Grand Lodge.

stated that he could efficiently repair the organs for £ 70 , and guarantee to keep them in good order for £ 5 5 s . a year ; the reason they were out of order being , that' they were not sufficiently used . Seeing that in Bro . Bates's opinion the organs might be made serviceable for twenty or twenty-five years at a moderate expenditure , and not believing that the organs which they had had in use but a comparatively short

time could be altogether worn out so as to render new ones necessary , he would move that £ 70 be granted for the repair of the organs . Bro . Dr . Hinxman seconded the motion . He had seen Bro . Bates , who assured him that he could keep the organs in good repair at an expense of £ 5 5 s . per annum each ( not £ 5 5 sthe two ) which sum should include . The

. , every expense cost of repairing the organ in the temple he estimated at £ 40 , and that in the hall at £ 25 . Bro . Horsley , G . Org . said he was sorry to intrude himself upon the brethren . Indeed this was the only subject upon which he would venture to address them . He had now had the honour to hold his office for nearly three years , and when he was first appointed he was asked to examine the . organs .

He did so , assisted by a most competent person , and he found them in such a state of rack and ruin , that the first thing he recommended was that they should discontinue the payment of £ 12 12 s . a year for keeping them in repair . He sent his report to the Board of General Purposes , hut whether it was received he had never heard . Last year another committee was appointed to examine the on which were Bros .

organs , Roberts and Le Veau , and upon their consulting him ( Bro . Horsley ) he repeated that the organs were perfectly useless ; and that to attempt to repair them would be to throw the money away . He recommended that they should have two entirely new organs , which might be obtained for about £ 300 — £ 200 for the hall and £ 100 for the temple . No notice was

taken of his report , and the first intimation he received of the proposed expenditure of £ 70 for repairs , was when he saw it on the printed paper of business—not having been at all consulted with regard to it . He had the greatest respect for Bro . Bates , with whom he had had business transactions , and knew him to be a gentleman of the highest honour and probity , but he was convinced from the rottenness of the

materials that they might as well throw the money into the Thames as attempt to repair their present organs . He was convinced that they were utterly worthless , and he would recommend that they should either have new organs , or wait until the whole question of the property was under consideration . In the meantime he could manage to play a little on the organ in the templeand when they met in

, the hall it would be better to dispense with the music altogether , or to hire an harmonium . He would move as an amendment that that part of the report which recommended an expenditure of £ 70 on the organs be not approved . Bro . the Rev . J . S . Sidebotham seconded the amendment ; considering that as the Grand Registrar was the legal adviser of the Craftso ht the Grand Organist to be as regarded

, oug the organs , and they were hound to act upon his opinion . Bro . Col . Browning thought it would be useless to expend £ 300 upon new organs , when they had the assuranee of Bro . Bates that those they now had might be put in good repair for £ 70 . As to the rottenness of any portion of the materials , that was for Bro . Bates to consider in making his contract , and not for them .

Bro . Jennings , G . D . C ., said that the question of the organs had been fully considered by the Board , after placing them under the closest inspection . They had heard the opinion of the Grand Organist , that the organ in the gallery was utterly useless , and that in the temple worthless ; but they must . recollect that the Grand Organist was a player of

extraordinary skill and standing , and that he was in the habit only of performing on instruments of a character commensurate with his position in the profession , and great allowances ought therefore , to be made for his opinion , that nothing could be done with the present organs . They should also recollect that they had the organs inspected by a manufacturer , who stated that for every purpose of the Craft he could put them

in repair , and guarantee to keep them so for twenty-five years , at an annual cost of £ 5 5 s . each . When they considered the solemn silence with which they had opened their business that evening , and the entire absence of any attempt of the Grand Organist to produce any notes from then organ , it surely became them to make an effort to give better effect to their ceremonies if they could do so through an expenditure

of £ 70 . He ( Bro . Jennings ) had taken considerable pains to make enquiries on the subject , and he was authorized by Bro . Bates to say that , if he did not put the two organs in a satisfactory condition , he " would make no claim for payment . " ( Hear , hear . ) If they were placed in such a condition that any ordinary player could perform upon them , how much more might they not expect from the skill of their esteemed Grand Organist . ( Cheers . ) The amendment was then put and negatived , and the original resolution carried .

ERASURE OF LODGES . The President of the Board of General Purposes had now the painful duty to move that seven Lodges be erased from their books ; but , if any brother had anything to advance why in any case the erasure should not be proceeded with , the Board would willingly consent to its being held over to give an opportunity for resuscitationthough he looked upon the

, Lodges proposed to be erased as defunct . In the first place he should mention that , since their last meeting , five Lodges had been removed from the list proposed to be erased , simply on the ground that they have complied with the requisition of Grand Lodge , and made the necessary returns . And here he might be allowed to say that , in some instances , this had been done under circumstances highlhonourable to the brethren

y in the provinces , who had come forward and paid the dues for a quarter of a century , in order to revive the Lodges ; and he had great pleasure in omitting them from the resolution he had to move . He would now go through the list of those proposed to be erased , begging them to recollect that they would only put them in a position sub judice until the resolution was confirmed ; and if anything could be done

to resuscitate either of the Lodges in the meantime , there would be nothing to prevent its being taken out of the list at their next meeting . The first Lodge on the list was No . 49 , Lodge of Concord , London , and was formerly held at the Turk ' s Head , in the Strand . The Lodge had not met for many years past , and ought properly to have been erased before . It had come to his knowledge within a few days

thatsome zealous brethren wore exerting themselves to recover the warrant , and resuscitate the Lodge . He wished them every success , and should have great pleasure if they enabled them on the next occasion to take it out of the list . The next Lodge was No . 366 , School of Plato , Cambridge , which was reduced to three members—the warrant being in the hands of the junior memberwho declined to hold a Lod

, ge , and the Prov . Grand Master was of opinion it ought to be erased . He now came to No . 459 , Lodge of Benevolence , Sherborne , regarding which he had a letter from Bro . Highmore , a most zealous and active Mason , stating there was no chance of resuscitating it . The Lodge had not met since 1851 , and it was believed the warrant was in the possession of the widow of the last W . M .. and would be recovered and