Grand Lodge, June 3rd, 1857.

W . Bro . tho Earl of CARNARVON : —M . W . G . M ., there is on the paper a motion of the worthy Brother beside me ( W . Bro . the Rev . G . R . Portal ) to carry out the same object . I conclude , therefore , that the present motion is equivalent to the other . R . W . Bro . DOME replied that the proposal , if carried , would render Bro . Portal ' s motion unnecessary . The proposal was then agreed to , as were tho verbal alterations in tho Book of Constitutions , necessary to carrying it into effect . The other recommendations of the report were adopted without comment .

The GRAND SECRETARY then read a statement of accounts , from which it appeared the Fund of Benevolence had the sum of £ 16 , 500 invested ; with a balance in their banker ' s hands of £ 1603 12 s . Scl . The Fund of General Purposes had the sum of £ 6000 invested , with a balance in their banker ' s hands of £ 1358 Is . ed . ; aud the sum of £ 500 was ordered to be invested from each balance .

THE CHARITY JEWEL . . _ W ; Bro . Rev . G . R . PORTAL then rose to move the following resolution : — " That the Resolution confirmed in December last be rescinded , and that instead thereof it bo enacted , That any Brother serving the Stewardship of the Festival of the Benevolent Institution for aged Freemasons and their Widows , in addition to those of the Boys' and Girls ' Charities , be entitled to wear a clasp on the ribbon by which the Charity Medal is suspendedsuch clasp to be approved " bthe Board of

; y General Purposes . " He said it would be in the recollection of many present that in December last a resolution was adopted by Grand Lodge with a view to placing the Benevolent Fund on the same footing with the other Charities , with respect to allowing those Brethren who had served the office of Steward for it the right of wearing the Charity Jewel . He agreed in the principle that there should be lio difference made with respect to the Charities ; but the more he had since considered it , the more he thought that the mode proposed for

carrying out that principle was faulty . ( Hear , hear . ) It was proposed to give the medal to any Brother who may serve the office of Steward at both the Boys' and tho Benevolent institution Festivals ; but the medal itself bore on the face of it a figure of Charity , with a boy on one side and a girl on ' tho other . It would thus be seen how extremely preposterous it would be to give the medal to anyone who had not served as Steward at tho Girls' festival also . What he proposed wasto allow those who had served as Stewards to the

Benevo-, lent Institution to wear tho medal with a clasp on the ribbon , bearing an inscription to that effect : he was aware that it mi ght be said that you thus force Brethren to serve both the Boys' and the Girls' festivals before they can obtain the Jewel or the Clasp . But there was lio other way that ho could see of obviating this difficulty ; for the Medal we had got was the property of the Schools , and all we could do was to modify it so as to suit the Benevolent Institution also . Since ho placed his notice on the paper , it had been suggested to him

that as the G , M . was the fountain of honour to the Craft , the motion should set forth that the badge was to be granted by him . It had been also suggested to him that it should have a retrospective as well as a prospective action , and that those who have already served those offices should not be allowed to remain in a different position from those who may hereafter servo them . He would therefore , with the permission of G . L ., so modify his resolution as to embrace the spirit of those suggestions . It would then stand thus : — " That the resolution confirmed in December last he rescinded , and that the M . W . G . M .

be requested to permit any Brother who has served , or shall at any future time serve , the Stewardship of tho Festival of the Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and their Widows , in addition to those of the Boys and Girls' Charities , bo entitled to wear a elasp on the ribbon by which the Charity Medal is suspended , such clasp to be approved by the Board of General Purposes . " . W . Bro . JOHN HERVEY , P . S . G . D ., had great pleasure in seconding the proposition , and he hoped that not only would the motion adopted in December last be rescindedbut that tho motion of Bro . Portal

, might be carried . W . Bro . WARREN said that before the motion was put he wished to make a few observations . Tho motion of Bro . Portal would not , he thought , in any way carry out the object of his original motion , which was to place all the charities upon the same footing ; whereas should the present motion be carried , it would place the Annuity Fund on a lower ground than the other charities . He had frequently heard many objections urged against such being the case , and although he would not stand to his original motionhe would suggest that the

, Charity Jewel should be given for the Benevolent Fund and that the clasps should indicate the charities which the wearer had served . W . Bro . the Earl of CARNARVON would make one observation upon what had fallen from the Bro . who last addressed the Lodge . His objections to his worthy friend ' s proposal seemed to be that , by the motion before tho Lodge , some special distinction would be conferred

on the Boys' and Girls' School ; whereas all should be on the same footing , and ho therefore proposed a special badge for tho Annuity Fund . He entirely overlooked the practical effect of what he had proposed . Ho would give this medal to a Bro . who served only ono of the Charities , and he would give no more to one who had served both the school festivals , so that he would , in fact , destroy that equality of footing which he professed himself so anxious to uphold . W . Bro . JONES thought the simplest and most effectual mode of meeting the difficulty would be to nave a general Charity Medal , and

grant a distinctive clasp for each stewardship served . Vf . Bro . BINCKES , though he had seconded the original resolution , could not but admit the objections to which it was open . He had intended to suggest the sinking of an additional die , so that the medals may be struck from any two ; but then there were instances of Brethren who had served the stewardship of the three Institutions . He was disposed to think that the plan proposed by Bro . Jones was the best that could be adopted . . The M . W . G . M . said there seemed to be an unanimity of opinion

that the resolution of December last should bo rescinded , and ho should therefore put that part of the question first . The motion was unanimously agreed to , after which the M . W . G . M . put Bro . Portal ' s proposal to the Lodge , and declared it carried . THE SCRUTINEERS . This question having been disposed of , the Scrutineers were announced , and reported the following as the result of the Ballot : —

BOARD OF GENERAL PURPOSES . "W . M . No . Votes . No . Vote * . Carnarvon , Earl of - - 10 145 Scott , W . P . - - - 2 101 Slight , F . ... 103 130 Wheeler , R . W . - - 324 101 Symonds , John - - 21 112 Roberts , E . - - - 914 SO Gooch , D . 107 107 P . M . No . Votes . No . Votes . Young , TV . 11 129 Bradford , N . - - - 54 104 Portal

, nev . G . R . - - 4 G 0 125 Hopwood , J . S . S . - - 7 103 Blake , J . J . - - - 1 112 Webb , L . ... 4 76 Bisgood , T . . - - - 8 10 S The M . W . G . M . then nominated the following : — Roxburgh , F ., President Hervey , John TJobie , A . Wilson , S . B . Henderson , John Jennings , R , W . White , W . H . Evans , J . L . Havers , John Smith , Joseph Parkinson , Thomas

COLONIAL BOARD . No . Votes . No . Votes . Hervey , John - 7 157 Wilkinson , G . - - 21 140 Beach , W ., MP . - - 10 153 Lambert , G . - - 234 130 Shuttlowortli , M . H . - 225 144 Smith , Joseph - - 206 134 Portal , Rev . G . R . - - 400 141 Tho M . TV . G . M . Nominated Col . BunMON , P . P . G . M ., Bengal , President Col . RAMSAY , P . G . ST ., Bengal S . RAWSON , P . G . M ., China .

W . Bro . WARREN moved that henceforth the use of the temple be granted to the Stewards of the four Masonic festivals for a music room at the conclusion of such festivals , and said he grounded his motion upon the dissatisfaction which was felt as regarded the accommodation of the Glee Room on the occasion of each of the festivals by those Brethren who attended with their female friends . A great deal had in the course of the evening been said about the advantage of having ladies present at those festivals , and surely if there was an advantage in having them presentit was but fair and just that they

, should have every proper accommodation . In the temple they would have that accommodation to an ample extent . He did not intend that refreshments should bo served in the temple , but that on the occasions specified it should be applied purely to the purposes of music . W . Bro . LAMBERT seconded the motion . V . W . Bro . HENDERSON , G . E ., objected to it , because the temple had been solemnly consecrated to Masonic purposes ; whereas , Bro . Warren ' s proposal would lead to its desecration . He did not join in

the complaints against the Glee Room ; for he had in that hall heard their late G . M ., H . R . H . the Duke of Sussex , congratulate the Craft on having a room so convenient for the purposes of music . W . Bro . WARREN then consented to withdraw the motion . . W . Bro . WARREN then next proposed— " That notices of motion once given shall stand on the paper of business in their order of precedency , until considered by Grand Lodge withdrawn , or otherwise disposed of ; " and said that it was a motion against which he could see no valid objection , as it was most unfair that Brethren , who had