Grand Lodge Of Mark Masters.

BENEVOLENT FUND .

To Balance 30 th Sept . 1884 - £ 400 6 7 Half-year ' s Receipts - - 99 17 6 Interest on Investments - 50 15 1 Cash received On account of Festival Fund 6 6 0 557 5 2

Bv Grants iu Relief - - £ 103 0 0 Transferred to Education Fund 91 10 6 Expenses , Pew . tress , printing 0 11 6 Cash at Ridgway & Sons at dato of Receiving Order in Bankrnptey ( subject only to a dividend ) 298 2 1 The late D . M . Dowar - - 15 12 6 Due from Ed ucation Fund - 7 11 7 Balance at London & West , minster Bank 40 17 0 557 5 2

EDUCATION FUND . To Balance 30 th By Education Feos £ 74 9 6 Sept . 1884 - £ 26 2 9 Expenses , Pew-Transferred from tress , printing 11 9 0 Benevolent Fund 91 10 6 Cash at Ridg- ' Interest on In- way & Sons at vestments . 23 2 8 date of Re-Balance from Be- ceiving Order nevolent Fund in Bankruptcy overdrawn - 7 11 7 ( subject only to a dividend ) 62 9 0 148 7 6 148 7 6

Audited and approved this 1 st day of May 1885 . ( Signed ) CHARLES E . SOPPET , Auditor .

Regrets having been expressed at that portion of the report which had reference to the loss which wonld be occasioned by the failure of the bankers , it was suggested that any loss which might fall on the Benevolent and

Educational Funds should also be made good out of the General Fund of Grand Lodge ; the other deficiencies having already been made chargeable thereto , by theadop . tion of the report of the General Board . This proposition wns ultimately aoTeed to . The M . W . Grand Mark Master

Mason then addressed the brethren . Before closing his first year of office he had great pleasure in asking his predecessor in the chair , Lord Henniker , to allow him to confer on him the jewel of a Past Master of Grand Lodge , in

recognition of the eminent services which he had rendered during his presidency . The brethren well knew that Lord Henniker ' s aspirations were always of the highest , and that tbe interests of their Grand Lorlce were at all

times a most powerful attraction to him ; it had consequentl y been most difficult , almost impossible , for him ( the Earl of Kintore ) to follow the example set by his predecessor . The jewel was then presented

and in acknowledgment Lord Henniker expressed his deep gratitude for the kind reception which had been accorded him , and also for the jewel which he had that clay received , He assured tbe brethren he should keep it and value it as

a lasting remembrance of three revy happy years of his life , when he had the honour to rule over the Mark degree . He was sorry—indeed it was a matter of very deep regret to him—that he had not been able to be present at

either of the last half-yearl y communications . That time last year he met with a very serious accident , which made it necessary for him to remain in a dark room for some days , while in December other engagements bad

made it impossible for him to be present . He -would tell the brethren why he regretted not being able to be with them—because ho could not thank them for the kind . support lliey had given him , and the indulgence

they bad shown him during his term of office , and also because he could not tell them with what pleasure he looked back upon the three years when he ruled over the Order . He believed he made a great many

friends during those three years , and he hoped the friendships then made might be lasting ones . He hoped , too , that dui'ing that term he had made no enemies nmono-Mark Masons . Pie was pleased to say he still ruled over

a Province of Mark Masonry , aud so was yet able to take an active part in tho business of the degree , in which he had tried to prove he felt the warmest interest . He hoped to be allowed , whether he ruled over a Province or not , to take some part in the future in promoting the welfare

Grand Lodge Of Mark Masters.

of Mark Masonry , and added tbat any service of his which could promote the interests of the Order or make ifc more flourishing than it was , would be most willingly rendered . Lord Henniker continued ; he had already told them it was

with great sorrow he had been obliged to stay away from their meeting last year , and one of the causes of his sorrow was that he had not been able to p lace the Grand Master in the chair , as it was his duty to do . It took away ,

however , some of his regret in being now able to perform that very pleasing task . He was sensible of the great services of the Grand Mark Master to the Mark Degree , and of the help he had given him during his three years

tenure of office . He congratulated the Order on having secured the Earl of Kintore as its head . Not only did he bring them , by bis high office in Scotland , nearer to the Scottish brethren , but he believed that , although there

were many members of the Maik who had done much for the Degree , there was none better fitted to fill the high position of Grand Mark Master . It was unnecessary for him to say more , because a few sincere words—and his

were purely sincere—were worth a hundred which were not sincere . He hoped the Most Worshipful Grand Mark Master during the rest of his term of office might be blessed with prosperity and health , and that the Lodge

might prosper under his rule . The Grand Mark Master Mason was then formally invested and saluted . In acknowledgment the Earl of Kintore said , The kind language of Lord Henniker when investing him

as Grand Master for a second year , and the enthusiastic reception given by the brethren to that investiture demanded words of hearty and grateful thanks . He was no speechmaker . There was nothing ho found more difficult than

to open his mouth in tbe presence of more than two or three people , but he could not allow the opportunity to pass without assuring them bow warmly he felt their kindness . If there was any alloy to tbe regret which he had

felt that time last year at the absence of Lord Henniker , it was that by his absence they were not only able to condole with him on the accident which had prevented his attendance , but he had also had a fair opportunity of

framing language in which he had tried to express gratitude for his services , a task rendered perhaps more easy bv his not being present at the time . He

knew , as he had already said , that his example wns difficult to follow , but tbe brethren having been good enough to place him in the office a second time , he believed that such as he did was considered for the benefit ; of the

Grand Lodge . He hoped when the time came for his term of office to close , he might have as many friends and leave behind him as few enemies as his predecessor had done . Bro . James Moon was next elected to the office of

Grand Treasurer , he being proposed for that post by Bro . F . Davison , the former Grand Treasurer , and seconded by Bro . A . F . Godson Prov . G . M . M . M . of Worcestershire .

The Grand Master expressed the thanks of Grand Lodge to Bro . F . Davison for his past services , a compliment which that brother suitably acknowleged . The following were then appointed and invested Grand Officers for the year : —

Bro . Lord Egerton of Tatton .... Deputy Master Marquis of Hertford Senior Warden Love Jones Parry , M . P Junior Warden Col . Somerville Burney .... Master Overseer . TnTYioq Kmi ' fli I ^ nafoa Som ' ni ' Oworaeai *

Dr . Ralph Gooding Junior Overseer Rev . Havman Cummings . . . . )„ , , . Rev . T . W . Lemon ... . { Chap lains James Moon ...... Treasurer Frank Richardson ..... Registrar F . Binckes , P . G . W Secretary T > T > ct „; .. „ - \

¦ ' „^\ " „ ir i Senior Deacons iercy \ v a Ilia . . . , . , )

VV . JNiehoJl ) . _ . r , n -ir- 11 t Junior Deacons Dr . George Miekley ..... j Robert Berrirlge P . G . M . O D . of Ceremonies Henry George 1 A L -n n n A . Tisley j Asst . D . of Cers . Tl TIT "O . l * T , it TTT 1 _ iv \ t & iu ot

. . « inspector YYKS . Miles J . Walker Sword Bearer 11 . B . Reed 1 _ . , , „ W . P . Coiling | Standard Bearers

E . J . Hoare Organist G . Graveley , Inner Guard Bros . W . E . Williams , P . A . Scratcbloy , D . P . " l Cama , E . Tyson , H . Ellis , H , Stone , Capt . j - ] Yr ^ wt , ; ., r , ; a w T ? r , ;„ r „ .. i . u n \\ r u I a < -, m . n „; i «

Harris , T . ' H . Smith , W . B . Williams , ' j and C . A . C . Jone 3 J Bro . C . T . Speight Tyler