Oxfordshire.

assured ivould conscientiously and efficiently discharge the duties entrusted to him . ( Cheers . ) Bro . Spiers had hoped that ho would have been spared the duty of again addressing them , and could have wished that tho task had devolved on one of the new Grand Officers . He was sensible of the very great kindness which had ever been extended towards him , and the great assistance he had received from their RAVProvGrand Master in ing out the duties entrusted to him . Indeed the

.. . carry Prov . Grand Master set so excellent an example that it ivould be impossible to do otherwise than take an interest in the affairs of the province . The Prov . Grand Master was constantly to be seen in his place in Grand Lodge , supporting the best interests of Freemasonry ; and in aid of the charities his band was ever open to maintain the character of the province . As he thought in this as in all other works a division of labour was desirable , he should content himself by returning thanks for their kindness towards himHo hoped he mightleave it to the

. y Senior AVarden to acknowledge the toast on behalf of the other officers . Sincerely thanking them for their great kindness , he could assure them that so long as his services were deemed of value to the province , ho should be happy to vender them to the best of his ability ; but whenever the Prov . Grand Master felt it desirable to exalt any other brother to the distinguished position ho had now the honour to fill , he would gladly retire , in the full consciousness that he had endeavoured to perform his duty to the province and to the Craft to the best of his ability . ( Cheers . ) brother who

Bro . Benj . Havers might truly say that he had expected his R . AV . had just sat down , to have replied for the whole of the Prov . Grand Oflicers ; but . as he had not done so he had great pleasure in thanking the Prov . Grand Master for the honour conferred upon them . It was impossible for him duly to express his feelings towards the Prov . Grand Master , but he could express iu his own name aud that of his colleagues their determination to exercise whatever abilities they might possess most zealously in discharge of the duties to ivhich they had been called . They ivould not content themselves with merely attending the next

Provincial Grand Lodge , but having been honoured by appointment as Provincial Grand Officers , would do all tbat lay in their poivev for the advantages of Freemasonry in the province . ( Cheers ) . The Prov . Grand Alaster said that they had already drunk the health of the Officers of the Supreme Grand Lodge , but there was one amongst tbem whom he was most gratified to receive , and whose health he was sure they would all be happy to drink . Not because he was the brother of the AVorshipf ul Alaster of the

Cherwell Lodge—though that would of itself be a good recommendation to notice , but because he was one who had rendered good service to the Craft , which it would detain them at too great length to relate . As President of the Board of General Purposes , Bro . Havers had brought to bear upon his duties great talent aud energy , and had sacrificed to the performance of those duties much valuable time abstracted from his profession for the benefit of the Order . Those acquainted with Bro . Havers well knew how great were the services he had rendered to the

Craft , and he trusted that the health of that brother might long be spared to enable him still further to benefit the Order . He felt they were all deeply indebted to Bro . Havers for his services in Grand Lodge—the value of which could not perhaps be properly appreciated at the present moment , though he was sure they would be gratefully remembered in the future . ( Cheers ) . Bro . J . Havers , P . G . D ., said that , for the second time in his life , ho found himself in a Provincial Grand Lodge ; indeed he might say in any provincial Lodge ,

for he iiad never visited a private Lodge in the . country . Though this was the first time he had visited them , he could tell them he had derived the greatest pleasure from the proceedings of tlie day . His pleasure had been derived from a threefold source—firstly , he had great pleasure at tho opportunity afforded him of accepting the invitation of the Provincial Grand Alaster ; secondly , he had been highly gratified in seeing bis younger brother—his brother in blood—placed iu so distinguished a position asfthat of Prov . Senior Grand Warden—and most especially had ho been charmed and delighted with the manner in which the true principles and tenets of Freemasonry were carried out iu the province of Oxford .