreknew the way in which that name would be received ; but I can't sit down yet , in spite of those long-continued plaudits , because I do want to express the gratification we all feel in seeing one so gifted in the estimation of mankind among us ; and those who are not brethren , will rejoice to see the high position which he holds in the Order ( Hearhear . ) I beg leave to propose " The Health of Archdeacon

, Lane Freer , D . G . AI . of the Province of Herefordshire . " ( Great cheers . ) The PROA ' . G . AL : —Before he rises , as I am sure he will do , to returns thanks for the manner in which you have received the toast which my eloquent friend has so well proposed , you will , I am sure , permit me for one moment to express my concurrence in all that has been said , and my deep obligation to him for his efforts towards the promotion of Masonry in this province . The toast was drunk with

three times three , and one cheer more for the Archdeacon's good lady . The Ven . Archdeacon LANE FREER , D . Prov . G . M ., said : I must confess I feel myself wholly at a loss to find words to return thanks for the manner in which you have received my health , and for the health you have so kindly added to it afterwards—the health of my wife . She must , I am sure , feel flattered at a reception such as she never before experienced . It is a source of the utmost gratification for me to be called upon by my right worshipful friend to fill the second office to him which I hold in this province , since I have bold the office and since I have been a Mason . I have never experienced

a day of interest equal to that on which I am now present—the occasion of laying the foundation stone of the Corn Exchange at Ross . ( Hear , hear . ) As a clergyman , I cannot but add the prayers of myself and brethren , that the building may be for the comfort and advantage of every one in Ross and its neighbourhood ; that it may be a house of accommodation to those who traffic therein , and that they may so traffic to their own advantage , and for the benefit of God ' s poor . ( Hear . ) I can take this opportunity , and perhaps

it may be some interest to those who are not Masons , if I indulge in a few remarks respecting our ancient fraternity , and I think on an occasion like this it may be permitted . AA'hen we assemble as Masons , we talk of Masonry , and we have not many opportunities of doing it to those who are not Masons . You know that the Masons are a secret society , and therefore it is impossible for me to convey to you their secrets . But I will give you something by way of illustration . AVhen Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne of the

realm , the whole country was aroused with secret convulsions , and she looked with suspicion upon all secret societies , and many of these societies were disbanded , and the members forced to leave the country . She , however , took a different course ; she sent for the Archbishop of Canterbury , Alatthew Parker , and for two or three others , and said to them— " I wish you to become initiated in the mysteries of Masonry , not that you may tell me its secrets , but that you may tell me if they are what

I may acknowledge , or such as I dismiss . " The result of this was that that great man and several others became Masons , and attended shortly afterwards upon her Majesty , and their report was this— " Your Afajesty asks us what Masons are ; we can assure you they are the most loyal subjects your Majesty has ; they are the best citizens this land boasts , and there are none more Godfearing people in the realm . " The result was what you may suppose , that the Order received her patronage , but , of course , she ' could not

be admitted into the Order . ( Laughter . ) You know ladies are sometimes anxious to gain secrets , and wish to know why they are not permitted to become Alasons . If I may say so , this is necessarily a secret society . In the beginning , when we were something more than Speculative Alasons , when we were Operative Masons , when those great buildings , our cathedrals and our churches , were the work of the Masons , it was a necessary thing that the persons employed as positive and actual Masons should be thorough masters of « very branch of their art . AVhat would it be if the persons employed did not understand the geometrical principle upon which an arch was raised , and the spire supported on those four slender

legs ? AVe should have had , years ago , those noble buildings heaps of ruins . It was therefore necessary that Master Alasons should have some decisive means of knowing if the persons they employed were competent for their duties , and therefore it was necessary that those secrets should be known , and members were known by those secret signs , and their competence acknowledged . So much as regard secresy . I know you may ask , why not admit females ? We may sayuseful and ornamental as they arewe don't know that

, , they could at all haye assisted us in raising originally those vast buildings , or that they could now assist us in our more speculative feelings . And let it not be forgotten that the tender sex are more prone to communicate their knowledge than the sterner sex . ( Laughter . ) And if our society was so constituted , it might happen that great scandal might be attributed to us if females were admitted into our lodges . ( Hear . ) I thank you very much for

the kind manner in which you have listened to my few remarks . I feel they have been more lengthened than they ought to have been . ( No , no . ) Capt . POWER said that on the present occasion there was one toast which they ought not to forget ; that was the health of a gentleman who had come forward and offered every facility for the erection of the building . The toast he had to propose was " The Health of Mr . Robert Wyndham Smith . " Alany thanks were due

to him from the committee and directors of the Ross Corn Exchange for the assistance he had rendered them ( the toast was warml y received ) . Mr . SMITE briefly responded , and the company dispersed .

NORTHUMBERLAND . PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE . The Provincial Grand Lodge of Northumberland held a meeting of emergency , in the room of the Northumberland Lodge ( No . 985 ) , Newcastie-on-Tyne , on Tuesday , March 5 , 1861 . The Provincial Grand Lodge was opened in form by the D . Prov . G . AL , Bro . Alark L . Jobling , in the absence of the Prov . G . M .,

caused by domestic affliction . Present , Bros . E . D . Davis , Past G . S . W ., as D . Prov . G . M . ; \ Vm . Punshon , Prov . G . S . W . ; AVni . Berkeley , as Prov . G . J . AV . ; Rev . A . Atkinson , G . Chap .,- John Barker , G . Treas . ; Andrew Gillespie , G . Reg . ; B . J . Thompson , G . Sec ; Thos . Crawford . G . S . D . ; James Gibson . G . J . D . ; John Popplewell , as G . Dir . Cers . ; Thomas Haswell , G . Org . ; Ed . Shotton , as G . Purs . ; Alex . Dickson , G . Tyler . The circular calling the meeting was then read bthe G . Secas

y , follows : — 1 st . " To take into consideration the proceedings of the All Saints ' Lodge , AVooler , No . 161 , and to take such action thereon as Provincial Grand Lodge may determine . " 2 nd . " To discuss Bro . P . AL Barker's motion made at the last Provincial Grand Lodge on the 14 th Sept . 1861 . " The A \ ooler Lodge ( No . 161 ) was represented by its Treasurer ,

who , however , was not furnished with the minute book and warrant of his lodge , as required by the peremptory summons sent to the Master . After the Prov . G . See's report was read , and the Treas . of Lodge No . 161 not having given a satisfactory reason for the non-appearance of the AV . M . with the warrant and books of the lodge , it was unanimously decided to suspend the lodge till the next regular meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge . The next business was the Prov . G . Treasurer ' s motion , which the Prov . G . Sec . read as follows : —

1 st . " That one perpetual governorship in one of the four Masonic Charities be annually or biennially purchased from the Fund of General Purposes , and the privileges of it given to the AV . M . ( for the time being ) of one . of the lodges of the province taken in rotation , not by roll , but from those making the largest and most regular returns of contributions to the two funds of the province , those lodges not contributing regularly to be excluded . " 2 nd . "The lodges contributing in the same year an equal amount to that granted by Provincial Grand Lodge to have the preference in the selection . "

3 rd . "No second governorship to be allotted to the same lodge till all in their turn have received one governorship , unless such lodge has received the previous governorship from haying contributed an equal amount from its funds . " The Prov . G . Treas ., Bro . JOHN BARKER , then addressed the Grand Lodge by saying : R . W . Sir , —In bringing forward the motion , of which I gave notice , at the last Provincial Grand Lodge meeting , held at Berwick in September last—I beg to premise that I am not

originating anything new , that I am not desirous of lessening our operation for good , but that I only propose to follow the example set us by other provinces ; and hope that our efforts iu the cause of charity will strengthen the hands of other brethren , who , like myself , wish to see the good . work go on , and that we in our turn may be cited as an example of what can and ought to be done in