Great Western Railway.

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY .

WEEKLY EXCURSIONS to WEST of ENGLAND and WEYMOUTH .

On SATURDAY , 7 th July , and afterwards on EVERT SATURDAY until further notice , EXCURSION TRAINS will leave PADDINGTON as under : - At 8 * 5 a . m ., for ILFRACOMBE , EXETER , Dawlish , Teigamouth , Torquay , Plymouth , Penzance , & c , to Return following Monday , Monday Week or Fortnight . At 10-45 a . m ., for NEWBURY , Marlborough , Devizes , Trowbridge , YEOVIL , DORCHESTER , WEYMOUTH , & c , to Rotnrn following Monday Week or Fortnight .

At 12 * 15 p . m ., for BATH , BRISTOL , Clevedon , Weston-super-Mare , Bridgwater , Minehead , TAUNTON , Ac , to Return following Monday , Monday Week or Fortnight . Passengers can in most cases , on payment of 20 per cent , on the fares , return on the intervening Saturdays or Sundays during iho time their tickets are available . Bills can bo obiainod at tho Company ' s Stations and Offices . HY . LAMBERT , General Manager .

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Royal Arch. Prov. Grand Chapter Suffolk.

ROYAL ARCH . PROV . GRAND CHAPTER SUFFOLK .

rnHE annual meeting of the Provincial Grand - * - Chapter of Royal Arch Masons was held at the Masonic Hall , Lowestoft , on Friday , the 29 th ult . Previous to the opening of Provincial Chapter , tbe new

Chapter recently formed in connection with Lodge Unity , No . 71 , was consecrated , the imposing ceremony being most ably performed by the Grand Superintendent of Suffolk the M . E . Comp . the Rev . C . J . Martyn P . G . Prin . Soj .,

assisted by Comp . William Clarke P . G . Assistant D . of C . There "was a large attendance ; amongst the Companions who signed the presence book , in addition to the Grand Superintendent , were Comps . William Clarke , W .

Armstrong , J . B . Fraser , James M . Harvey , Hugh W . H , Elwes , N . Tracy , Edward Smith , J . W . French , A , J . Cubitt , B . P . Grimsey , S . Snow , Arthur E . Smith , Edward J . Bonfellow , Henry C . Pratt . B . R . Bryant

Frank Ellen , George H . Grimwood , Walter Diver , H . Harvey George , George John Paine , Chris . H . Hayward , George Francis Crane , & c . During the ceremony of consecration Comp . J . B . Fraser acted as H ., and Comp . W .

Armstrong as J . The petitioning Companions present were : —G . F . Crane , H . W . H . Elvvea , N . Tracy , and Frank Ellen . After the ceremony , which was performed in faultless style , the Grand Superintendent installed Comp .

G . F . Crane P . P . G . J . Suffolk P . Z . 100 and 1631 as M . E . Z ., and Comp . H . W . H . Elwes P . P . G . S . W . Suffolk M . E . Z . 1631 as J ., Comp . George Cooper H . elect , B 3 ing too ill to be present . Prov . Grand Chapter was than held under the banner of the newly-consecrated

Lowestoft Chapter . The Board of General Purposes presented their report , which showed that R . A . Masonry was making very satisfactory progress in the Province . The finances were also in a satisfactory state . The Board

recommended that lOguineas be given to the Masonic Benevolent Institution , and 10 guineas to the Boys' School . The report was adopted . Comp . W . Boby was unanimously

re-elected Prov . Grand Treasurer . The Grand Superintendent then proceeded to invest the Prov . Grand Officers as under : —

Comp . H . W " . H . Elwes ... ... H . J . B . Eraser ... ... J . N . Tracy S . E . J . Napier ... ... ... S . N . H . Harvey George ... ... P . S . W . Pead ... ... ... First A . S .

G . H . Grimwood ... ... Second A . S . W . Boby ... ... ... Treasurer E . Smith ... ... ... Eegistrar C . Hayward ... ... Sword Bearer S . Snow ... ... ... Standard Bearer W . Clarke ... ... ... Director of Ceremonies

w . vv . Bray .. ... ... Organist S . Knight ... ... ... Janitor After Chapter was closed tho Companions adjourned fro tho Crown Hotel , where a banquet was provided .

Mark Masonry.

MARK MASONRY .

— : o : — PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE ESSEX .

rpHE annual meeting of the Grand Lodge of Mark - - * - Master Masons for the Province of East Anglia was held at Chelmsford , on Saturday , 23 rd June , under the banner of the Chelmer Lodge , No . 342 . The Provincial Grand Mark Master Lord Henniker presided ; and the

brothren present included Bros . C . F . Matier P . G . W ., N . Tracy P . M . 70 Prov . Grand Secretary , Thomas J . Railing P . M . and Sec . 145 , George Graveley P . P . G . Sw . B ., James P . Lewin P . M . 342 and " 145 P . P . G . J . W .. Andrew C . Durrant P . M . 342 P . P . G . S . B ., T . Winniatt Smith P . G . Organist , E . P . Sutthery P . P . G . S . D . Sec . 342 , J . T Bailey W . M .

145 , G . W . Pascall Treasurer 345 and 145 , J . R . Jarvis J . W . 342 , F . W . Imbert Terry S . W . 377 , Frank Quilter J . O . 145 , Andrew Durrant D . C . 342 , T . J . C . Cramphorn 342 , Samuel Baker 342 , F . H . Meggy 377 , F . C . Atkinson J . D . 70 , George Gold 70 P . G . Tyler , & c , & c . The Lodge having been opened and the Provincial Mark Master

saluted with the honours peculiar to the degree , the reports from the various Lodges in the Province were made by their respective W . M . ' s , and were very satisfactory . The Provincial Grand Secretary presented the report of

the Board of General Purposes , which stated that the roll of Members and Lodges in the Province showed an increase in number , and there was a balance of £ 25 3 s in hand , as against a balance of £ 18 last year . The Board

recommended a grant of five guineas towards the Mark Benevolent Fund , and also suggested the appointment of an Assistant Secretary at an honorarium of £ 2 2 s a year . The Provincial Mark Master congratulated the brethren on the increase in the membership , and pointed out that the

increase was even larger than was indicated by the report , which only carried them up to the end of last year . The total membership was now 327 , against 300 last year . Considering that the Province did not cover a populous district ,

his Lordship thought he might say the report showed that Mark Masonry was making good progress . With regard to the suggested appointment of an Assistant Provincial Grand Secretary , he might say that some time since Bro .

Tracy intimated to him that his duties in connection with Masonry made such a heavy demand upon his time that he should be obliged to relinquish some of them , and suggested that some other Brother should be selected as

Grand Secretary of the Province of East Anglia . That was a suggestion of which no one in the Province would approve ; they could not afford to lose one of the best officers the Proviuce had ever had , and he was happy

to state that Bro . Tracy had expressed his willingness to continue the office if the Provincial Grand Lodge adopted the suggestion of the Board of General Purposes , and appointed a Brother to act as Assistant Secretary . He was

sure the Lodge would be unanimous in voting the small sum that was asked for—and a much larger sum if it were needed—in order to keep Bro . Tracy in the position he now held . In moving the adoption of the report he

could not help expressing his regret at the absence of his good friend and Deputy , Bro . the Rev . C . J . Martyn , who had an important Masonic engagement in London and was exceedingly sorry that he was unable to be with them . With

regard to himself , Lord Henniker said he extremely regretted that he was unable to be at the Provincial Grand Lodge at Ipswich last yearmost of his brethren knew the reason which

prevented him , it was a reason which now became a very sad recollection to him , the whole of his time last year was devoted to one whom to know was to love . He was , by the Queen ' s gracious command , in waiting during the

whole of the summer on the late Emperor of Germany , than whom there was hardly a more earnest Mason . He was sure they all felfc the deepest sorrow at the loss which the German Empire and the whole world had sustained by

his death , and their sympathies as Mark Masons would go out very strongly from their hearts to the bereaved Empress and ber sorrowing family . Iu conclusion , his Lordship thanked the Chelmer Lodge for the way in which they had

received Prov . Grand Lodge , and expressed his regret that the state of his health would not permit him to take part in the festival after the closing of the Lodge . Bro . Colonel C . E . Bignold P . G . S . O ., was unanimously re-elected Treasurer of the Province , and the other Officers were appointed and invested by the Prov . Grand Master , as follows : —