Provincial.

had been a mistake , not thinking of the consequences it would entail upon him . But the Grand Registrar could not be allowed to think and act for us . If so , it would be like selecting Her Majesty's ministers for conducting the affairs of the nation entirely and exclusively from London members of parliament , without including any representatives from the provinces . Indeed , it appears that the list of names selected at the Grand Registrar ' s meeting was exclusively chosen from London Lodges . All members of Grand Lodge in the provinces were summoned to attend when the Board of General

Purposes were to be elected , and to give their votes in accordance with their own views . But it must be recollected that some of these provincial members had three or four hundred miles to travel if they did attend , and therefore the necessary expenses were so great that they could not do so , though some from shorter distances did attend . Many lived at a much greater distance from London than himself . He had managed generally to attend of late years , and had given his votes as he conceived for the best interests of Masonry ; but not one

tenth of the provincial members did or could attend , in consequence of the inconvenience he had already mentioned . What was the use , then , of the provincial members being summoned to London nominally for the purpose of electing the officers of the Board of General Purposes , and other such important business ; and then those few who did attend to find when they got there , that the Business had been pre-arranged . All members of Grand Lodge in the provinces ( and those in London too ) shouldin his opinionhave the privilege of

, , voting by proxy . Then there would be a chance of some provincial brethren being taken into the Board of General Purposes . He believed there were as good men in the provinces as there v / ere in London , and men quite as experienced in Masonry . At the same time , he wished it to be understood that he had little fault to find with the London brethren , for he believed there were very good men among them , and he was ready to admit that the officers selected were Masons fullcapable of properlconducting LodaffairsIt

y y ge . was not the brethren personally he objected to , but the system under which they were nominated for office . He considered it was quite clear that Bro . Roxburgh had no right to summon a narty to his own residence to nominate officers , unless he summoned an equal , if not larger number of provincial brethren also ; as it was well known the provincial members were by far tho most numerous . The metropolitan district took in those Lodges only within ten miles of London ;

and the effect was that six or seven hundred provincial Lodges were , to a certain extent , shut out from expressing their opinion on the elections . Bro . Stehbing , the only provincial Mason put in nomination , had polled only forty-two votes , from causes he had already explained ; and this showed the unjustness of the present mode of proceedings . There was not a better Mason in England than Bro . Stebbing , and why should such brethren be excluded ? Were the system different , and had voting by proxy been introduced , he was sure Bro . Stebbing would have been electedThe view he was led

. to take of the matter was , that the London brethren were determined to keep the management of the affairs of Grand Lodge in their own hands , those in the provinces being excluded from all else but paying to the funds ; and he hoped that some system of voting by proxy would be introduced , so as to give the provinces a fair share in eonducting Grand Lodge business . Bro . Duraut , P . M ., said the information conveyed to him in Bro . Sherry's speech had struck him with astonishment ; he could not have supposed that the Grand Registrar had lacted must

so wrongy . Every Mason know that itwas improper for the chief officer to summon certain members to a private meeting , and there make a selection of them and others to constitute the Board of General Purposes . Bro . Newman made a few observations , expressing his regret that such a course of proceeding should have been adopted . Bro . Sherry ( in reply to Bro . Oakshot , P . M . ) pointed out that by the Book of Constitutions the Grand Master was in possession of the of electing the President of the Boardand ton

power , others , which , added to the Grand Officers , gave the Grand Master the presumed support' of seventeen votes , against the fourteen annually elected in June by Grand Lodge . Bro . Carter , P . M ., regretted that auything like jealousy should have arisen between the London and provincial brethren . The provincial brethren , if they went up to London and attended the meetings , could outvote the others , though he admitted the difficulty of their attendance . He discerned a disposition on the part of the London Lod to hold fast

ges that power which they had so long exercised . After some little further discussion , Bro . Sherry moved the following resolution : — " That this Lodge very much regrets the late proceedings of the Grand Registrar , though it excuses him from any party motives . " Bro . Burant , P . M ., seconded the motion , which was put to the Lodge and carried unanimously . Bro . Carter , P . M ., moved another resolution to the effect that , " In the future selection of Officers of the Board of General Purposes , a fair sharp of provincial brethren should bo

nominated . " This was seconded by Bro . Eventt , P . M ., and unanimously agreed to . SOUTHAMPTON . PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE AT SOUTHAMPTON . On Tuesday , the 19 th July , a very numerous meeting of the Freemasons of the province of Hampshiretook place at the Freemasons '

, Hall , in Bugle street , Southampton . This was the annual gathering of the Provincial Grand Lodge . The hist annual meeting was held at Basingstoke , and next year the Grand Lodge will meet at Aldershott . The Grand Lodge was close tiled at an early hour in the morning . There were many distinguished members of the Craft in attendance , the Right Worshipful Prov . Grand Master , Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis , Bart ., presiding ; supported by Bros . Thomas Willis Fleming , Prov . GMof the Isle of WightWyndham S . PortalP . G . W . of England ;

.. ; , Hyde Pullcn , D . Prov . G . M . of the Isle of Wight ; C . E . Deacon , D . Prov . G . M . of Hants ; Rev . G . R . Portal , Prov . G . Chap . ; W . W . II . Beach , M . P ., Prov . S . G . W . ; W . U . Humphrys ; Heury Ford ( mayor of Portsmouth ); J . R . Stebbing , Prov . G . Sec , pro . tern . ; also F . Perkins , R . Hulbert , G . W . Clarke , A . Fletcher , R . Parker , H . Abraham , H . Clarke , T . Falvey , G . Lungley , C . Sherry , J . Naish , C . Copeland , Lisle ( Prov . G . Purs . ) , & c , and many others from various parts of this county and other more distant parts .

THE MASONIC CHARITIES . Bro . Stebbing called the attention of the Grand Lodge to the resolutions already adopted in respect to the formation of a charities ' committee . There had been two resolutions moved , opposed to each other . The question had been whether the Master of a Lodge should act on the committee , or a special member of each Lodge in addition . The number originally proposed for the committee was seventeenand the resolution carried bthe Lodge of Emergency

, y made it up to thirty-one . It was , however , thought the larger number was too many for good working , but the strongest discussion was directed to the point , whether the W . M . or a specially appointed member shall serve . Bro . H . Ford , W . M ., No . 391 , and mayor of Portsmouth , said , having proposed the motion that had been carried at the Lodge of Emergency , he now begged to move that such part of the proceedings of the Lodof Emergency be confirmedHis motion had been as

folge . lows— " That approving generally of the suggestions contained in the report of Bros . Lyall and Symonds , it is resolved that so much of it as recommends the appointment of a special number from each Lodge , to be called the charity steward , as an addition to the committee , be adopted ; and that tho committee be instructed to guide themselves by the general spirit of the recommendations of the report in question , and that the R . W . Prov . Grand Master be respectfully requested to act on the committee . " The effect of this would

be , to adopt the larger number , thirty-one , on the committee ; not only having the W . M . as a charity member , but also appointing a delegate from each Lodge . Bro . Beach , Prov . S . G . W ., said , for the purpose of arriving at a practical decision on the question , he would move as an amendment that the smaller number be adopted in forming the committee . The smaller number , he considered , would he found the most practical and efficient in working , and were the much easier to be got together . After some discussion , the R . W . Prov . Grand Master put the question , when there appeared on a division to be twenty-three for the motion , and ten agianst it . The resolution of the Lodge of Emergency was therefore confirmed .

GRAND LODGE AND THE PROVINCES . Bro . Ford , W . M ., No . 391 , and mayor of Portsmouth , said he wished to make a proposition to Grand Lodge , but in consideration of the great heat of the day , and the probable anxiety of all to adjourn to another place , he would not detain them with any lengthened observations . His wish was neither to provoke a long discussion nor to give rise to any acrimonious feeling , but he knew there existed considerable dissatisfaction as to the representation of the Provincial

Lodges in the Grand Lodge at London , and he much wished something could be devised to place matters , on a better footing . The R . W . Prov . Grand Master : We cannot interfere with the appointments of the Grand Master . Bro . Ford continued : If , Right Worshipful sir , you think that is intended , I fear you do not exactly understand what my motion is . He ( Bro . Ford ) did not in the least way propose to interfere with the